Wordless Wedneday: So Proud!

Fun Milestone

Up & Down

Norah has finally mastered going UP...

...and DOWN the stairs.

Our Toddler

Norah is pretty much a full time walker.  It's so cute to see her toddle around.  Grandma treated us to Monkey Joe's on Friday, and while the big kids ran around and played on the jumpy houses, Norah loved testing out her new skills.

Getting' There

Big Girl...

 Standing up all by herself!  No steps yet, though!

Little Reader

Meredith has wanted to learn to read just like her big brother.  I took a few minutes last week to sit down with her to teach her how the letter sounds go together to make words, and she picked it up quickly.  She spends a lot of time each day sitting on the couch reading these Bob books (her own choice!)...she loves it.  I recorded her reading a new book tonight...this was the first time she had tried to read this one, and I think she did really great!  She is one determined and motivated little girl.  Oh, and if you listen closely a few minutes in, you'll hear Caleb in the background (he was sitting right next to her) saying "you're doing great at reading, Meredith."  Love my kids!

Yay Norah!

 Norah has been mobile for several weeks now...she's learned to scoot and army crawl quite efficiently (and really quickly!).  Finally this weekend, she has begun doing more traditional crawling to get from place to place, however she still often resorts to the tried & true army crawl, which is much faster for her at this point.

Pedaling

With all of the bike riding excitement around here this summer, Shane has been eager to get in on the action.  Until this week, he rode his trikes "flinstone style", because he wasn't quite able to pedal effectively.  Then when he did start to get the hang of the whole pedal thing, he could only go backwards for some reason.  

 

Well, he can reach the pedals perfectly now and has figured out how to pedal himself along (forwards).  Yay Shane!

I love these first 2 pictures...he's so focused on getting his feet right.

 There he goes!

 And, here he comes!

Momma's left in the dust...

Norah - 8 Months Old

Our Norah is 8 months old today!

She has had quite a month.  One of the most significant milestones was getting her first teeth (2 on the bottom).  Can you see 'em?!

She has also learned a lot this past month...she army crawls pretty proficiently (so begins - again - the days of baby proofing), and eats a lot of table food (turkey, watermelon, and green beans are among her faves).

Oh....and she claps.

We didn't think it was possible, but Norah just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter.  Of course she has some fussy moments, and the teething process was not fun for her (or us), but my goodness this girl is a doll.  We are so thankful for her.  She was the perfect addition to our family.

'

Happy 4th Birthday Meredith Grace!

 This little baby girl...

...is not ONE...

Side note: is it just me, or does this look like it could be a picture of Norah (in a few months) with Shane in the background, even though it's Meredith with Caleb in the background?  Weird.....

 ...or TWO...

 ...or even THREE years old today.

 Our Meredith is FOUR years old! Our sweet (and sometimes sassy), smart, loving, silly, girly, and determined little girl is so excited to be 4.  She has been counting down the days until her big birthday, and is just so proud to be 4 years old.  

Birthday door with FOUR balloons!



Meredith picked out her new top from Nana & Papa to wear for her special day.  It's a little big for her at this point, but she really wanted to wear it, so we are going for the 80s off-the-shoulder look (channeling her inner Kelly Kapowski perhaps?).  Thanks, Nana & Papa!

Speaking of Nana & Papa, they also sent Meredith this beautiful twirly dress, and she absolutely loves to dress up in it, and of course....twirl.

More decorations!

 

 Our foyer "Welcome" sign...

Caleb made his sissy a very sweet card...nevermind that he spelled her name wrong.



Birthday Girl!

Ready to go out for breakfast with Daddy...

She loves the puzzle she got from the Phillips fam!

 We packed a picnic lunch and headed to a new-to-us park in Geneva (the town just south of ours).  Island Park was a lot of fun...they had a playground (with a zipline!) and great places to explore.

Not the best picture of anyone, but the only one I got of the crew eating lunch by the river.

 Underneath the train bridge...

 This afternoon, I took Meredith to get her haircut and then we went to Target because she wanted to pick out some shoes.  =)

 The rest of the day, we spent playing outside and taking a bike ride/walk around the neighborhood.  Last year, for her 3rd birthday, we gave Meredith her bike and she rode it for the first time.  It's hard to believe that she is now riding that same bike with no training wheels just 1 year later!

And of course, some treats to celebrate our special girl...

Next weekend, we will be having a little birthday party for Meredith & Caleb, so stay tuned for more birthday fun then.