Where's Grandpa?

Last month my dad had knee replacement surgery, so he hasn't been to church in the last few Sundays while he's recovering. But apparently my girls miss him, because here's what the conversation was in the parking lot this afternoon as we were getting ready to go home:

Norah: (sees Brother Thompson across the parking lot) "LOOK!!! There's Grandpa!"

Me: "No, that's not Grandpa."

Norah: "Yes, it is!"

Ava: "Norah, that's not Grandpa. That's someone else. Grandpa looks different, and his name is "Gary."


Yes indeed Ava!

Keira - 11 months

I haven't weighed Keira, but she can't be more than 16 pounds - seriously. She's such a lightweight that people ask if she's 3 or 4 months old, and they are always shocked to hear that she's nearly one year old. But it doesn't really bother me - it means she stays a bit more baby-like longer!

She's now beginning to cruise, as well as bop up and down once she's standing. When we hold her, she loves to nibble our noses. It's only a problem when she tries to do it to Ava or Norah - they run away screaming that Keira tried to bite them. It's kind of funny, but I guess I should be more sympathetic, LOL! It's just hard to when Ava and Norah are so melodramatic about it, and Keira just looks like an innocent lamb.

Keira is also distinctly saying "Ma Ma" and "Da Da." Just some of my favorite words these days!

Ava turns 5!

Two weeks ago Ava had her 5th birthday party (we had it on Saturday the 6th, since her actual birthday was on Sunday the 7th). It was a Lightening McQueen themed party! Truth be told I was kinda bummed that she didn't want a pony party (there's still hope with Norah and Keira, LOL!), but it was fun all the same.

She invited friends from preschool and church (and who am I kidding - they are all from church too!). We played Pin-the-Wheel-on-McQueen, colored pages with the Cars characters, had an obstacle course in the backyard, and of course a Lightening McQueen pinata. The pinata was the pinnacle of the party! Everyone was so excited for a turn to hit it - then once it fell to the ground, it was a bit Lord of the Flies-esque with the ripping to get the candy out.

All in all it was a very fun party! Then on Sunday we had a family gathering for her actual birthday.



Playing Pin-the-Wheel




Eating Birthday Cake




Obstacle Course!




Pinata Time

Norah turns 3!

This past Sunday, the 28th, was Norah's birthday. She's now 3 years old! I can't believe it. We had a family dinner with my parents, then cake and presents afterwards.

Some Norah highlights:
- she loves dinosaurs and animals
- her favorite phrases are "WHAT??" and "Oh my gosh!"
- she loves to be tickled
- her favorite movies are "Bolt" and "The Land Before Time"
- at night she MUST have her flannel heart blanket to go to sleep
- she loves Nursery - every Sunday, halfway through Sacrament Meeting, she always asks "Is it time for Nursery?"
- her favorite things to eat at dinner are stroganoff and mashed potatoes (not necessarily together)
- she prefers bananas over strawberries

The Cake



The Presents


Opening the Presents


Peeking through the Presents

T is for...

Last week in Ava's preschool, it was "T" week. They learned about all sorts of things that began with the letter "T." They also made various projects revolving around "T." One such project was making the letter "T" out of Tootsie rolls. When the teacher presented them at the door to take home, I had a very different thought of what it looked like:









Yes, I thought "T" is for turd!!!

Keira - 9 months

At her 9-month appointment, Keira weighed in at 14 lbs, 4 oz, and measured at 26 inches long. She's a petite baby, but she's growing! And she's proportionate. All around she's just a cute little bundle of baby joy!

She can crawl fast enough to keep up with her older sisters, and she's now pulling herself up to stand. Keira hasn't quite figured out how to cruise yet - but all in due time.

I also noticed that she has not one, not two, but THREE more teeth coming in! That now brings the total to seven. She is a picky eater, so it's been slow to introduce new foods. But in true baby style, she does like to nom on Cheerios.

And to top it all off, she's just as happy as can be! It doesn't take much to get her to smile, giggle, and squeal. Our favorite thing to do is give her raspberries on her tummy. She will then just burst out in fits of laughter. So cute!

Already??

Yesterday I registered Ava for kindergarten. KINDERGARTEN!! I still can't believe that she's nearly 5 years old. And that I have two other girls. Where has the time gone?

Anyway, while registering you'd think it was the Spanish Inquisition. In order to prove residency, I had to have:


1) A copy of our rental agreement
2) A current PG&E bill
3) My driver's license


And if that weren't enough, additional things I needed were:


4) Ava's birth certificate
5) Ava's immunization records



Once I was at the school, I had a small folder of paperwork to fill out. Which reminds me, I still need to get back over there to give them a self-addressed stamped envelope so they can mail out the acceptance letter in April.

Good thing we live across the street! One of the many reasons why I love our new place.