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.

Sisters

We recently decided it might be fun to move Ella into Lily's room and have them share. Thankfully, it was a super easy transition and they are loving having each other. Mommy and daddy are loving the shared bedtime routine, which includes story time on the floor and an earlier bedtime. It has been really fun listening to them talk to each other and laugh together. I think that already in this short time they seem closer.

What, no pink?

For those of you that haven't heard, we are expecting a little boy in early May. The girls are very excited about having a little brother, and Jeff and I are very anxious to meet him. He is constantly moving around in my belly and loves to kick in response to anyone pushing on him...especially Ella. I have one more sonogram with my doctor in 2 weeks, and then we are going to have a 3-D one done right after that (cool Christmas gift from Jeff). So with any luck we'll get a good look at him and be able to make a decision once and for all on a name. :) He will be here in no time!!

Blizzard 2011

Disney World 2011

As you might imagine, these are just a few of the many, many pictures we took on our recent trip to Disney World. We had the most perfect vacation and are already planning our return for when our little boy will be about 3. The girls can't wait, and neither can we. We made such special memories that we'll never forget!

Happy Birthday, Lily!

As you can tell, we had a Disney-themed birthday this year in preparation for our upcoming Disney World trip. It is hard having a birthday right after Christmas, but there was still one thing on her list that she really wanted...Eugene. Flynn Rider (Eugene) is the doll from the girls' favorite movie, Tangled. Thankfully, Aunt Molly was able to find two of them, one for each of our girls. Eugene is actually Ella's most prized possession now and doesn't leave her side, and he is among Lily's plastic menagerie of toys that generally cycles in and out of her bed for naps and bedtime. All in all, we had a really nice time celebrating Lily's fourth birthday with our family, and Lily had fun sharing cupcakes at school with her friends.

School Girl?

Ella has been excited about going to school ever since her older sister started in the fall. While there is a 2-year-old program at the school, I wasn't sure she was ready to start--or maybe I wasn't ready for her to start. :) Either way, she has been more than eager to go to school and has been asking often when it would be her turn. There happened to be an opening right after Christmas in the 2-year-old, 2-day-a-week program, and we decided to try it out. Needless to say, she loves it! On the first day I walked her in to meet her teacher and see her classroom. She seemed a bit unsure, but not scared. I watched with a tear in my eye as she walked down the long hall and around the corner with her classmates. She had a great first day, and on the second day I asked if she wanted me to walk her in again or if she just wanted to jump out of the car with her sister. She promptly replied with "Oh, I jump out with Lily, mom! " She is such a big girl now! Just in time for her little brother to arrive.