Dentist

Elizabeth's first trip to the dentist was Friday (Dance performance and dentist appointment -- big day!) I had taken her with me to my last appointment, so she could see all of the tools and get an idea of what to expect. She did great! Of course, it helps that our dentist has televisions above every chair, but I honestly don't think Elizabeth would have stopped talking had we not been able to plug her into an episode of "Dora." She loved the cotton candy toothpaste, thought the suction tool was great fun, but informed the hygienist that her floss tasted a little bit "funny." When she was all finished and got a great report from Dr. Bolen, she announced, "I am so proud of myself!" She got a super cool new toothbrush and chose a toy mermaid from the "treat box," and she was sure to tell Dr. Bolen that candy is a treat, too. Wishful thinking for her next visit, I suppose...

Dancer Girl

Elizabeth spent the last week going to a half day dance camp at one of our local studios. She was so excited to be a ballerina! On the first day, she walked up to one of the teachers and asked, "Where's the stage?" Oh, dear... They actually did a little bit of ballet, cheer, and tumbling, but all she cared about was wearing her leotard and ballet slippers every day :)



On Friday afternoon, they had a "performance" for parents, and she was very pleased that Mommy and Daddy were both able to be there. It was my first day of maternity leave, so I didn't even have to bring any of "the babies" with me! (She calls all of the children I keep in my daycare "the babies," regardless of age.)
As you'll see, the performance was a very casual demonstration of what the girls had learned over the course of the week. It was hilarious! Sorry the quality is not the best, but you'll get the gist. And if you have trouble finding her just look for the smallest one with dark hair! (In the final segment, when they're all on the mat doing "the bridge" she is in the upper right corner.)

Big Wheelin'

Elizabeth LOVES to ride her Big Wheel that Gege and Gramps gave her. She has certainly come a long way in her riding ability. And she's great about watching for cars while she's cruising down our street--actually, when she sees a car coming she screams, jumps off the bike, and drags it to the side of the street. As far as I'm concerned, that reaction is just fine!

Here's a video of her very first excursion...





and this was just last week...

Jack Turns 4!

We got back yesterday from our trip to Charleston where we got to help Jack celebrate his 4th birthday, and had a great time hanging out with Megan, Hans, and Ben as well as Hans' parents. The party was on Saturday at The Children's Museum of the Lowcountry, and the kids had a blast! In addition to all the super cool stuff at the museum, they also had a birthday parade for Jack, plenty of cake and snacks, and marble painting for the kids -- such a simple craft, but lots of fun! Elizabeth didn't see the point in wasting time with the marbles when she had a perfectly good napkin and fingers to use in creating her masterpiece. As you'll see in the second video, the cake kicked in quickly! After the party, Elizabeth crashed for a 3 hour nap (truly a miracle) and Jack took his new big kid bike for a test drive! (Sorry I don't have pictures of that--I was "supervising" Elizabeth during nap time. I'm sure Hans and Megan will post some soon.)
Thanks to Megan and Hans for their hospitality, and a huge shout out to Patrick for staying put and not making his appearance in South Carolina.