March 2010 Update

I have no idea where the month went. I'm sorry I haven't kept up with posts, but here at least is an update for March.



NATHAN



Poor Nathan was sick this month with a bad cold, but you can tell what a trooper he is by his big smile. He is still our sweet little man. He is starting to be much more active and loves to roll around. Nathan just got his first tooth and continues to have a huge appetite and is happy now that I have introduced rice puffs and crackers so he can start to feed himself. He interacts with us more and loves to laugh at his sisters who smother him with attention. We love our little "gift from God."

Nathan just started sitting up on his own and is very proud of himself!

MADDY

Maddy is our sweet little doll. She loves reading books, helping to cook, playing with her doll house, her baby doll, and purple bear. She loves playing outside, especially in the dirt (see picture below). Maddy is learning to speak much better and has surprised us with her expanding vocabulary. Her new favorite phrase is, "I did a great job!" She loves to copy her sister. I asked Abby if she knew her full name and she replied "Abigail Jane Collett." I then asked Maddy if she knew her full name and she said, "Madigail Jane Collett." She has since learned her real full name, and proudly tells everyone she meets.

ABBY

Here is Abby with her best friend Natalie at their ballet class. Abby continues to love ballet, dancing, princesses, and basically anything girly. She enjoys doing crafts and loves to "help" me with projects. She is starting to learn how to read and I am amazed at her progress. She has inherited Jared's skill for memorizing so sometimes it's hard to tell if she is really reading something or if she just has the book memorized. She recently impressed us by memorizing 1 Nephi 3:7.

Here is Abby in braids--she reminds me of Anne of Green Gables.

JARED

When not working, Jared stays busy with kids and projects at home as well as serving in the Elder's Quorum and singing in the ward choir. He sang a solo in church and he sounded amazing! He enjoyed weeks of a very light schedule at work while his supervising doctor was in NZ competing in an Ironman. He is finishing up painting the end tables he built for living room (pictures in our next post)--which have been quite the learning process, but look great. He is also enjoying the warmer weather when he can work out in the yard with the kids.

MARY

I've been busy with the basics most of this month, although I did enjoy Jared's week off when I could go work out for an hour everyday. I told Jared that I could be in super shape if he had this schedule all the time. In addition to my calling as a R.S. teacher, I was just called to be an assistant compassionate service person in charge of taking care of the pregnant sisters. I guess they thought I could relate because of all of my difficult pregnancies. = )

Going Private

Hi Friends and Family--We have decided to make our blog private. I know it's a pain not to get the blogger updates, but we feel it would best for security purposes. We will send out blog invitations next week to people on our e-mail lists. If you want to view our blog, but don't think we have your current e-mail address, then please e-mail me at marydcollett@gmail.com

Update February 2010

HAPPY VALENTINE'S!

Abby and Maddy tend to fight a lot so we were happy to see them hugging and showing love on Valentine's day. A week before Valentine's we were at the dollar store and Abby threw a royal tantrum because she wanted a heart Valentine's day balloon. She was sure she would DIE if she didn't get one. Not wanting to give into terrorism, I didn't buy her one. However she kept whining about it everyday since then. Right before Valentine's a friend in our ward gave us the one pictured, and Abby was in second heaven with happiness. I guess someone was looking out for a little girl who REALLY wanted a Valentine's day balloon.

This is a common scene in our kitchen. The girls love to "help" me cook. Here they are making heart sugar cookies for FHE. They enjoyed delivering them to their primary teachers for Valentine's day.

The girls loved their pink mailboxes, cards, and toy animals from their parents and grandparents but one of their favorite gifts were these eye masks I made for them.

They love going to sleep with their eye masks, just like mommy and daddy.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

It's still February, but you can't tell by the weather. Lately we have been enjoying such nice warm weather that we can go out and play almost everyday. Abby and Maddy have also taken up rock collecting as we take family walks by the river.

ABBY

Here is Abby with her "A" items for pre-school. She still does pre-school with Maddy, but since she has already mastered her letters and sounds we have started teaching her how to read. She has only had 8 lessons so far, but she is doing great. In addition to reading lessons, she started ballet lesson this month and loves it. She already worships her teacher Miss Michelle and asks me almost everyday if it is Wednesday (when her class meets).

MADDY

Here is Maddy with her "A" items for pre-school (the red-headed doll next to her is named Abby). Maddy is starting to really learn things in pre-school rather than just copying Abby. She loves to tell Daddy everything she has learned when he comes home at night. She has surprised us with how well she is speaking now. Her sentences are much longer and often contain cause and effect clauses.

Maddy with buns in her hair. She now insists on wearing buns to be like Abby who wears buns for ballet.

NATHAN

Nathan being held by Maddy. As you can tell he has grown a lot and will soon pass up his big sister. He has a huge appetite and loves to eat applesauce, peaches and carrots, but does not care much for green beans. At his six month check up he was 18 lbs 6 oz, which is more than Abby or Maddy weighed when they were a year old! Part of the weight is his big head, which is now in the 90th percentile.

Nathan is still our happy little boy. He loves to play, eat, and smile at his sisters and has started to roll over.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Jared painted the girls' room a nice spring green that looks great with the new bedspreads they got from their grandparents for Christmas.