March Wrap-Up

Overall, March was a lovely month.  Finally some good weather and blue skies; it is amazing what those two things can do for the soul.  Visit from grandparents.  Lots of outings with friends.  And a whole lot of fun with these kids.  I must say, I am really loving these three, as I always have, but it seems we've settled into another good spot in life.  They are growing up, becoming more independent, and in a lot of ways that makes my life easier!  But, it has been so fun to watch them interact, talk to each other, and laugh together.  Just this week these three have had fun outside together and it has been delightful to watch them.  I am so looking forward to this summer.  

Playdates with Max.  

Rachel LOVES babies.  Look at her sweet expressions.  My heart is melting.

Marshall learned about cheetahs for weeks in school.  He was always coming home with new facts to tell me.  At the end of the unit he came home with this report!  I only took pictures of three pages, but it was about ten pages.  I was so proud of him!

Sibling reading time.

Sunday evenings at the Hassell's.  This is Tim's hat from when he was one!!!

Look at those two.  Seriously, please meet and marry each other at BYU.  

Sunday night movies and popcorn.  Look at those little crossed legs.  :)

I love so many things about this picture.  Max's excited conversation, the gorilla statue, Bridget's expression.  It is all perfect.  

The snow melted in our yard and this is what we found...antlers.  

Stonefire Pizza for playgroup.  Always a hit.

Rachel loves her ice cream sandwiches.  This girl goes crazy until one is in her hand.  She can hear those wrappers open from a mile away.  

She also loves strawberries; so she is well-rounded.  :)

On Monday morning she packed up her purse and baby and took them to preschool drop-off.  Love her.  

This is how our last day in March began.  Marshall re-cooperating from a stomach bug.  Poor kid.  

Thankfully the weather was glorious and Marshall improved, so we all got some much needed time outside.  

Love these kids!!!

Bridget's Dance Recital

Little Bridget had her first, of hopefully many, dance recitals last weekend.  She did great!  My parents were in town, and I am so glad they could be there.  Richard and Marshall were also there, this is all new territory for them...may they learn to enjoy it.  :)

Bridget was so excited and she did a great job!  I actually got a little teary eyed watching her dance up on the stage.  I couldn't believe I was the one in the audience watching my daughter perform.  It was a bit surreal, and clearly emotional!

Bridget and I went into this class not knowing a soul, but we both ended it with some great friends!  I always looked forward to Tuesdays at 9:30 to sit and visit with the moms of these kids.  We ended our last class with a lunch date; it was great!

She was completely delighted!

Love this little lady.

Bridget just took class through the Wauwatosa Recreation department.  Years ago, when I did not have children, and was teaching at To The Pointe I promised myself my kids would not take dance in someone's home or through the rec department.  Well, fast-forward a few years to the reality of life, and here we are, taking classes through the rec.  :)  Was the costume amazing?  No.  Did the show knock my socks off?  No.  But, Bridget learned a lot, and more importantly, had fun.  She's opted for gymnastics this summer, so we'll see what she goes for in the fall.  But, for now, I am enjoying my little dancing girl, in a cheap leotard, tutu, and little bare legs.  ;)

Visit From Grandparents

We were lucky enough to have the company of my parents last Thursday through Monday morning.  We were all abundantly excited to see them and we had a delightful time.  These kids were in constant heaven with endless entertainment from their grandparents.  We were off and doing, but whenever we were home my parents were playing tag, football, soccer, hide-and-seek, reading books, playing games...the list goes on!  I frequently tell Richard its too bad life requires money; otherwise, every day could be like this!  A lot of play, with just a little work...sounds good to me!

We spent a morning at the Milwaukee Public Museum.  It was great!  Lighting was bad though...not great pictures.

Rachel was the first one in our family in our history of going to the museum that finally enjoyed the presence of a butterfly.  One landed on my dad right after, but I was too slow with the camera.  

Friday night was pizza at Organ Piper Pizza...and it did not disappoint!  That entertainment was fabulous and delightful!  My kids were enamored!

Sunday naps are the best...especially when you are wearing five layers and basking in the sunshine.

Marshall and Bridget talked my mom into a game of "Freeze Tag" when it was only 22 degrees outside.  How appropriate.  She obliged, but my dad opted to stay in his sunspot.  :)

Not pictured:  My mom took Bridget and I to see the new Cinderella movie and my parents took Marshall to McDonalds and to see  Big Hero 6.  Marshall is still quoting it.

Thanks mom and dad for an exceptional weekend!  

Bridget At Four

This little lady is growing up way too quickly.  She is mostly a complete joy to have around.  Here are some facts about Bridget at age four.

Yes, all these pictures were taken within just a few minutes of each other.  Bridget has become the clown of the family.  She is always pulling silly faces and talking in silly voices.  She provides the majority of the laughs in this family.  

Despite being the family-clown, she is also so, so sweet.  She is almost always willing to share with Marshall.  She quickly shared her brand new birthday presents with him.  A few weeks ago she came home from a party with a bag of favors and within minutes of walking in the door divided her little goodies between Marshall, Rachel, and herself.  

She is quick to come to Rachel's aid when she is crying.  She offers Rachel her blanket, a doll, or a book, and Rachel quickly responds and calms down.  

Our second Sunday at church in our new ward Bridget found Rachel's shoe on the floor while she was walking from her class into primary.  She picked up the shoe, held onto it for the last hour of church, and gave it to me at the end.  I didn't even know Rachel's shoe was missing!  

Bridget is still on her milk-strike.  Hasn't had a drop of it since 18 months old.  She is still a strictly-water-gal.  She is also in a phase of carbs only.  She used to eat yogurt, cheese, and fruit, but for some reason has cut those out of her diet and I beg her to eat a bit of those every day.  She also refuses any sort of vitamin.  She lives off of cereal, waffles, pasta, crackers...and one source of protein, chicken nuggets.  I am hopping she snaps out of it soon and her diet gets back to being more well-rounded.

Despite her lack of eating anything substantial, she has had a major growth spurt.  In August we bought her 4T clothes.  In December we had to start buying 5T because she was quickly growing out of all her practically new pants and shirts!  She is 39.75 inches tall and 32 lbs.  A tall string-bean.  :)

She is a social little girl, even though she is quite shy at first in social situations.  She loves to play with her friends at our house or theirs.  Many days I pick her up from school and drop her off at a friend's house and I go practically the whole day without seeing this darling little girl.  

She has an amazing imagination and I love to listen to her play.  Her current favorite toys are princesses and My Little Ponies.  She also loves purses and all jewelry.  She went through a phase in November and December of finding any bag she could and then stuffing it full of all sorts of things.  When anything went missing I had to go scrounge through one of Bridget's ten bags!  Thankfully that phase only lasted a few weeks!

She currently loves to turn on the Frozen or Tangled soundtracks and dance through the living room.  It is so fun to watch.  

She can count to 20 with only getting a few of the teens confused.  She knows all her letters and knows many of their sounds.

She can write her name so it is fairly legible, but that G can be tricky at times.  

She likes sticker books, puzzles, and rocks memory games.  She just got one for her birthday and has beat me every single time.  Really, I am amazed!

Oh how we love this girl!  She adds so much to our family.  Happy she is ours!