Our other children...

They do exist.

They keep us very busy, very entertained, very frustrated and we love them very, very much.

So what have they been up to lately?

Allie:
Gymnastics - She is finishing up another session. She's learning all kinds of new skills and it's fun to watch the progress she's making. She has a lot of balance and does especially well on the beam. She loves it and is having so much fun.
Soccer - She just finished soccer camp. This was a one night, free program, offered by a local soccer group. She was on the wait list, but as luck would have it, a spot opened up. Soccer season starts in a few weeks and she's very excited to start playing again. Here's her team picture (minus a few kids and an assistant coach) from last season. Alex enjoyed his time as head coach and is planning to serve in that capacity again this fall.

School - Allie continues to amaze us with the things she's learning. She loves to talk about the planets and asks all kinds of questions about them making me wish I had paid more attention during my Earth Science class back when I was a kid. She is also very into dinosaurs. Last week her class discussed the differences between carnivores and herbivores. She gave me my own mini-lesson on the ride home.

Katelyn:
Kindergym - This was Katelyn's first solo class without a parent. She did great!
Gymnastics - She's counting down the days until she starts this class. Mid-April cannot come soon enough for her liking!

A few other tidbits:
Both girls are doing wonderfully with baby Lily. They love to spend time with her when she's awake. They are getting very good at getting Lily to smile!

Last weekend, Alex and I treated the girls to some one on one mommy-daughter and daddy-daughter dates. Alex spent the day with Katelyn - Church, swimming, lunch and playtime at the park. They had so much fun! Allie and I (Lily tagged along but slept all but 30 mins. of the 7 hours!) met up with a dear high school friend of mine and her two kiddos at an extremely cool children's art studio. As you all know, Allie LOVES crafting and she had a blast at this place! The special one-on-one time was a big success and a tradition we're planning to continue.

Last but not least, a snapshot from a few conversations we've had with the girls lately:
Allie - Do they have food in Heaven?
Mom and Dad - They do.
A - What kind of food?
M & D - Any kind of food you'd like and you get to eat as much of it as you like.
A - Really?!!! Like pizza and cookies and candy....(insert big long list here!)
M & D - Yep.
A - WOW!!! That's IMPRESSIVE!

Katie - These are Lily's toesies (pointing to them while we were giving Lily a bath).
Mom & Dad - Do you have toesies?
K - No. I have toes.
Mom - Do I have toesies?
K - No, you have toes.
(Katie went on to explain that Allie and Daddy don't have toesies either. Lily is the only one in our family with toesies because you only have toesies until age 1. I guess we better appreciate her little toesies while she has them then! :)

A couple updates from the last few months via pictures:
Katelyn's first movie at the theater - Beauty and the Beast in 3D back in January.


Allie and her friend Juliana at the art studio this past weekend.




Katie being silly for the camera. She thought this pose up all on her own.


And a couple of random ones to show off the family resemblance between these two:
Like Father...


Like Daughter...