Ellie is learning to Read

About a month before school started we really concentrated on teaching Ellie to read using flashcards and lots of reading. Over the past 5 weeks we have worked everyday for 1/2 hour or more having her read and sound out words and we have made strides. She is doing very well and really enjoys learning new words. We visited the library to get some new books (she learns the story very fast) and she gets so excited to read them. Sydney tries so hard to be like her big sister, having me read to her while pointing to the words and repeating what I read. I hope my love of books and reading passes down to all our kids and that they continue to enjoy a break from the reality. I hope working with her on reading will make it easier when they start to teach reading at school.

Sydney's first day of school!

Today was Sydney's first day of preschool. She was so happy her special day finally arrived. When I told her this morning she started singing "I'm going to preschool, I'm going to preschool" , over and over again. She was also excited to finally get to use her Barbie backpack. So we got Ellie off to school and she patiently waited for her time to go. When we got to her preschool she ran up to the sidewalk and kept saying she was "so happy".
Dad came to see her off and we weren't sure how she was going to handle going about it by herself (she has been a Mama's girl since she was born), but she did great, her teacher opened the door and off she ran, she didn't even want me to walk her in. I am so happy she did so well, made it very easy on Mom (I feel bad for one of the other moms their little girl was just crying terribly, I am sure her heart was just aching.)
Here are a few pictures from this morning.

Jace is 4 months old.

Jace is now 4 months old and continues to grow like a weed. He weighs in at 18 lbs (95%) and is 26 1/2 inches long (85%) and head circumference of 43 cm (50%). He grew 3 inches and gained about 2 pounds (Mom thought he was going to weigh more with all those cute rolls he has). He sleeps very well and the only time he cries is when he is hungry or tired. I wish I could take a nap like him! He is sitting up better each day, he loves being in his exercauser and the highchair and when you place him in the highchair he pulls himself forward, he doesn't want to lean back/reclined, it is the same with his infant carrier, looks like he just wants to get out of it. He has also found his voice and yells when the girls play with him, sometimes it gets pretty noisy here.

Jace eating cereal.

Jace tried cereal for the first time last night and he did very well with it,so well his bib was clean afterwards! I think he really liked the different texture, after the second or third spoon he was diving into it.

Ellie's First Day of School

Ellie started school today and she was so excited.
We can't believe our baby is in Kindergarten!!!!

Ellie

Jace trying to catch the girls.

Jace started rolling over last week and now he is pulling his legs up underneath him trying to inch himself away. It is so funny to watch him go.

Jace is Rolling Over, Already!!!!

Jace and Sydney talking their own language, so cute to watch!

Ellie & Sydney

Ellie and Sydney have had a great summer, taking swim lessons, gymnastics, storytime at the library, playing with friends and spending time with family and lots of adventures with Jace. They are very excited to start school in a couple of weeks. Ellie went to the doctor's for her Kindergarten exam and had 4 immunizations (which she handled very well). She is 44 1/2 inches tall (85%) and 46 pounds (70%). She was such a lady answered all the questions and was very polite, when asked how her summer was going she replied with "good, how is your summer?" She just amazes me and I am proud to be her Mom. Sydney also had her preschool exam, she is 40 inches tall (97%) and 36 pounds (90%). She is growing so fast, wearing the clothes Ellie wore last year! She had a lot of fun in gymnastics and will be taking a class this fall which she is very excited about. She is also excited for Preschool and picked out her very own backpack and Wonderwoman folder. Sydney is very good with Jace, constantly asking about him and giving kisses and hugs, it makes me so happy to watch them interact. They have both had a lot of changes over the summer and a big one - switching to bunkbeds. Ellie gets top and Sydney is in the lower one. They just love them and spend a lot of time playing in them (thank you Grammi & Papa), they've been told not to jump off, so hopefully we won't have any broken bones (Jarod likes to teach them new things). ^_^

Ellie and Sydney went on their first adventure to Build-A-Bear last week. They received gift certificates for their birthdays and were excited to pick out their special friend. Ellie choose a rainbow colored bear and a fairy outfit and Sydney choose a pink pony and a princess dress. They are having lots of fun playing with their stuffed friend.