Ivy
Ivy has learned so much at school this year. She can read even more words, she can use sounds to figure out new words. When Ivy started PreK she couldn't even write her name. Now she writes mom, papa, and lots of other three letter words that she can sound out. She can write many of the letters (I don't know how many or I'd tell you!) and she's learned a lot about numbers and math concepts as well.
Of course, she still has her moments of greatness. I LOVE that she "wroote" a list. (Root is obviously past tense for wrote!) I also LOVE that 1+2 = 3, so naturally 4+5 = 6, and 7+8 = 9. Hey at least she's reasoning things out! :)
And, as she told me the other day... "Well mom, if you're learning everyday, and you learn from me, that means I'm smarter than you!" Oh my. I thought I had at least a half-dozen years before she came to that conclusion!
Ivy is very much a homebody, she has turned down trips for ice cream or the mall in favor of staying at home. She is kind to Isabella, even though she occasionally throws out the "not fair" line. She loves to laugh, wants to be included, is testing our limits (and her own), and is full of life. She is the joy that I never knew 4 year olds could be.
Isabella
Ah, Isa. At 16.5 months, she is growing just as her sister is! She is adding many new words to her vocabulary and she understands so much more than you would think - particularly where food is involved! :) Her words, in order of learning as best I can remember are: uh-oh, up, bite (BEEEET which became BIIIITE), momma, papa, out, puppies, Ivy (Idee), Tita, banana (nanana), Nanny, no, juice, shoes, paci (pa-hee), baby. It feels like I'm missing one or two, but that's a pretty good list at this point.
Isa is much like Ivy was in that she knows what she wants, but where Ivy was pretty expressive with her words, Isa prefers to be physically expressive - i.e. she'll stomp her feet, scream, and cry. That's not the only difference between the two. Isa continues to love cuddling, where Ivy prefers doing something together, Isa throw food, which Ivy never did, Isa does not like to take a bath and Ivy always liked the water, and drumroll...........Isa is a Daddy's Girl! This was confirmed the other night when Isabella fell outside and got a pretty big bang on her head. I took care of her, but when Alex walked by, she reached out to him! I didn't know what to think! Ivy is such a Momma's Girl that that had never happened before. I really love the way that Alex has made that bond with her, and the way he continues to reach out to Ivy and be an incredible father for them both.
As for Kayser and Jolene, they are growing too. At last month's 8 month weigh-in for Jolene she was up to 97.5 pounds, but big ol' Kayser keeping putting distance between them. At 7.5 months he weighted in at 124.5 pounds. He's also about an inch taller than she is, and he continues to be rambunctious and fun-loving, while Jolene is generally prim and proper. It's been so much fun watching them grow!
