Last Year of Preschool

Tomorrow is Savannah's fist day of her last year of preschool. She is excited and has shown little sign of nerves. I am confident we made the right decision holding her back. No need to rush the little ones off to the real world. I want her to feel safe and protected as long as possible. I feel as though I only have one more year with her. Next year, she will spend more time at school than she does with me.

I can't believe how old she is and how mature she looks. Everyone thinks she is at least in Kindergarten. She likes to tell me that no matter how big and old she is, she will always fit in my lap and always have time for snuggles. I might have to quote her on that when she is a teenager.

Good Luck Sweetie Pie.

Transition Home

I have always been one to say that my girls can sleep anywhere, will travel just fine and adjust to just about any new environment. This has been true up until this trip. We have traveled through the night in the car, put them down in strange houses and transitioned them from crib to crib without any problem. Unfortunately, they seem to have lost this trait somewhere during their trek back home.

We have been home for four nights and they have only gone to bed once without crying. These are girls who love to sleep, especially Lila. Lila seems to be the culprit in this situation too. One night she cried for almost two hours. What is the deal? Shouldn't she be melting into her crib that she missed for 28 days? That is what I expected but that isn't what we are experiencing.

It would be different if we were trying to transition her to a new place. I would have much more sympathy. Right now I am just plain frustrated. Last night, Lila got Adeline going as well which, of course, caused Adeline to throw up her entire bottle all over herself and her crib.

We have never had problems with our girls going down. And no, it isn't selective memory that most parents use when describing their child's sleep habits. These girls are excellent sleepers and sleep more hours of the day than any other children I know. If I loose this or their easy transition to their beds, what will I do?

Here is hoping that we go down tonight without a fight.

Seattle

I don't quite know how to do a Seattle post. The pictures really tell the story. Savannah has been asking about the Space Needle for at least a year and finally has it checked off on her list. The girls were absolutely amazing. They were taken out of their beds at 7:00 a.m., driven across a mountain pass, and then drug through Seattle for seven hours. They didn't fuss, break down or nap. They really enjoyed the sights, especially the Space Needle, and sat back and relaxed when they were feeling tired. They actually let us eat dinner without being rushed. I was in awe of how well they did. It was nice to do something as family unit.

Here are many pictures telling the events of the day. We had such a good time that I really feel the need to post all of these. Sorry.

The famous home of the flying fish! Not ideal for two strollers but we made our way through and down to the water front.


Savannah is in love with carousels!


A ferris wheel right under the Space Needle was a must for Savannah and Daddy.

And I thought she was sleeping down there. Hah!


Finally, Savannah gets to travel to the top of the Space Needle


She really enjoyed it and it was delight to watch her experience something completely new to her - the height, crazy winds, telescopes etc.



Lila LOVED being up there. The girls decided to play a jumping game and Lila Grace jumped her way around the Needle. She caught many people's attention as she was just so darn cute.

Adeline loved it too but would check in with one of us from time to time as it was quite the sensory experience. We were surprised that she got down and walked but she did!


Can you say Marilyn Monroe! Yes, the winds are strong.







The famous Seattle fountain was a big hit with all the girls. Lila Grace headed right down to it. Surprisingly, Adeline walked (holding my hand) up from the bottom all the way to the top. It is very steep and long - the picture doesn't do it justice.


On the waterfront with Daddy. All three girls are smiling!


We met up with a friend (we hadn't seen Dan since he was in our wedding) for dinner. Again, the 4 year old photographer already working an SLR. You should see the looks of amazement people give her.

The Big Day

The girls had a fabulous birthday. We met Uncle Adam, Aunt Amy, Morgan and Sam for lunch at Red Robin. Adeline absolutely loved it when the waiters sang to her. She clapped and smiled with great affection. I think the entire restaurant wanted to give her a birthday squeeze. Lila Grace was reminiscent of her oldest sister at two and buried herself in her Daddy. Both girls were head over heels for the balloons and both balloons ended up at the ceiling.

The next day was their party. We had many friends and family members attend. Alex's family came from the Seattle area which allowed the girls' to celebrate with all five of their cousins. The food was great, the weather was even better and watching the girls sit in their highchairs as we sang was delightful. I was overjoyed to see how well they have done. They looked like normal little two year olds on their second birthday. It was pure joy. Last year was still very raw and emotional, but this year was plain fun!! Now we are on to the "tremendous" twos!

God give me patience and remind me that I prayed for this each and everyday I stood by their bedsides in the NICU. Possibly I should have played down the "Please God, give them will and independence."

Why? Why? Why?

Yes, we are back in the stage of "why?". I enjoyed the past 6 months while it took a backseat to other comments but Savannah is more inquisitive than ever these days.

A few days ago I threw my hands up and told her that she had to stop asking why ALL of the time. She replied, "Well Mommy, I have to ask why because I want to be a scientist someday."

She gets me every time.

For those looking for some b-day photos, they are coming - I promise.

Our Arrival

As our trip out West is coming to a close, I feel blessed to have experienced all of the fun we have had. It hasn't been as restful as I had hoped or as carefree but a blessing nonetheless. The girls have spent time with cousins, grandparents and many people who have upheld them in prayer for the past two years.

In order to avoid picture overload I am going to break up the events of the trip. Below you will find pictures of our first days in Washington. We spent time in Tacoma with Alex's family and were treated to a trip to the Zoo. Why Philadelphia can't have a zoo that is clean, open and interactive, I don't know. I guess we were just lucky to experience the Tacoma Zoo and will make it a "must do" every time we head this way.



After a day at the Zoo and a chance to catch up on sleep we headed over the mountain pass to Quincy. We were able to stop at the top of the pass and let Savannah see the mountains (something the East Coast doesn't have even though they think they do). As we got closer and closer she loved watching their blueish green color turn into individual pine trees. Savannah was able to watch the peaks get closer and closer while at the same time, Miss Belle decided to drop her sats a bit. Not her best performance at staying saturated. Once we crossed the pass Savannah piped up with, "Oh look at that desert! We better have water! Where are the camels?" Since I grew up in this flat and dry patch of tumbleweeds, I have never had the chance to see it with a fresh set of eyes until now. The topography is something you won't fine in Pennsylvania which is why it caught Savannah's attention.

Upon arriving at Grammy and Papa's house the girls were treated to countless hours of a flat, fenced and large backyard. They love the soft grass, rocks in the flowerbeds and ride on toys - which included a brand new scooter for Savannah. They especially liked Papa's famous blanket rides. I think he might have to hang up the blanket soon (Savannah is no longer two and I have added to more girls to the line up) but until then, the girls are in blanket heaven!

It has been interesting watching the girls learn from their new environment. Lila Grace has mastered walking barefoot on very uncomfortable rocks and unfortunately suffered from bleeding toes for the first couple of weeks. All the running and jumping lead to a lot of stubbing which would have gone unnoticed by Lila Grace if it didn't mean wearing shoes to protect the feet. Adeline has mastered many thresholds. Initially, she wouldn't walk from the garage to patio or from the patio to the grass. She would patiently and methodically get down on all fours to cross these barriers. At this point, she walks right over them and at times will "run" barefoot in the grass. She has also started to get around on a ride-on toy while Lila is working on mastering Savannah's scooter. I think she would be more effective than Savannah is if the handle bars were lowered. Since Daddy broke many bones doing this and landed himself in a body cast at the age of two, I should really keep her away from it. Easier said than down when dealing with The Grace!

Two Two Two

I can't believe they are two. Two years ago, I was laying in an OR being prepped for the delivery of a lifetime. With 20+ people standing by and holding their breath, a little one pound miracle miracle was born. Four hours later, another one pound miracle (albeit more toward the two pound mark) was born.

Today, these one pound babies have turned into 20 pound babies and are running around, laughing and enjoying life.

Happy Birthday Girls! I am so proud of you!