Family Photo

On Easter, Lance managed to take a picture in which every member of the family was actually looking at the camera! I had to post for that, if nothing else.

Easter, itself, was perfectly calm. We started the day with an Easter egg hunt at home, then church, then Grandma Jackie's for another Easter egg hunt (and a fabulous beef tenderloin, because ham just doesn't cut it around here). I'm wondering if it's the last year I can fill the eggs with things like dried apples, cranberries and blueberries and still get sincerely excited looks from the kids when they open them...

Happy Birthday, Bean

Rowan,

You are now four years old. Four! You're truly a little girl--not even a little bit a toddler anymore. This past year, you grew and changed more than I could imagine. You have learned to be patient and considerate and you're even nice to your brother--most of the time. You learned to read, get dressed by yourself and can understand quite a bit of Spanish. You still love pink, pigs and Mommy, but you sure are becoming quite the Daddy's girl and are starting to choose Daddy over Mommy most of the time.

We celebrated with a Piggy Party which was just perfect for you. You had so much fun with your friends and your family. In true Rowan style, you woke up that morning with a scrape and bump in the middle of your forehead. Somehow you managed to hurt yourself in the middle of the night! Everyone kept asking what happened and you would either say "I don't know" or "I don't want to talk about it." You also woke up asking how much bigger you were now that you're four. And refusing to allow help with anything because since you are four you can do it all by yourself.

I've had so much fun watching you become the little girl you are and can't wait for all the fun things you'll be doing in your fifth year of life!

Birthday Girl

While Rowan's birthday isn't actually until this Saturday, she celebrated at school last Thursday, what with spring break happening this week. Because all 3-year-olds who go to school all of 2.5 hours twice a week desperately need a break. (But I really get that the teachers do need that break.)

Needless to say, she was excited. She insisted I make pig cupcakes, which turned out surprisingly well, but took a bit of work. She wore the "Birthday Girl" shirt (which I was hoping might make it through two days, but is now too stained to wear on her actual birthday) She got to wear the birthday crown. The weather was gorgeous and she played outside at school and after school. She was pleased. I was pleased. What more could we ask for? Except a Leapster, which Rowan has informed me is what she would like for her birthday. But I'm pretty sure she's not getting it. So I'm hoping the actual birthday will not turn out to be too disappointing.

Vacation

We're back from a whirlwind tour of friends in the south. While it was a great time for all of us, there's something amazing about coming home, getting back into a routine, sleeping in my own bed! And I think this is the first time I actually felt like I was coming home. The first few times we went back to visit friends, I felt like I was leaving home when we left Charlotte. This time I felt like I was coming home. And I was ready to be here.

Since we were gone for 11 days, we got to see a lot of people. I was thrilled to finally catch up with Andrea after her months of chaotic scheduling. It was amazing to finally meet Madison and to watch Rowan and Nathan catch up right where they left off. I had a blast catching up with my teacher-friends and the dinner-group girls. There was a wave of nostalgia when we drove by our old house--especially since there was a "For Sale" sign out front. Rowan said "I like that house. Can we buy it?" It was great to see Heather and Mike and to cheer the guys on at the Lexington half-marathon. The kids were champs on all counts. Great car-riders, great (with the exception of two horrible nights with Tate) sleeping in strange places, great playing with new friends.

While I didn't get to actually do a lot of the things I wanted to, I got to see virtually everyone I wanted to. The shopping, eating at great restaurants and doing any sort of "adult" thing will have to wait for another visit. Thanks to Trang and Mike and Heather and Mike for letting us invade your space for a while. We had a wonderful time! And, Heather, thanks for getting Pig back to us so quickly. Rowan didn't even ask for her until the day she came! (Yes, I know Piglet is a boy, but not to Rowan. All things pink must be girls.)

Playhouse Disney Live

After listening to Rowan talk about Disney characters, Disney shows and wanting to go to Disney, I decided to take her to Playhouse Disney Live. She was thrilled. I didn't tell her ahead of time anything about our little date. That would certainly have ruined the off-chance of her napping. And, miraculously enough, she did nap. So she was in a incredibly happy, energetic mood and could not have been happier with the snow.

I woke her up from her nap, told her where we were going and who she would see (The Little Einstein's, Pooh and Tigger, Mickey and Minnie and Handy Manny (whom she had never heard of before)). She chose to wear a sweatshirt with ballet slippers on it since she was so excited to meet June from The Little Einstein's who loves to dance.

I could not believe how excited one little girl could be. She would squeal with delight, dance in her seat, sing along and take pictures. I could tell she was a little nervous that the characters might make their way down the aisles which would not have been okay with her. But they kept their distance and she was thrilled. We had to come home and look at the pictures and watch the videos.

She also had a fun Saturday with a birthday party for her friends Hope and John. Plenty of Mommy-daughter time this weekend!

Tate is talking up a storm, letting his opinions known and no longer sleeping through the night. He is as sweet as could be, full of hugs and kisses and such a Mams's boy. Which is why, I think, he isn't sleeping at night. He wakes up, calls for me, and cries. And cries. And cries. Thankfully he's happy in the morning; I just wish I was!

Tate's Two-Year Stats

My big guy had his two-year appointment today and was quite the champ. We brought along the trusty Elmo doctor kit and he gave us a check-up as well. We did lots of practice "shots" at home, but that didn't make it any better. However, he only cried for a few seconds and then said "Candy? Me have candy now?"

No surprises, really, with the weight and height. He weighed in at just over 27 pounds (35th %ile) and was 34 1/4 inches tall (55th %ile). His head stayed strong at the 95th %ile at 50 cm. circumference. I always look at Tate and think he's such a solid kid, so the fact that 27 pounds is only the 35th %ile is funny to me. Maybe it's his giant head that throws me off. Or that I'm just so used to that 5-10th
%ile range for Rowan.

Dr. D. asked the usual questions about what things Tate can do, what is typical for a 2-yr. old, etc. Dr. D. said most 2-year-olds start opening doors by themselves and I told him I'd rather Tate not figure that one out for a while. He looked at me as though I was holding my child back from some important milestone. But, really, Tate, just hold off on that one. For now, a closed door is just as good as a locked door and I really would rather keep it that way for a while.

Though Tate can throw a tantrum, it's not that frequent that it happens and he's generally a pretty good kid. Dr. D. asked about discipline and I realized that, other than a few time outs, we really haven't had to discipline him a whole lot. Though it was a reminder to read through Love and Logic one more time, just to get ready for what may be coming.

Weather-wise, though, what may be coming is more sun! After a rather horrid week last week, the sun is now shining and we have spent a few good hours playing outside. Sure, there is still snow on the ground, but the streets and sidewalks are clear and it's perfect for riding bikes and scooters, having races and even drawing with sidewalk chalk. We are loving it.

Happy Birthday, Tater Tot

I can't believe my little guy is already 2! Every day he is getting bigger, saying more things, trying to keep up with his beloved big sister. He is also learning how to throw a tantrum and fight back. He loves horses, the color orange, Rowan and being held. He loves to sing "Elmo's World" and put different characters in place of the word "Elmo" (Zoe's World, Rowan's World, etc.) He has the cutest raspy voice and laugh. He chose his own birthday dinner--pizza and carrots. He is very opinionated and will only wear an outfit if there is orange on it. He is full of love and is always saying "Love you so much, Mommy." He is very LOUD. Everything he says, he yells. It gets very noisy in our house.

Today he woke up, we sang him Happy Birthday and he insisted he is now 4. We took Rowan to school, went out to get a birthday balloon, went to the pet store to see the cats and fish, played in the snow. Tonight we ate his birthday dinner, had a giant horse cookie cake that was easier to make than I anticipated, and opened presents. He and Rowan then spent the rest of the night playing with new toys (and fighting over them). He had a great day. So did I.

I love you so much, my sweet little man. You have such a fun spirit and loving heart. A few days ago, when you woke up in the middle of the night, I went in to you, held you in my arms and you fell asleep. And though I really wanted to go back to bed, I wanted to just stay like that with you a little longer. One minute turned into ten, turned into twenty. Soon enough you'll be too old to fall asleep in my arms, you won't want me to hold you and I'll really, really miss that. I just looked at you and thought "Wow, even though the days can seem really long, the years seem really short." Was it really two years ago that the doctors lifted you out of me and your daddy said "It's a boy!" It's been a great ride, Bud. I can't wait to watch your grow up.