Little Miss 5-year-old

Ellie is 5-years-old!  I can't believe she is 5 already.

Ellie unfortunately had school on her birthday.  I went with her to school on the day before her birthday, and Jason went with her on her actual birthday (because she has different teachers and different classes on MWF and TR).  When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday dinner, she said "breakfast."  So she chose to go to Cracker Barrel for dinner, and she didn't get any arguments.  After dinner, we came home and opened a few presents, Max put the gift bag on his head, then we had cake and cupcakes.  

Unlike her little brother, she did not go to the doctor on her birthday.  Her doctor's appointment is at the end of September, and she'll be due for quite a few shots.  Ugh!  I'm not looking forward to that day.

Ellie is such a special girl.  She is sweet, super smart, friendly, and kind-hearted (she even got teary eyed at an episode of Phineas and Ferb recently when Perry the Platypus got his feelings hurt).  She is my little helper, fetching me diapers, wipes, and toys when needed.  She is anxious to learn new things, and loves to do homework - practicing writing and reading.  She loves school, and always has a big smile on her face when she walks in the doors (the teachers always comment about it).  She bring so much life and energy into our home (it would be so boring without her).  We love you, Ellie Girl.

6 Months Old

Will is now 6 months old...that's half a year already!!  

He is growing so quickly now, and it seems like he is reaching new milestones everyday.  He is sitting up on his own, which is awesome.  This is always my favorite time for my babies - I love it when they can sit up confidently, I can put some toys in front of them and they are happy and content, but not yet mobile.  He loves his jumparoo, but is a little less thrilled with his swing lately.  He is just starting to scoot around on his tummy, well more like spinning around on his tummy, when he is on the floor and spots something that he wants (usually his binkie).  He has one little tooth that has barely broken through, and we can see 2 more that want to pop through soon.  He smiles all the time, and can really get going with the giggles.

He had a doctor's visit this morning.  He weighed 19 pounds, 5 1/2 ounces, which puts him in the 81st percentile for weight, and he was 28 1/2 inches tall, which puts him in the 97th percentile for height.  He's wearing 9-12 month clothing.  I'm working up some strong arm muscles from lugging him around in his car seat.  The other kids were a year old when they weighed 19+ pounds, and I definitely wasn't carrying them around in the car seat anymore.  His days in the movable car seat are probably numbered.

He had 2 shots at the doctor's office.  He didn't even cry for the first shot, but the second one put him over the edge, and he got pretty mad.  I picked him up right away, and he gave the nurse the death stare as if saying, "How dare you stick that thing in my leg!!"  But he calmed down almost immediately, and was smiling at the doctor and nurses again as we walked out of the exam room.

Will is a happy, playful, active little guy.  He loves his sister and brother, and his binkie.  He brings so much joy into our home, and I can't imagine our family without him.  We love you, Buddy!

A New School Year

Ellie has started her third and final year of preschool.  She turns 5 at the end of the month, but in MO, you have to be 5 by August 1st in order to start kindergarten...so we're doing another year of preschool.  She is definitely ready for kindergarten, but I'm trying to slow down and enjoy this little extra time I get with her at home.

She is going to half-day preschool 5 days a week. She was super excited to start back to school, meet new teachers, and make new friends.  Ellie is a smart, outgoing, friendly girl, so I never worry about how she'll do on her own at school.  We always get rave reviews from her teachers, and would expect nothing less.