Julia and Margaret at 4 Years Old

Margaret:
Height: 38.5 inches (25th-50th percentile)
Weight: 34.5 pounds (50th percentile)

Margaret at 4 years old.

Margaret measures up.

Our resident book lover

                                Margaret concentrates hard on a maze. She loves doing "work."

Margaret (at age 4) is our most flexible child. She is generally happy to "go along to get along." She is good at solving problems and can be counted on to comprise in a tense stand-off situation with her siblings. Margaret is protective of and generous with Julia and will often sacrifice a toy, a turn, or food for her twin if a temper tantrum is on the horizon. That being said, when something is of great importance to Margaret, she is feisty and firm in standing her ground. She is good at expressing herself verbally, so we always know exactly what is wrong when Margaret is displeased. Also, Margaret's strong verbal skills allow her to tell us exactly what she is thinking at all times. It's a very endearing trait. We always know why Margaret is doing something...because we often get a running dialogue of her thoughts. :)
Margaret's awesome range of facial expressions is one of my favorite traits of hers. Her emotions are always excellently displayed on her face, whether it be dismay, anger, or excitement.
Margaret's favorite activities are soccer, reading books (she is hand-down our most book-loving child), and playing "kitty-cat." When Margaret is feeling nervous, she often reverts into being a cat, and will only communicate in meows with her "paws" held in begging position close to her chin.  I am not a cat person, so this feline frenzy can be a little unnerving at times!
At this time, Margaret is the least interested in physical activity out of our 3 girls. When we go on family bike/scooter rides, Margaret's most favorite mode of transportation is in the bike trailer, preferably with a snack in hand. Margaret recently upgraded to a faster scooter, though, and is not afraid to pick up some speed while cruising around our driveway!
Margaret's favorite foods are ice cream, mac and cheese, and black beans. She loves to draw and write, and is the best twirler in the family. She is strongly attached to her sheep and bunny "lubbies," and asks every night if I will sit outside her door "forever" while she falls asleep. When Margaret grows up, she wants to be a tree. ;-)


Julia:
Height: 40 5/8ths inches (75th percentile)
Weight: 40.5 pounds (75-90th percentile)

Julia at 4 years old

Green-goggled swim monster

Cruisin' on her bike with Cinderella in tow.

This picture pretty much sums Julia up: she cannot be contained and lets it all hang out.

Julia continues to be a child who lives life at full throttle. She is temperamental, opinionated, stubborn, and fierce in both her affection and dislike for things. This past year has been a tumultuous one for Julia. Her temper tantrums ruled many of the days (and our family) while Julia struggled to express herself and assert her independence. We have come a long way over the year, and I will readily admit that I am very glad the last 12 months are behind us in this area of development!! Things are getting better, but we still have a ways to go.
Julia's smile can melt your heart, so it's always hard to stay mad at her when she's been difficult. She is hands down the best snuggler in our family, and always sends Daddy off in the mornings with a hearty smile and wave from the front window of the house after demanding a big hug and kiss before he walks out the door.
Out of our three girls, Julia is our most fervent animal lover. Isabel and Frances usually bear the brunt of her furry friend affections, and sadly, they do not return the love. Julia is not particularly adept at reading cues, so when Isabel bears "his" (all the girls think Isabel is a boy despite our constant corrections) teeth and growls while being subjected to Julia's attentions, Julia grows even more delighted that "Belle is smiling at me!" One of Julia's favorite games is taking Isabel or Frances on a walk inside the house. As you might imagine, this is not one of the dog's favorite activities.
Julia is an amazing swimmer. She reminds me of a little submarine when she swims: she emerges from the water only for fresh air and supplies. She is truly happiest when swimming and asks every morning if we can go to "da pool." Julia is also a speed demon on her scooter and bike. She loves to cruise the neighborhood with her sisters and family, and is so proud that these activities are strengths for her.
At 4, Julia struggles with her desire for independence. It is a push-pull situation. At times, she is fervently opposed to us helping her, but in other situations, she is just as adamant that she cannot possibly do a task on her own. It is frustrating to parent through these situations.
Complicating the situation is that Julia has a very active imagination. She is very fearful of being alone and still struggles with night terrors from time to time.
Julia loves milk, bananas, chocolate, and red peppers. She enjoys playing with every Little People set that we own, and is also really good at interpretive dance and "putting on shows." ;-)
My favorite saying of Julia's at age 4 is how she pronounces "suitcase." The girls play the game "going on a trip" frequently, and Julia can always be heard talking about all the things she needs to pack in her "sous-case" before they can depart.
When Julia grows up, she wants to be a cougar. :-)

Julia and Margaret's 4th Birthday and Birthday Party!

How can it be that the twins are 4?! Sure enough, they hit the milestone last Wednesday and carried their celebration through to Saturday when they had their joint birthday party at their gymnastics studio: CORE Kids Academy. It was a great (and easy!) party, and everyone had a wonderful time.

Julia's last sleep as a 3 year old.

Margaret's last sleep as a 3 year old.

We are "this many!!" Otherwise known as "four."

First request of the birthday girls' day: Einstein's bagels! 

2 new 4 year olds and their 6 year old sister! 

Margaret

Julia

Blow those candles out, girls! 

Turning 4 is exhausting.

Birthday girls at their party.

Someone's excited to party!

We were glad cousins Will and Claire could join us at the party. 

Margaret hangin' on tight. 

Caroline the opossum.

Julia rocking the rings.

Cutie pie Caroline on the trampoline.

Swing time for Margaret!

Swing time for Julia! 

Frozen Play-Doh sets make for two very happy birthday girls!

Caroline at Six Years Old

What a year for Caroline! She has grown and accomplished so much in the last 12 months, and we could not be more proud of her. We've watched her learn to ride a two-wheel bike, tackle her Kindergarten year with gusto, tie her shoes, and grow into being a more responsible family member and an awesome big sister.
One of the biggest changes we've seen in Caroline is the growth in her confidence. She is no longer the self-proclaimed "shy" girl we knew. She is assertive, thoughtful, and driven. She knows what she wants, and she works hard to achieve her goals. This doesn't mean she alway gets there gracefully (and without whining or tears), but it is a start!
On the flip side, there are still some things on which Caroline is working. Having patience continues to be a struggle for her, and she can be a bit of a wimp when it comes to injuries. Any scrape or cut will produce wails that will make one think Caroline has lost a limb. We're working on handling the bumps and bruises that life brings with a little more grace and courage :)
Caroline continues to display great imagination, a knack for arts and crafts, and a love for the outdoors, swimming, bike and scooter riding. Walking the slack line in the backyard is a new favorite activity. Caroline still enjoys Legos, doll play, role playing games, puzzles, and generally any game of which she is in charge.  Her favorite foods are ice cream, pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, scrambled eggs (made by Daddy only), and pears.
Caroline treasures her time with Daddy, especially when they go to Einstein's Bagels or Starbucks together, and her favorite activity with Mommy is snuggling. When Caroline grows up, she wants to be an artist!
Height: 45 5/8ths inches (50-75th percentile)
Weight: 49 pounds (50-75th percentile)

End of the School Year and the Start of Summer!!

We've had a crazy last month or so, and I completely fell off the blogging bandwagon! In May, Caroline finished her spectacular Kindergarten year, the twins finished their 3rd year of preschool, and we unexpectedly decided to move! We move later this month to a different house within our neighborhood, and while it's stressful at the moment, we are excited about the new house and all it has to offer.
Here is a round-up of pictures from the last 5 weeks or so. Birthday posts are coming down the pipeline, so stay tuned!

I've been to have lunch with Caroline at school many times this year, but I had not yet taken the twins. They were dying to go, and Julia walked straight into the lunch line as though she'd done it every day of her young life.

Lunch at your big sister's school is the best!

Water balloon fight at the Porter's farm.

Treehouse fun with Julia and Caroline.

I was so excited to paint our front door a new color (or rather, to make Paul paint our front door a new color)...

and I thought it looked awesome.

And then we put our house on the market 4 days later. 

The girls at a party on our new street!!! Everyone has been so welcoming even though we haven't actually moved yet!

Keva plank workshop with Caroline

This structure took a lot of Kindergarten teamwork.

I attended the Mother's Day Tea at Collegiate. There was so much heart and soul in the program that Caroline's class put together. It was a real tear jerker, and such a special morning!

We finally talked Margaret into switching to a "real" scooter, and she hasn't looked back at her "slow poke" one since!

Twin sister love

Caroline and her class at the end-of-year party

Caroline looking slightly confused that she just completed her year of Kindergarten!

Kicking off the summer right!

Julia is an absolutely amazing swimmer. She refuses to get out of the water...as you might be able to tell from the google lines on her face! 

Before we knew it, May had flown by, and June was on it's way!!!