The Day was Fun, The Pictures Weren't Great!

Yesterday we headed to Indianapolis for breakfast with Jon, Christi, and Katherine, and then off to the Children's Museum. The Indy Children's Museum is among the best, in my opinion, and even though Elise was exhausted from three nights of late bedtimes, she had so much fun. We were there for about four hours and only covered a few of the exhibits.
The highlight of the trip was a special 50 minute production of a sequal to the Wizard of Oz. We didn't know the show was going on - it was just an added bonus. During the show, Elise kept yelling to the characters, "Hi guys! Hi friends!", but when it came time to meet them afterwards, she was very shy.

So, our pictures from this trip were not the best - these were the best we got. Elise moves quickly and doesn't like to smile for the camera. Oh well! It was a fun day!

Elise and Lilah Stats

As promised, here are the girls' latest stats:

Elise was in the 75th percentile all around. And since this is my blog, so I'm going to brag on my big girl a moment. On the development test, she was at 4 years old. She is my smarty, that is for sure.
Lilah was in the 75th percentile for weight and 90-95% for length. She was right at 4-4.5 months for development.

Regardless of their weight, height, or development, they are my sweet girls - I'll take them just as they are!

Lilah is 4 months!

I can hardly believe Lilah is 4 months old already - a third of a year, as Wes put it. Lilah continues to be a real sweetheart with a mellow personality. She has started sleeping through the night - 11 or 12 hours straight. Wahoo! That is something to celebrate. She hasn't rolled over yet (besides one time that I think was a fluke), but she is grabbing and holding onto toys. She also has an adorable laugh - she loves laughing at her big sis, and Elise loves making Lilah laugh.

Finally, I have a video of Lilah to post - here she is shaking her rattle. We head to the doctor for Elise's 3 year check and Lilah's 4 month check on Friday, so I'll have some stats to post then.

Oh Christmas Tree

It has become an Arnold/Erwin tradition to get a Christmas tree together. I think the first year the guys actually cut the tree - the past two, we've opted for pre-cut. But, today's Christmas tree selection couldn't have been more picture perfect with fresh fallen snow. The girls loved playing in the snow, playing hide and go seek among the trees, and snacking on popcorn and hot chocolate. Where is Lilah, you ask? Well, she slept through the whole trip!

Elise and Lilah

Just a couple memories I want to document before I forget. Elise loves Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and particularly likes the part where Violet turns into a blueberry ( see clip here).
We were in a store and a larger man with a blue coat and red face (from the cold) walk in. Elise turns to me and says, "Mom, he's like a blueberry!" Embarrassing! Not sure if he heard or not. How do you handle your child's overly honest remarks?

Lilah has really taken to sucking on her fingers. Sometimes it is one hand, sometimes it is both. It is really a wonderful thing because she self-soothes. Elise, for some reason, doesn't like it, and is always trying to take Lilah's fingers out of her mouth. Personally, I think it is so sweet!

Shutterfly holiday photo cards

Christmas cards were always something I eagerly looked forward to in the mail near the holidays. It was like a blast from the past getting cards from families and friends that we had not seen in years. I always enjoyed seeing how the years had treated the people that my family was close to, especially kids I grew up with, and cousins I did not see regularly. That tradition has carried on as I have gotten older and now have a family of my own. I now get to see my friend’s children age each year through the holiday cards. The technology behind photo cards makes this process so much easier, and enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoy getting to put my creative juices to work as I try to find just the right design to share the beauty of my now larger family. Shutterfly has made this process fun and easy and I hope to utilize their service again this year to send my greetings out to those close to us.

Here is the link to create your own memories to send to your friends and family: photo Christmas cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery 

We're off to see the Wizard - Party Pictures Part 1

We're off to see the Wizard - Birthday Party Post 2

This weekend we celebrated Elise's third birthday along with Eve and Lydia Arnold's second birthdays. It was  a fabulous, Wizardly party. The activities included Pin the Heart on the Tinman, Create a Cowardly Lion Mask, and Find the Lost Scarecrow.

While Elise's friends haven't seen The Wizard of Oz and couldn't truly appreciate the theme, Elise got it, so that is what really counts. My wonderful mother sewed Elise the cutest Dorothy dress, which Elise was absolutely thrilled about. Wes, master of creativity, made an amazing Yellow Brick Road cake and Emerald City suckers.

Here are a few pictures from the event. The pictures took a back seat to the fun, so they aren't the greatest.

A big thanks to my dad for holding Lilah for pretty much the whole party.

She's Three

Elise, I can hardly believe you are three today. Your sappy mommy has tears in my eyes just thinking about it. I can just hear what you would say to me, "Stop crying, Mommy!" You aren't super-sensitive - that isn't a bad thing - you are a resilent kiddo. Unlike other kids your age, when you fall (which is quite often, my little klutz), you just pop back up - you don't put on a show. You are adaptable and handle change of plans remarkably well for a young person.

You are also a very confident girl. When I take you places, you are eager to make new friends. In classroom settings, you love to participate and loudly express your opinions. Once we were at the Wonderlab pre-school class, and the theme was making cottage cheese (Daddy's cheese - your favorite). Some of the kids were saying it was gross. You very loudly and adamently told them, "Daddy's cheese isn't gross, it is good, guys!" Your outgoing personality is a wonderful characteristic. Your mommy and daddy will have to help you learn to also be sensitive to others' turns and feelings, and to be good listener, so that your outgoingness makes others' feel included and loved.

You are quite smart. You have an uncanny memory.  You remember driving directions to your favorite spots in town, words of songs, and things we did up to a year ago. Just recently you said to me, "I like going to Nana's church. In Sunday School there were puppets and I threw my shoe at them." This happened at least a couple of months ago and seems pretty insignificant, but you remember. You've always been very verbal and word-oriented. You know your letters and their sounds. You can identify what words start with by sounding them out. While you are generally a girl on the go, you do love to cuddle with Mommy and read. And I love reading to you. Being a girl on the go, you ask me two questions pretty much every morning - Where are we going today? and Are friends going to be there?

Like your daddy, you are a performer. You love to sing. When you don't know the words to a song, you lips sync with a lot of passion. You wave your arms and nod your head with much conviction. I always laugh out loud when you do this, which makes you want to do it more. You like when you make other people laugh. You recently told me about how you put marker on your teeth at Sunday School and everyone laughed at you so you did it more. Your Mommy does not enjoy being the center of attention, so I can't relate to this quality, but I love it! 

You had a very big change in your life this year - you became a big sister. Mommy and Daddy couldn't be more proud of what a great big sister you are already. You love to make Lilah smile and you don't want her to miss anything. I often catch you sneaking into her room to wake her from a nap. I'm excited to watch you and Lilah become sweet friends.

Sometimes, my sweet Elise, you drive Mommy absolutely bonkers. You hate being alone, so nap time has become quite a battle. You are tired, but you just can't slow yourself down enough to rest. You become more independent every day (you can put your shoes on by yourself now), and part of that process is testing boundaries. Sometimes I have to punish you, which makes me very sad. But, it is Mommy and Daddy's job to teach you boundaries - we want you to be a loving and respectful person. I hope you always know that when we punish you, it is out of love. Because, Elise, we love you so very much. We are so blessed to have you. You bring much joy and laughter to our house.

Happy birthday Lisey Bear!

Elise 3 months

Elise 1 Year

Elise 2 Years

Click here for Elise's 3 year pictures (plus Lilah)

Little Cutie

Lazy Day

Gotta love sleeping kids on a dreary Saturday afternoon!

Family!

Here are a few pictures of the family - Uncles Josh and Jon and cousin Katherine

I'm a Little Teapot

Elise singing I'm a Little Teapot

I realize I haven't posted any Lilah video yet. She has an adorable new giggle, so I'll work on capturing that this week!

Happy (Belated) Halloween

Happy Halloween from Belle and the Bunny (and Belle's friend Elmo)!

12 Week comparison

Didn't want to dwell on the sad post too long. Here is a comparison of Lilah (top) and Elise (bottom) at 12 weeks old. I couldn't find a good smiley one of Elise. Do you think they look alike?

Feeling a Little Heartbroken

I can hardly believe 12 weeks has passed already. It has been such a precious time. Lilah is such a perfect addition to our family. She is a sweet a charming little girl, cooing and smiling at anyone who makes eye contact. She's a little stubborn when it comes to napping, but otherwise couldn't be an easier baby. Today I had to drop her off at daycare for the first time. I won't lie - it broke my heart. Feels very unnatural to leave her. Look at these pix of my sweet girls and you'll understand.....