Haleigh is 4!

March 7 was Haleigh's 4th birthday and she was counting down to the day for weeks! We made a big deal about turning 4 and about how 4-year-olds are really good listeners, good helpers, do a great job following directions and are basically just amazing little people! Haleigh completely went for it and has been such a good listener and big helper since her birthday! Anytime she starts to through a fit, we remind her that she's 4 now, and she chimes in with "Oh yeah, I'm 4. I can do that."  It's wonderful! 

Sleeping: Some things never change...Haleigh is a great sleeper! She goes to bed about 7:30 and usually wakes up between 6:30-7:00. Our goal is for her to stay in her room until 7 but that rarely works. Sometimes she will go back in her room and rest for a few minutes and if both she and Annaliese are awake, they will turn on the light and read books together. Other mornings I let her climb on the couch with me and we do our Bible Study together. The girls have a Precious Moments Bible that was given to Annaliese a few years ago by a good friend and Haleigh has pretty much claimed it as hers. She likes to read whatever I'm reading and, much to my chagrin, she has colored in it all over the place because she sees me highlighting and underlining in my Bible! 

Haleigh still sleeps with her purple bunny...or at least part of it! It's falling apart and the actually bunny is missing, but as long as she has the other part, she is fine. She still sucks her thumb as well. Haleigh takes an afternoon rest time and most days she ends up falling asleep and will sleep for at least an hour. 

Activities: It's hard to say...Haleigh likes to do what everyone else is doing and doesn't really have any clear favorites...she likes to dance and goes to dance class every week. She also likes to exercise with me, color, and play games. It's hard to get her to go outside, but once she's out, she loves to play! She asked for a pink soccer ball for her birthday!

Clothing: All of Haleigh's clothes are 4T and she is wearing size 8 shoes. She loves to wear stretchy pants and dresses and although she can get dressed with no problems, likes to have help picking out her clothes. She has a tendency to put her panties on backwards and has a hard time taking off her shirt all by herself! 

Teeth: Haleigh doesn't have any loose teeth yet, but she frequently talks about what she is going to buy when they do fall out and the tooth fairy comes! Pretty much everytime we're at the grocery store she tells me, "I have a loose tooth Mom. I'm four now. I have a loose tooth." It's pretty cute!

Haleigh goes to school two mornings a week and loves it! She loves painting and coloring and they do a lot of that at school! She doesn't say too much in Spanish yet but I'm sure she's picking it up. Haleigh almost always has a big smile on her face and gives amazing hugs! She is so full of joy and life and is so fun to hang out with! 

18 Months

Lydia has reached the 18-month mark and it seems like not much has changed! She is still happy, loves her sisters, gives great hugs, says very few comprehensible words and doesn't walk! It's amazing how almost everyone who sees her walks away with a smile on their face. I guess it makes sense...how can you not smile when you look at this cute little face!

Sleeping: Not much has changed here: Lydia still goes to bed around 7:00pm and sleeps all night. She wakes anywhere from 6:30-7:30am, depending on when Haleigh decides to go 'check on Lydia.' She usually takes two naps, each lasting from 1-2 hours. Lydia goes to sleep with her bunny and a fuzzy blanket and has become quite attached to both items! I lay her down on her back but I find her in all sorts of positions when I check in on her. Her room is kept pretty dark and the sound machine is always on.

Eating: Everything! Lydia eats most everything, although at any given time she may refuse the food offered! Current favorites include bananas, blueberries, chips, fishies, bread in any form, and chocolate chips. She's getting picky when it comes to eating eggs and chicken and makes it quite obvious when she's had enough. Her newest habit is drinking milk from her sippy cup and then slowly letting it run out of her mouth, down her chin, and all over her clothes. She's also getting rather particular about her bib...she no longer lets me put it on, but if I hand it to her and tell her that she won't get food until her bib is on, she will put it around her neck and let me fasten the clasp. Lydia has also discovered utensils and is convinced that she needs to use them...by herself!

Clothing: All of Lydia's clothes are 18-month at this point. Diapers are size 3. She doesn't keep socks or shoes on so sizing is irrelevant. 

Activities: Lydia is such an easy-going little lady...when Annaliese and Haleigh are playing something, she likes to be a part of it, but when they are gone, she will easily sit and play by herself. She likes to dump her wooden blocks out of the box and then sort them, throw them, or put them back in the box. She also enjoys playing with the magnet tiles and the train set, drawing all over herself when she finds a marker on the floor, reading books and trying to put other people's shoes on. 

Lydia has just recently started standing up against the furniture but hasn't made any attempts to pull herself up or move her feet once she's there. She just starts to look a little scared and starts crying. She also isn't talking much; she will sometimes say 'mom' or 'up' but that's about it. Lydia definitely understands, however, because I will ask her to do something and she will! She will go get a bowl of the drawer for a snack, will turn off the light in her bedroom when I ask her to, and even puts away her toys every once in awhile. Her attention span is pretty short so she gets easily distracted, but the understanding of words and language is definitely coming! 

February wrap-up

Here are some of the latest pictures from the past month:

Malachi and Haleigh- these two are like two little peas in a pod!

Lydia- she picked out all the cylinders and lined them up all by herself!

We received a whole box of freshly picked oranges from California!

Isn't she cute!

Trying to put my boots on!

Haleigh trying out her new skis in the backyard!

Annaliese is practising her skiing as well.

Brrr...not quite prepared for snow while we were out and about!

On a walk at Boulevard Park

Homemade pizza! Everyone made their own! Kyle's is the one in the back (dairy free; gluten free) and the girls each picked their own toppings for theirs!

At the dentist!

The grocery store gives out free cookies!

A pretty good looking loaf of homemade gluten-free bread!

Preschool Fun

There have been quite a few fun activities in Haleigh's class over the past few weeks. They had a week dedicated to books and reading called LOL (Love of Literature) week which included things like character dress-up day and pajama day. They invited parents to come in and spend some time reading together with the kids.

Annaliese was a mermaid and Haleigh was Dora the Explorer.

Pajama Day!

Reading stories with Mallory and Auntie Kelsey

For Valentine's Day, they had a fun party at school. I had to work and wasn't able to make it but I'm sure they did some fun crafts and handed out Valentines to one another. Haleigh was very excited about all the Valentine's she received from her friends!

Last week, we went on a field trip to the fire station. They did a great job showing the kids the ambulance and the fire engine as well as explaining what a firefighter does. They got all dressed up in their gear and emphasized how they were there to help and not someone to be scared of! Because of the timing of the field trip, I picked up Annaliese early from school and she came along! 

Sitting inside the fire engine

Annaliese's turn in the fire engine

Haleigh, Keziah, Annaliese, and Faith

  

Watching FireFighter Aaron get dressed in his gear.

Mallory in the back of the ambulance

The whole class (plus a few siblings!)

Paying close attention to everything FireFighter Tim had to say! (Haleigh is in the grey shirt with pink sleeves)

There were a few loud noises...Annaliese borrowed Senora Polinder's earmuffs!

It's been fun watching Haleigh learn and grow as the year has progressed. She loves going to school and every once in awhile we hear her use a few Spanish words!