Our Amazing Little Girl!

This week was such a wonderful week for and with our little girl! She has truly settled in to be a sweet and opinionated and funny person- who wants to talk and talk and talk all of the time! Her English is nothing short of remarkable at this point- we only need to tell her a word once, and she remembers the word and uses it in context. Of course, sometimes this means we should be more careful about how soon we teach her a new word- like "Ice Cream CONE" this week (after Kyle's baseball game we decided to head over to Ben & Jerry's for a post-game treat). I made the mistake of asking her if she wanted ice cream in a cone on the way over, and for the next 15 minutes she repeated it over and over, "Charlotte wants ice cream cone, yes.... Mommy wants ice cream cone, yes.... Lili wants ice cream cone, yes...... Grandma wants ice cream cone, yes...." and so on and so on until we FINALLY got there!! Other new favorite words- popsicle, toad, crocs, birdhouse, bird feeder... and so many more!

On Thursday we had our appointment with Dr. Roye, our pediatric orthopedist. He spent plenty of time with us, watched Charlotte walk and examined her legs. He then sent us downstairs for a series of X-Rays, and he called ahead to Radiology so that he could make sure that they captured exactly what he wanted to see. Then we met with him again to review the pictures and discuss his assessment- which was that Charlotte's legs are fine! She should outgrow her current orthopedic issues over time, and he does not forsee any need for surgery or orthotics! He wants to see her several times a year and continue to take XRays so he can make sure that everything happens the way he predicts.... but he just could not have been more positive about her outcome! We are thrilled for her!

This week was a typically busy one..... first we had the art show at school:

Grandma and Grandpa Rowley arrived from Michigan on Wednesday, and have enjoyed playing with the kids. Here the youngest three are engaged in "Mousetrap"... where they don't really "play" the game, but instead try over and over again to re-set the trap as a team to make it work. And then they laugh their heads off as it all falls apart...


We went hiking with Grandma and Grandpa up to the Hawk Watch area... and ended up taking a rather rugged trail on the return... the kids loved it! Grandpa, maybe not so much!

Kyle played in his first soccer tournament this weekend. Here is Lili cuddling up with her pal Chris at the game....


And we finally celebrated Spencer's birthday the right way with a baseball party here at home...Charlotte was Daddy's helper on the pitching mound....