Our big 4 Year Old

Our amazing first born is turning 4 today...4! Every day I look at her and am startled by how grown up she is. Her limbs are becoming long and lanky, she is losing the soft roundness of toddlerhood and quickly becoming a young girl.

When I think of all we have been through together it seems like longer than 4 years but at the same time it feels like she was just born. I remember the long sleepless nights of her infant days, the excitement and wonder as she turned one and started to walk, the trials of the terrible twos and the amazing emotional and physical growth of year 3.

I'm so excited to watch my strong, confident, smart girl in her fourth year of life.

It's been amazing for me to see how unique each of my children are. I kind of expected her to be a little me but Echo is very definitely her own person. She is sweet and cuddley, complex and emotional, and oh so bright and curious.

What an amazing gift it is to be this girls mommy. I love seeing the special bond she has with her sister and how well they play together as they grow.

Happy Birthday to my dear girl! I'm lucky to know you!

August Photos

In spite of the brutal heat we've had this August we managed to get out quite a bit. We checked out the new children's section at the Botanical Gardens as well as the Dale Chihuly exhibit that is there right now.

 Our big Birthday girl Clover turned 2! We took her bowling and had ice cream cake and presents.

 We played in the creek with our new homeschool coop group.

 And with the same group we had an olympic themed field day. Rhythmic gymnastics was the only event my kids were at all interested in (that and face painting).

Kids Room Updates

 Two weekends ago we finally got around to some long anticipated updates to the girls' bedrooms. Eric's parents were able to come down and help us install bamboo flooring to match the rest of the newer flooring in the house in Clover's room. Now the only rooms that haven't had new flooring installed are the loft, the bathrooms, and the master bedroom (oh what a glorious day it will be when we get the floors done in the master!). Clover's room was in dire need of new floors though because after serving as the nursery for two babies (plus whatever went on in that room before we moved in) that carpet was beyond gross. Unfortunately I failed once again to get a before picture. All I have is the lovely in progress picture of Eric pulling out the old floors ;-P

Here is the after shot. We also rearranged some of the furniture, ditched the changing table and added a low coffee table to build blocks on. 

Overall the room just feels so much cleaner and brighter! We all want to hang out in there now, having new floors makes all the difference. 

Most of the artwork hadn't been rehung yet in these photos so the walls are a bit bare but you get the idea. We are so pleased with how pretty and functional the space is now.

Echo got some updates to her room too in the form of new furniture! She recently upgraded from a floor bed to a big girls bed. This bed frame and the dresser that matches belonged to my grandmother, my mom and me when we were little girls so now it is Echo's turn. It's so special to be able to pass this furniture on to her since it means a lot to my family.

She also loves the dresser because it has cut glass purple knobs that look like jewels. The addition of real furniture really makes her room feel like a girl's room instead of a toddler room.