Elise's First Haircut: Before & After

Last weekend, Elise had her very first haircut! Both girls were getting a little shaggy, so we had them trimmed up and evened out.

Claire & Elise Before Haircuts

Claire & Elise After Haircuts

Elise did good for her first haircut. She was a little wiggly, but didn't fuss much.

First Day of School

Thomas and Claire are back to school. They have already had their first week. Here are some pictures from the first day, on Friday, August 20. Claire was thrilled to start Kindergarten. Thomas was a little more reluctant about staring 1st grade. He said he wanted to stay home and play all day. But I reminded him about the week before when he kept asking me what he could do because he was so bored! I think he is adjusting to being back on a schedule and is enjoying it!

Claire is excited to have Thomas' former Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Risken (pictured below with Thomas on his last day of Kindergarten in May).

Summer Fun: Highlights of Summer 2010

I wished summer to go quickly because it was hard to juggle four kids on hot, hot days. And it did go super fast and we didn't take nearly enough photos. Thomas and Claire enjoyed a week-long soccer camp in June. We had several visitors that month too. Truman and Talia came to celebrate Claire's birthday followed by Aimee and cousins Lexy, Miles, and Maddy. The kids had so much fun in the short visit. I wish we lived closer so they could play like that more often!

In July and again in August, Thomas and Claire got to visit Truman and Talia for extended sleepovers to celebrate their respective birthdays. They looked forward to these visits and would ask every day how much longer until they could go back. They both say they wish that Truman and Talia were their twin sister/brother!

Claire and Talia at the American Girl store in Chicago.

Mario buddies: Thomas and Truman enjoyed a minor league baseball game (complete with fireworks!) later that night.

In July/August, the Thomas and Claire took two weeks of swim lessons, during which time Elise also enjoyed some play time at the local pool. Unfortunately, we didn't make it to the big pool much this summer. (Once with Auntie Yo in June and again for a pool party in August.) We used out kiddie pool in the background to stay cool. And to beat the heat of summer parks, we played several times a week at the indoor playground at FCC, a local church.

After lots of practice in the field across the street, Thomas participated in a "T-ball for fun" league sponsored by the park district. He'll be ready for team play next year!

We did make it to Prairie Farm (with Claire's pre-school friend Izzy) and to the Henson-Robinson Zoo in Springfield, on the same day as our block party with old State Street neighbors in Springfield. And in July, we caught up with some college friends at our annual picnic, this year held in Jacksonville. Gosh, now that I write it all out, we really did have quite a summer!

Anna: 3 Months Old

It's hard to believe Anna is already 3 months old. She's growing so fast! On the day she turned 3 months (August 23), she rolled over for the first time (from her back to her belly)! Now she does it all the time. And this new development has really helped her sleep better during the day. She often rolls over and sleeps on her belly, napping in her crib for up to 2 hours at a time! She continues to also sleep well at night, although she has had a few nights when she woke up earlier than 4:00 am (which had become a norm last month).

Anna loves to watch what's going on. She likes to be held to face outward so she can see everyone. (Although she also likes to lay her head on my chest and snuggle.) She is starting to get easily distracted while breastfeeding, which is not fun for me. She may not have teeth yet, but...ouch! Her hair seems like it's starting to come in a little more (but it's still just fuzz) and it still looks red! It's hard to tell in these photos, but her eyes are still blue. I think they will stay blue, but it's too early to know for sure. A baby's eyes can change even as late as a year or two after birth!

Happy Baby Anna

I finally got some good pictures of Anna smiling. And even giggling! We love to make her laugh. Usually a silly face or funny noise will get her going, but we also discovered she is ticklish at the top of her chest, just under her chin.

Anna: 2 Months Old

At 2 months old, Anna is discovering the world around her. She is reaching out to grab and bat at toys. She also loves to put her hand in her mouth and suck on her fingers. (She doesn't take a pacifier.) She's smiling more, but I haven't been able to catch a good smile on camera yet. Thomas and Claire love to talk to her and make her smile.

At around six weeks, Anna started sleeping consistently from 8:30 pm until 4:00 am! I am thrilled to be getting more sleep at night, but also the extra time in the late evening to get work done.

At her 2 month check-up, Anna weighed 12 lbs 14 oz and was 23-3/4" long.

Anna: 1 Month Old

It always amazes me how fast little ones grow and change! Last Friday, Anna had her 1 month check-up. She's doing great! She weighed 11 lbs 3 oz and was 23 inches long. She's filling out nicely. I want to just nibble on her thighs, but I'm careful not to so that another little cutie doesn't catch me and try it herself! (wink!)

We have enjoyed Anna's increasing quiet alert time and the kids have enjoyed holding her, singing to her, and showing her toys. In the picture above, Anna is distracted by Claire and a dangling toy.

We don't put her on the floor as much as we probably should. The floor is a dangerous place at our house! In the short time I had her on the blanket to take photos, the girls literally ran circles around her (I thought for sure she was going to be trampled!) and couldn't resist snuggling right up to her (which is not a bad thing, except Elise doesn't know boundaries and will keep snuggling until she's on top of Anna!).

Anna is a great baby and has been sleeping well. The past couple nights, she's gone down between 8 and 9 and slept until 3 or 4 am! And we're starting to fall into a good sleep pattern during the day too. I hate to use the word "schedule", but she's getting more predictable and that makes it easier to get out and about.