Brooke singing and playing the harp

The tree

We had a huge leaning tree removed from the backyard. It was probably about 20 feet tall, but it was leaning right towards our bedroom and we feared it would come down on the house during a bad storm.

Here's the view from our family room before the tree was cut. All you see is a big branch or two that was right in front of the window:

And here's our new view! There's a lot more light that comes in now. And there are 2 big bushes that we now see that are beautiful when in bloom.

Happy Birthday, Brooke!

Today you are TWO years old. I feel like I just brought you home from the hospital yesterday. My sweet little baby is totally a toddler. You are so loving and affectionate. You love to cuddle and I hope you don’t grow out of that any time soon! You even love your dolls and your kitty. I bet you say Ella’s name no less than 20 times a day. Every time you see her you call to her as if you’ve been apart for years.

The biggest change this year was changing schools to be in the toddler class at Penn-Mont when you turned 18 months. I was so nervous about how you would handle the transition and you impressed everyone including your teachers at how well you could adapt. You’re a very independent little girl and love all the activities you can keep busy with during the day at school. One of the teachers commented early on that you are the most communicative child they ever met and yet you were only saying a handful of words. If someone wasn’t understanding what you were trying to say, you’d take them by the hand and show them what you want. Another helper in the classroom told me she doesn’t think she ever saw you cry. You’re very easy going about most things.

Your favorite part of the day at school is when you get to go outside. Your class has outdoor time the same time as Paige’s preschool class. You run up to the fence to see your big sister every day! You love and admire your big sister. If we’re getting ready for dinner and Paige is still in the other room you’ll call out as loud as you can “AAAAIIII” which we all know to be “Paige”.

You have learned routines very well. You don’t fuss at bedtime anymore as long as I do the exact routine every night. I tried to make a fun picnic dinner in the living room one day which upset you very much because you didn’t want to vary from the routine of dinner in the kitchen. When you’ve done something wrong, you’ll willingly go sit in time out because you understand the consequence. Your first 3-word phrase was “No, Time Out” when you were correcting me for not putting you in time out after you had pulled Sissy’s hair.

We thought you were going to be an early potty trainer, and you still may be. You know when you have to go and you had gone a couple of times in a row for a few days, but then you developed a fear of the potty so we’re taking a break right now. But as soon as you dirty your diaper, you tell us. Sometimes you even slip and tell us before you actually go.

Right now you are obsessed with the color purple. It’s your favorite thing in the whole world. You’ll walk through stores shouting “purple” at every purple thing you see. If you see clothes that are purple, you’ll insist on wearing them instead of anything else I might suggest for you to wear. I hope you keep this passion for things!

Thank you for making these 2 of the best years of my life!

Happy Birthday, Paige!

Today you are FIVE years old. Time flew so fast for me, but for the last month or so you've been asking us daily how much longer until your birthday. You're so anxious to be 5! You grew up so much this year. You started out a preschooler and now you’re counting down the days until you start kindergarten! You absolutely love school. I hope that never changes. Even your teacher is so excited to tell us about all the new things you are learning. It seems like math may be your strongest subject. You’re only in preschool and you are already multiplying!

On the other hand, maybe you’ll want to be a scientist when you grow up like Daddy. This year you’ve been asking tons of questions about where things come from (including babies). You are fascinated when looking through the pictures in Daddy’s anatomy textbook.

We got to see the jokester side of you come out this year. You like to tell us jokes. Sometimes it’s the same joke over and over and other times you’ll ask a question with a silly answer and call it a joke. You’ve also started testing your boundries with “fake stories” as you call it. We refer to them as lies. If we catch you in a lie, you laugh and say “fake story”!

This year you’ve been taking a tap/ballet/tumbling class instead of gymnastics. You do very well following the teacher as they instruct when you’re not in a silly mood. Your first recital is coming up soon and you’re so excited to be on a stage and wear your costume and makeup!

(Far right, in all light pink)

In your second year as a big sister you’re starting to see Brooke not only as your sister but as a friend. You just can’t get enough of her. You love it when she sits on your lap and asks you to pick her up even though you can only lift her an inch off the ground. She looks up to you and you are so proud of her. I couldn’t ask for a better big sister.

Thank you for five of the best years of my life.