Spring Fever!

Surprised face!

Leo LOVES Games! He roped Uncle Aaron and Grandma Laurel into many rounds of Chutes and Ladders and Candyland.

Somerset's new dress

Our Front Yard daffodils

Spring is finally here! We enjoyed beautiful weather over Easter weekend, which included lots of family fun. We started Easter weekend with a Easter egg hunt at the church. The fun continued on Easter day with a family dinner at my parents, which included a trip to the park and an Easter egg hunt. Leo is now a pro at the hunts, but it was so fun to watch Somerset clumsily looking for eggs. She did get the concept, but she was a tad bit slow at collecting. One of my favorite parts of Easter was being able to dress up my sweet Somerset like the doll she is. I bought her a new spring dress recently, which she wore to the church hunt, but we saved her very special dress, that was given to her by Great Grandma Naomi for Easter day. She looked gorgeous.

We have had a lot of visitors recently. Grandma Laurel stayed with us for 2 weeks in March and we had a very nice visit. She is a pro at playing with Leo and the two of them are best buddies when she is around. It's too bad that she lives so far away.

Uncle Aron also stayed with us for the weekend after his Spring Break. The kiddos are so lucky to have such a fun and youthful uncle!

Life with the kiddos has been good. Leo is so well behaved and has been a piece of cake. Our biggest struggle with him is trying to get him to eat. We fight tooth over nail over him taking bites of food. I sure hope he develops a healthy appetite later in life. As his mommy, I feel so responsible for making sure he gets the nutrition he needs to grow healthy and strong. He probably has 2% body fat, so he doesn't have a lot of reserve.

Leo continues to LOVE Phineas and Ferb. It is by far his favorite show and since it is well written and quite clever, Joe and I don't mind him watching.

Somerset has started to become super animated. She has a number of faces that she routinely makes. One of them is her scrunchy face and another is her surprised face. She's my little actress. She continues to develop language. She now says thank you and probably says around 50 words with a few 2 word combos. She also understands us remarkably well, which makes things easier. This age is difficult though because she is very dangerous. She climbs like crazy and is fascinated by the cutlery drawer and the oven....yikes!!!

Summy has been waking up so early. 5:30 a.m is fairly common for her, which is super difficult for me. I am not a morning person at all and am like a zombie for the first hour. Leo wakes up around 6:30 am.

Joe continues with beer brewing and I have started making handmade soap. I would love to turn this into a small business one day, but I have to get good first. I am super excited about my new hobby though!!! I should start posting photos on here soon.

My Amazing 4 Year Old

It all started here.

Million dollar smile

Protective big brother
Whoopie cushion fun. Always ready to laugh.

Oh Leo, How I love your birthdays. It gives me an opportunity to reflect on what an amazing person you are. Now that you are 4, you are more amazing than ever.

You have changed so much this year. You joined Karate, you started preschool, you learned so much! You have now grown into a mature, caring, and loving member of the family. Your tantrums are few and far between and you are so well behaved. How did this happen?

It is so easy for you to make friends. You are adored by all: younger kids, big kids, adults. You are charismatic and there is no denying that. You are social and fun and enjoy playing all the time. I have never met someone with so much energy and zest for life. You wake up happy and joyful and always take time to hug me and your sister.

Things you love:

- Legos (you fashion them into spaceships and blasters)
- Candy and anything sweet
- Phineas and Ferb. You have asked many times to be called Phineas
- The Phineas and Ferb soundtrack. We have listened to this CD too many times to count.
- Karate. You are about to earn your orange belt.
- Mommy's arms. You love to hold my arms, especially when we take naps together.
- Somerset. You are so very sweet to her.
- Daddy. Being silly with Daddy is one of your favorite things. You are all boy when you are around Daddy.
- Angry Birds. You play Angry Birds on Daddy's phone and are so advanced for your age.
- Games. You love Candyland and Chutes and Ladders and have played these games hundreds of times. You still don't like losing, but we are working on that. ;-)

I am so happy to have you in my life. I feel privileged and honored to be your mom. How did I get so lucky? What am amazing person God has given me and Daddy to raise. I believe that you can do anything you want in life! You have been given infectious energy that draws people to you, an unbelievable intellect, a great sense of humor and joy for life, a strong resilience against getting your feelings hurt, combined with a sensitivity towards others and of course a beautiful face. I love every once of your 32 pound being!!!

I love you Leo. The last 4 years have been the best of my life.

Leo's 4th Birthday Party!

My little boy will be 4 tomorrow, but we had a big birthday bash for him yesterday. We invited his preschool class, some friends from the gym and some friends who Leo has known forever. What a day! It was great seeing all of Leo's favorite people in one place and everybody had a blast!

We held the party at Pump it Up Jr., which is giant play utopia for young children. Everything at Pump it Up is inflatable, so kids can run around and play without getting hurt. After an hour of energetic play, the kids all had pizza and cake and then Leo opened his presents. His cake was Transformers themed and a good majority of his gifts were Legos. Yeah Leo!

Because this is the first birthday that Leo might remember, we wanted to make a big deal over it. I feel the party was a big success and all the kids went home happy and tired.

Karate Kid

My Tiny Tiger

My big Tiger!

Holding hands and stealing hearts!

Full blown toddler!

Sporty girl? We'll see!

Great form!

She looks so grown up!

These last few weeks have been fantastic! Leo seems to have taken a 180 degree turn around and has been so well behaved. I just can't believe what a drastic transformation he has had recently. I think this shift is partially related to the fact that we signed him up for Karate (Taekwondo). He LOVES it and Joe and I love the life skills he is learning in addition to the physical challenge. He is taught to be focused, show respect, be a good friend and be disciplined. These are all things that we want to instill in him and I am so thankful that he LOVES his class so much.

He is a Tiny Tiger and goes to 2 classes per week. It is a big financial commitment, but we are happy to make it. Leo is currently a white belt, but will probably earn his orange belt in mid-April. I would love nothing more than if Leo were able to achieve the status of black belt, but this will be up to him. Joe and I will always be encouraging, but I never want to force him to keep up with an activity he is not passionate about. I believe my job as a parent is to recognize his passions and help him to cultivate them to be the best Leo he can be.

Leo also bought his first CD (yes, they still sell them)! He bought the Phineas and Ferb soundtrack and that's all we ever listen to in the van. I am excited that he Loves this music so much.

Our Somerset is growing up too fast! She is now sleeping through the night due to sleep training, but her new wake-up time is 5:30 a.m., which is just killing me. I am not a morning person, so these early wake-ups make for a very long day.

She has become so playful and has quite a spunky personality. She loves to play games with us and make us laugh. She is completely obsessed with Adele's song Rolling in the Deep (still) and asks for "deep?" all the time. Joe and I have had enough Adele to last us a life-time. She is a real music fan and will belt out songs all the time. It's too early to tell if she can carry a tune, but she sure does love singing.

Not too much else to report. Joe continues to brew...a lot. He also grows his sneaker collection. I got a new haircut and I really should post photos soon. My hair is a short bob again and I prefer it to my long hair. I just have a little more maintenance, but it's worth it.

Growing up tooo fast!

Favorite sunglasses

My 3 loves!

A rare moment of Sun allows for some tee-ball!

Eating together at the kid's table!

Reading by himself! This made me so happy!

New hat on Somerset courtesy of Grandma Laurel!

These kids are growing up too fast! Our baby is definitely not a baby and our little boy is so mature now.

Somerset had a crazy battle with teething, but that has come to an end...thank goodness. It was awful, but she has been our happy girl again for the last few weeks. She likes to exert her independence and show us she's a big girl by sitting at the kid's table, drinking with a normal (non-sippy) cup.....disastrous results ensue. She also loves to have me put make-up on her (pretend), sing along to Adele's Rolling in the Deep, and draw with crayons. She really is becoming quite the little girl and it saddens me to say goodbye to our baby.

She can understand simple commands such as "Please get Mommy a book," or "blow kisses." Her understanding of language has increased drastically in the last few months.

Leo is her favorite person. When she wakes up in the morning or from a nap, he is the first person she asks for and she calls him by name often. The cutest!

Leo, as always, is a great big brother. He is good about informing me when she gets into trouble or is doing something dangerous. Leo has also learned all the sounds that the letters make, so I think reading is in his near future.

Leo is obsessed with the game Chutes and Ladders and Joe and I play it with him about 3 times a day. It's fun, but probably more fun for him.

We had a meeting with Mrs. Kepner, Leo's preschool teacher, because he was acting up in class at times. This is no surprise to me as we are well aware that he is easily bored by things that don't interest him and can have a temper. We have worked very closely with him to help him identify the times when He is angry or frustrated so that he can do something about it rather than explode. We are teaching him to verbalize his feelings or count to ten when his blood is boiling. I also started reading a book that his pediatrician recommended called Parenting your Spirited Child. The book was describing our son and I was thrilled to learn that I am not the only one with a child who is more perceptive, more intense, more persistent etc. Basically, the spirited child is more of everything. I have always known he was more intense and even though it can be challenging, I know he will be an amazing adult.

Leo is one of the most confident, charismatic, smartest people you will ever meet, but on the flip side, he can be very determined to get his way and when he doesn't, he can explode. I have learned from the book some ways to help parent him and I am so delighted.

I have to admit that as the kids get older, parenting is a bit easier....this is rewarding!

Joe and I have made the switch to organic meat (expensive) and mostly organic produce. We are also joining a farm co-op and will get fresh, local fruits and vegetables every week. I am super thrilled about this. We will not only be eating healthier, I will get to stretch my cooking skills. Yeah!

Snow!!

Snow Day!

What a looker!

Preview of what Somerset, the girl will look like

A moment of sunshine means a trike ride must take place!

Still BFFs

Fashionista!

We had a few days of snow last week and the kids were able to get outside for a few minutes before it all melted away. Of course, they both had a blast...Leo made snow angels and tried to catch snowflakes on his tongue. Now the rain is back and simply will not stop. Oh, how I dream of Spring.

Somerset has been taking a music class with me through Parks and Rec and she loves it. She feels very comfortable in class and is not timid. She has a ton of fun interacting with the teacher, other kids (although mostly just curious about them), and the parents. She is much more engaged in classes than Leo was at this age. He would always be the kid exploring all areas of the class that were off limits or else would have his own ideas for what he wanted to do. Somerset is content with going with the flow, which is easier to handle as a mom.

Somerset has been climbing chairs and standing on things. This is dangerous and scary for me!!! She also likes to help herself to Leo's food.

She is much more into "girly" things than Leo ever was. She enjoys watching me put on make-up and wants me to apply it to her (I pretend). She loves her dolls too, however, she loves choo-choos and cars as well, but anything with wheels is a choo-choo to her. She also shows an interest in what I dress her in and likes her shirt with the kitty on it. She has been loving her sunglasses and walks around the house wearing them with pride and a big smile on her face.

Leo continues to amaze us with his "hugantic" personality. He tells the funniest stories and loves jokes, although his jokes don't make sense and are only funny to himself (we love to hear them regardless). He also continues to excel with games.

His favorite tv show is Phineas and Ferb, which I know is for much older children, but it is funny and cute, so we allow him to watch it.

Leo has been the sweetest little love bug recently. He still naps and this is our time to cuddle together. He always tells me how much he loves me and how I am the best mommy in the world and that he will always protect me. I soak all of this up. I LOVE these times with Leo. Even though he can be a stinker, he is the sweetest, most loving person I know. He speaks from his heart and loves his family so much. I hope he is always so demonstrative of his feelings.

I have been feeling really blessed with my children and husband. How did I get so lucky? They are so healthy, smart, fun and amazing (cute too)! We have such a wonderful family and sometimes I just have to take a moment to appreciate this moment in time. Is it difficult? Heck yeah! Is there a lot of money? Nope. Are we sleep deprived? Of course. But this is the happiest I have ever been and I don't take any of it for granted.

Happy New Year!

Leo cuddles all his pals at bedtime!

I love watching these guys play together

Sitting Pretty

Joe's new glasses and super reflective shoes (oh, and Summy too).

The year has started out with lots of fun. I have really been enjoyed the time with the family now that crazy holiday hours have ceased. I have been spending a lot of nights watching movies with Leo and Joe. The kids and Joe also seem happier when I am around (at least I'd like to think so).

Poor Somerset has been teething like crazy. Our whole weekend was consumed with caring for a very grumpy baby girl. Sunday night, she woke up every 2 hours at night and her temperature reached 104.6 degrees. This made us realize that she probably was fighting something other than just the teething. Luckily, she seems completely back to normal.

Somerset now nods yes and no, and in a very exaggerated manner. It is soooo cute. This also makes us realize how much she now understands.

She also loves sitting in chairs. She is exerting her independence and wants to be more of a little girl (sniff, sniff).

Leo is playing fantastically with his sister. He can make her giggle like no one else and of course she idolizes him. He can tend to be a little rough with her, but it is just because he is a boy, plus, I appreciate that she will be able to hang with the big boys when she is older.....it's all this training she is getting now.

Leo is FANTASTIC at games. He plays a lot of games on Joe's i-Phone and tends to score higher than most adults. I don't play these games, so I have a difficult time seeing the value, but Joe explains that there is a lot of problem solving and logic to be learned. The fact that he is so advanced at such a young age is no surprise to me though.

He continues to be obsessed with numbers. Since he learned to count to 100 (and beyond) and can recite the ABCs, we are now working on addition. We let him determine in what he is interested in and then focus on teaching him that, so numbers it is! He is also a big fan of Phineas and Ferb, the Blazers (He loves to follow the scores of games) and the game Chutes and Ladders.

Joe still loves brewing beer and is getting quite good with his Amber and IPA. He also has commanded a pretty spectacular sneaker collection. He updated his look with new glasses and sunglasses. I will have to try to get some cool photos of him.

I continue to run. I am getting faster and stronger, so I am now challenging myself to run at 6.5 as opposed to 6 miles an hour. Kicking it up that much is actually quite an adjustment. Really though, my life is all about the family. That is my job and my hobby and although it can be exhausting at times, it is the best feeling in the world to have a family hug.

We are all excited for the new year and all the wonderful things to come in 2012!!!