Rebecca at 13 months

At 13 months, Rebecca is completely done with baby food. She was never a big fan of it anyway, but I finally just returned to the store what I had left in the pantry because she continues to refuse it.  She LOVES to eat big kid food though! For breakfast she'll easily eat a whole English muffin with peanut butter on both halves of it--the same thing I eat for breakfast!  For lunch she'll eat 4 chicken nuggets and beg for more.  We took my dad to Panera for dinner one night this week and she ate a whole bowl of mac and cheese, then SCREAMED when it ran out! We had to leave the restaurant!  She is definitely our biggest eater yet, and don't try to get between her and the food that she wants! 
She is really perfecting her tantrum as well....she will lie on the floor and kick her legs and scream.  She's a super sweet baby but she certainly knows what she wants!
On Mother's Day, Rebecca suddenly started walking full-time. What a nice gift! Now we can play outside (her favorite!) and I don't have to worry about her crawling all over the place. 
She is still sleeping about 11 hours at night and taking at least 1 good nap each day, sometimes 2.  It will be interesting to see how the summer plays out without constantly dealing with pick up and drop off!  I think she'll enjoy better naps.
Rebecca has 10 teeth now--3 on top, 3 on bottom, and all 4 of her 1-year molars.  Her words are "dada", "this", "that", "yes", and "all done".  Notice that 4 of her words are used when eating :)  Do you want this? Do you want that? Are you all done?  She still refuses to say "mama", but I think she's a lot like Daniel was in that. I've heard her say "mama", but when I ask her to repeat it, she smiles and says "dada". Stinker.

Night of the Arts 2013, 2nd grade

For Night of the Arts this year, the 2nd graders danced to the Hall of Fame.  Each student was supposed to dress as someone famous. Lexi chose Clara Barton and Elaine chose Michelle Obama.  :)  That was a tough costume! She wore a pink dress with a "gardening apron".  Elaine is on the left and Lexi is on the right.

Night of the Arts 2013, 4th grade

For Night of the Arts this year, the 4th graders played their recorders.  Emily was nervous but did a great job!  I wasn't able to post their first song because some people walked in front of me while I was recording...but here is their 2nd song!

Night of the Arts 2013, kindergarten

Last night was our school's annual "Night of the Arts", where the enrichment teachers teach the grades each something to perform.  The kindergartners have been practicing "locomotion" skills, so they danced to Gangnam style and the Harlem shake.  All students k-8th grade were supposed to stand where they were to dance the Harlem shake together to end the night. It was quite a party!

Mother's Day

On the way home from church, I told the kids that we were going to take a quick Mother's Day picture when we got home. Emily groaned, "Don't you remember last year? That was such a disaster...". I told her that everyone is a year older this year so maybe they would be more cooperative. Lexi replied, "Except Rebecca! She's a year younger!"
What??? :)

Best friends

I love how these two just ADORE each other!

The beginning of pool season!

Our neighborhood pool opened this weekend!! We are SOOO excited for a great summer ahead and many, many days spent at the pool.  I thought it would be way too cold for swimming, but after 2.5 hours in the water I had to drag the kids out to go home!  They especially loved the fun activities going on like the cake walk (they each scored a cupcake or two). They spent a lot of time on the diving board and playing with friends from church.  19 more days of school!!!!!

Lexi and Elaine's 8th birthday

For Elaine and Lexi's birthday, we had a small party at our house on the Saturday before their birthday.  Five girls from school came over and the 7 of them made their own pizzas, had cake, opened presents, and did lots of playing!  We didn't have anything planned as far as games or activities, but the girls LOVED just hanging out!  They disappeared into their bedroom and made bracelets, played Lego Friends, and dollhouse. These are just the sweetest little girls ever!  I'm so thankful for the girls in their grade at school, they're all so precious and kind.



On their actual birthday, Dave ran out early and brought donuts home for everyone. That night, we had their requested birthday dinner: corn casserole, sweet potato casserole, and asparagus.  I added a rotisserie chicken to the mix just to add some protein!  Our neighbor let the girls cut asparagus from her garden, so it was deliciously fresh!
When we opened presents, the girls were thrilled to find that they received a lot of money from various family members.  They have really gotten into saving money up for things, so they're excited about their options.  I asked Elaine what she plans to buy, and she said she thinks she's going to give some to the orphans we support in Liberia, put some in the bank, and spend some. Sounds like a great plan to me!

8 years

More to come on Lexi and Elaine's 8th birthday bash, but I wanted to get their 8 year stats on here before I put away the papers...
Elaine is 48 inches (about 15th percentile) and 46.4 pounds (almost 10th percentile).
Lexi is 45.5 inches (less than 3rd percentile) and 42.2 pounds (less than 3rd percentile). As our doctor says, "Someone has to be in the less than 3rd percentile!" :)

Strawberry picking

Last week was a new experience for me--strawberry picking in rainy, 58-degree weather!  It was SO cold and mucky!!  We've had such a weird spring, how it was so warm earlier, and now that May has rolled around it's cold.  I had signed up to chaperone both 2nd grade and kindergarten field trips, which were on the same day, just back-to-back. I figured I would strap Rebecca on my back and spend the day at the farm. I totally wasn't prepared for the weather, but it turned out okay in the end (the end being when I stopped at starbucks for a hot coffee while Rebecca slept in her carseat!!!).  Elaine and Lexi's class was there from about 10-1, then Daniel's was there from about 12-2:30.  It was a big full day, and I loved seeing the kids have fun with their friends.  Hopefully next year it will be warm and sunny again for strawberry picking!

Twins!

One day last week, Lexi and I both came downstairs wearing almost the same thing!  My little mini-me!

3 Oompa Loompas

All 3 girls participated in the school musical this year, which was Willy Wonka Jr.  The musical is open to students in 2nd-8th grades, but it was the first year any of our kids were in it.  I wasn't sure they would actually stick with it, since this was a huge commitment, but they never once complained. They had practice from 3:30-6pm several days a week for about 3 months.  They loved every minute of it!!!  The director, Ms. Hinkelman, did a wonderful job managing 90 children and taught them so much more than just theater. She taught them lessons about hard work,  patience, and self-control.  Each of the kids wrote her a thank you note after the musical, and I loved seeing the things my girls said they learned from her.  What a valuable experience!



Adorable Oompa Loompas!

Emily and her friend Kareena

Lexi and her friend Vidhi

Elaine and a middle schooler she became attached to, Hannah

Emily was also a squirrel in the musical

Emily was so excited that her Sunday school teacher, Ms. Barbara, came to see her 4th and final performance on Saturday afternoon!

One is so fun!

Rebecca is at such a fun age!  She loves exploring and climbing on everything. She walks more every day and loves making a mess by emptying the cabinets and dishwasher.