JEB: 27 Months Old!

Life with June this past month has been lots of fun ... She's as cute and sweet as ever and gets more hilarious each day. We can't get enough of her! Here's what she's been up to:

• Speaking in more thoughtful, complex sentences (e.g., "Ellen is sad, Mommy. I think she's "fwust-er-ated" and "Oh, Ellen, sweetie, what's the problem?!").
• Putting on her own shoes. She's tackled velcro tennis shoes and sandals and even manages to get the on the correct feet!
• Minding her manners. June has always been polite, but lately we're hearing "please," "thank you" and "'ya' welcome"ALL the time. My favorite is when June says (with genuine enthusiasm), "Why, thank you, Mama!" when I serve her a meal.
• Tormenting and teasing her sister. June knows just what buttons to push to set off Drama Queen/Miss Sensitive (aka Ellen). And, on more than one occasion, I've found June on top of Ellen, physically pinning her down.

Above all, June fills our hearts with joy and brings huge smiles to our faces every single day!

Last Day of the First Year of Preschool!

Ellen's first year of preschool has come to an end ... While she loved school and her teachers and friends, I don't think she fully understands that the year is over, so I'm busy being sad for her. Even though it was only two mornings a week, the school program was such a great experience for Ellen. She's grown so much (physically and emotionally) and it has been so fun to watch her learn and explore new things and make new friends. We are so proud of our little "Caterpillar" who will be moving onto the "Frog" Room in the fall.

Last day of school!

EVB: 4 Years + 7 Months Old!

Ellen has had another great month of being 4. She's loving the nicer weather and I think she'd stay outside all day long if we let her. She loves to ride her bike and scooter, blow bubbles, play on the play set and basically just run aimlessly around the yard like a puppy. The neighborhood kids have been outside more, too, so I'm sure Ellen will have plenty of playmates to pal around with during the next few months. EVB is definitely ready for summer and all the fun that comes with it!

JEB: 26 Months Old!

Little June is another month older! She's morphing from baby to big girl before our eyes and continuing to entertain us every step of the way ... Here's what Miss June has been up to over the past month:

• Singing. June is very loud and LOVES to hit all the big notes. Unless she overcomes her tone-defness, I'm gearing up for having to let her down easy when she asks if she can audition for "American Idol" several years from now. In addition to her favorite "Frozen" tracks, June also likes to belt out "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," "Alligator King" and "Frosty the Snowman."
• Asking "What about?" when she's "reading"books and wants us to give her a hint for what the words on the page say or what is going on in the picture.
• Worrying about broken toys, torn books, etc., by acting super disappointed, then saying, "How we gonna fix it?!"
• Playing like a big kid. June and Ellen are best buds these days and JEB does a great job keeping up and appeasing Ellen by playing whatever role her big sister has assigned her.
• Biking. June loves to practice pedaling her trike and likes to wear her helmet everywhere.
• Perfecting prayers. June's dinner-time prayer is greatly improved in clarity and she even does her own little version of the sign of the cross.

Mother's Day 2014

I was spoiled with love again this Mother's Day ... I was treated to a homemade pancake breakfast, beautiful flowers and cards, and an awesome keychain made especially for me by Miss Ellen. Best of all, I got to spend the day with my favorite people. Lucky me!

EVB: 4 Years + 6 Months Old!

Ellen is officially 4 and a half! As she'll tell you, that is half way to 9! Yikes! EVB is doing just swell ... Here's what she's been up to:

• Treating June more like a playmate (and partner in crime) than a bothersome little sister
• Enjoying her new shoes, which according to Ellen, make her run SUPER fast
• Still obsessing over everything "Frozen"... Thankfully, Mr. Easter Bunny was able to procure a "Frozen" figurine set comprised of all the main characters from the movie.
• LOVING the new play set in our backyard. According to Ellen, it's "amazing" and "even better than my bedroom."
• Making the most of her final days of preschool before summer vacation. Preschool has been such a great outlet for Ellen; I think she's going to really miss seeing her friends and teachers each week.
• Cracking us up, per usual. Ellen recently told Adam he was "a chip off the old block" and informed me that her task of breaking up pretzels for a recipe she was helping me with was "not only a slow business, but a boring business."  

 Buddies

 

Because of their John Deere-esque green and yellow colors, EVB refers to her new tennis shoes as her "tractor" shoes, so she thought she was super cool to be wearing her shoes while sitting on a John Deere tractor at the Minnesota Zoo.

A ladder!

A slide!

 

 A tire swing!

Swinging with Grammy!

Easter 2014

Our Easter festivities ... in pictures: