Elise turned 5 about a week and a half ago. We celebrated with a very special weekend. This will probably take more than one post. But here are some of the pics…

Pink pancakes with candles to start the day, June 6.

Here she is posing with some the booty from various family members.

Granny (Scott’s mom) sends a bouquet of daisies every year to Elise.

I took her on a special “date” with mommy for a “manicure & pedicure”. She is so much a princess and loved it!

…Getting her finger nails painted.

…pretty pink nails with blue flowers painted on them.

I just learned about the practice of posting a photo on a personal blog for 365 days straight, to capture life in its “everyday-ness”. I am doubting that I’ll ever be that consistent, but it has inspired me to take more daily pictures and post them.

Although Escher does not yet pull himself to standing yet, he can bear some weight on his legs (something he didn’t do when we first brought him home) and he is so happy about it.

More about Elena moving up to the next level of karate. See how proud she is??

Elise has recently learned to pump herself on the swing. And she has also just recently started chewing gum without swallowing it. Today she told me “Mommy, I can pump and chew gum at the same time! Wanna watch me?!”

This is Escher, scooting himself backward, on the mat at Elise’s gymnastics birthday party (planning to post pictures of that later). Isn’t that the best smile?

Our neighborhood friend Ryan was over for a playdate on Thursday. I’m trying to take more pictures of mundane events to catalogue our pedestrian ways.  And hopefully post more regularly to share our everyday life.

Elena has been taking karate lessons for the about the past year. And today she graduated to the “Black Belt Club” at our Dojo, moving from the white uniform to the red uniform and getting her gold belt. She is so proud of what her hard work has earned her, which is rewarding for me too.

We brought Escher home 3 months ago today. It has been a blissful 3 months (excepting the sleepless nights). He is so sweet and jolly.  He has fit perfectly into our family and his sisters adore him.

He sits! It feels like a big deal to me because he was so floppy when we first brought him home. My head filled with fears that he would maybe never be able to walk, or perhaps even sit up. But he has grown stronger each day. And he first began to sit unaided on Mother’s Day. Now he can sit and play for long periods of time and he’s obviously so happy about it.