Fly Low!

We recently returned from another fun-filled visit to "Fly Low!" in Carbondale, Colorado. The girls had a BLAST as always -- it just gets better and better every year now that they're able to really get into the outdoor activities (though they'd probably tell you their favorite part is playing with the toys in the bunkroom upstairs!). As for me, it's so wonderful to return to the town where Joe and I began our married life and relax for awhile. An added bonus of the visit has always been spending quality time with Pops, my 100-year-old grandfather. He is beyond amazing and we're so blessed that the girls have a chance to know him. How lucky we are to have this great family retreat... To quote Libby, "I love Fly Low!"

Fishing on our first day.  Siena caught one!

Quite the parade...

At the rodeo with Uncle Andy

We love Smith's cookies (and Pops!)

S'more prep

Porch sit with Aunt Lindsay.  She gets the Aunt of the Year award for enduring the 16-hour drive out with us.  Thanks for your help, Auntie Putz!

We love our Winnie!

Funny faces riding the gondola to Glenwood Caverns park

With my baby

Little girls, big chair

Siena and Libby on their first amusement park ride.  Note the big kids riding with them, as well as the expressions on their faces.  Siena: thrilled, Libby: terrified (but tough!)

Pep talk with Daddy before hiking to Hanging Lake (a mile straight uphill!)

Margaret is ready!

We made it!  Wow.  We were SO proud of our little hikers.

Happy Birthday, Margaret Rose!

Our baby girl is ONE! What a year it's been -- as Margaret celebrates her first birthday, I'm also celebrating making it through the first year with THREE kiddos. Phew! :) It's been a busy but wonderful ride so far and continues to get better and better as the girls grow. We had a fun little brunch to celebrate Margaret's birthday and were lucky to have Auntie Putz, Uncle Jeremy, great-grandfather Daddio, and Margaret's godparents the Keyses here to join us. Lots of love all around for our little sunshine!

Margaret is quite the mover these days. Like her older sisters, she started taking her first steps just before her birthday and hasn't slowed down since. As of this posting she's just on the brink of making a full transition to walking, which is exciting for all! Although she continues to be a happy girl in general, in the past few months she's definitely developed her own opinions (especially when "sharing" toys with her big sisters!) and can get quite feisty when things don't go her way. Ah, fun toddler years ahead! She loves thrills and can't get enough of jumping on the bed, swinging, and being tossed by Daddy. She loves wearing shoes.  Her favorite foods are hot dogs and broccoli.  Her vocabulary now consists of "Mama," "Dada" (or "Ga-ga"), "uh-oh," "up-up," and "woof woof" (for doggie). She's picked up signing quickly as well and is consistently using signs for nurse, all done, more, and help. Like her older sister Libby, Margaret can be a serious little one in new situations and her adorable smiles have to be earned by strangers. They're worth the effort, though! Such a sweetie.

As for sleep, things have improved, though not without a lot of effort. It seems like every time we get Margaret "trained" in the sleep department she cuts another tooth and we're back to square one. Margaret seems more sensitive to teething than her sisters and it really affects her mood and sleep. She's no longer nursing at night and Joe has taken the reigns on any nighttime wakings, so from my point of view our nights are MUCH improved! Now if I could only get her to go down easily for naps...

Happy, happy first birthday, baby Margaret! You are such a blessing and we can't wait to see what this next year will bring. We love you!

Sunshine cupcakes!

"Happy Birthday to You..."

Um, am I supposed to do something with this?

Mmm, thanks, big sis!

Birthday secrets from my sisters

Three

I'd better post Libby's 3-year update before too much more time passes! Three... Such a milestone age in my mind, as she's definitely a little girl now and has quickly outgrown (most of) her toddler ways. Joe and I are often asking ourselves how our little 18-month-old toddling Libby grew so fast! But here she is at three and it's wonderful. I love this age. Libby is full of questions and great "big kid" discussions and can truly hold her own when playing pretend with Siena. She continues to be our little ham with her boisterous personality -- her "inside voice" is often hard to find, though she's still quite reserved in public. I'm curious to see which side of herself comes out when she starts preschool in a few weeks!

Libby still loves her baby dolls and remains completely obsessed with Minnie Mouse (and all things related to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse). She has decided recently that Daddy is Goofy, I am Clarabell Cow, Margaret is Baby Minnie, Siena is Daisy, and she is Minnie. We are often called upon to act in character and will be quickly corrected if we forget our parts. At bedtime she ALWAYS asks for a Mickey Mouse story, which basically means that we tell the story of her day using Mickey Mouse characters (Mickey and friends go to the zoo, Mickey and friends visit Aunt Lindsay, Mickey and friends go swimming, etc). No Mickey Mouse story = major fit at bedtime, so it's an important part of our nightly routine. Speaking of bedtime, Libby is still in the nursery since she still prefers the comfort of her crib. At this rate Margaret could be sleeping in our closet until she's too big for the pack-n-play! Hopefully Libby will decide to move to her big girl room sometime soon, though right now the current situation is just fine. She still likes to insist that she's a baby (a common reaction to becoming a big sister, I'm sure), which probably contributes to the issue.

Libby is still a mama's girl and loves special one-on-one time with Mommy. She's still a great snuggler. She continues to love music and is always the first to request tunes in the car. Her manners are the best of our kiddos'. I love her little 3-year-old speech, especially when she says "oh-tay" for okay and "lellow" for yellow.  Her memory for detail is especially impressive... On a recent visit to our family's house in Colorado, Libby mentioned upon arrival that she wanted to use the pink sippy cup and that the blue hippo sippy cup was for Siena. Sure enough, I opened the cabinet and there were the two cups, exactly as she'd described! She hadn't seen or talked of them since our last visit nearly a year ago. Amazing. Yes, she has her challenging moments and can be defiant on occasion, but I'm proud of her independent will and strong character. The girl is unflappable. We love you so much, Elizabeth Jane! Thanks for all of the love and laughter you bring to our lives every day.

Speaking of laughter, here are a few recent Libby quotes:

Siena, you want to be naked? First you have to put on your helmet.

My cereal is going crazy! I can't eat it when it's going crazy.

(After reading about "virtues" during bedtime stories): Why are you talking about bird shoes?

Do you know what "torst" means? Me: No, what does it mean? Libby: It means "sit next to Margaret."

Rarely without Minnie Mouse in tow!

Sleepy Libby at the zoo.  A little snack and she'll be good as new!

Libby visited the dentist for the first time recently and LOVED it!