Almost summer break! We can't wait to spend time together. These two little girls are great--bright and kind.


Also, better late than never, we welcome baby Anya Meyler--the newest edition to the Milwaukee clan! April 17, 2011.

Spring!

Happy Spring! We are so glad that the weather is warming up here and we can go outside more. We went to Portland 2 weeks ago. We had a great time--stayed in a posh 5 star hotel, went to the zoo, ate out, walked all around, and generally just enjoyed some time away from home together. The girls are doing wonderfully. Elke reportedly likes to "remind" all of the kids in her class what to do. She sings in front of her class often--she loves to read and brings books to share everyday. She really seems to be growing up these days! She delights us with her wackiness and is so bright. Beatrix is so sweet. She is such a content kid. She doesn't even want us to sing to her at night--just set her down in the crib and she's asleep a minute later. She is really good with words. She can quickly repeat just about any word you throw her way. She says small sentences too. That's Elke's backpack, sparkly, shoes, socks, monkey, mono, agua, Elke, hair...She eats like a champ. She is a little lover, giving us all kisses and hugs and making us all smile. Our girls are our everything. We are so fortunate to have these two amazing kids in our lives!

Notes

Just wanted to take a minute to make a note of a few cool things...Beatrix speed walks all over the house-she dances with the best of them--loves to whisper--and says a ton of words including:cracker, ball, book, dog, sister, momma, dada, sticker, marker, Elke, bye, baby, sock, monkey, shoe. She even says things like, "bye bye baby" or refers to specific books, "dog book." She makes panting dog noises, lion roars, fish sounds, and fart noises (my favorite was when Elke asked what a chicken fart sounds like and Bea responded). Elke is so spunky. She's a total goof ball. She's very into weddings and anything fancy. She talks in funny voices and cracks crazy jokes. Beatrix thinks Elke hung the moon.

Hello all! We all flew to Colorado to spend Christmas with family. Both girls were amazing (sleepy) on the plane rides. It was so nice to see everybody. Elke and Major particularly liked running around together while holding hands. Beatrix got to meet her Papa Bob, Grandma Kathy, Uncle Brandon, Aunt Sara, Cousin Major, Great Grandma Donna, and many more family members for the first time. After Colorado, we drove up to Sequim where we got to hang out with the Stanley side of the family. It was the first time in years that we were all together--the first time ever since all of the kids were born. Elke and Bea (and mom and dad) had a great time with all of the cousins. Beatrix walked for the first time while we were in Sequim. We celebrated Elke's 3rd birthday on the 2nd of January this year. Grandma Jan flew in and our neighbors and Elke's friend Lorelei came over for pizza and princess wand building. Elke chose a chocolate cake with buttercream frosting, strawberry filling, and as much pink and purple as possible. Beatrix turned one on the 4th. We took off work a little early to spend time together. Beatrix ate a whole white cupcake and enjoyed opening her gifts. Bea weighs 20 pounds and eats like a champ. She loves to dance and play with Elke. We are so glad to have had time together over the break. The girls are both so smart and beautiful. We are so lucky.

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.