June Celebrations!

What a June...  With Winnie and Picky's 40th anniversary, Libby's 5th birthday, Father's Day, and Caroline's 1st birthday, I was planning a party every week of the month!  Of course, so much fun was had and so many memories made.  Winnie and Picky were in town for most of the month, and it was such a wonderful visit.  The girls enjoyed sleepovers, trips to the mall to ride the carousel, and many rounds of cartoon watching with Picky.  W&P's visit coincided perfectly with Caroline's progression from crawling to cruising to full-out walking, which was another treat.  We were sad to see them go but look forward to more fun times with them in Colorado in July.

We were honored to host Winnie and Picky for their 40th Anniversary Celebration!

The cake!  Those Little People come in handy again and again...

Caroline is so happy to have Winnie and Picky in town!

The Big ONE!
At one year, Caroline is quite the active girl.  She was full-out walking about a week prior to her birthday and has not slowed down since.  She continues to be an enthusiastic eater, to say the least.  Her vocabulary is rapidly expanding and now includes "Millie," "nigh-night," "please (with sign)," and "thank-you," but her main method of communication has somehow become ear-piercing screaming.  As the fourth child I suppose she needs to make herself heard somehow!  I'm doing my best to encourage alternate forms of expressing what she needs (Say "help!" Caroline...  Say "please!" Caroline) but so far she just loves to scream, especially in the car seat or high chair.  Ear plugs, anyone?  She's also learned the word "no" much earlier than her big sisters, and isn't afraid to use it.  She's turning out to be quite the willful one!  Still, she's a happy girl for the most part and is also SO easy to put down at naps and bedtime, which is a huge bonus in my book.  Her favorite activities include riding in the wagon, playing peek-a-boo, pulling off Picky's glasses, and playing in the potty (eww).  She loves any fruit but will not touch milk.  She's into everything these days, especially Mommy and Daddy's bathroom cabinets.  Shoes are a favorite.  Her big sisters continue to be devoted to her and have loved watching her grow over this first year.  Happy birthday to our little love, Caroline Jo!  We couldn't imagine life without you!

Really?  You're going to make me eat this cupcake?

This busy girl is ONE!

Party time

Elizabeth Jane is FIVE!

Happy 5th birthday, dear Libby!  We had a fun little birthday party at Pottery Hollow for Libby's nearest and dearest -- the Shah family, her friend Prudence from preschool days, and our amazing babysitter (one of Libby's "grandmas"), Miss Betty.  Quiet as always when she's in a crowd, Libby nonetheless had a wonderful time and repeatedly confided in me, "this is a GREAT birthday!"  Winnie and Picky arrived home the next day and we celebrated a second time at their house.  What a treat!  Libby continues to be the outspoken leader of play around the house, taking on the role of director (and often evil queen) in the girls' many theatrical performances.  She loves taking photos and movies on her little camera, often accompanied by her hilarious, nonsensical songs and dialogue.  She is working on learning to riding a bike, swimming, and surprised us all recently when she started to read on her own.  Her 5th year was not without its difficulties, however...  With a new baby in the house, a new school, her best buddy Siena away all day, and her main playmate 2-year-old Margaret, Libby had a lot of tough adjustments in her life this year.  We certainly had our share of tantrums to deal with, resulting in some of our most challenging parenting moments thus far.  The upcoming year may be equally challenging as Libby gets used to every day, all-day school in Kindergarten -- she is quite introverted at school and I'm sure she'll be exhausted by 3 o'clock.  Still, I'm trying to see these episodes as opportunities to improve my parenting skills!  Libby is such a strong, sweet, deep thinking girl one-on-one and I do cherish those moments when we can make them happen in this busy house.  We are so proud of you, Libby Lou!  Happiest of birthdays to you!

In honor of her 5th birthday, here are the lyrics to her latest hit song, "Sailboat":

Sailboat, sailboat, everywhere a sailboat
I'm riding in a sailboat
Fishies in the water, in a sinsa-totter
There are boats every water
In a sinsa-nard, riding overboard
In the sinsy, sinsy, sinsy, minty water