Still Here!

So sorry I’m so behind on blogging!  I’m in the process of getting caught up, but in the mean time, here’s a cute picture of K. wearing matching jammies with her baby:

Preschool Pilgrim

K. had a Thanksgiving feast and a brief program at her school, so N. and I got to attend.  They had made little pilgrim hats, and she modeled hers:A couple of the classes:

And they sang three songs, including a very cute turkey song with motions.  I was actually quite surprised with K’s performance—she is typically fairly reserved, but has really started to come out of her shell over the past few months.  After picking her up from her Sunday School class a few weeks ago, the teacher told me that she got up and helped lead the singing and the motions.  It surprised me, as a year earlier she wouldn’t even stand in the room with the singing without crying and clinging to me.  She’s growing up!  I think the combination of preschool, church, and ballet has been really good for her, but you can decide for yourself:

Wandering in the Woods

The day after Thanksgiving, we went with the grandparents to a nearby forest preserve to take a short walk.

And as my mom has done for years, I perched my camera in a tree and took a group photo.  I have the advantage of a remote (which I’ll try to hide better next time) so I didn’t have to push the timer button and sprint to join the group.Possibly the first time K. has climbed on a log.  The one drawback to living in a newish, suburban area is a lack of trees in our backyard.Matching sisters.  I might have purchased coordinating outerwear for them if they both needed jackets, but in a happy coincidence I got a hand-me-down in K’s size that matched the one she had outgrown (and is now on N.).Good times.

Giving Thanks

We went to Grandma and Grandpa L’s house for Thanksgiving.  The girls always have a great time visiting—they absolutely adore both sets of their grandparents.

And we were getting set up to take a group photo, so I had K. be my test subject.  I joined her to make sure my remote was working.And she requested a goofy picture.  She showed me what face to make.And each girl got a turn trying the remote.  This was N’s turn:My (Mom’s side of the) Family:

N. with her Great Uncle.  She climbed up onto his lap with her doll and sat there a while.  It was really cute!Trying to get a picture of the girls with their aunt.  This picture was snapped just after Grandpa walked up behind me to try to make them smile.  It worked?N. and her aunt making really goofy faces.  This picture makes me laugh every time I see it.

Then N. brought a book and sat on her Great Grandpa’s lap.  I actually noticed after she was up there—and sprinted to grab my camera.  She sat with him for a while, so I hadn’t needed to hurry.

And she sat so quietly and listened to the story.  Precious.

Riding with Friends

We had a playdate with our friends, and K. and W. took a fun ride together on the springy horse.  Their sharing of the horse was so cute, and as soon as we moms noticed them together, we scrambled in unison for our cameras!

Silly Sisters

As usual, I’ve attempted to get a nice picture of the girls together and there has been a lack of cooperation.  At least they have cute outtakes!

Doodling

One of the words that N. has started saying is “draw” (it sounds a little more like “daw” but she gets her point across).  She loves to write on the little glo-doodle and magna-doodles we have, and she and K. spend a lot of time drawing while in the car.And she still uses her hands fairly interchangeably at this point.  I know K. used her left hand for writing/eating a lot while she was quite young but she’s a righty now; I doubt N. will be a leftie either.

N is for Nice

She often has a look like of mischief or like she’s about to do something to get in trouble—or like a “who, me?” look:

But she has also mastered a look of innocence:

And her sweetness can’t be denied!

Magnetic Attraction

N. got a set of magnetic dolls for her birthday—like old-fashioned paper dolls, but much more sturdy and user-friendly.  K. had a set already, so the girls had a great time playing together.  They swapped outfits and shared politely, and the dolls were dressed to the nines.

Pardon K’s ears—she is going through a phase of wearing a lot of dress-up clothes.  She’s put together some pretty interesting ensembles recently.

Gonna Get You

So K. has been in ballet for a little while now, and N. has started to be really interested in the dances she does.  I downloaded a recording of one of the songs K. knows, and she has taught N. the choreography.  Someday I’ll remember to take a video, but for now the still photos will have to convey the cuteness:

“And I heard a sound”“Say Aaah”

Grandparent Happiness

N. was lucky and both sets of grandparents were able to come for her birthday party!  Here she is visiting with Mom’s side:

Two Terrific Years

The sweet N. is two years old!  Since her birthday is on the second, and it’s her second birthday, she had a “Golden Birthday” party.  There were gold decorations and a gold cake, and gold bead necklaces for the guests.

There was also crying—I don’t remember what N. was sad about at this moment, but that K. is shushing her is too funny!Dad helped blow out the candles—I forgot to practice with her before the party.  She wasn’t quite sure what we wanted her to do.Look how big of a bite she is taking!  That girl devoured her piece of cake in, like, three bites.And then wanted more.Since the rest of the gold party was fairly monochromatic, I made a cake with a rainbow inside.Dad helped facilitate gift opening, though N. did a nice job of tearing into the wrapping paper.And big sister was great!