The little girls have seemed to develop a lot over the past couple of months. They’re really into crafty things like stickers and play-doh and are much more into dress up and role playing than Ruby ever was at this age (I’m guessing Ruby’s influence). They’re not ALWAYS on the same page but for the most part, the little girls are usually keen to let Ruby direct the play and come up with the ideas. We even occasionally get glimpses of our future when Ruby takes both girls to her room and they play BY THEMSELVES for a little while!!!
Ruby really “got” Christmas this year. Luckily she is still mostly interested in the decorations, music, baking, and the Santa side of Christmas. Make no mistake, she was REALLY keen on her presents but still only had one thing on her list for Santa and seemed pretty genuinely excited about all of her gifts. Although Ruby loves school, I think she really needed the Christmas break as she was just pooped! Ruby also hit another milestone over Christmas by losing FOUR teeth from mid-Dec to mid-Jan!! She looks too cute with the big gaps in her teeth!! Ruby started ski lessons in early Jan again so she’s in a group with her buddies on Sunday mornings shredding it up!! She’s also doing swimming once a week and is doing amazing. She just did a dive off the diving board for the first time this past week (with some help from her instructor!). Way to go Ruby!!
The girls have seen lots of changes this fall. Ruby started kindergarten so Lucy and Charlie have had to adjust to not having their big sister around all day! Nicole’s been taking the little girls to Strong Start occasionally but since the weather’s been pretty good, we try to spend lots of time outside. Both girls really love cruising around on their push bikes so that’s been our preferred mode of transportation. They’re getting more daring at the bike park, actually riding some of the boardwalks and trying to get speed over the dirt bumps.
Ruby is thoroughly enjoying kindergarten. She really loves to learn and seems to thrive in the routines of school. She’s always keen to do her “homework”…usually practicing printing certain letters and numbers, and her fine motor skills around colouring, cutting, etc have gone through the roof. She’s always excited to see her sisters at the end of the day and despite being pretty tired, is always keen to try and play with them.
What an incredibly fun summer. Fernie is a pretty amazing place to be in the summer; especially if you’re a kid or a dog. Some of our favourite spots this summer included the beach, the park, the trails, the river and our awesome backyard! Ruby, Lucy, Charlie and Java were pretty much inseparable all summer long. Ruby really loves spending time with her sisters and quite often would choose that over anything else this summer. Knowing that this phenomenon won’t last forever, it’s super special and fun to watch for now!
Lucy and Charlie continue to grow and change on a daily basis. There’s a sizable difference between them physically. Lucy is about 4 lbs heavier and about 2 inches taller! They love their balance bikes and the trampoline and they adore Ruby. Lucy is talking a TONNE…it’s like everything she’s been hearing for the past 2 years is suddenly coming out of her mouth! Charlie is talking a little less but is so incredibly expressive, she’s often able to communicate her needs as well or better! Charlie is super daring physically, is quite coordinated, and can be very sensitive. Lucy is rattled by loud noises but is otherwise super laid back, and has a real thing for stuffed animals! They both continue to be really good eaters and in general, they’re pretty kind to one another and to Ruby. We’ll see how long that lasts…
Ruby had a phenomenal summer. She received an amazing
birthday gift from
her buddy Brodie – a plane ride up over the mountains in a little
Cessna, flown
by Brodie’s grandpa!! So
very
special! She also
got to try wake
surfing for the first time on
Wow...what a long winter! All three girls are thrilled that they can finally get outside without having to get all geared up and Java finally has something to sniff other than snow!
Ruby celebrated her first of many graduations in June...from preschool! What a fantastic first school experience her preschool has been. Amazing teachers, good friends and an endless amount of fun. Ruby got to spend an hour in the real kindergarten class to see what it’s all about and loved it! We’re looking forward to fun summer of hanging out as a family and getting ready to start “real” school in the fall!
Lucy and Charlie continue to be sponges in all possibly ways. They’re understanding of pretty much everything is taking off, physically they’re both quite strong and keen to try new things and they love love love watching Ruby and trying to do all the things she can do. They both love to climb (this is new to us as Ruby wasn’t much of a climber when she was this age) and have a mutual love of getting into trouble (usually involving something in the bathroom...toilets, toilet brushes, toothbrushes, soap, water, toothpaste...you get the idea).
Early Winter 2011 (Last Update February 14, 2011)
We are having SO much fun with all three girls these days! Ruby is growing up so fast and it’s both amazing and a little bit sad all at the same time. She just adores preschool and she seems quite keen on the thought of kindergarten next year. She’s becoming more and more aware of her surroundings and has a real thirst for knowledge…the questions are endless!! She loves to do crafts, loves to colour and draw and is really into pretend play. She continues to be very thoughtful and generous with her little sisters. She’s learning to laugh at them and not get frustrated when they’re being little turkeys! Ruby is officially a “whale” in her swimming lessons and just recently swam the entire length of the big pool (25m) without stopping. Her skiing lessons have been a big hit as well. There are 5 kids in her group (one is her buddy Wes from preschool) and she’s enjoyed exploring new terrain with them. We’ve been getting out with her quite a bit during the week as well so her confidence has just exploded. She’s handling many of the blue runs quite well, is skiing a bit faster and has now discovered she can ski backwards. Oh to be 4…Lucy and Charlie are just nuts. They are so silly and so full of personality these days, it’s quite entertaining. They’ve been sleeping extremely well as of late. Probably the best they’ve ever slept so we’re so so so grateful for that! They’re not saying much yet but they seem to understand most of what we say. They can both sign “more”, “all done”, “please”, “thank you” and Lucy is trying to say a few things – Cha for Charlie, Ja for Java, Ba for ball (or banana or boat or anything else that starts with B). It’s fascinating to watch them interact. It’s a constant learning situation for them. Learning to share, to be patient, how to communicate, etc. Ruby loves to help out here as well as she can play teacher a bit and help model and show them how to do these things. Lucy and Charlie definitely do things differently. Lucy’s more of a gentle giant although she does have a thing for sitting and laying directly on top of Charlie and squishing her. Charlie will walk right up to Lucy and push her over for no apparent reason. Charlie seems to be more willing to “take turns” whereas Lucy will take the toy and run away with a big smile on her face. Charlie likes to build towers with blocks and Lucy likes to knock them over. Lucy gets really mad when Charlie steals something from her whereas Charlie gets really sad and cries. They are both super quick to smile and laugh and they have great senses of humour. All three girls continue to LOVE to dance so we have a little dance party almost every night after dinner. Lucy and Charlie also love to cuddle with Java. They love to sit in between her front legs when she’s lying down and Lucy in particular likes to nuzzle into her. Java, even in her advancing age, continues to be so gentle and so patient with the babies. She really is the best dog in the world!
