Moving on up!

Look who graduated!

More to see in the graduation album on SmugMug. There are also recent pictures in our summer adventures album. You don't need to be logged in to view the pictures, but let me know if you need the password. (And if you want to sign up yourself, you can use this link to get a discount on your first year.)

Who Is Going To Learn Spanish Next Year?

This guy!

Peter got into Dos Cominos, the district's dual language program, and we couldn't be happier.

Happy Five Years!

I find it so hard to believe that FIVE years have come and gone, while this still feels like yesterday. He had a very low key birthday this year, spending the afternoon playing with his new gifts followed by dinner at Gritz and Granddad's. He also had a special surprise at school when Charles and I came to read to his class.

He has grown so much over the past year, I cannot believe how much of a boy (as opposed to baby) that he is now. He has grown two inches and is now 43.75 inches and 40 pounds. He is so very much looking forward to kindergarten next year (and we are waiting to hear if he got into the dual language program). He loves to be helpful, especially with Charles, and is also fiercely independant. He has started to get a bit picky about his food if it is not made to his precise specifications, but he thankfully has not limited himself to chicken fingers and fries like it seems so many children do. He still likes salmon, hibachi, sushi, teriyaki chicken, tacos. He eats his vegetables first, especially corn, green beans and broccoli. Although if his pizza (which is a favorite) has visible basil, he refuses eat it. We are definitely blessed that Peter gives us such few things to complain about.

While there aren't a lot of photos here, there are more from the day in his birthday album on SmugMug. There are also recent pictures in our spring adventures album. You don't need to be logged in to view the pictures, but let me know if you need the password. (And if you want to sign up yourself, you can use this link to get a discount on your first year.)

The End of an Era

So this afternoon, the boys "helped" while I took the railing off of the crib and turned it into a toddler bed. I would have much prefered to leave him in the crib, contained, for at least as long as I did Peter but he has been trying to climb out recently, as well as climb in. So tonight is the first night of Charles sleeping in a big boy bed.

Bedtime went pretty well. He only got up when he would follow Peter out of the room (and tell us that Peter was going potty), and it only took a few tuck-ins before he was good for the night. The big test will be seeing how the morning goes. Fingers crossed it isn't an early morning.

I have been terrible about posting recently, I am going to try to be better. There are some recent photos in our winter adventures album on SmugMug. You don't need to be logged in to view the pictures, but let me know if you need the password. (And if you want to sign up yourself, you can use this link to get a discount on your first year.)

Happy Two Years!

Just like his brother, Charles's second birthday seemed to come like a whirlwind. Of course the birthday party has been postponed due to Charles's pneumonia, but being stuck inside all week has made all of us a little stir crazy. He is almost the same size as his brother as well, just slightly taller at 36 3/4 inches but still 27 pounds (90th and 50th percentiles).

He also is starting to act more like a little boy, although I do still see a lot of baby in him (even if he is really getting too big to be a baby anymore). He wants to do everything that his brother is doing and is doing much better at keeping up and holding his own. He eats like a champ, but a bit on the messy side. He loves to play with other children, and enjoys the playdates that he has with his friends. He doesn't really know his alphabet, but has started to learn his numbers, and has been counting to five for a while (although I'm not sure that he really knows what it means).

And since I am a little late posting, here is from BabyCenter.com

At twenty-four months, most children can:
Name at least six body parts - He can definitely do this, and is currently a pretty big fan of head, hands, nose, ears, cheeks, chin, feet...
Half of speech is understandable - I think that he is much more understandable if you are around him a lot, but he definitely has actual words (even if he seems to be missing some sounds, such as the "s" in "snow").
Make two to three word sentences - It started with "let it go", and has definitely evolved from there.

At twenty-four months, half the children can:
Talk about self - This is just starting
Arrange things in categories - He does this sometimes, it's something that we are working on.
Walk down stairs - Oh yes, and has been for a while

At twenty-four months, a few children can:
Begin to understand abstract concepts (sooner and later) - Not so sure about this one
Become attuned to gender differences - Not sure how I would even know
Learn to jump - He is definitely trying to do this

There are more pictures on SmugMug, most recently in our winter adventures album. You don't need to be logged in to view the pictures, but let me know if you need the password. (And if you want to sign up yourself, you can use this link to get a discount on your first year.)