Elise is Almost Five!

Little beauty Elise at almost five-years-old

Having fun on the swing

Sisters bonding...and smiles

Sister hugs are the absolute best

Elise will be turning five-years-old in just a few days! I still can't believe how much she's learned and matured in these five short years. I took some photos this past weekend and stopped in my tracks when looking back through them on the computer. I no longer see a little girl and instead a sweet young lady, who is yearning to grow up and dress her prettiest at all times. I have to admit, that I got teary eyed seeing how beautiful she looked in these photos. She is still very much a child and has those adorable childlike qualities, but we are also slowly seeing aspects of her maturity and growth. Aside from being very tall for her age, she now has what I like to call the "grown-up voice", she talks in complex sentences and now tells stories dispersing the occasional colloquialisms throughout (for some reason this makes me feel as if she is five going on fifteen). She also makes very intelligent inferences from the things we say, and spelling things out won't always get past her anymore.

Our girl can read all by herself now and she only needs help with big words. I hope Kindergarten will be challenging enough, because she has aced every single one of those simple 1-4 letter site words. She is so inquisitive about the world and how things work; she's a definite thinker. She is still a little ball of emotion though! I will say that she has come a very long way from the tantrum laden days of past, but she is still quite emotionally driven and strives for perfection and order (according to her interpretation). All this said, I see a very sweet and very determined young lady at the core of it all. I am so proud of her for all the things she has accomplished in these last five years. She is setting a great example for little Alina to follow, and she is even helping teach her how to read small words. I am so grateful for both of our sweet girls, and for the very special bond that they share.

Sharing secrets

Serious look, but I love it as I see a glimpse of her baby face

All smiles, she brings so much joy to our lives

Summer of Birthday Parties and Fun

Everyone loves a Star Wars party, the force was with Alina!

Alina found a set of Mickey Mouse gloves, she was in heaven

Fun at the Fountains, they met Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder

A very happy birthday to Grandma!

Having fun at Colton's first birthday

Enjoying cupcakes at Anchor's Super Mario swim party

Water Play on Father's Day!

Father's Day fun at Sun Splash water park in Roseville

The girls first kayaking trip at Lake Natoma in Folsom

We had two full weekends of fun celebrating Father's Day this year. Last weekend, Daddy came up with perfect activity to do on a sweltering 100+ degree Sacramento Valley summer day; Sunsplash Water Park in Roseville. We drive past the place all the time and the girls point and exclaim, "look, a castle" or "woohoo, water slides", so they've definitely showed interest in going. They both learned how to swim last summer on their own, but we didn't take them enough afterwards, so they are at a point this summer where they are learning all over again. Elise is really close to swimming and will even jump in the water now, but Alina has clammed up since last year and needs to be held in the water to feel comfortable. They had a great time at Sunsplash, but it took a while before we could get them on the water slides. By the end of the day, they both went down the slides on their own! It was pretty fun to watch the progression from initial hesitance and uncertainty to full blown water slide thrill seeking fun. They had a great time and daddy really enjoyed the day with his girls. Happy Father's Day!

On actual Father's Day weekend, Dad was out of town, so Mom took over and showed the girls a weekend of fun. Momma and Grandma took the girls on their very first kayaking trip out at Lake Natoma in Folsom. They did really well and were little troopers, as we spent most of the afternoon out on the lake. We took them to the small island in the middle of Lake Natoma where they got to feed some geese and ducks. They really enjoyed that part, and they also loved getting to help with the oars and row the kayaks. It was a fun experience, and we hope to take them again soon.

The girls Father's Day artwork for daddy, so sweet

Sunshine and Soccer

The girls during their first soccer practice

The girls started soccer this month and it has been pretty interesting to watch. I knew Alina was a little young for it, but we decided to enroll her as we figured she would see Elise playing and follow her lead. Well, not so much, but overall I think they had fun learning and getting acquainted with the game. They definitely looked the part, but the moment it was game time Alina disappeared off the field and started trying to relocate goals, take multiple water breaks, wander off onto the nearby playground, kick the ball off into the distance and not come back, you get the drift. Elise, on the other hand, showed more motivation and stayed on the field longer, she even made a few goals during a couple games (YAY!), but at the same time she was running off the field chasing dragonflies and running out mid-game to take water breaks and express how tired and hot she was. It was the biggest exercise in parental self-restraint ever, but fun nonetheless. At the end of the day, I feel like we have success on our hands because they both asked to continue playing soccer in the fall. To be continued...

They actually stayed on the field for this entire practice

High fives after game day - Alina was "exploring"

Sleepy Girls, Crafts, Silliness and Smiles

Elise fast asleep and deep in the realm of dreamland

Sleeping Beauty, Alina all snuggled up

Little cuties playing, plus Alina's favorite toddler books

Every so often, the girls will sleep in after a busy and fun Saturday. Mom and dad love these rare occasions, mainly because of the extra sleep it allows us, but also because we get to peek in on them fast asleep, looking so cozy and content while dancing throughout the realm of little girl dreamland. They look so cute all snuggled up and dozed off. They are usually happiest when they get to sleep in a bit, so no complaints from mom and dad!   

After spending most of May on-the-go, we relaxed last weekend and the girls got to play in their rooms and just enjoy each others company. Elise's room is usually the happening place. Alina makes her way in there in the morning, so they can both play together. It's usually dolls, dress-up or tug-of-war (yes, we are still learning the art of sharing). Alina really enjoys when we read books to her, and her toddler favorites; Goodnight Moon, Peek-a-Who?, and The Hungry Hungry Caterpillar, still make her laugh and smile to this day. Elise is really into arts and crafts now, and recently asked to make a collage. I held on to an old Disney desk calendar, which was perfect for collage worthy photos. Elise chose all her own Disney photos and even designed most the layout. She really enjoyed the process. Momma did most of the work on Alina's, but she had input on the photos we used. They turned out great. Elise even asked to bring hers to school for show-and-tell. Disney collage success.

Elise's first Disney collage, she was so proud

Cute girls being silly, favorite sandals and one MESSY room

Alina's adorable Disney collage, super cute!

Play Time at Pixie Woods, Stockton

First trip to Pixie Woods in Stockton

Little pixies

Playing on the dragon with Cousin Eli

Pixie Woods lion cage

Riding on a carousel to Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland at Pixie Woods

Alina though Mr. Mushroom was hilarious

Cute cousins on the boat ride; such fun!

House of Mirrors - Beware of friendly clowns hah

All smiles on the teeter totter

Alina loved driving the fire truck

Playing by the statues, too cute

Having fun at Gigi's birthday party earlier in the day

The girls loved meeting Princess Belle

Gymnastic Tuesdays

Little gymnasts! They love Tuesday night gymnastics classes

The girls started gymnastics classes last month, and now look forward to Tuesday nights every week. Tuesday has become far superior to Friday in fact, all because they get to run, jump, bounce, flip, stretch, twist and get all their pent up energy out. Thank goodness for Groupon. I got a great deal for three months of gymnastics classes at a local gym.They have learned so much already and mom, dad and even grandma have all been able to join in on the fun as Alina's class is parent participation. During class, they especially enjoy the trampoline, rings, and bars. Their next favorite part of class is at the end when they get to chase bubbles and get colorful stamps on their hands and feet. It's the little things; go figure. I am so proud of their progress and hope that this is something we can do long term as long as they continue to show this much enthusiasm.

Happy Mother's Day 2014! Preschool Celebration & Berry Fest

West African drum and dance performance at preschool

Strawberry shortcake cuties

Momma with her favorite girls at Berry Fest 2014

Mother's Day 2014 was such fun. Momma got spoiled by the girls at their preschool Mother's Day celebration. They made me adorable gifts, sang me a song and showered me with plenty of hugs and love. Since the girls are learning about Africa at school, we were treated to a very fun West African drum and dance session and even invited to dance along. It was a nice surprise and despite my blatant lack of rhythm, I gave it a shot. We also headed out to Berry Fest in Roseville on Saturday. The girls love to go every year, and I mainly tag along for the fresh strawberry smoothies, strawberry salsa and to take home a case of locally grown strawberries.

While I love to lavish in a little extra affection on Mother's Day weekend, I certainly can't forget to mention the two most special moms in our lives; Grandma and Nana. We owe our family to them and they are loved and adored beyond belief. The girls love spending time with them and we are so fortunate to live so close and see them on a regular basis. Happy Mother's Day to all the hard-working and loving moms of the world!

Slide, bounce house and hula hoop play time

Miss Elise picking out a crate of fresh strawberries

Two adored moms and two special little girls. Happy Mother's Day!

Spring Fun on Wheels & with Friends

Momma and the girls ready for a Saturday bike ride

They are scooter pros too; lovin' their wheels!

Swinging Baby Audrey on her first birthday

Fun with little friends and Elise riding the quad

Playing dress up. Their favorite Friday night activity