Unicorns vs. Zebras

In a mythical game in which unicorns sparred off agains zebras, who would you pick as the winner? The zebras have stripes, but they don't have magical horns.

Elizabeth tries out Coach Chris's whistle. It works well!

The overcast sky was a nice break on this October day. The girls always got so sweaty and hot running in the sun!

Elizabeth got digging in the bag and tried on Emily's shorts, got herself some sweet shades, and almost got into the sunscreen (thanks, Clark, for coming to tell me about that one!)

Game Time!

Our third game was agains the Roadrunners. DeeDee came to watch with Callie and Annie, and Emily and Addie were super excited to have a big audience!

Elizabeth got right to work cuddling up with Clark

Addie took a little break from practice to give DeeDee a big hug

More sideline shenanigans 

We had discovered by this time that Annika was our ringer. This girl loves going after the ball, she's fast, and she's determined to score.
Yep, the cheer tunnel is definitely the best part of the game, and when grandmas and cousins are part of the tunnel, they're just that much better!

Go Unicorns!

The second week of soccer, we played the Hello Kitties. I took a few pictures during practice, and then the videos are from the game.

Emily goofs around with Annika while Chris gives soccer tips to Kiara and Addison

Look at these cuties getting ready for the big game!

Get that ball Addie!

Soccer!

Emily and Addison played soccer this past fall, and Chris was their coach!

Their team was named The Unicorns, and it consisted of three sets of twins. We got to spend every Saturday in September and October with our dear friends the Robbs and the Homolkas.

Jenna and Alexis are identical twins, and Katie would try to give one a clip or something so Chris could tell them apart, but the best way to tell is that Alexis is usually wearing pink while Jenna is usually wearing purple. Kiara and Annika are not at all identical. Kiara is quite a bit shorter than Annika, and Annika's hair is super long.

All 6 girls loved Coach Chris, and we parents looked at Coach Chris with awe as he herded these little rambunctious 4 year olds around and turned them into a team!

We met at Westfield Park every Saturday at 1:30 for a short practice followed by a game against another team. Our first practice/game happened on September 12th, when we were up against the Rowdies. This definitely wasn't the first game for the Rowdies, but they went easy on us and it was a fun game!

Go for it Em!

Yeah Addie!

Elizabeth and Clark had fun cheering their sisters on!

Let's Take Dad to the Zoo!

On a nice sunny Saturday in November, we decided it was high time Chris came along for a trip to the zoo. What a wonderful day it was. Going to the zoo is always a treat, but it's extra extra special when Dad can come. Emily's favorite animal is the flamingo. Her obsession started when she got a giant stuffed flamingo at a fall garage sale. Now whenever we visit the zoo, the flamingos are a must see. In November, they had been moved to their indoor habitat, so we got to watch them squirm (were they feeling claustrophobic or were we just projecting onto them?) in their small winter home. The best parts for me, though, were watching the girls smiles on the carrousel ride and feeding the Lorikeets.

Cotton Candy...a must at the zoo!

Addison was wearing her Elsa hat complete with long blonde braid. We had SO MANY people ask if it was her real hair!

Emily LOVED feeding the Lorikeets!

Elizabeth was very brave and did it too!

There are some drums for kids to play by the Great Apes exhibit, so we ended our zoo day with some drumming and dancing. What fun!

Fish!

We have three little water lovers! Watching the kids at the pool this summer has been one of the biggest highlights for me. Emily and Addison have been getting more and more adventurous in the water. They absolutely love their goggles, and are very proud of their swimming skills. Elizabeth only lasted in the star float twice, and she wanted OUT! So she has been spending the summer in her tank top tube that she can walk around in, which she loves.
Here are a few videos from back in June...

Motor Skills

We're on the move here in the Palte house! Trike riding, scooting, and WALKING all over the place!

Emily used to get very frustrated with the tricycle. Pushing the pedals, steering, watching where she was going...it was all just too much. I wanted to try to help her out by pushing the trike so she could focus on steering, but she wanted to do it all herself, so I all I could do was watch. I could tell she REALLY wanted to learn how to ride. Our sidewalk is slanted, and she was learning how to ride downhill, but whenever she turned around to come back uphill, she would give up in frustration. For the last month or so, she has been pedaling backwards and forwards across our front patio, which is nice and flat. Yesterday, I asked if she wanted to bring the tricycle down to the sidewalk. She put her helmet on, got on, and started riding...and didn't stop! Yeah Emily!!! Good for you! Nice job sticking with it!






While Emily gravitates towards the tricycle, Addie has always gravitated towards the scooter. Addie has been practicing the scooter quite a bit, and is getting really good at coordinating steering, balancing, and scooting!







And, last but not least, we also have a WALKER! Elizabeth has been taking more and more independent steps over the last month, but starting last week, she really truly became a walker. Her little toddle brings smiles to all of our faces, especially hers! She is so proud of herself, and we are so proud of her! Go Elizabeth! (Just a note on this video - she began her first symptoms of Hand Foot Mouth on the day it was taken, and she wasn't feeling great, so she was getting really frustrated that I kept walking away from her and that's why she cries at the end. I will try to get another walking video soon!)



Here's a video of Elizabeth taken the week before, when she was using the baby stroller as a confidence crutch. As you can see from the way she's flinging the stroller around, she would have been fine taking steps on her own, but it took her another week of practice and confidence building before she started truly taking steps on her own.

Watch My Show

We have a new phenomenon in our house - putting on shows. I don't know how or why it started, but in the last month, I've been hearing, "Hey Mom, watch my show!" a lot.

I had the video camera handy when the first show aired. Emily was in a dancing mood. Maybe it was the music, maybe it was the swimsuit, but she felt like putting on a SHOW.

"Hey Mom, watch my show!" The arm moves, the hip wiggling, the serious "I'm so cool" face...it all made for fantastic fun. I asked her to do it again for the camera, and she happily complied. Addie got in on it too, and their cool moves had tears coming out of my eyes as I tried to suppress the giggles.

Christmas Happenings

I love watching my kids play when they don't know I'm watching them.

Both Emily and Addison's imaginations have really grown in the last few months. Emily really enjoys playing with dolls, stuffed animals, grapes, or anything else you can make talk with someone else. She likes handing me a toy, commanding me to "play this" and then waiting for me to begin the conversation between my toy and hers.

 Addison, on the other hand, has a very private relationship with her dolls. She has quiet conversations between them, sometimes having them talk to each other, sometimes reading to them, sometimes teaching them their ABCs.

When the Nativity was out for Christmas, these figurines became Addison's favorite playthings, and I often walked through the living room to find her lost in a world with her new "dolls."


We talked a lot in December about how Christmas is Jesus's birthday. Here are the girls practicing wishing Jesus a Happy Birthday.


Emily and Addison got to go shopping for presents for Elizabeth this year! I brought several toys they'd outgrown up from the basement, and they each got to choose one to wrap up for Elizabeth for Christmas. Here they are, very excited with their choices...

Videos

We've been taking a lot of fun videos lately, here are a few of my favorites from the last couple of months...



Alright, it was more than just a few.

A Blast From the Past

I was uploading videos to YouTube today, and decided to take a little trip down memory lane. I ended up spending quite a bit of time looking at old videos. I found this little gem from exactly two years ago. On November 6, 2011 Emily and Addison were just over 8 months old. Elizabeth will be 8 months old next week. Wow.

Dance Party

Dance parties with dad can get a little wild!

June Videos