I'M BAAAACKKK!

I thought my blog might be done forever. I would often check other blogs and then look at my own and realize HOW BEHIND I WAS! It was really overwhelming to think what I should have posted and never got around to. But I was surfing a blog and came across this link - http://blog2print.com/. It's a website that prints your blog in book form! I have researched similar websites before but it was always so time consuming that I'd end up putting it on the back burner - hoping to get to it some other time. Well, the amazing thing about this site is it takes under a minute to punch in your blog address and voila...your book is created! It is unbelievable really! My plan is to order a book for each year that I've blogged. So that really sparked an interest in keeping my blog alive. Someday my kids will really appreciate this - who wouldn't want to see what their life was like day to day? And what perfect timing, on the last day of 2009. I have a few resolutions to take me into 2010 and updating my blog frequently is one of them.

So here is our Year in Review/What We've Been up to Lately:

Hillary - Hillary has been a huge help to me all year. If I'm tending to the baby and something is out of reach, Hillary is the person to call on. She loves to be the big sister/oldest! She still reminds everyone that she is the oldest by ONE WHOLE MINUTE! She can complete a 100 piece puzzle in no time and will sit quietly working alone. She also likes to color and draw more than ever. Santa brought Hillary a Leapster handheld learning system and her favorite game is Pet Pals (thanks Uncle Andrew and Auntie Christy). She told me yesterday that she is "addicted" to it...not sure how I feel about that but it does keep her entertained and is supposed to be educational. Hillary is still in Preschool, the twins missed the age requirement to move on to Kindergarten. Because of this, they are the oldest in the class and their teacher, Ms. Claire, says that they really love this. They like to help the younger kids around the classroom. The twins have really come into their own this year. Hillary is more the "tomboy" of the two. She likes to play soccer outside with Daddy and doesn't like to dress up much. She is sweet and smart and is also very sensitive. Her favorite color is orange!

Natalie - Natalie has grown a lot this year - both physically and emotionally. For a while it seemed as if she had a problem with any sort of change throughout the day. It would start in the morning with everything from her underwear, socks, pants and shirt being "scratchy" to not wanting to leave our house or where ever we were once she was comfortable. She was also extremely picky with what she would eat. It seemed to be a battle that would take up so much of my time. But she turned a corner at 5 and is so much more easy going. She will pick out her own clothes now, dress herself and wait by the door "in line." She is eating new things everyday and it makes my life so much easier! She also seemed to find her voice this year. She is not so shy in front of friends/family (remember karaoke on Christmas Eve anyone?) and does not let her sisters push her around at home. In fact, at the parent/teacher conference this year, her teacher could not get over the fact that Natalie was not the "spokesperson" for the twins at home. Because apparently at school she is in all of the action and a little social butterfly. Like Hillary, she enjoys puzzles and crafts. She also loves to dance and sing! Her favorite song is "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus. She tells me that someday she'll have a band with her sisters and girl cousins and go to Hollywood (and to sing to people in the hospital to cheer them up - how sweet)! She carries around two stuffed dogs at home - brother and sister - Xavier and Cindy! Her favorite colors are pink and blue!

Mallory - Mallory, Mallory, Mallory...I get the impression that I'll always laugh when I hear her name. She is funny and as mischievous as ever! Her speech is much more clear this year. She thrives off of being the "clown" of the house and is always trying to make people laugh. But she seems to have learned right from wrong and can be trusted playing upstairs alone (even if she is trying on every pair of tights we own) or while I'm in the shower. She loves to pick her own clothes and is capable of matching. I often joke that she'll be a fashion designer someday because she has a knack for it. She will ask me, "Mom, do I look cool?" If I thought I had the ultimate girly-girls when the twins came along, I was wrong. Mallory lives in dress up clothes and heels at home. When she earns a dollar here or there, she is without a doubt going to spend it on lip gloss. She has stashes all over the house and was ecstatic that she could wear red lipstick on Halloween! She recently went to her first dentist appointment. The doctor told her she has "princess teeth" to get her to open her mouth wide. She was beaming all day! The day after Christmas, Jay and I took the girls to see Disney on Ice and she sat the entire show with a huge smile on her face. She was yelling through gritted teeth, "Minnie, can you see my teeth? I have princess teeth!" It was hilarious! If Mallory gets reprimanded for something she's done, she will be relentless until I am happy with her again. She does not like to be ignored! Mallory is to begin Preschool after the New Year. She will be in the same class as the twins and is so excited to pack a snack and have a "homework folder." Mallory is my easiest going kid and will eat just about anything. She cracked open a fortune cookie the other day and her fortune said something about her "eyes that smile and sparkle." Which is crazy because they do and we've been saying this since she was born! She loves pink and purple and if sparkle/glitter was a color it would be her favorite!

Rosalie - My little dolly. She is a clone of me in so many ways. I have shown people my baby picture and they thought I was showing a picture of Rosalie. It's amazing to me and I love it! Unfortunately she also has the temper I had as a baby. If she wants something, she is going to get it...or she will kick, scream and roll around on the floor until she does. She is my earliest walker. She started taking her first steps a few weeks ago and at 10 1/2 months can walk across the room. She has been climbing stairs for a few months now and should someone leave the gate open, she will race up when she hears/sees me coming for her. She has eight teeth and they are adorable! I laugh every time I see her smile. She is also very vocal. I believe doctors usually like to see 3 words by the age of one and she says about 10-15. Sometimes she only says something once, if she's mimicking. She is very smart! One word that she will yell until she gets a reaction is "Mal." She loves Mal and looks for her all around the house! She loves to pull my hair (her bed time ritual). It makes her laugh when I tell her no. And that makes her do it more and more until she is laughing hysterically. She is my tallest baby. At her 10 month checkup she was in the 30Th percentile for weight and 75Th for height! If she keeps growing at this rate, we'll be catching up to Reese (who is a year older) and we'll be out of a beautiful wardrobe! Rosalie will eat anything I offer her and is great at feeding herself. She takes two short naps a day and spends most of the night in a port-a-crib in my room and then in bed with us. Rosalie LOVES to dance! If she hears someone just humming a tune, her body will be moving. She is so sweet and she's happiest watching or chasing after her sisters and cousins!

Whew...that was long! I promise you'll be seeing more of us in 2010...and Facebook will be taking up less of my internet time! : )