Hands Off Sister(s)

Niko received lots of wonderful gifts for his birthday that he enjoys very much and his sisters do too. They have all enjoyed playing star wars, trucks, and super heros, but there is one toy that is off limits...his stuffed mickey. Besides basketball, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is the only show on TV that really makes his day and holds his attention. From the moment he opened his Mickey he was in love. Mickey goes everywhere with him. The only place he doesn't go is to bed with him because they enjoy playing too much instead of sleeping. Poor Mickey needs a bath already since Niko likes to share his meals with mickey in the high chair with him. It is pretty cute thing to watch.

Star Wars Party~ Niko turns 1

Niko's sisters picked a star wars theme for his 1st birthday celebration. We enjoyed some fun treats and the best part was the X-wing fighter we got to ride up and down the street all afternoon. I think the adults enjoyed it more than the kids. :)

Ella Kathryn: 3

Ella Kathryn : 3 almost 4 

Not sure even where to start when it comes to Ella. She started her second year of pre-school this past fall and goes 3 days a week ( some days willingly other days not so much). She always comes out with a smile and a funny story about her day. She is very sweet and cuddly, but busy and curious as well, which makes for a busy mommy keeping track of her. She has been caught drawing on walls, using the entire bottle of handsoap in the bathroom, and somehow got a foot wet in the toilet too( I should mention all these things happened in one day and maybe within 2 hours of each other). Everything she does is in some way funny. She and her sister have become pretty good buddies and enjoy playing together and sharing their room. She also has taken to swimming and wants to jump in as many times as possible.  In past month or so we have really seen her change into a big girl. While Lily gets Niko to laugh no one can make Lily laugh like Ella. We love hearing the two of them together laughing. She is getting a hang of doing her chores, being nice to her sister, and over all just being a super sweet and loving little girl. 

Lily Grace: 5

Lily Grace 5 years old

Lily has grown up so much this past year. In the fall she started her second year of pre-school and goes happily 4 days a week. She really enjoys learning and has had a lot of fun learning all her letters at school each week. She is very interested in learning to read so we have been working on that at home and she is loving The Magic Tree house series of books that we read before bed each night. She is a wonderful big sister and helper. She is always evoking belly laughs from her brother.  Her other favorite activity is swimming. In late August we started swim lessons and after getting over her initial fear of going under she quickly became our little fish. We are looking forward to the weather getting warmer so she can jump into Papa's pool. Having an uncle in the culinary industry has really sparked an interest in the girls to cook and bake. Along with this new interest, Lily has expanded her normally picky palate to include a few more items. I think being involved in the cooking process has led her to be a little more adventurous in what she samples.  Right now she is on a huge cheeseburger kick. She loves "burgers" of any kind and especially likes the mini kind or sliders. In her free time she enjoys playing barbies, star wars, and super heros with her sister and dad. We are looking forward to adding a few new activities to her schedule this summer including tennis and soccer. I can't believe she will be in Kindergarten in the fall! 

A Year in Review--Niko Thomas

It has been a little over a year since I last blogged about our family. Since that time our family has grown from 4 to 5 with the birth of Niko Thomas O'Rourke Mavros on April 20th, 2011. This past weekend we celebrated his 1st birthday. Boy, did that year fly by!

Niko has added so much to our family and we are so happy to have him. He is sweet and loving and gets a kick out of his sisters. He loves mickey mouse and playing barbies and princesses with his sisters. He now has a collection of Star Wars figures that he and his sisters enjoy playing together. I think his dad prefers playing star wars too. Being prince charming was getting a little old. :)

Niko's first year started off with bang by showing up almost a month early! By 8 weeks old he was on a plane to Santa Barbara to celebrate Jeff's brother's wedding and then he got to enjoy Jeff's sister's wedding in Chicago this past October. He is quite the trooper, as I imagine most third children have to be. He is very good about going along for the ride to all his sisters' activities. He is definitely a momma's boy and prefers to be attached to my hip. However, he brightens up, as the girls do, the minute they hear their dad walk through the door.

I am looking forward to this next year and all the things to come as he grows and his little personality really starts to show.