Finally...

Ok, so I've finally gotten back to update the blog. No excuse is a good excuse, so I won't make one. I'll try to be more regular in posting, recording my thoughts, remembering funny things the girls have done, ect. but I'm not making any published statements on how often I'll post or else I know someone will ask me what's going on with the blog if I haven't written in the said amount of time. Oh, and pictures... they may take a while to get back up on the blog. You see, we had an incident with our laptop and a glass of red wine- enough said. Thankfully, we're able to borrow this computer, and once we have a new one of our own, I will provide an onslaught of pictures. Now to the fun part- the updating!

We welcomed our sweet little love, Meredith Sarai to our family on Thursday, December 9th. She shocked me with her speedy, early arrival, petite size, and amazing amount of dark hair. While I was afriad I was going to have a sensitive baby on my hand based on the first month or so, Meredith has mellowed out and only fusses when she's really tired or hungry. Also, she sleeps a lot more than Elise or Rebekah did. When I commented on that, I was reminded that Ray loves to sleep, so I shouldn't be too surprised and maybe it's genetic. She just had her two month check up today and is measuring 22 1/2 inches and weighs 10lbs 13 1/2 ounces. Meredith is in the 50th percentile for length and weight. Finally, I think we'll have a child that will wear the same size clothes as her age, since Elise was always smaller than average and Rebekah was always larger than average. Meredith is in the lovely stage of readily providing smiles and "talking." She is the cutest two month old I know, and I think it's funny that she looks like a completely different baby when she has her hat on. I'm looking forward to these next couple of months to see her little personality come out.

Rebekah celebrated her second birthday on January 4th, and we are in the middle of her two year old world. While she's the most affectionate and loving girl, she's also the most emotional! For the most part, everything has to be on her own terms. She likes to test the limits to say the least. One of my favorite things about her is that she so badly wants to be a "big girl" like Elise and even older girls. She's not shy at all with other children and wants to be friendly with them wherever we are. Rebekah is definitely a people person, always asking what so-and-so is doing. Just recently she has shown interest in wearing panties (because Elise does), and she's doing a great job. The first couple of days of potty training, it felt more like she was training me because I was the one suggesting taking her to the bathroom to head off any accidents. Now Rebekah will let me know when she has to go, but I have to be quick to get her to the potty because her request follows an immediate need to go. Rebekah loves Elise and Meredith so passionately; I just pray theit relationship will continue to grow, develop, and strengthen over the years so they are the best of friends.

Elise is three and a half and such a joy! She is really blossoming and coming into her own. She attends Tot School two mornings a week, and while the transition at the beginning of the school year was really tough for Elise, she's made a complete 180. Elise's favorite thing about school is craft time. She loves to show me what's in her folder after school and talk about her day while we eat lunch. Ray and I especially like attending Chapel services monthly to see Elise and her classmates sing songs they've been practices. For her first Chapel in October, Elise just stood up in the front with the rest of her class. Now, she sings and does the hand motions to the songs. Elise also loves doing "homework" with some of the workbooks we've received from family and friends. She can recognize some numbers and letters, and thinks it's all great fun. I hope her love for learning continues to grow as she progresses through school. Elise also seems to have picked up the art of speaking with her hands. Ray and I have to laugh at least once a day with something Elise has told us while she's using her hands, shrugging her shoulders, and tilting her head in just the right ways to get her point across. She is also a very generous little girl, (almost) always happy to fulfill a request to help with a chore and regularly volunteering to help Rebekah or Meredith with something. I just hope her delight in sorting dirty laundry and putting her clean clothes away continues as well. I know, I know... wishful thinking!

Until another time!

More talk

So at least once a day I laugh at something Elise has said. She brings such joy to my heart with her three-year-old self and sayings!

"I'm dripping! Is it raining out?" -No, that's just sweat.

"Mommy, we need to go to the hospital." -Why? "So we can get our baby!" -Yes, we will go to the hospital to get our baby, but not until close to Christmastime.

"Ollie's coming at Christmas!" -Who's birthday do we celebrate at Christmas? "OLLIE'S!" -We'll have to work on that...

"I don't know because I don't know."

Rebekah has also become quite the talker lately. She's been putting two and three words together for about a month now. See if you notice a theme with her phrases.

"I need it." "I got it." "I want it." "Haf sum pees." "No dankyu." "Daddy's zert. Mine zert." (dessert) "Ice keem."

It's so neat to hear Rebekah talk. She certainly knows what she wants and doesn't want. Her favorite word is "no" and after telling her that she doesn't say "no" to Mommy, she's started saying, "no dankyu." This little one sure is clever!

OCNJ

It looks like a week at the beach is going to become an annual event with the Bosworth's, and I can say that we don't mind one bit! Last year we got a taste of just how much Elise liked the beach, and this year, Rebekah was enjoying the sand and water just as much. I on the other hand like the beach but not the sand. Our girls will lay down in the sand, roll in it, and would pretty much do whatever you can imagine in it without the sand bothering them. Oh well! They had a great time getting in the water with Daddy and playing with their cousins, aunts, and uncles. More photo highlights:

Dutch Wonderland

In June, we took the girls to Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, PA. We all had such a great time! We drove up after church and lunch on Sunday, got settled at the campground, ate dinner, and then went to Dutch Wonderland that evening for a little for a preview. After getting back to the campground, and spotting a herd of cows right on the otherside of the creek from our tent, we had a good night's rest and were refreshed for a fun day at the park. Beside the usual favorite attractions for the girls- train, carousel, monorail, ect.- Elise really liked the pony ride, and they couldn't get enough of the water park. After a busy day, we headed home. Bek was so tired she fell asleep with her snack in her mouth and hands, and Elise was asleep before we got out of the parking lot! We're all looking forward to going back next year! Here are some photo highlights.

Camping

We took the girls on their first camping trip this summer, overnight at Patapsco State Park- Hollofied Area in Ellicott City. Ray and I kept asking each other why we hadn't done it before because we all had such a great time and it was only 20 minutes away! We cooked veggie burgers for dinner over our campfire and then had s'mores. If you ask Elise what her favorite thing is about camping, she tell you chocolate and marshmallows. Rebekah kept coming over and asking for chocolate! Some photo highlights from our evening...

Matching

Everyday ask Elise if she wants to wear a dress or shorts. On Saturday, she told me she wanted to wear green shorts. Then she said she wanted to wear a red shirt so she could look like Daddy.

Ray and his buddy were dressed alike the entire day until we went swimming at the Y that night. Aftergetting out of the pool and changing Elise into her pj's, Ray told me Elise said, "But Daddy, now we don't match anymore!" He said that she seemed pretty upset about it, but he reassured her that they could wear matching clothes again. I love how much Elise loves Ray!

Family Update

Two pictures, we just had to share...



That's right! We're expecting the newest addition to our family in December. Ray and I couldn't be more happy, excited, or thankful for this new baby. We are so thankful to the Lord for his faithfulness to our family. Rebekah already loves that my belly button is starting to stick out, and Elise can't decide if she wants a brother or sister. It's such a wonderful season in our lives!

Strawberry Picking

Today we took our first visit to the farm this year. We all had a great time and picking was excellent. We weren't sure how well Rebekah would do with all the freedom, but it turns out all we had to do was have her stand next to us, and she was as happy as can be. It didn't hurt that she could eat as many strawberries as she wanted! We ended up picking a little over 13lbs. I think we'll end up using most, and we do plan on sharing some with friends. Some photo highlights from our morning.

Personality

These pictures are prefect examples of the girls' personalities...

Elise getting silly and slap happy with the leftover party hats from her birthday.

Sassy Miss Rebekah, perfecting her modeling look.

Notes for Daddy

This is becoming a frequent scene in our house. Elise has become really interested in what I do at the computer and to whom I write notes. Mind you, I'm not on the computer a lot when the girls are awake, but when I think of something that I need to send to someone or something I need to do on the computer, I have to do it right away or else I'll forget and it won't get done. One day during snack time, I sent Ray a note. Elise asked who I was "writing a note for" and when she found out it was Daddy, she wanted to right a note to Daddy, too! She has a great time typing her note and pressing keys for different things to pop up on the screen. Usually her note says, "Hi, Daddy. I love you." or something similar. Sometimes she updates him on what we're going to be doing. She's also taken up walking around the house, talking on the phone to Daddy (eventhough there's no one on the line) really loudly. I guess she's just prepping me for the teenage years! What a sweetie who loves her Daddy to pieces!

Getting Fancy

After hearing Deb and me talk about painting our fingernails and toenails, Elise got very interested and wanted to do it too. So this morning, she saw that my toes were pink and said that she wanted, "blue toes and pink fingers. I want dark colors." So after breakfast, we came upstairs and she got her blue toes and pink fingers. Of course, Rebekah couldn't be left out! She got little pink piggy toes too!

Little Daredevil

This is what I found Rebekah doing one morning while I was cleaning up after breakfast- my little daredevil ballerina! Other times, I have found her trying to climb onto the kitchen table to reach something, particularly a cup full of something to drink. She likes to climb up and down just about anything. Jumping in her bed is also tons of fun, and she says "Bouncey, bouncey, bouncey" while she does it. Today at Mom's Brunch, I looked over and she was standing on the table top of the kid's picnic table. Rebekah sure likes to keep my on my toes!!!

On another note, Rebekah is doing a great job speaking. In the last couple of days, she has really started saying more in relation to what she wants or needs. My favorite is when she says, "Hi, Daddy" "Bye bye, Daddy" or "Love you" on the phone with Ray. It melts my heart, and Ray can completely understand what she's saying, so that's saying something! I think her two most used words are "up" and "Mommy." But she sure does love to say "blanket," and boy does she cry that one when I have to hang it on the clothesline to dry instead of giving it to her! But the she figures out running through the blanket is pretty fun :o)

Clothesline

Since our clothes dryer stopped working properly last week, Ray decided that my idea of a clothesline might be a good one! On Saturday, he and Elise went out bright and early to get started on their Mother's Day project for me. They worked together to dig a deep hole, and by the afternoon, my new clothesline was ready for use! I couldn't have asked for a better gift, considering the timing, and I actually find it satisfying to hang the clothes up and take them down. I'm not sure how to explain it- I bet it sounds weird though! I think we're still trying to get used to that bit of a stiff feeling on our towels and jeans, but by the end of the summer we'll come to love it. Needless to say, the girls think hanging sheets and towels are the best and most fun because they can run through them and have the sheet or towel come up over their head. I'll have to post a picture of the finished product with clothes blowing in the breeze... after the rain's gone! Thank you, Ray for a wonderfully thoughtful gift and job well done!

3 year stats

Today we took Elise to her three year old appointment. She weighs 28 pounds and is 34 inches tall. That puts her in the 10th percentile for her weight and the 5th percentile for her height. Elise is most definitely small for her age, just now fitting into 24 month and 2T clothes, but she is staying right on her growth curve so we couldn't be happier! She didn't get any shots today and seemed disappointed about not getting a band-aid. Then she found out she had do get a finger prick for lead testing and wasn't too happy about that. After Nurse Brendia was finished squeezing Elise's finger, Elise said, "thank you." What a little sweetie she is!

3 years old

Happy 3rd birthday, Elise! I can hardly believe that three years ago today, you were born, and my life changed in a completely unimaginable and wonderful way!

You are one of the most fun-loving kids I know. You have a zest for life and spark that people always seem to comment on. You LOVE to be outside. It doesn't matter what the weather, you would prefer to be out playing, walking, coloring, picnicking, or a host of other things than be inside. You love helping Daddy cut the grass or shovel snow. Picking weeds is something you just started doing, and that's a big help to Mommy! This year you started Sunday School, and your love for Jesus has grown and you love to read and talk about your Bible stories. My heart sings everytime I hear you belt out one of your Sunday School songs. Sometimes you'll even "read" your Bible stories to yourself because you love them so much and know them so well. Mommy and Daddy learn so much from you in your faith.

You are a wonderful big sister to Rebekah. In the last month or so, you've started calling her the baby, even though she's really not that much smaller than you. You are so loving and caring and protective of her. You are learning to be gentle in how you share with her and speak to her, and I hope that as you grow up together, you will remain very close and loving friends.

I love everything about you. I love how you piece things together. I love that you use the words probaly and maybe in just about every other sentence. I love that you look forward to storytime at the library each week. I love your love for the outdoors. I love that you have a shy personality when you first meet someone and you are your silly self around those you're comfortable with. I love that you ask so many questions. I love that you like big machines! I love how much you love Daddy, and you are his little buddy. I even love that you suck your thumb and play with your hair... you wouldn't be Elise if you didn't.

How were we so blessed to welcome you into our family three years ago? Daddy and I love you so much and are so glad you are our daughter! We will love you forever and always and look forward to the year ahead to see how your personality grows and in the years ahead to the woman you become. May the Lord continue to richly bless you!

15 Months

Rebekah had her 15 month well baby check today and is still hanging in there at the 75th percentile. She weighs 24 lbs and is 31 1/4 inches. I need to write this down in the baby book before I forget- like all those teeth she has that haven't made it into the book yet!

She's such a sweet and happy girl. I am loving her personality and inquisitiveness. What a blessing she is!

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter. On Saturday, we went to Elise's "school" for an egg hunt. The girls found a few eggs and had a lot of fun playing on the playground.

On Sunday, we got up and dressed in our Sunday best and worshipped at church. We then had a picnic lunch at the park, followed by some time at the playground.

After a nap, we went for a walk around the neighborhood and played outside.

After dinner, the girls had an egg hunt in our yard. Rebekah found one egg and played with it while Elise found all the rest. They really liked the stickers and pretzels inside their eggs but the trail mix was their favorite... because of the M&M's!

More Elise-isms

"You a wild child!" -to Rebekah

"This is a stunk." -talking about a skunk... sounds about right to me!

"What we havin' dinner 'night?" -at 630 in the morning!

On another note, Rebekah is now able to follow simple directions. She takes her diaper and throws it in the trashcan when I'm finished changing her. Rebekah has also started walking everywhere, hardly ever crawling anymore. She's able to climb into Elise's bed and onto the rocking chair without a stool. She'll actually get in the chair and start trying to rock it, saying "rock, rock, rock." A few new words are- sock, bye bye, rock, doll, eye, and ear. My sweet little one is getting so big! It's such a blessing to see these changes and growth in her personality.

It's Official...

Rebekah is walking! She has taken a few steps here and there and took about eight steps on Friday, February 5th, but today, I'm making it official. Rebekah walked the width of our playroom twice this morning and did some more walking after lunch today while we were in the living room reading. How exciting for all of us! Of course, she's still a bit wobbley and stiff-legged, but she's well on her way to running around with Elise, any and everywhere! Go, Rebekah, go!!!

Snow Days

It's going to be easier to document our last week in pictures than words because of all the snow we had. The snow started Friday night and ended Saturday afternoon. Then we got another round of snow Tuesday night, ending on Wednesday afternoon. This meant we had a lot of family together time, and thankfully we were able to get a trip to the Y and library in on Tuesday before more snow arrived. I don't mind the snow except for the fact that it's hard to play outside. Elise LOVES the snow because it gives her a chance to be outside for a long time digging. Ray doesn't mind snow in few inch amounts, where it doesn't disrupt life too much, and Rebekah is typically just along for the ride now, but next year we'll see how she really feels about snow.