Long Time No Post - Sorry

Sorry about the long break. Here's a whole passel of pics that pretty much depicts the last few months.

Summer to Fall

Here are some of the pictures from August to Mid-October. The girls are doing wonderfully and bring us so much joy. Beatrix uses the walls, couch, etc. to walk all over the house. Elke tells stories with tons of inflection and gestures. We're pretty busy around here and are always waiting for the weekends!
P.S. Elke's first real bicycle is being put together as she naps today :)

Note-worthy

We'll try and post pictures soon but just wanted to jot down a few note-worthy advances. Bea pulls herself up to stand, has three teeth, says "dada," "mama," and "more" (in sign too). She is also clapping. The girl is growing super fast! Elke has been watching a caterpillar grow and has been talking about its "metamorphosis" and drew a great observation picture today (the right colors and all)---who says the butterfly science kit is for 2nd graders?!
Pictures to come when we're not going at a thousand miles an hour.

Dog Days

It's been a crazy summer. New jobs, town, house, day care, etc. We've found some time to take a break from all of the stress. Here are some (still more to come one of these days!) pictures from the last month and a half. Thanks for all of the moving help Grandma Kitty, Papa Mark, and Uncle Mack!

More Summer Fun!

Just thought we'd check in with some extra phone pics from our summer so far. Still working hard to look for jobs . . . hopefully some news soon.

Summer Time!

It's summer break! We are all home together for the summer. We recently went to Guemes Island, WA for a friend's wedding, and although we spent the ceremony trying to get the girls to be quiet, enjoyed the time on the beach. We have applied for a combined 65(!) teaching jobs but haven't had any luck...So, although it's June, we don't know where we'll be at the end of the summer! Bea is growing like crazy. She is rolling over now and even trying to wave. Elke is so smart and funny (and maybe a little frustrated with her limited independence). We love our family so much and couldn't be happier to have some time all together this summer!

Good Times in the Springtime

Still very busy, but Maggie gets done with school in just four weeks! Of course, then we don't know what we will be doing--move to Colorado hopefully. Below are some recent pics. As you can see, Grandma Jan came out to visit towards the end of April. We're all doing well. ***Also, check out Elke's mad yoga skills! Pretty rad.***


Oh yeah, Elke likes her momma!

Long Time, No Spring

Sorry it has been so long! Who knew taking care of two lovely ladies, managing things around the house, working, and looking for new employment could be so time intensive! The girls are doing really well. They adore each other. While Bea was getting a bath, Elke looked at her and said, "Elke like her. Elke like see Bea happy." Hard to top that. Bea has been laughing a lot lately and making cool new sounds. She keeps us all very happy around here. We feel amazingly fortunate to have these two wonderful people in our lives. Nothing beats family.

Bea's 2 month appt.

Hi all- more pictures to come when we have some time but we wanted to let you know that Beatrix had her 2 month appointment today. She is doing great and already weighs 11lbs 2oz. 20th percentile for height, 75th for weight, 40th for head (if you're into the whole numbers game). The doctor says she's perfect...and we couldn't agree more!
In Elke news...she's woken up with a dry diaper a few times from her naps and always tells us when she has to go to the bathroom. She even holds it sometimes when we're in the car. Yes!

Spring Already?

Our little family is doing really well. Elke has been adding lots of words to her vocabulary. Recent additions include magazine, beautiful, eagle, cute, humongous,and triceratops. She had a play date with Rhia recently and really enjoyed it. Bea is very smiley. She only gets up once a night (but usually stays up for at least an hour). The weather has been great here--but there's not much to do around here! Maggie goes back to work on March 1st so things are about to change again. Hope you are all well. Enjoy the newest pictures!

Life at Home

Hello All,
Here are the latest pictures of our family. Elke and Bea are doing really well. Elke is still crazy about Beatrix. She' going a little nuts from being home all the time. She is so smart and kind. Bea is growing like a weed. Last time we checked she was already 9 pounds. She smiles all of the time (really, not just gas!)and has already been trying to mimic us sticking out our tongues. We are totally in love with our little family and are so glad to have this time off together. Be sure to check out the video below of Elke dancing to the band Pavement.

From Videos

Bringing Bea Home!!

We brought Beatrix home on 1/7/10 in the afternoon. Elke was beyond excited to have a baby sister at home. She just wants to hug her, kiss her, and sing to her all the time. Elke is also very helpful--so far she is a great big sister. We are all settling in at home and enjoying our newly augmented family. Here are more pictures.

Brand New Baby Girl!!!

Beatrix Stanley Sander was born at 7:40pm (PST) on Jan. 4, 2010. She weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces at birth, and she is currently a lanky 21 inches long. Beatrix had to go to the NICU in Yakima, but she's perfectly well so we'll all probably get to go home on the 7th (Thursday). Maggie had to convalesce in Ellensburg (about 40 minutes from Yakima) for the last two days without Beatrix. We'll all be reunited today though. First, we're going to go home and see Elke who is hanging with Grandma Kitty. Here are some pics of Beatrix.

Hi Everybody! We've had an eventful last week or so. Christmas was a lot of fun this year. Elke was very excited about Santa, reindeer, cookies, and presents. Maggie also celebrated her 32nd birthday and hit the "full term" mark. We, minus Elke, stayed up to ring in the new year and Elke's 2nd birthday. Elke helped make her cake with Dad and really enjoyed eating it too. She also loved opening and playing with her gifts...although with Christmas and all of the birthdays, she seems to think everyday should include presents now. Thank you all so much for the generous gifts! The first slideshow is pretty much Christmas. The second slideshow is of her birthday. Can you believe she's TWO!?