It's been TOO Long!

It's been entirely TOO long since I've blogged about the kids. It's been almost a month now! I'm a bad mommy. Alyson completed her first year of pre-school. It's amazing to me that she is only 3 1/2. We are so thrilled that her teachers are moving up with her. This makes me feel so much more secure as a mom knowing how much they adore her and how much she learned under their wings.

Paul is now 2 years old. His language skills are exploding! My favorite saying lately is "Big Kiss". He's putting 2 words together ALL the time and will throw in the 3 word sentences here and there. He's also so doting on Ella. He gives her kisses and asks where she is. He is still obsessed with all things BOY. Cars, trucks, planes, trains...and the Cars Movie.

Ella is almost 10 months old! Oh My! She is STILL our biggest. She just weighed in at 20 lbs (Aly and Paul didn't hit 20 lbs till they were a year old!). She's crawling, pulling herself up on things, walking when her hands are held, and follows big brother and sister around ALL The time.

We survived our road trip to New York. The kids were wonderful despite how stressful it was to travel so far by car. They enjoyed their time up there. We went to the beach twice and the kids LOVED it. Alyson followed her Grammie and Tita around whenever she could.

As a belated Mother's Day gift, we had the kids picutres taken. It's all I wanted. I guess we can consider it Paul's 2nd birthday pictures also. It blows my mind that I have 3 kids!

Ella Likes....TO EAT

Ella is now 9 months old and is trying to feed herself solid foods!
This weekend she successfully (and that means grabbing it and actually getting in her mouth) chicken lo mein, french style green beans, some chicken (I think she got some of that!), and both cheese and cinnamon goldfish crackers!

She's also crawling, RUNNING in the walker, trying to pull herself up, and my personal favorite, taking AMAZING naps.

Happy Birthday Paul!

Oh Paul Edward....

You are now 2 years old and the greatest joy a mother could have.

Happy Birthday my sweet boy!

Alyson Paige 3 years old 3 Months (39 Months old)

How funny is this picture? I guess she didn't know what to do with all those Easter eggs!
Alyson is quite the little princess. She is adored by all....every teacher at Preschool wants to take her home.
She carries on full conversations with adults. She talks WITH Paul, not TO him which is absolutely precious to witness. And the funny thing is, they understand each other! Alyson and Paul love to play together and cause trouble together. They instigate each other.
Alyson is already turning into a little mama. She tattles on Paul relentlessly. She loves to help with the other 2 kids and with chores. She is completely potty trained (YAY).
We DO need to work on her listening skills....while she is an angel at school, we have our fair share of disobedience here at home. She is VERY stubborn.

Paul Edward 22 Months old

Oh My Boy! My Little Man will be 2 YEARS OLD. When did that happen? He is such a boy too.
He loves to run, climb, build, read, draw, and get dirty. His new obsession is digging. Good thing we have a sandbox, now we just need to put sand in it! He has also become VERY compassionate towards Ella. He'll say "it's ok" and "don't cry". He immediately asks for Daddy, Aya, and Ewawa when he wakes up.
His big brown eyes are just SO expressive too. He can be super affectionate when he wants to be. He's also "fighting" back when Alyson picks on him. I'm kind of happy about that! Don't tell anyone though.

Ella Jeanne7 Months Old

Ella Jeanne is now 7 months old. Her beautiful eyes are STILL blue...BLUE blue. She has an infectious smile and laugh. She bursts into laughter when you nibble on any of her many chubby baby rolls.
We have a TOOTH! Finally a tooth has cut through.
She is getting up and rocking back and forth like nobody's business. She also rolls all over the place.
One of her favorite things to do is steal big brother and sister's pacifiers out of their mouths.
She's an eater...loves her food now. She is getting puffs and cheerios in her mouth on her own too!

Alyson is TOO grown up

Look at my little girl. 3 years old and so grown up! Alyson is talking to Daddy in this pic and it's so funny. She grabs my phone and walks around the house talking to whomever is on the other end.
Alyson is totally potty trained now with the rare accident. She even keeps her pull-up or panties dry at night most of the time. She successfully tells me she has to go potty when we are out and about too. She is SO proud of herself too! I'm even more proud! 1 down, 2 to go!
She adores school. She is doing so well too. They are learning letters and she's even tracing letters on paper. She's also getting good with letter and number recognition as well as phonics!
We got the ultimate compliment from the Preschool director: She said that Alyson is the ONLY 3 year old she'd allow into the summer camp program (for ages 4 and up) since she is so mature/advanced for her age. I don't know if we'll do it, but it was flattering! We signed Aly up for the 3 day program next fall and Paul will be joining her! How exciting!
Oh my poor dear, after 3 years, got he first ear infection. She woke up every 2 hours crying one night, the next day was acting out of character, so we brought her in to the Dr. Lo and behold, an ear infection. She's much better now!

Ella is getting SO big

Little Miss Ella....5 months old! Can you believe it? She is truly a BIG girl. Ella is now wearing 6-9 and 9 month clothing in most things. Alyson and Paul were true age-size equivalents, so having Ella is a surprise to me! She also was measured at Stride Rite as a size 2 and WIDE. So that's 3 for 3 in the WIDE feet dept....darn it. Lucky for me I saved all of Alyson's shoes!!
Ella is also eating solids...sometimes she loves them, sometimes she hates them.
Let's not discuss the sleep issue. She's still nursing and not sleeping at night more than, oh, about 3 hours at a time. Naps...an hour long on average. I'm lucky if I get the 2-3 hour nap out of her. It's VERY Frustrating.
She's become very social...smiling at EVERYONE. She adores her big brother and sister and reaches out to interact with them whenever they get near her. Alyson loves her sister too. Paul, even more so. The minute she cries, Paul says "Ewwa wa". He gives her kisses too.

Mr. Chatterbox

Well, Paul has entered the world of conversation. He has a new word or a few EVERY DAY! My favorite new expression is "I did it!"
He is also quite proficient in his animal sounds! He has also become very enchanted with books. He'd rather read books than watch tv (YAY!). Our book basket keeps Alyson and Paul busy and quiet for almost 30 minutes STRAIGHT! Do you know how much cleaning I can get done in 30 minutes? Alot...when I'm not reading TO them.
Richs' favorite thing is that Paul will NOT let a meal go by without saying "Amen". It is SO sweet.

Rich and I were wondering when this all happened. When did we start UNDERSTANDING what Paul is saying? Truly amazing. I shed a little tear each time I think about how big MY boy is getting. There truly is something special about a momma's little boy.
And my boy will be going to PreSchool next Year!!! Paul will be going to the 2 year old program on Wed and Fri mornings!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!

Happy 3rd Birthday Alyson!

Oh Goodness. My first baby, Alyson is 3 years old today. Where has the time gone? Who is this little "old" person that has blessed us and makes us laugh so hard we could wet our pants? I could cry. Is there a way to make time stop? I really don't want her to grow up.

Our Little Alyson...so smart, precarious, creative, helpful, protective, frustrating at times, beautiful, and heartwarming.

Last night at dinner, she said her own prayer which included prayers for Daddys' back. She told Grandma that she's a great sharer (Grandma shared her dinner with Aly). She tells me I'm her best friend. Last night, she told me she loves me all the way to the moon (we read Guess How Much I Love You at bedtime twice!).

I must find some time today to cry...because I'm both happy and sad.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALY P. Mommy, Daddy, Paul, and Ella bella love you so much it hurts.

Sweet Sounds

She laughed.....3 1/2 months old and she finally laughed at me! Oh Ella Jeanne.....how we love your sweet smile.

Paul is having a word explosion! Shoe, down, and so many more. He's also quite proud that he knows his animal sounds. Cow says moo, cat says meow, chicken says buck-buck, etc. It's really cute!