4 Years Later

9 days ago my big kid got even bigger. She is officially 4 now and is blazing into this new age with ferocity I did not expect. She is loud and proud about being 4. Every day she asks daddy "Do you have any more 4 things for me?" By this she means things she had to wait to do until she was 4. We're gettting creative. Buckling her own seat belt, showering on her own, and unbeknownst to her..chewing gum. We're saving that gem for a moment that counts.

In a moment of poor planning I committed to a camping trip with friends on the weekend of Kate's birthday. For a bit I stressed about her not having a party and being hurt that we weren't celebrating the way she wanted. Turns out, she's more mature than I gave her credit for. And turns out, camping was pretty much all about her hanging out with friends and expanding her independence (a gift for all of us!). We did manage to throw in a little birthday fun. Kate loves the Rainbow Fairy chapter books. I bought her the Pet Fairy set and scavenged our Playmobil bin to find the pet featured in each book. Using bento boxes I hid the pets with clues around the campsite for a magic filled treasure hunt. It went off better than expected and Kate was pleased with the "treasure" of books at the end. She had a couple of pretty great clue helpers (nice work Claire and Abby). With cake pops for dessert around the fire and an outdoor theater setup to end the day it turned into a birthday to remember.

A few pics from the happy day:

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SQUEEZINGing their babies.

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We went on a leaf hunt with the Turner family. The girls had a great time romping in the late afternoon sun. We found a good deep pile of leaves perfect for kicking, throwing, and running through. Glad to have some fall photos of the girls. Thanks for bringing the camera Bryn!

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Unconditional Love at its best. No matter how many times Leia pushed, shoved, stepped on, threw dirt at, or took toys from Rylee they were still able to hug at the end of the day. Thanks for that Rylee.

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On Sunday I did a 5K run with a bunch of friends. We had 9 moms and 1 dad running while the other dads watched 19 kids. Scott and Mike braved the morning with 5 kids so both Cook parents could run.

This was my first summer 5K and I can honestly say I don't want to do another. Fall and winter races are fine but I'm a wimp in the sun. In 2 weeks I am running my first 10K and am crossing my fingers for rain!

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We spent some time playing in water with this girl today. Rylee Turner has a special place in our world and watching her grow is awesome. Today when we left she waved AND said "bye." That was pretty great. I also managed to cuddle her for a nice long while without Leia yanking on my pant leg. There's just something about a roly poly baby that I can't help but give them a squeeze!

Why Swing Alone...

When you have friends to swing with?

Willow was an eager swing companion.
Rylee was a bit unsure but enjoyed it overall.

These two barely fit all bundled up and were a bit sparky with all that fleece.