Picture Update

I have been lacking in the blogging department. Or even in the uploading pictures department. So here are a bunch of pics from November and December. And some videos as well.

http://picasaweb.google.com/timandmelody

Our Little Singer

Our church had a Christmas program today and Erin had a solo in "The Friendly Beasts" song. A video is below. Melody and Tim were part of a six person Christmas choir, too. But, thankfully, there is no video of that!

Going to the Dentist

We finally got our oldest daughter to the dentist at age 4 and 2 months. While my daughter's health is of utmost importance to me, I admit I have been procrastinating on this one major rite of passage. We brush regularly, and try to drink water instead of sugary drinks, but our insurance didn't cover any pediatric dentists and our family dentist wouldn't see a 3 year old. So I used all these excuses to cover for what I was really worried about...a child who would totally freak out and cry, bite the dentist, you name it...

The day before "D" day, we checked out all the "____________ Goes to the Dentist" books you could find. You fill in the blank...Dora, Green Puppy (from Blue's Clues), Vera, etc. In 'Vera Goes to the Dentist' the child, Vera, actually does bite the dentist, and runs out of the dentists office while the dentist and her mother chase her around the block. Oops! I should have pre-screened the books!

It turned out that all my worrying was for naught (as it usually is). While she did request that I hold her hand throughout the entire check-up, that was a small price to pay for her calm cooperation.

They cleaned and polished her teeth, and I even snuck a photo while the dental hygienist went out to get the dentist. The dentist said her teeth looked good. When I said it was her first visit to the dentist, he said, "Then they look really good." So now I can leave my mother-guilt behind. I did not permanently harm my daughter's teeth by waiting so long to take her to the dentist.

Just an informal poll...What age were you, or your kids at your first dentist appointment? I personally have no recollection of going to the dentist for the first time. I'm sure my daughter will forget it too!

Anna - 7 months

Here are Anna's 7 month pics. And one of Erin painting a pumpkin today.

Anna: 6 month stats

Height: 26.25 in; 70th percentile
Weight: 17.5 lbs; 75th percentile

4 shots and lots of crying.

An October Break

Since Melody is not working this year, we were able to join Tim's family for an October trip to Myrtle Beach. The weather was great: sunny and low 80s.

Here are some pictures.

Six Months

Anna is now 6 months old. Here are some pics from September.

http://picasaweb.google.com/timandmelody/Sept2008#

So Says Erin

#1.
It's been a couple of weeks since preschool started and every time anyone asks her if she likes preschool she says, No. But then, one day, Erin whispers to Melody:

"To tell you the truth, I like preschool."

Finally, the truth!

#2
Erin asks Melody, "Do you know what I was doing?"
Melody responds, "No."
Erin says, "Then I wasn't doing anything."

Hmm, somehow I doubt that!

(Pre)School Begins

Erin started preschool at a local church last week. She really enjoys it, yet at any given moment, if you ask her if she likes school, she may say yes or no. She gravitates toward the dress up area. A popular game is pretending to be princesses who fly in a space ship!






This past Saturday, Erin began taking soccer classes. She wanted to be on the red team and we showed up and everyone got a red shirt! The classes are more about learning the skills. The picture below is after Erin dancing after she scored a goal.




Anna is now able to sit up unassisted for fairly long periods of time. But she still isn't fully versed in the art of sitting as the pics below show.


Sitting up


About to topple


The topple


The roll

Our New Kitchen

This spring we decided to add a dishwasher to our kitchen. After realizing that we'll be in this house longer than planned (thank you, housing market!), we decided we might as well redo the whole kitchen. So after several weeks of construction and waiting, we finally have our completed kitchen. We love it! And no more washing dishes by hand!

Here are some before and after shots.

4 Year Stats

Erin had her 4-year check-up today. She got 4 shots. She didn't like those, but she seemed more dismayed at the fact that she would have to take Tylenol when she got home. I guess she really hates that stuff!

Anyway, here are the current stats:

Height: 44.25 inches; 100th percentile
Weight: 45 pounds; 95th percentile

I don't know how long this "reporting of height and weight" thing will continue, but at some point I'm sure she will stop me. But for now, she can't read!

-Tim

The Nationals

Today, Labor Day, Tim's family came down and we went to a Nationals versus Phillies game at the new Nationals Park. It was our first time at the new ballpark and we had a really good time. Both Erin and Anna did very well. Plus the Nats stretched their winning streak to 7 games. The Pennsylvania folk were disappointed, though!

Here are some pictures from the day.

Pirate's Cove and more

Today we went to Pirate's Cove at Pohick Bay Regional Park. This is the first year they had "Pirate's Cove" and we had been meaning to get there all summer. We finally made it on the last weekend. Basically, it's a couple of slides and some water spray things in the middle of a huge pool, a sand area with buried treasure, and lots of pirate themed decorations.









On the way home we stopped by our favorite concrete maker, Tubby's! Yum! (These Tubby's pics are dedicated to the Farmers.)





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Here is Anna's 5 month growth picture.





And one of Anna and Erin. Notice the contrast in eye color and skin tone between them.



See all the August pics here.

Erin's Co-Birthday Friends

Erin was born on August 19 between two of our friends' kids. Their moms have been blogging (The Farmer Files and The Eekhoff's Plain Life) about their birthdays and put up a couple of pics from back in the day. I searched our picture archive and came up with a couple of pics as well.


L to R: Farmer, Melody, Eekhoff

This was taken a month before the kids were due.



L to R: Eekhoff, Farmer, Erin

This was taken at 7 1/2 months.

Happy 4th Birthday to all the kiddos!!

The Party

Erin requested a princess party this year. So we obliged.


Most of the kids in front of the castle.

Melody created a huge castle on our entertainment center and we had the kids create crowns. We also had a pinata and played pin the kiss/crown on the frog. (We figured the boys might not want to "kiss" the frog. We were wrong!)

Instead of everyone bringing gifts for Erin (she has enough stuff as it is), we decided to have a Book Ball. Each child brought a new, wrapped book and then played a game to distribute a gift to each one. Everyone seemed to enjoy getting a new book. At first Erin wasn't too keen on not getting gifts from everyone, but she got presents from family and that seemed to satisfy her.


Erin gets her book read to her by Laura.


Clockwise: Erin, Andrew, Taidou, Laura, Kaela, Nico, and Michaelah

Everyone had fun and the weather cooperated so it wasn't too hot.

See all the pics HERE.


The princess cake.