While some of you have the opportunity to see us during any given week at a playdate, party, or local activity, many of you haven't even had the chance to meet all of our girls. So here are some fun filled facts to help you get to know them better. Enjoy!
Sarah is 7 years old and about to enter the second grade. She wants to be a zookeeper when she grows up, so we put our membership to the zoo to good use with frequent trips to explore the plains of Africa, the world's oceans, and animals from a to z. One of her favorite channels on TV is animal planet, and she has mentioned more than once that she would love to live on a farm so she could have all the animals she wants. She loves playing outside on our fort, riding her bike, playing soccer on her team The Sparklers, and backyard campouts with her dad. Some of her favorite indoor activities include putting together puzzles, fashioning Star Wars and Indiana Jones characters out of Legos, and keeping her Webkinz loved and fed by logging on to her website on the computer. She definitely has Jeff's dispostion as she is very quiet and observant, with a mind for math and science. But she also loves singing around the house, and her artistic side is evident with the many framed drawings that adorn the walls of our home. Her favorite movie is Camp Rock, and her favorite colors are red and blue (which coincides with her love of Spiderman). She is eagerly awaiting the completion of her Pirates of the Caribbean bedroom, and also looks forward to our trip to Disney in Febuary '09.
Ashley turned 5 in February, and is already planning her 6th birthday bash. I guess you could say she's our social one :) Acting and dance are her forte, as she loves being onstage and the center of attention. She is a lot like her Tata Ralph in that she has never met a stranger. We laugh that she would make a great politician, she has an uncanny ability at remembering names, and can talk about anything, anytime, anywhere. She also doesn't require a lot of sleep. A memorable comment from her preschool teacher at the end of the year conference was "I'm glad to see that Ashley is now using her powers for good..." But as energetic and crazy as she is, she tempers that with the most loving and empathetic spirit, and mommy and daddy will do anything for one of her hugs. She loves helping to take care of her little sister Kate, and can always be counted on to let you know when anyone is doing something they aren't supposed to. She has a wonderful collection of purses and costumes, and loves playing dress up. You can also find her decked out in her favorite jewels to go to the supermarket. She loves her bling! Her favorite colors are pink and purple, and she loves watching High School Musical and Hairspray. Some of her favorite outdoor activities include swinging on our swingset, planting flowers, watching birds (just like Grandma!), and swimming. She loved riding her scooter, but a recent accident that left her with a split lip and some bumps and bruises has made her hang up her helmet for awhile. She also loves playing on the computer, drawing pictures to hang on her art wall, and helping mommy cook and clean. She is very excited about starting Kindergarten this fall, and already talks about all the adventures she will have and the friends she will make.
Katie Pie just turned 1 on the 21st of June. She exhibits a lot of the same personality traits as Sarah, quiet and observant, peppered with bursts of laughter, smiles, and hugs. She is on the verge of walking, and has been cruising and crawling for months now. She still doesn't have any teeth (a fact Mommy loves when she flashes a toothless grin), but does not let that deter her from enjoying some of her favorite foods, including any type of fruit, cheese, shredded meats, cheerios, pancakes, and pizza crusts (a tribute to Daddy's love for the meat pie!) She loves playing outside with her sisters, swinging on the swing, and taking rides in her new sporty VW push car she got from Nana and Tata for her birthday. She also loves bouncing balls, tv remotes, cell phones, paper to rip, and climbing up and down the stairs. She still can't quite figure out the rest of the family's facination with the Wii fit board, but loves the blue light on the on/off button. She is happily awaiting the completion of her new pink bedroom that she will move into once the baby is born. The jury is still out about how she will welcome her new little sister, but with her sweet disposition and newly found independent nature, we're sure the transition will occur with the least amount of bumps. Hopefully...
Well, Jeff finally hit the big Three Five. Having reached the milestone first, I was able to coach him through it and gently explain that the only thing that really changes is he now has to mark a new age demographic box when he fills out a survey. To raise his spirits, the morning of his birthday we let him win a couple rounds of UNO. Ashley was even nice enough not to mention his eyesight must be fleeting when he put down the wrong color...I jest of course. No depression here, in fact we had a fun celebratory birthday "weekend". Sarah wore her Texas jersey in honor of Daddy's birthday (not sure how that correlates, but she was proud!). We did play some UNO in the morning with Sarah's new Pirates of the Caribbean cards (Thanks Auntie Peach!), and everyone won except Mommy. Then we took Daddy to lunch, his choice. Ashley couldn't talk him into Burger King, "Come on Daddy, you get a crown, and you get to play!", but a burger at Scotty P's satisfied everyone. An
d Kate loved the fries, evident by her "Mmmmmms" she shouted out with glee. I don't know how this worked out, but Jeff then bought the girls new Wii games at Best Buy after lunch. I guess he wanted the birthday joy to be universal. Having spent Saturday in a whirlwind of activities, we postponed cake and ice cream to Sunday night. Does it really count as a birthday celebration if the birthday boy has to cook dinner? ;P But we all loved Jeff's famous hamburgers from the grill (I use the term famous loosely...we haven't opened any franchises yet, but they are a treat!) After dinner, the girls gave him some cards they made, and we opened presents. All in a rush of course, because the girls were waiting for the cake :) Here's a picture of Daddy blowing out the candles, with Ashley's help. Well, he is an old man now, after all. He could use all the help he could get :)
