Two Months!

It's "quiet time" at the Sustar house at the moment -- the little ones are sleeping, Libby is in her room playing, and I have some precious free moments to finally eat some lunch and sit down. There are a million things I should be working on right now, but I've neglected this blog for too long... sorry! I realize that going for 6 weeks without posting any photos of growing Caroline is unacceptable. And when I say growing, I mean it! I feel like she changed overnight from a tiny newborn to a rolly-poly infant who has already grown into 3-6 month clothes. Her doctor's appointment yesterday confirmed my suspicions, as she is already 13 lbs (85th percentile for weight) and 23.5 inches long (88th percentile for height). Her head is measuring in the 97th percentile! That makes her our biggest baby at this point, and I'm predicting that she'll be our tallest girl when all is said and done. Joe's tall genes had to show themselves at some point!

As for her temperament, Caroline is getting mellower and smilier by the day. Aren't baby smiles just the BEST?? She can also be a bit temperamental at times and definitely needs to eat and sleep regularly (sounds like a couple of other little girls I know around here...). Her sisters continue to be obsessed with her and still haven't quite grasped the meaning of the word "gentle." Oh well -- little Caroline is developing a thick skin very quickly. Okay, here is a long-awaited "photo dump" of our little Squishy. Enjoy!

At one month old

Some first smiles!

She has such pretty almond-shaped eyes and curled eyelashes

Love those cheeks, too!

Happy girl!

Four girls under the jungle gym

Smiles with Daddy

Sweetie pie

I love my big sisters (most of the time!)

Caroline with her biggest fan

Two months now!  So big!

Happy Birthday, Margaret Rose

Well, our little Margaret is TWO!  And wow, has she embraced this fun age with gusto.  I keep telling myself that there's a reason God made two-year-olds so adorable. :)  Margaret has certainly become her own little independent spirit this summer and has grown up so much.  She is now playing right alongside her sisters and participating in all of the pretend play you might imagine (usually centered around Fisher Price Little People).  She's also reached that incredible phase of development where her words are just spilling out more every day into longer and longer sentences.  It's so cool to witness.  Margaret is definitely a "pistol" as my mom says and is full of energy, fun, and determination.  She continues to love physical activity and will jump, climb, balance, and swing on anything available.  She is starting to really love to sing but does NOT like Mommy to sing along with her.  She continues to prefer water over any other drink (especially milk).  Her curly hair is out of control and adorable, and I finally cut off the long strand that hung down her back (but saved it for the baby book, of course!).  She goes down for naps and bedtime far more easily than her sisters did at this age.  She loves books, alphabet letters, and counting.  Her favorite color, by a landslide, is green.  She is not one to be left out, and is often heard shouting "me too!" when we're focusing on something older-sister related ("Libby, you have your first day of school tomorrow!" Margaret: "Me too!".  Or, "Siena, you get to have music class today."  Margaret: "me too!").  Her favorite characters continue to be Disney Princesses, specifically Ariel ("Ay-yo!") and Snow White ("No-yiyee!").  It both pains and amuses me that some of her first words were Anna and Elsa.  :)  And to think I once thought it'd be possible to downplay the Disney Princess world for our daughters...  Oh well!  She loves little Caroline but unfortunately has learned how to be "gentle" from her not-so-gentle big sister Libby.  It's amazing what these kiddos learn from each other...

Happy 2nd birthday, Margaret Rose!!  We are SO proud of you and the amazing little person you're becoming.  We love you!

I don't think I've seen her hair this straight since the photo was taken.  Definitely bed head.  And drippy popsicle.  The girl is impossible to keep clean.

A doting big sister!

Who doesn't love a sink bath?

And slides...  she LOVES slides.

B-day Party #1: green theme

B-day Parth #2 on the beach: Ariel theme

Such a fun kiddo!

The Summer of Mr. Jim

With a new baby and three very busy young kiddos to keep track of, we have definitely entered into survival mode around here.  This has certainly not been the summer to get out and about (though we have managed to fit in an outing here and there), and we haven't visited the pool once!!  Rather, we've been making our own fun here at home while adjusting to a family of six.  Thankfully, the kids haven't discovered the word "bored" yet and have been as happy as ever just playing with each other around home.  Their main props of play this summer have been the Fisher Price little people, whose population has multiplied by ten thanks to an early summer rummage sale combined with Libby's birthday.  The girls can't get enough, Margaret especially.  So funny and cute.  The main little people character is named "Mr. Jim," whom Libby named after the maintenance man at her preschool.  There's also "Freddy" (guy with frog), "Clean" (woman innkeeper from Christmas playset), and "Bean" (man innkeeper from Christmas playset), along with a multitude of Disney princesses.  It doesn't take much to keep these girls occupied...  Gotta love it.

Mommy Snow White and Baby Snow White enjoy a lunch of giant toast

Mr. Jim: the man, the myth, the legend