Extracurricular Activities

Over the summer while Emily and Addison were doing their once a week morning fun class at Little Lights, I did my first mommy and me class with Elizabeth. We went to a Music Together class in Longmont for six weeks. It was SO fun to have the special one-on-one time with Elizabeth, and because music and dancing really do seem to be her thing (she wiggles to the beat almost any time she hears music) so the music class was just perfect. I didn't get to take nearly as many pictures as I would have liked, but I have lots of wonderful memories. She got to play instruments during each class, and really seemed to gravitate towards the bells and drums. (The bells were on little circles of webbing, and she liked to wear them as bracelets.) We also did an activity with scarves or ribbons in every class, and she really enjoyed waving these around. Here's a little video of a ball activity to music. Elizabeth really loves balls, and "bah!" was one of her first words.


I'm hoping that next summer we'll be able to get a similar schedule going so that Elizabeth and I can do another mommy and me type class.

The big girls have recently started a ballet class at the Thornton Community Center. They were very excited to pick out their tutus at a fun dance store in Fort Collins with Wendy and Rose, and were super excited to put their ballet outfits on for their first class last Monday. This class will last through December and ends with a recital. Oh what fun!

The class is 40 minutes long and is a drop off class, but parents get to observe for the last 5 minutes of each class. Elizabeth and I had a great time while the girls were dancing (there is a walking path and a couple playgrounds right outside the building) and then watching the girls dance for a few minutes at the end was so fun!

This video makes me giggle. I think both the girls were so focused on standing on their assigned number and they were distracted by me and my camera (notice Emily smiling at me). I showed them this video and showed them how the other girls were doing what the teacher was doing...hopefully they'll be doing that next time! :)

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Broadcast to Bring You...

The First Days of School!

I just couldn't wait to share the excitement! 

Addie had her first day at Tarver on August 22nd. She is attending two half days a week, and so far she is LOVING it! Her teachers are Miss Amy and Miss Peggy, and Miss Kirstin, Miss Tracy, and Miss Sharron rotate between the two preschool rooms. She comes home every day with lots of stories, and has already begun making friends. Charlotte likes to hold her hand, and Tye wears a diaper to school, but she likes to play with him on the playground. She has an Addie in her class and they're friends, too. On Friday she came home with a super star sticker, and she was so proud to tell us about how she'd earned it (by tapping a friend on the shoulder and telling them, "Hi I'm Addison, what's your name?")

Emily had her first day of preschool at Little Lights on September 3rd. She is also attending two half days a week, and she's being such a brave big girl during her first experience being all on her own without Addie by her side. She says she feels a little shy at school, but she's only had two days so far. Her teachers are Miss Michelle (her FAVORITE teacher from the summer fun program) and Miss Jenn. Miss Jenn didn't teach this summer, and Emily was a little nervous to meet her, but has discovered that she's super nice ("Just like Miss Shell!")

 

I'm so proud of both of these brave, smart, loving girls and I know they're going to have great school years! We love you Addison and Emily!

While You Were Away

This year we did our summer Michigan trip a little differently. Chris and the big girls flew out four days before Elizabeth and I. Chris got to have his full 10 days at home, and I got to have 4 days of alone time with Elizabeth. It worked out perfectly. Elizabeth and I had a lot of fun on our own. A few of the highlights...

Elizabeth had the dress up box all to herself, and she had a blast picking out different outfits and accessories.

We built a tall tall tower, and Elizabeth got to admire it and then knock it down!

True to her style of turning anything circular into a bracelet, Elizabeth created this signature look...

We walked around holding hands. 

Our raspberries were just beginning to turn red, and we spent a lot of time in the raspberry patch, picking and eating.

Late afternoon shadows in the sandbox...

My biggest accomplishment during the few days "off" was finishing the pillow shams I've had in mind for the big girls ever since the cozy corner was created. 

Then it was off to Michigan for us! We were ready to see family and swim in the lake!

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...

Backyard Play with the Rices

Back in June we had the Rices over for some sprinkler and Popsicle fun in the sun. The girls love their Dale and Rose and I love my Wendy. It's always so nice to have a chance to sit down and watch our kids wear each other out!

Elizabeth was pretty new to standing, and showed off her new skill lots while watching the big kids play.

When Addison was done playing in the water, she went inside and put together this great outfit, finished off with upside down sunglasses (her time-tested signature style) and Rose's blue sparkle shoes.

Dudette's tired

Standing!!

An *almost* Lost Jewel

I almost forgot to post this picture from back in May. I like to think Addie is sharing all the secrets of dress up and imaginitive play with her little sister.

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.

June Fun

Addie's flying high with Dad

Trying to get Elizabeth to walk, Chris would always find a toy she was really attached to and then hold it just out of her reach. One evening in June, the toy was this magic wand.

Go get it!

A step! Hooray!

A little Frozen humor, since Frozen has been a favorite in our house for quite some time now, especially since Addie bought the movie with her birthday money back in April.

We went to a friend's house and did tie dye, and the outcomes were magnificent...

Elizabeth and I were always up to something fun while the big girls were at their Wednesday fun mornings at Little Lights. One morning, Elizabeth found this bucket on the deck, so I filled it with water and let her splash around.

The bucket splashing gave me the idea to bring our kiddie pool up to the deck, where we have some shade from the awning. That afternoon, all three girls splashed around.

Grandpa John came over for an afternoon visit and read stories to the girls. It was a big hit for the girls, and Grandpa became a regular character in their imaginative play.

DeeDee also came over for one of her frequent visits, and we walked along the cottonwood trail, where, of course, I had to have everyone pose for a a few pictures. I especially wanted to get pictures of Elizabeth by the tree as she was wearing a hand-me-down outfit that had once been worn by Addie in front of our tree. Click here for a blast from the past.

Oh June, the beginning of summer. Warm winds, not scorching hot yet, everything green, summer excitement in the air.