Milestones

My little German...



Meika turned 18 months old at the end of July. It makes me sad to think about how fast she is growing up. Luckily she is still a "baby", but she is quickly turning into an active toddler. Well, I guess she is a toddler. I don't want to admit that. This little thing is such a little angel. I think that it would be hard for anyone that meets her not to fall head over heels for her. She is more sweet than I could ever imagine an 18 month old to be.

Meika at 18 months Old:

*very cuddly
*very laid back
*curious and adventurous... but pretty careful. We go to the park and she will be adventurous on the slides and equipment. She spends most of the time at the park sitting in the sand piles and playing contently with the sand for hours.
*Loves her sisters
*Good eater. LOVES any kind of fruit. She is always pushing the stool over to my fruit bowl and helping herself. It is not unusual for her to be walking around with a full apple or peach going away at it. She loves cucumbers, carrots, pasta, yogurt and way too many to list.
*sleeps from 7:30 or 8pm until 8:30-9:30am
*Takes naps every day for 2-3 hours
*loves drinking water from a real cup
*Has 10 teeth and it looks like all the other ones are coming in at once
*Loves being outside. She tries riding the bikes, jumps on the trampoline, collects rocks and tries to do somersaults
*very good at listening to commands
*Is starting to talk a lot. She says (and of course they are in somewhat baby language)
-baby
-Adeline
-Mama (she calls Abe "mama" too and refuses to say "dada)
-ball
-"D" for drink
-"ee ee" for fishy
-nana
-grandma
-grandpa
-bike
-please
-all done
-outside
-phone
-bye bye
-hi
-Nine (was saying this all the time when I was watching my German friend's puppy. Nine means NO in German)
-yes

I'm sure there are other words, but I can't think of them right now. I don't know what I would do without Meika. She is such a dream baby.







Adeline is now my big six year old!



Adeline is 6 going on 14 it feels like sometimes. She is still a very independent and energetic little thing. I can't imagine another girl her age being able to pass her up on her energy and determination. If this girl wants to do something, she does it. She is very imaginative and creative. She always thinks of little ideas in her head and wants to act them out or create it. It seems like she always has a plan in her head for how she wants things done and what she wants to do. She is a planner. She loves crafts and drawing. She has become quite the little artist. I've been very impressed with some of the things she draws. Adeline is very adventurous. She is always game for anything. She is a fun little buddy to go do things with. She loves clothes. She is super competitive. She loves riding horses and wearing her cowboy boots. She dreams of living in Utah. Adeline is such a good little friend. She really wants to take care of others and be some sort of mommmy figure. She is always making creations and drawing things for her friends. Adeline is type A in some ways (like her dad) and wants things to be a certain way. She likes things tidy and is mostly willing to help me clean, organize, fold laundry, etc. She loves having tasks and things to do. She does NOT like being bored. Sitting in the car for hours she does not do well with :) Adeline loves being outside and especially loves riding her bike. She probably rides it at least once every day. Because Adeline is very determined and strong willed, she sometimes can be a little tough to parent. Whenever we have some sort of argument which turns into a big tantrum, she almost always ends up coming back to me after thinking about it awhile and sincerely apologizes to me. She is a pleaser and wants to make you happy. We all miss her so much while at school. Norah is constantly asking me throughout the day, "When does Adeline come home?" I think the first time she asked me this morning was at 9am. We love little Adeline and the fun and sweetness she brings to our family.









When I went to take a couple pictures of Adeline and Meika for their milestones, I decided to take a couple of the three girls together too.









I love these little girls so much. I have been feeling really good the past several weeks following my miscarriage. For some reason, the past week though has been a little tough for me. Probably just all the reminders that I am not pregnant. I see about 2 pregnancy announcements every day. I see baby bump pictures of girls that are due right around the same time I was due. I have other reminders. It's hard. However, I have really been trying to savor my kids even more than normal. I am trying to hug them more. Spend more quality time. I don't want these years to slip away from me suddenly (like I feel like they are) and feel like I missed it or can't remember it. I don't want to have regrets. I am so blessed to have all 3 of these sweet little girlies!!