21 Months

1 3/4 Year Old! Anna seems so much older than one month ago!!!

She is sitting in big girl chairs, walking up and down stairs, understands so much, follows simple directions, like to be my helper, thinks she is a big kid, plays with the smallest legos/beads/marbles in the house, faces forward in her carseat, loves a balloon like a puppy, is done with bottles, jumps in the pool on her own, floats on her back, eats more and better than her siblings, has no fear, dances on tabletops, sings songs, loves books, has started associating letters to their sounds (M, S, P, T,X) and gives the best goodnight kisses!

Horsing Around

We were invited to feed a couple of horses at Buckwheat Farm.  The kids were so excited!!!  Max really loved the thrill of it all and gave the horses a hug when we left.  Kate was super excited and nervous but she fed both horses with a little help from Max.  Anna was in love, eager to share her carrots and ready to kiss the horse on the lips!

 

Summer Swim Lessons

We started one last round of swim lessons this week at our pool.  So nice and convenient!  The coach is super sweet and tailors her instruction to meet individual needs and the groups only have five kids each.  Kate and Max are in separate groups, which is a first for us, but it is working out well so far!

KATE

MAX

 

Kelly Road Park

We have discovered another park down the road (7 minutes) called Kelly Road Park. Super awesome play structure all wood with tons of towers, slides, swinging bridges, tunnels, swings, little nooks for hiding!  The kids had so much fun they did not even notice they were super hot!

Crab Placemats

 I found this crab handprint creation through pinterest and then we decided to make them into placemats using clear contact paper.  Anna kisses her crab at every meal, Max does not want anything to touch his crab and Kate loves her hard work on display each night at dinner!

Naps or Quiet Time

This seems to be a curious subject among parents especially those with kids between the ages of 3-5... For our four year olds, one seems to need more nap time than the other.  Regardless of the needs vs. wants I have happily adopted one of the many brilliant tips I have learned from my neighbor:

Quiet Time is Necessary for All Ages!

Max is completed passed out with a book on his head! :)

Ready. Set. Jump!

Sisters

There is nothing like a good book read to you by your big sister! 

It's a big deal at our house when...

...you get your own cup of frozen yogurt!

AND she throws it away on her own too!

Flex Schedules

One especially wonderful thing about the summer is that Liz and Emma are able to visit more often!  We are so absolutely lucky that all the kids LOVE playing at the house whether they are doing crafts, playing dress up, building something with legos, reading books, or running around outside.  In addition we sprinkled in a little time at the park, ate ice cream at yolo and bounced around at Jump Zone for a little variety.

Story Time with Emma

Emma called Anna her sister!

 Jump Zone

Tea party with Mimi's Tea set

 Crafts

tape is a new favorite medium at our house

Picnic at the Park

 Yolo

 Rain Party

(when it rains we build cozy spots on the front porch, eat delicious treats and read books)

 We already miss you Emma and Liz!