Isla 59 Months

Well folks, I guess I've given up on my next-to-the-white-teddy-bear monthly photos. Partially because I packed that dang teddy bear and I have no idea where she is and mostly because those pictures were never all that interesting anyway and, if I'm sick of them, SO ARE YOU!!! So, enjoy just a few regular pictures from Isla's life this month. :)

 

We were really sad to say goodbye to our sweet Italian friend Anna who had been staying at the Crozier Casa for most of the time we have been here. The kids really bonded with her and it was a tearful departure when she left. The girls still ask when she's going to come "home."  

Isla was thrilled to participate at Kid's Summer Adventure (our church's version of VBS) for the first time this year (perks of living on the Seattle side!!) She had an absolute blast and now we rock out constantly to the tunes on the CD they provided her. She has the words memorized and shouts them out as we cruise in the van - programs like this are her jam, I'm realizing. She's an outgoing, social butterfly and thrives in organized activities. 

 

Though she's very social, she also really needs her space and she seems to know that about herself. She's already asking to be in half day kindergarten so she can "spend more time with the family." *Melt*

This month we've been learning to be selfless and generous and I've been very pleased with the changes I've seen. On numerous occasion she's thought of her sister and offered her the pink plate or allowed a guest to have first pick. I'm so proud of her!

 

 We put her in her 2nd summer of swimming lessons and this time they happen weekly rather than every day for a couple week stretch. The jury is still out as to whether I like this approach but she is having a blast, making friends, and finally even leaving the wall with the help of a kick board. Slow and steady certainly wins the race (or so I've been told...) 

 She's been talking about her birthday almost constantly for the past couple months, planning her party, adding to her wish list, dreaming up different cake ideas, creating a guest list. You'd think after all this time I'd have it mapped out but instead I have NO idea as her plans are ever-changing.

 

Other interests right now include making books (she's always got a stack of paper and the stapler nearby), playing dress up, boating, teaching her own swim class or leading some other form of organized play with others, and having playdates with friends.

 

We went camping this past weekend and she had a blast. She dove right into the frog-catching activities and immediately wanted to take them home as pets. I love her adventurousness!

She's a real keeper and I mean that in multiple senses of the word. She's always asking to save things - used straws, cups from restaurants, tree bark, pieces of sidewalk, you name it. Her reasoning is always that she "needs it for a craft project." Thankfully these craft projects are rapidly forgotten and I am usually able to dispose of the trash...err...I mean treasures. Usually. I fear I'm giving her a complex because I've been caught red-handed on NUMEROUS occasions, throwing out various (broken!!!!!) treasures. Whoops. This girl has a memory like none other - love her!

 



Jack 9 Months, belated

 Well golly gee, time sure is flying! Technically he's nearly 10 months now but my lap top died, or more accurately was assisted to it's death in a suicidal fall off the kitchen counter (insert GIANT sad face here), and so therefore I'm behind. I can't seem to manage any posts beyond just my monthly kid updates right but I promise some more newsy stuff soon....

 Back to Jack...hide your wives and lock up your children (or is in the other way around?) - this kid is a crowd-melting heart throb! He's a cheerful little dude and smiles incessantly. His hair is like that of a young chick and I am told that constantly. He weighed 18 pounds, 14 ounces at his 9 month check up so no concerns there! He's starting to show signs of shyness at times and a smidge of stranger anxiety but for the most part, he'll go to anyone (as long as mom's not in the room!) His sisters absolutely adore him!

 And if ever I turn my back, it's inevitable that they will have attempted to pick him up or have him in a solid head lock...

Though sometimes he seems to want his space (and he'll make it know by crying if they even start his way), I know he loves them. The other night we moved Emma into the closet with him in hopes of squelching what has become an extended falling asleep process for the girls. When he looked over and saw his sister next to him, HE. WAS. THRILLED. The two of them laughed and giggled for a good 45 minutes.

 He's still not mobile yet but he has managed to get from a sitting position to his belly a time or two. He's a tummy sleeper now that he can roll and sleeps solidly through the night from about 7 PM to 7 or 7:30 AM. Can I get an AMEN!? 

He is incredibly bonded to his daddy and wants him to pick him up as soon as he gets home. He loves pulling Graham's hair and riding on his shoulders in particular.

 My flash wasn't recharged for this next shot but it was too sweet to keep to myself so I did what all great photographers would do....convert it to black and white! (not)

 He's eating pretty much everything (minus honey, shellfish and nuts), and wants to do it all himself so we're only doing finger foods now. He feeds himself his own bottle and can drink water for a sippy cup unassisted. Though he eats most everything, his favorites seem to be raspberries, blueberries, bananas and shredded pork. It is absolutely impossible to eat while holding him in your lap, unless you don't mind him snitching from your plate.

 He babbles like crazy and is obsessed with straws, sunscreen and cell phones. He can pull himself up mostly unassisted when you offer him your fingers and is beginning to figure out home to move his feet and take "steps." But no signs of crawling yet (or teeth for that matter!) He loves to throw himself backwards and have you catch him (consider yourself warned), dance to music and rock himself in the rocking chair. He's bouncy and almost always moving. I think I now know what it would feel like to breastfeed a rattle snake...

He loves riding in the stroller and hanging on and doing pull ups (to a standing position!) if you forget to buckle him in! He's our most mobile napper so far and will sleep in the stroller or carseat if covered with a blanket - bless you third child!

We love you sweet baby Jack!



Isla 58 Months

-Me: "Isla, smile your real smile!"

-Isla: "This IS my real smile!" (above)

-always, always, always the leader of the pack
-loves orchestrating play
-learning what it means to be generous and put others before ourselves

-finished her last day of pre-K at Cedar Park

-passed with flying colors and her report card said she made great headway academically, socially and spiritually

-she's going to miss her friend Emily!

 -Mrs. Morris gave her The Thoughtfulness character award for all the sweet drawings and "mail" she would create and bring in for her friends throughout the year

-we are so proud of her!

-oh so very social

-and definitely a water baby!

-seems to be handling the transition out of our condo fairly well

(we returned right before closing for one last visit and a game of Go Fish in her room)

-likes printing off coloring sheets and coloring them

-also creating lots of "books" using paper and the stapler

-a little mommy

-came home from preschool with the sweetest framed picture for Father's Day

-see what I mean about adjusting just fine to living at Grandpa and Grandma's?

-growing more and more interested in cooking with me (yay!)

-note: 409 was NOT used in the preparation of the recipe

-comes up with lots of imaginative games for her and Emma

-free-range children (apparently they needed room to roam)

Emma 34 Months

-has the tenderest of hearts! 

-growing to be quite the hugger, particularly with children younger than her

-asks "You OK mommy?" any time she hears be grunt or cry out and comes to give me a hug

-overflowing with compliments

-particularly when in reference to my earrings or outfits

-"I like your earrings Mommy" or "I like your dress Mommy"

-sometimes she'll begin "I like your ear..." and then cut off when she realizes I don't have any on :)

-has crazy hair and she knows it

-can successfully point out and identify a Jeep, every time 

-quite the dancer (and hallelujah, I think she's got rhythm!)

-loves Craisins

-and pasta, which she wants for breakfast, every day

-timid at first but gains confidence when given time to acclimate

-mostly dresses herself, sometimes in her own clothes, sometimes not

-entered that darn awful 3-year-old-I-have-a-really-strong-will-and-I'm-not-afraid-to-use-it phase

-"potty training" (if you call peeing in your undies every time potty training)

-skips naps 2-3 days a week

-but naps HARD when she does, like 3 hours hard 

-engaging in all sorts of bedtime antics now that she's sharing a room with big sis "I have to go potty too" or "I need a drink too" etc etc and on and on. And on. 

-still is our goofiest ball

-attempting to grasp the concept of time:

Me: "When can Isla use it?"

Emma: "Maybe in 3 years."

-wants to "do it myself!"

-and she does

-has been on 3 hikes and walked by herself the ENTIRE way

-also made herself the quiet police for the rest of the hike after Grandpa Wilson said we needed to be quiet to see the owls...

California Dreaming - Manhattan Beach

 You know that moment when you're taking pictures in the bright sunlight and the glare is so great that you can't tell that your pictures are all over exposed and whited out until you leave the friends you haven't seen in a year and fly home? Yeah, I hate that. Only a couple of my shots are remotely post-able but I'll do it anyway. On a final day in California, we were able to meet up with our friends the Himes at Manhattan Beach who were fresh home from the Netherlands. It was so lovely to see them again. I just wish we could have had more time! 

 Isla and Maddie played together like they've been friends all along and Maddie and Geoffrey taught our girls how California kids do waves.

 Emma was absolutely petrified at first (I think the scar of Disneyland is going to take a while to erase...) but eventually, after holding her until my arms were about to fall off, she was getting her toes wet like the rest of 'em.

 Jack made his appearance and then proceeded to take a 2 1/2 hour nap in the shade of the stroller. I love my third child! My girls were never portable nappers.

 Of course I have no pictures of us adults but we had a lovely day and hope we find ourselves in close proximity to the Himes family again soon so we can spend more time together.

After covering our bodies and filling our ears with the perfect combination of sweat, sand and sunscreen, we bid our rental mini van adieu and boarded our plane home. Twas a full and fun trip!

THE END

California Dreaming - The Wedding

Then came time for the wedding! The girls of course couldn't wait to get all dressed up and go. Isla wondered why she wasn't going to be the flower girl (and rightly so I guess as she's played the role of flower girl in 100% of the weddings she's attended up until this point). She didn't seem to mind once we told her she could still wear and fancy dress and dance. I don't know why it didn't occur to me earlier that keeping 3 kids quiet during the ceremony might be somewhat of a challenge. Emma was encouraged to be "as quiet as a church mouse" which almost worked, if you consider whispering loudly throughout the entire ceremony being quiet. 

Camera man Scott, hard at work

On the tables at the reception were kazoos, perfect entertainment for the kiddos (and I figured they'd be great for our carry ons for the trip home too....not!)

Even Jack got a lesson in kazooing from Uncle Mike

When they weren't dancing or blowing their kazoos or eating chocolate kisses (Emma!!), the kids could be found in the one patch of dirt in the entire place.

And I thought my flower girl knew how to have fun... Kate definitely had her beat!

The wedding was wonderful the and reception lovely, complete with a flash mop singing and dancing performance of Step In Time from Mary Poppins by all the men and boys in the family and then the ladies too in the grand finale. I hope to post a video soon. Graham also did a live vocal and ukulele performance for the bride and groom's first dance.

Somehow this is the only picture I got of the bride but the moment was too perfect not to capture (her bustle broke).

The kids really broke it down on the dance floor, especially Emma. She's got some mad skills already!

See what I mean?