Brocklee Gale

Well, we're having another girl!  Here are the latest pictures of our cute little Brocklee:

Checkups and Haircuts

Lizzy had her 4 year old check up, and she is very healthy, as always!  She continues to be between 75 and 90th percentile on height and between 25th and 50th on weight, so tall and skinny, just like dad!  She is 42 inches tall (3 feet 6 inches) and weighs 35 pounds.  Because of her November birthday, she misses the school cut-off for next year, and won't start kindergarten for another year after that... which is too bad because all of her friends from church are going next year, and she's as tall or taller than all of them!  She is going to be the oldest, tallest girl in her class - by a lot!  I have heard (but obviously never experienced) that tall girls get teased and hate being the tallest... any tall friends reading this who can advise me about that??  Anyway, she's growing up so healthy and strong!

Meanwhile, Rachel loves to help around the house:

Here she is on laundry day folding the kitchen towels and bibs - that pile to the left of her, she did that all by herself!  Also in the picture, you can see how long her hair has gotten.  Unfortunately, it has grown in as a mullet, and looks rather scraggly all the time, so we decided to take her for her first haircut:

She has natural curl in her hair - not enough to look really curly, just enough to look messy all the time, but this new haircut looks a lot neater and cleaner than her mullet did!  She did a good job at the salon too, and didn't cry!  She's seen Lizzy get her hair cut many times, so she wasn't afraid.  It was all even and straight when wet and cut, but then the natural curl came in to play, so it still looks messier than I'd hoped.  Oh well!  When she gets older, she'll have a never ending battle with hair products and the straightening iron... just like the rest of us!

Lizzy's Birthday

On Sunday night, we had Lizzy's family birthday party, with her grandparents.  She had lots of fun getting presents!  She got a Zhu zhu pet, a bulls-eye horse to go with her Jessie doll, the new Tinkerbell movie, a Dora and Boots playset, and a jar of jellybeans!  She got the jellybeans because, when we called her Grandma Gale to invite them to come, she was asked what she wanted for her birthday, and she told Grandma, "I want jellybeans!  In a little jar, and you have to wrap it!"  She was thrilled to get them, too!  I made her a chocolate cake at her request, and put Jessie riding Bulls-eye on top, which I made out of chocolate. 

Lizzy's 4th Birthday Party!

For Lizzy's 4th birthday, I threw her a party for her and her friends!  It was my first time ever throwing a kid birthday party, and so I was a little nervous about how to do it, but it turned out really great!  I made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, and at Lizzy's request I decorated them with cowgirl hats I made out of chocolate:

To start, I gave out little goodie bags and party blowers to each kid, and then the first game was "Pin the Tail on Bulls-Eye."  Each kid got a turn to play, and received a treat for their goodie bag.  After that, we did "Drop the Clothespin in the Boot."  I set up a chair in front of one of Lizzy's cowgirl boots, and gave each kid a clothespin.  They had 3 tries to stand on the chair and drop their clothespin into the boot.  They all got a prize for their bag for that game too.  For the next activity,  I gave out big pieces of paper from an easel paper roll, and the kids laid on them and traced each others' bodies.  Then, the pizza was ready, so we all had pizza and punch.  The bigger kids sat at the table, and the little kids sat on the floor!

When everyone was done with their pizza, it was time for cupcakes!  Everyone sang happy birthday and Lizzy blew out her candles!

For the last activity, I spread blankets on the floor and put on Toy Story 3, which I gave Lizzy for her present.  The kids LOVED that movie, and I was able to get the kitchen all cleaned up while they watched.  

It was a really fun party, and everyone had a great time!  I can't believe my little baby Lizzy is 4 years old!

Michelle's Pictures

Here are the pictures that Michelle took, to fill in the gaps for my lack of photography!  Thanks Michelle!

Here's Lizzy, Michelle, and Jason just after the big splash-down on "Journey to Atlantis"

Lizzy holding the baby crocodile at Gatorama!

Lizzy got a butterfly painted on her cheek at the Lake Placid Halloween Festival!

Rachel is ready to go to Sea World in her fairy wings and skirt!

Feeding the gators some bread through the holes in the fencing.

Jason and Rachel sacked out on the bed!

Cute girls in pigtails!

Kicking our feet up at the pool!