CLU Homecoming Weekend

 Go Cal Lu!!!

 Park Fun

Homecoming weekend is always fun to look forward to because we get to see our good friends, Dave, Kim, Jackson, and Addison.   Zoe is now finally getting to the age where she will play with Jackson and Addie.  Her and Addie had a great time together at home and at the park.  They were girlie girls together.  We were  able to hang out at the CLU family event and have a day at the park with the kids while the guys golfed.  It was a great time and Kim and I actually got time to catch up because the kiddos were busy playing.  (Thanks Kim!  I took some of your pics off of your blog :) )

October News

 

Kylee went to the doctor for her 6 month check up.  She was about 25 inches and 15.6 lbs.  Zoe got her flu "shot" in the nose and Kylee got 3 vaccinations, plus her flu shot.  Kylee has been eating a lot more solids, but prunes have to be handy always.  Poor little thing gets so stopped up already.  Hopefully she will get passed that stage when her body gets used to solids.  She is sitting like a champ, loves squash, peaches, and pears.  Green beans are not a favorite.  The doctor said she has such great core strength that she may be an early walker.  Yikes!  She absolutely gets a kick out of watching her big sis when she is busy running about.  I am sure she will be running after her sister soon enough!  We have almost made it to my goal of breastfeeding Kylee until Christmas break.  Pumping at school is NO fun!  Plus finding the time to makes lunchtime go in fast forward.  I think we will stick to our morning and evening feeding routine and possibly introduce formula for the daytime.  We'll see! 
Zoe is enjoying school.  She loves singing all the songs, BUT only at home.  We have a TON of projects from both schools and love seeing what she makes.  She explains how she made each one and is always eager to tell the story behind each project.  Every time she gets a chance she treats her babies like her students and plays school.  Too cute!  We had our first parent/teacher conference at our school for her.  It was weird being on the other end of the conference.  Of course we gave her teacher a hard time from the get go and asked, "How are you challenging our daughter?"  Her poor teacher is new to our school, so she wasn't sure if we were joking :).  Well we are definitely proud parents!  She is very slow to warm, so she is still very shy at school, but we are working on it.  Academically, the teacher said she is off the charts.  They assessed her letter, number, shape, color recognition and quantities.  Her teacher said she knows 9 letters, 10 colors (the teacher quit asking her anymore :) ), 7 shapes (again, the teacher quit asking her anymore :) ), names numbers to 8, and counted quantities to 10 (the teacher quit giving more quantities after 10).  She knows her first and last name when asked, she knows she is a girl.  They said she knows many directional/positional words and attributes such as dirty/clean, dry/wet, and big/little.  Also, they hear her use "ing" verbs and can answer who, what, and where questions.  Of course I wanted to know when she should be able to identify all of her letters and her teacher pulled out the scope and sequence and said at age 5.3.  Zoe is just such a sponge!!!  She gets introduced to a few letters each month at her school near our house and she is picking up letters here and there because her little friends' names have certain letters.  They really enjoy having Zoe and another teacher in that program basically puts dibs on her for next year.  We cannot be any happier with our decision to place her at both schools.  Now we will continue to try and encourage her to participate during circle time at school :).

Happy 6 Month Birthday, Kylee!!!

 New Headbands :)

 Looking like a little girl!!!

 Mmmmm Sissy, this is tastey!

 Halloween outfits

Kylee turned 6 months old this Monday!!!  We cannot believe how quickly it has gone.  It saddens me to think that we will not experience the little milestones ever again.  On the other hand, it is so neat to see the girls grow, learn, and change as they get older.   Kylee definitely has a voice!  She already lets her sister know if she doesn't like something or is frustrated.  We need to set up a Kylee only zone in our house.  Zoe has toys with such small parts, so we are trying to figure out how it will all work out.  Kylee is ready to scoot, so it is just a matter of days probably before we are in serious trouble.  She actually rolls around very well, so we already have to keep an eye on her constantly while she is playing on the floor.  She loves when we sing songs to her and manipulate her hands/arms for movements to the songs.  Zoe is a constant source of entertainment for Kylee and it is great because Zoe sings her (and us) all the songs she learns at her schools.  I can't believe that I will have to plan a party soon for this little pumpkin!!!

Kylee is Sitting!!!

Kylee is sitting!!!  I am a couple of weeks late, but hadn't gotten a chance to capture it until this morning.  She was playing with Zoe's computer and actually likes it so much that she climbed over her to get to it this morning!  I am sure we will have a scooter soon.  She has been eating oatmeal, squash, and sweet potatoes so far and LOVES her squash!  As soon as we returned to school, she decided sleeping through the night wasn't for her.  We have been getting a little better, but then the cold struck and that is no help.  I am proud to say that I have continued breast feeding despite how difficult it is to pump at school.  It is simple a pain!  BUT Kylee is well worth it :)

What Have We Been Up To???

Well as usual, September is a CRAZY busy month for us.  We started school on the 5th this year and Shaun had to take on a combo, so it has been busier than usual.  Oh!  And did I mention that we have Kylee to worry about in the mornings now too!  I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.  Oh, okay, I wouldn't mind working less to be home with the girls even more.  We are lucky though, because we do get home much earlier than most full time jobs.  Also, September is a birthday filled month for us.  We have attended 3 birthday celebrations in the last two weeks.  First, was my friend Amanda's, little guy, Jakey's 3rd birthday party.  It was a circus theme and Amanda goes all out!  There were games the kids could play for prizes, a person making balloon animals, hot dogs, cotton candy, popcorn, and the BEST homemade circus decorations.  Then we went to our friends' little one, Nick's 4th birthday party at the park.  It was a safari/Diego party.  They went on a scavenger hunt, got safari hats, monkeys, and binoculars.  Zoe wasn't too sure about the big pinata.  Lastly, we, Kylee and I went to our nephew, Zach's cowboy/girl party.  Unfortunately, Zoe was sick so she couldn't go.  Oh, did I mention that Zoe is struggling to stay healthy since she has started school.  Here we go!!!  Kylee has caught whatever it is Zo had and poor little thing sounds so bad when she coughs.  She is getting better though.  Zoe is still a great big sis and is learning what personal space is because her sissy will let her know when she is too close :).

Kylee Ate Cereal!!!

 Zoe Fed Kylee Her First Bite of Cereal

 Mommy helped...

All done!

Kylee ate cereal for the first time!  We have been watching her lately and as we eat dinner her lips are literally smacking.  I thought that I would prolong it because she was doing just fine with breastfeeding, but last week, our first week of school, she decided not to sleep her long stretch at night.  She sure does have bad timing!  She has had cereal twice and it doesn't seem to be helping the situation with her sleep, so we aren't sure if she may be getting close to a growth spurt or teeth.  She is still rolling around, mostly from her back to stomach, and loves sleeping on her side.  Her jumper is her favorite and she just babbles away!  She is almost sitting, she can sit for about 20 seconds at a time.  We have introduced her silky and she loves it!  Her and her sister are a lot alike because Kylee will fall asleep with it on her face, just like Zoe used to do.  She is now five months old!!!  We can not believe how fast it has gone this time.  Sometimes I wish there was a slow-mo button.

First Day at Preschool at Mommy and Daddy's School

First day of preschool at Mommy and Daddy's school went well too.  She is getting the hang of drop offs and pick ups.  After this week, we are SUPER exhausted with a new routine for Zoe and learning what works best for Kylee in the mornings.