Birthday Fun!

I don't enjoy getting older, but I sure enjoy overnight trips to the beach. Joe surprised me with a night away to our favorite place, Pacific City. We love the Inn at Cape Kiwanda and getting away with Rosalie for the night was just what I needed. The big kids were super happy to have the day/night with Grandma.

Rosalie loved being the only child, and was quite the popular baby, making friends everywhere she went. To top the fun, it was the best weather! We have had an unseasonably warm winter and it was a good 60 plus degrees. I was in Heaven and so were Joe and Rosalie.

Our baby had her first big cold, as did Somerset. she was a grumpy baby, but she got better in tie for our trip and I never got sick...yeah!

We call our baby Rollsalie, because she rolls and pivots to get around....so cute.

Leo is obsessed with Sports and still loves geography. Joe emails him every morning fro work with a new state. Leo loves knowledge. Tonight at dinner, he asked if JFK had been with a women beside Jackie. Yikes! He's been reading his book about U.S. Presidents.

Somerset is so sweet to Rosalie. She likes to read her stories and make her laugh. She is also hilarious, smart and spunky. She has been drumming on everything. I have signed her up for tap dancing with her 2 bffs, Ellie and Maya.

We are busy. busy, busy!!! Life is good.

She says Mama!

Right as she turned 8 months, she figured out how to say "mama," Sweet girl! Loving hearing her say this, even if she is usually trying to get me to pick her up.

She also continually waves at people, a skill she is trying to master.

Love her!!!

8 Months Old Today!

The 2 Elsas! Besties!

The Valentine's Gift

Rosalie is 8 months old! How can this be? She is so sweet and fun and is the best addition to our family ever. She doesn't crawl yet, but she rolls all over, pivots around on her stomach, launches herself from her bumbo seat into the crawl position, and runs circles around her activity gym. She is definitely a girl on the move.

She now waves (sometimes) and is attempting to say Mama, but still not legit. She  seems to like people. She will smile coyly and then bury her head into mom/dad's shoulder. She is very charming and beautiful!

She perks up when she hears the theme song to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. She also loves nothing more than when Daddy comes home from work. She lights up!

She is also an eating monster. she eats massive amounts of food, and often. She is still a petite little thing, but has formed the most adorable booty.

Somerset is already breaking hearts. She came home with a sizable valentines' gift and card from a boy named Kian from her preschool class. It is a pink unicorn and he hand selected it for her....job well done. Even though she loves her unicorn, she has explained that she will not marry Kian.

Somerset remains very creative, loving her newest messy craft, kinetic sand. She draws amazingly well and is so smart,creative and funny!

Leo had a great review during our conference with his teacher. She had nothing but amazing things to say bout Leo and his progress. He is well above his peers in math and reading, but he also seems to grasp bigger concepts than other kids. She is quite impressed with our little boy, as are we.

Leo's current obsessions are the world atlas and football.

Adadada! (First Word)

So many fun things are happening in our family. The baby is changing right before our eyes. She is still very much our baby, but she is very interactive. She even said her first word, "Dada", which sounds like"adadada." At first, I thought it was a fluke, but she would only say it when Joe held her or when she was trying to get his attention. Super cute. She also seems to understand a lot of words like milk, eat, Rosalie. She can sit by herself for extended periods of time, but she usually will fall over eventually.

Somerset is sweet as sugar right now. She seems to be over that temporary naughty stage she as going through after the baby was born. Se is a great big sister too and makes the baby laugh more than anyone else. She is quite the artist and amazes me with her art, which improves everyday. She whines a lot, as I think most girls her age do and she doesn't like to help clean, but other than that, she is a joy. 

She does the cutest thing when I say goodnight to her. She get under all the blankets and says. "Open it up...turn it around," It is her. I love it every single time.

I had my first teacher conference and Somerset received rave reviews from her teacher Miss Toni, who said she is a model student.

Leo is currently obsessed with his Atlas. He knows all the state capitals and is trying to learn all he can about countries. He continues to amaze me with his intellect and confidence. As always, he has a mischievous side and tries to get away with what he can, but he has a heart of gold!

6 Months!

This is going by way too fast. Time is slipping away and my babies are growing up!

Rosalie is almost sitting, sleeps in her own crib and is eating like a champ.

We started sleep training the week of New Years. She is in the Play Room/Office, but she is in her crib and likes it. It took a week or so, but she now goes to bed without crying. She still wakes up a few times a night, but it is such a relief to have her out of the bed and our arms. Until this point, we would hold her until we went to bed...not good.

She is eating 3 times a day and is a champion eater. She seems to love all the food I offer her and eats a lot!!!

She is also sitting for up to 10 seconds at a time before she topples over.

Rosalie loves her Daddy and even snuggles in a gives him hugs when he gets home. She is a real darling. We think she also is doing the sign for milk at times and knows what milk means. She also clearly knows her name.

Somerset is beginning to learn how to read with me. She in very excited about this and does  great job. She brings me her learning books and asks to read with me. She will surely be a reader before 5! She seems less frustrated by the learning to read process than Leo was. I am thrilled that she is taking on this challenge so well and is so eager to learn!

This week, she is Star of the Week for preschool. She has been waiting for this honor for quite sometime and has really enjoyed her time with Curious George this week.

Leo has started sparring at his Karate studio. He is the littlest guy in class and although the new class is quite challenging for him, he has such a great attitude about it. He has moved up to 3 days a week of training.

He continues to love school and seems to have good friends and experiences.His Math skills are so far beyond what he is doing in school. I worry that he is not challenged, but we make sre he does all the extra assignments in school.

So Many Firsts!

So much has happened. To start with, Leo earned his Jr. Black Belt. This HUGE goal has been in the making for 3 long years, and Leo is the only kid in the history of his studio to reach Jr.Black Belt. He will be a full Black Belt in a few years. He has also advanced to an Intermediate Sparring class. Go Leo!!!!

Somerset had her first preschool Christmas performance. She sang a bunch of Christmas song and was exceedingly cute. Plus, I managed to get the cutest photo of her and her best friends....3 adorable friends.

Somerset has really turned a corner and is behaving so well. I am very proud of her! She is so smart and creative. She doesn't always like to do what she is told, but she has been really stepping up her gane as a big sister nd good girl.

Rosalie loves to eat!!! She is an eating monster and seems to love everything I give her. I have also been feeding her twice a day for the past 2 days.  She also grabs things like crazy...including our faces. She is intense and determined, without exhibiting the same frustration that Leo did. She is a real dream!!!

Christmas Time!

Where has the time gone? I feel so negligent in not updating more often, but with three kids and a small business, I am one busy Mama. Things have been good though.

Our Rosalie is a joy! She has come to several soap events with me this year and she is a real crowd pleaser. Everyone falls in love with her and people are constantly commenting on what a good baby she is. She has the best temperament ever. She goes with the flow, is generally happy unless she is tired, hungry or sick and is all around lovely. She is definitely the family baby and we all are madly in love with her. Having Rosalie join the family was the best decision we have ever made.

Rosalie continues to roll, She likes to sit in her Bumbo and grab for hanging things in her play gym. Sh loves her brother and sister and likes to smile and laugh with them. She also loves rough play with Daddy and will tell him all about her day when he gets home from work.

We started feeding her at 5 months. She hasn't really gotten the hang of it, but seems to enjoy food so far. He first food was sweet potatoes, followed by pears, apples and green beans.

Rosalie has he best eyebrows! They are so expressive. She also has beautiful blue eyes that I hope she will keep.

The only challenge with Rosalie is that she likes to be held almost all the time. She goes to bed around 8 p.m. and wants to be held until we take her in the bed with us. Because Somerset shares a room with her, we  don't have as much freedom to let her cry it out.

Somerset continues to love preschool. She is very good at making friends and is very social. She wants to have play dates everyday. Her best friends are Ellie and Maya and she really likes a boy named Christian from her class  and declares that she will marry him someday.

She continues to be very creative. She likes crafts and helping Mommy decorate the mantel for holidays. Her penmanship is also much better than Leo's was at the same age.

Leo continues to love school. I worry a little about what he is exposed to and want him to stay little and innocent forever. h seems to make friends with the good kids and is bothered by the naughty kids.

He will be getting his Jr. Black Belt on December 16th! This is over 3 years in the making and we are so proud. He has changed so much since he started and is such a model student! Go Leo!

I continue to stay busy with the soap business and Joe still is passionate about brewing. Never thought we'd be so DIY!!!

I will try to update more, but in the meantime, life is good!!!