We have been so busy and I know I am WAY behind on updating the blog and I have been getting a lot of questions about an update so here you go! Get comfortable because we have 3 months to cover and there has been a whole lotta growin' goin' on!
April wrapped up with some unexpected warm weather so we got out and enjoyed it - we ate ice cream, took bike rides and went to the park!
Stella became a master crawler and learned to climb this spring - this is a funny picture of her in the dishwasher!
May started off with Stella's 1st birthday! We had a great day! We went to Knoxville to have lunch with Amy's mom and Amy's grandma. Then we came home and had strawberry cupcakes and opened presents! Stella got lots of cute clothes and toys! And, she LOVED the attention. She wasn't sure what to think about the cake though. She didn't eat any but loved squeezing it between her fingers!
Unfortunately, my camera didn't come home with me from Piper's dance recital so I had to recreate Stella's big day to get these photos!
Soon after Stella's birthday Piper performed in her first ballet recital - it was so cute and she had so much fun up on that big stage. A few days before the recital she got an award for completing the year. This is the first ribbon she has gotten and you can see the pride in her face (double click on any picture to make them bigger). The other little girl you see in some of the photos is a neighborhood friend who went to ballet with Piper.
We rounded out May with a trip to the beach. We went to Isle of Palms, SC and had a great time!
June was nice and warm in TN! Since I didn't have a camera I didn't get a ton of photos but did get a few. I worked a lot in June so things were pretty quiet for us. Piper started taking swim lessons again and has made a lot of progress. The biggest thing is that she will now jump in from the side of the pool! She loves her swim instructor Marty who teaches her to "reach and pull"!
Stella learned to walk at the beginning of June. Her first few steps were tenative and there were lots of falls but she rarely cried! She just got back up and tried again. Now she is a force to be reckoned with. She can walk pretty fast and can get away from you in a second - and she is sneaky too! She is quiet and the next thing you know, she is eating the dog food right from the dog bowl! She continues to be a great eater though we try to steer her away from the dog food and toward human food. She likes it all...except green beans! See photos below of what she thinks of green beans.
Stella thinks green beans are best on the floor. The dog won't even eat them!
Stella also got introduced to Piper's motorized Barbie car - as you can see, she does NOT like it!
Then comes July and a new camera for Amy (hooray)! We went to Amy's parents house one weekend and enjoyed fun in the sun on the boat and bonding time for everyone! Stella took her first tube ride and LOVED it - she even reached out to try to touch the water as the boat was moving. This is a photo of her not wanting to get off after the ride was over! She is also big on saying "hi" to everyone and everything! She waves to cars, people, buildings, animals, signs, etc.
Stella has also started to show her bossy side. On the photo on the left she is "telling" Piper to give her something to drink and thankfully Piper obliged...
Unfortunately Piper came down with a little summer virus the day we left Oma & Pop's house and spent a few days at home sick. She is feeling much better now but laid on the couch looking pitiful for a few days.
Piper has made a lot of great friends at the Montessori school. Her "best" friend right now is a little girl named Elizabeth. Elizabeth came over one day for a playdate. They played outside and then played dress-up with make-up and everything. Those were two happy 3-yr olds!
We had a great visit from Keeley Kirk (Amy's friend from college) and her daughter Carlisle in July. We went to the carousel, fountain at Coolidge Park and had a picnic lunch. The girls got along great and Amy and Keeley had a fun time catching up!
Kurt and I took the kids to the Children's Museum a couple of weekends ago. They are having a Curious George exhibit and Piper LOVES Curious George. Both girls had a great time!
There was a dress-up section complete with a stage and sound booth. Piper put on a little skirt and performed for herself in the mirror.
Stella's newest trick is climbing stairs. She is amazingly fast at this and does a good job of teetering on the edge and making my pulse quicken. She decided to go for a climb at the museum.
She also likes to put things in her mouth. She knows she is not supposed to so she gives me look you see below on the left before doing what you see below on the right...
Stella got a little confused on which one she actually was in this mirror and walked into the mirror...it was pretty funny!
We wrapped up July with a fun trip to a jumping party for Piper's friend Elizabeth. Piper had a great time and was totally pooped by the time it was over.
