Tumbling 4

Rosalyn did a great job in tumbling, and I was especially proud of the note I got from her teacher this afternoon:

Rosalyn has done great job in tumbling this summer. I am sad she won't be joining dance this fall but I'm delighted she will still tumble. Rosalyn has grown up a lot the past few months and is really making good decisions, like who she sits with and not talking with friends during class time etc. I've been really pleased with how much she has matured. Thanks for sharing her with me each week."

When I read her this note, she beamed from ear to ear. Tomorrow after daycare, we will be going to Yoforia to celebrate such good behavior. :)

Tumbling 3

And of course, she had to end the class on a silly note... Head butting the ball instead of catching and throwing it back like she was supposed to. ;)

Tumbling 2

I'm not good with the proper terms for these moves, but the second thing she does in this video is one of the "older girl moves," and today was Rosalyn's first time trying it.

Tumbling 1

Each year in May, Rosalyn has "parent watch day" for dance and tumbling at her daycare. This year she was just getting over a tummy bug and only had energy for the dance portion. So today I went to watch the last tumbling class of the summer session...
I had the best seat in the house!

Fashion show

Today is the fashion show at daycare (not to be confused with the talent show, which takes place Aug 8).  Rosalyn wanted to be a princess instead of a rock star or anything else.  Instead of her play dress up clothes, she picked out the dress Deb got her for Corey's step-sister's wedding this spring.  She wanted to be a real princess instead of a pretend one.

She also told me she looks fat in her dress.  I had a mini freak-out because I try to not worry about "looking fat" in an outfit, and definitely try not to say that kind of thing in front of her... No need to promote body image issues, she'll get enough of that from other people as she grows up.

So when I asked here where she got that idea, she innocently pointed to the way the skirt fluffs out, and she was very pleased with the situation.  :)

Then I tried to take her picture, and she told me that I keep "using up all her smiles".  I pointed out that I hadn't taken many photos lately, so she must not have enough smiles to begin with if one photo per week uses them all up, but this was still the best photo I got.

Reflection

We've had a low key weekend at home because Rosalyn has been running a fever and had a tummy ache. We went to an walk-in clinic to confirm that her lungs are okay, and they were all clear. She seems to be better throughout the afternoon and evening, so hopefully it's already blowing over.

We don't have any new photos to post, but the girls are as cute and sweet as ever. Here are a few old favorites.

Carsen is 10 months now, and busy as ever! She's getting into everything. Hard to believe it's been 10 months since we met this angel.



It's hard to keep the girls apart when one is sick - they love playing together and loving on each other so much.

Rosalyn has already decided that she wants to be Pippi Longstocking for Halloween, AND have a Pippi themed birthday party.

Also, we had our annual checkup with her orthopedist this week. She will keep doing the same thing with her right shoe, but for this next pair, we're sending them off to a place online that does a better job with the lift. Her right leg is 1.8cm shorter (~3/4 inch). If the discrepancy stays less than 2cm as she grows, we likely don't have to have surgery unless she has hip pain or something else similar. If it's more than 2 inches, they will likely recommend surgery around age 10-14 to stop the growth of the left tibia and even them out. Then she wouldn't need a lift in her shoe, and she wouldn't be at risk for the difference in leg lengths to cause other alignment problems. But no decisions to make for several years, we'll keep monitoring the growth every year and putting the lift in her shoes.
At this point, it doesn't seem to slow her down, and we just signed her up for soccer in the fall. Doctor said she can wear regular cleats, so we don't have to put a lift in those since she won't wear them for long periods. The new place where we're having her shoes done can also do crocs. :)

Bedtime shenanigans

Sweet awakenings

Generally, I'm not a morning person and, even if I'm awake, will be happy to lounge in bed until my alarm clock or kids demand action.

However, I do think one of my favorite

Mom opportunities is to watch a sweet baby wake up and give her first smile of the day. :)

All the essentials

The girls and I are heading out tonight for a couple days in Macon then a few in Savannah.

Rosalyn started packing her bag yesterday (with a little help from Daddy), and laid out the following items for each day:

Shirt and shorts or dress

Panties

PJs

Socks

Stuffed animal

That's right, she wanted to pack a stuffed animal for each day we'll be gone.  :)

Her light shines bright

Rosalyn picked out some sunglasses that are too small for her and ready to be passed on to Carsen.  Carsen enjoyed taking them off and eating them. :)

Ball pit

We had dinner with some friends this weekend who have a mini ball pit.  Carsen enjoyed playing in it for a while, but just as I got my phone ready to take a photo, she suddenly decided she was DONE!  I promise, we weren't torturing her!

Treasures

We had Chinese food this weekend, and this was Rosalyn's fortune.  Very fitting for a girl who finds "treasures" (aka rocks, sticks, shells, etc) everywhere she goes.

As we prepare to head to Savannah for a few days later this week, I know we'll be negotiating the amount of "treasures" she's allowed to keep. :)

One thing's for certain, we sure do treasure her!

Indiana trip 4

I just found this post saved as a draft from our trip to Indiana in early May. I think the video files were too big, so I'm separating into two posts.
Carsen was just starting to scoot - now the is crawling and pulling up like a maniac!

Rosalyn enjoyed playing the piano with her friend Isaac, and Carsen enjoyed scooting around under Baby Viviana's swing.

Indiana videos 3

I just found this post saved as a draft from our trip to Indiana in early May. I think the video files were too big, so I'm separating into two posts.
Carsen was just starting to scoot - now the is crawling and pulling up like a maniac!

Rosalyn enjoyed playing the piano with her friend Isaac, and Carsen enjoyed scooting around under Baby Viviana's swing.

Indiana videos 2

I just found this post saved as a draft from our trip to Indiana in early May. I think the video files were too big, so I'm separating into two posts.
Carsen was just starting to scoot - now the is crawling and pulling up like a maniac!

Rosalyn enjoyed playing the piano with her friend Isaac, and Carsen enjoyed scooting around under Baby Viviana's swing.

I just found this post saved as a draft from our trip to Indiana in early May. I think the video files were too big, so I'm separating into multiple posts.
Carsen was just starting to scoot - now the is crawling and pulling up like a maniac!

Rosalyn enjoyed playing the piano with her friend Isaac, and Carsen enjoyed scooting around under Baby Viviana's swing.

Songs and sleepiness

Rosalyn was trying to sing Carsen to sleep and seemed to be ready to nod off herself.

Carsen likes popsicles!

At first, Rosalyn had some hesitations about sharing her popsicles and concerns about the mess thah Carsen was making, but she quickly came around and was excited to coach her sister in the important art of popsicle eating.  She also made a game of retrieving the popsicle when Carsen kept dropping it on the floor.   And the dogs thoroughly enjoyed cleaning the floor after Carsen was done!

Friends

We had some friends visit this week... we  became friends in ~2006, and now we have 7 kids between these three families.  We see the two on the left pretty often, and they daughter is just a few hours younger than Carsen.  The three in the middle live in Indiana, and we don't see them as much anymore, but we got to visit them in May when their youngest was just a few weeks old.  It's so much seeing them all grow and play together.

It's especially fun when they all cooperate so surprisingly well for a group photo!

Dog tags

Carsen loves playing with the dogs, and they are pretty fond of her as well.  Rosalyn has broken them in well.  They are gentle and patient.  Of course, we have to make sure she doesn't pull tails or ears, etc.  She's especially curious about the tags that jingle - they must hang from the dogs necks just so she can play with them, right?

Independence day parade practice

The parade itself at daycare was rained out Wednesday afternoon, but the kids had "practiced" with their decorated bikes, scooters and wagons that morning, so one of Rosalyn's teachers sent me this photo.  She was very proud of the scooter that she decorated herself with Dora and other types of band aids.  Not sure where she got that decorating idea, but it was certainly original! :)

Independence day... Rave?

What happens when the Independence day parade at daycare gets rained out???  

A rave of course, complete with black light, blaring music, disco balls and glow stick accessories.

Rosalyn and Clara at the party.

Carsen even joined in the glow stick fun by waving and chewing on a glowstick in her baby carrier.

Iffy helps Rosalyn with some moves.

And Carsen falls asleep amidst the chaos.  I don't get much snuggle time anymore because she's so busy now, so I enjoyed every second of that little nap.

Helpers

Rosalyn helped Corey test out his new car while Carsen helped me sort clothes. They are so helpful and fun!