Clara is 4 months!

Oh sweet baby, you are getting so big already!  You really seem to want to get busy lately.  You love it when we sit you up, put you on your tummy, put a rattle in your hand, or lay you on the floor under a ceiling fan.  You somehow scoot when we lay you on the floor, and you are so close to rolling over!

You are wearing 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers.  Our favorite thing to dress you in is the cotton Carter's dresses with the onesie snaps - so cute and so easy!!  We had a very hot week last week, and you made it into the pool for the first time one evening after the sun was hidden.  You liked it!!

Our sweet girl still has a case of "stranger danger."  She loves our immediate family, but she doesn't like to be handed off.  Although it is sometimes hard to hold you all of the time, you reward us with smiles quite a bit, and lately, giggles, too!  One day you will learn that there are many, many other people that want to love on you!

You're not much of a napper, but we have made some progress by putting you on your tummy in the pack and play a couple of times.  One day this week you napped for 2 hours - that was record-breaking!!  You continue to sleep well swaddled at night.  Consistently 10pm - 3am or even 5am sometimes!  That is amazing!

You *love* Ella and Gabe.  Ella is your little mama, and Gabe loves to bring you a "nonny" or a toy.  I can tell that you're in a hurry to get going and play with them soon!

You're still nursing and taking a bottle two days a week while Mommy goes to work.  You stay with Daddy and he loves taking care of you!  He likes to take you on walks and take you to the green or yellow parks with the kids.  It is a special time that I know he will look back on fondly!

Clara, we love you!  We're so glad you're part of our family!

Ella is 4!

This sweet girl is 4 already!  Ella is such a great little girl.  She is such a little momma!  She loves to help me out and she *loves* being a big sister to Clara and Gabe!  She takes care of all of her dolls and stuffed friends so sweetly.

She loves to sing and dance.  She started taking ballet this summer at the park district and she just loves it.  She loves to swim in the pool.  She loves to ride her bike and go to the park.  She loves to say the "God is great" prayer and remind us to pray at meals.

Ella loves to tell jokes - and they are all nonsensical.  "What do you call a table that walks?"  "Neck!!!"  She cracks herself up. She makes up games, like "stuck in the mud" (Where you put yourself in a small space and then call for help for someone to save you!).  She is always bringing Gabe to play "vacation" somewhere.  She is a total bag lady!  She is always stuffing her toys into purses, tote bags, boxes, grocery bags, and hauling them all over the house.  She loves to color with markers and crayons, and paint.  She shows off her creations and goes right to the fridge to hang them up!  She loves putting money in her bank.  She also loves outings - particularly the zoo, Chickfila, running errands with mommy or daddy, and visiting mommy's building (my office).

Favorite foods:  Scrambled eggs, egg casserole, pancakes & sausage, barbeque sandwiches (sloppy joes), BBQ chips, McDoubles, McNuggets, hot dogs, cold cut sandwiches, peanut butter sandwiches, grilled chicken, corn on the cob, strawberries, grapes, apples, orange juice, life savers, lemon heads, & her very favorite, ice cream cones!

Loves drawing rainbows!  Doesn't have a favorite color, but usually pink or purple.  Loves to pick out her own clothes - wears size 5T or 4/5.  Loves to snuggle, cuddle, and Daddy's "shoulder-back" rides.  Loves to read.  Her favorite books are Blue Hat, Green Hat (Sandra Boyton); Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham; and Go Dog, Go!  Loves to lick the beaters.

Ella, I hope you always are a go-getter, hilarious joke teller, and spontaneous dancer.  I hope you are always overbearing with hugs and kisses (especially to me)!!!  Goodnight!!!  SWEET DREAMS!!!!   We love you!!!!!

Clara is 3 months old!

Clara Ann is already 3 months old!

She just started wearing size 6 month clothes, and she wears size 2 diapers.

She loves to be held and to lay on the floor and kick her legs.  She loves to watch Ella & Gabe's faces and watch them play.  She just started talking a lot, and it gets her really excited!  She also smiles more frequently, which is so much fun!

She is a great eater and great sleeper at night!  She usually goes to sleep between 9 and 11 and either wakes up at 3 or 4 or sleeps all the way until 6 or 7!  She naps best during the day when she is held, which we are happy to comply with most of the time :)

Clara took a one-day trip to Michigan with Mommy and Daddy this month, and she was a trooper!  Slept all the way there, woke up to eat, slept half of the meeting, and slept most of the way home!

C does have some fussy times, which we are trying to get to the bottom of.  It is so sad to hear her do the "crazy cry."  But most of the time she is a happy little doll!

We love you, Clara Bear.  We're so happy you're part of our family!

Gabe is 2 1/2!

Our little man is 2 1/2!

Gabe is a smart little guy!  He can recognize all of the letters of the alphabet, counts into the teens, and always wants to "count the letters" to spell things.  For example, if he counts the letters on the apple juice bottle, "M-O-T-T-S spells apple juice!!!"  He is a great talker, and he has a great vocabulary.  He properly uses the word "either," and the other day Grandma asked him a question and he said, "I've been wondering about that."  It cracks us up!

Gabe loves animals of all kinds, especially dogs and kitties.  He loves playing cars and Megablocks.  This summer, he has gotten much braver on the playground equipment and is starting to love slides.  He loves to watch Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Bob the Builder, and Caillou.  He loves to see a digger or tractor in real life!

Gabe is a great eater, and he will usually try anything.  His favorites - McDoubles, McNuggets, scrambled eggs, salami sandwiches, peanut butter sandwiches, corn on the cob, the noodles Daddy makes (farfalle with sundried tomato alfredo), and pizza.

He just started wearing 3T clothes.  Potty training is happening at his own pace.  He has been going on the potty since he turned two, but lately it has been happening with greater frequency!

Gabe is the best little cuddler.  He loves to rock before sleep and sing a song.  He loves having tons of "friends" in the crib with him, including a giraffe, two big dogs, and several little dogs.  His best friend is Nonny, a green teddy bear blanket. Lately Nonny has taken on his own personality and talks "na na na na!"

Gabe has had quite a change in becoming a big brother in the past couple of months.  He is very sweet with Clara for the most part!  He loves to bring her toys and stand by the changing table while she gets her diaper changed.  I know he is going to be a great big brother!

We celebrated Gabe's half birthday with cupcakes with chocolate frosting (another of Gabe's favorites)!  We had them three times, and each time he insisted on candles and singing.  We did it gladly.  We love you, Mr. G!!

Ella's Last Day of Preschool

Ella's last week of Preschool

Ella's first day of Preschool

May 22 was Ella's last day of 3 year old Preschool at Nazarene Preschool! Ella went to school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9am-11:30am. She really enjoyed her year. She learned a lot. Her fine motor skills improved a lot throughout the year. She had a great teacher, Mrs. Theresa, who will remain famous for the line "Yummy yummy in my tummy" in our house! Ella also made some friends, including Matthew, Ella K, Olivia, Anna, Leo, Tommy, Izabella, and Killian. On her last day, she was busy giving hugs and kisses to Leo and Olivia as I pulled her out the door!  The idea of "Summer Vacation" is a foreign concept to preschoolers.  Ella asked Grandpa Vroom if he would watch Hank while she goes to the hotel!  Unfortunately, we're not jet-setting too much this summer.  I think she'll be missing preschool soon!

First day of preschool with Gabe

Last day of preschool with Gabe

Ella with Mrs. Theresa on her last day of preschool

Mrs. Theresa's gift

First Trip to the Dentist

Today was Ella & Gabe's first trip to the dentist.  They saw Dr. Pandya at Dr. Tatel's office in Tinley Park.  They both did fantastic!!  We had a great experience all around.  When we made the appointment, the dentist sent stickers in the mail.  This morning, Dave printed personalized coloring books from the dentist's website that explained a dental visit, and the kids loved them!  Ella was *so* excited to go, but Gabe took a little convincing.  By the time they got to the waiting room, though, Gabe's uncertainty subsided as well.  The assistants and the dentist said they both did great!  And most importantly, their teeth looked great, too.  When it was time to leave, they wanted to stay.  They can't wait to go back!  I told them it would be around Christmastime, and Gabe said, "We get to go to the dentist for Christmas?  Hooray!"  I guess we should be rethinking our gifts this year!

Thanks, Dr. Pandya!

Thankful

We had an unexpected weekend at home this weekend.  We were supposed to be out of town candidating at a church, and on Wednesday we found out that we wouldn't need to go.  What was shaping up to be a stressful weekend of interviews and wrangling kids turned out to be a slow weekend of enjoying each other at home.  It was just what we needed!

Friday we ran errands - Dave with Ella and Gabe and me with Clara, and then Grandma and Grandpa Vroom came for brats and this yummy lemon dessert.  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lemon-Lush/Detail.aspx

This year's pots - petunias, superbells, and verbena

Saturday we all went to Home Depot and Menards to pick out flowers for our outdoor pots, and went to Culver's and church in the evening.  Sunday we spent most of the day outside planting pots and playing with the rocks.

Caught this sweetie smiling on camera Sunday!