Piper - 4

Piper turned 4 in October. She's such an awesome little girl. I just love her. She learned to ride a two-wheeler at the end of the summer. She's OBSESSED with bugs. For her birthday, she got her own copy of the insect identification guide we'd been repeatedly checking out from the library. She loves to help me cook, and I often find her in the kitchen coming up with her own recipes. She loves makeup, dress up clothes, and Mommy's high heels.

She's funny. She loves to sing and dance. She is constantly turning on the radio in my room and dancing in front of the mirror. She hates to be alone. She is Libby's best friend, but she is also still completely infatuated with Birdie. She is a wonderful big sister and is so playful. She plays hike and seek and peekaboo with Birdie.

Piper is an excellent artist and draws detailed pictures. She likes to write, too. She knows how to form many letters and she can spell her own name as well as Libby's name. She is left-handed and she always writes her letters (and even whole words) in mirror image. She is learning to read. She has picked up lots of what I've been teaching Libby and has several poems memorized, as well as state capitals and random history facts. (When I asked Libby if the Israelites were monotheists or polytheists, Piper interrupted with the correct answer: "monotheists!")

As I tell her every day, she's my favorite Piper!

Birdie - 18 months

Birdie doesn't have a half-birthday this year (it would be February 29), so we will celebrate it on March 1, which happens to be Libby's half-birthday. I am a dork because I find this ridiculously cool and I'm going to be using this as a riddle for many years to come. (Two sisters celebrate their half-birthday on the same day, but their birthdays are in different months. How?)

Little miss Birdie is such a stinker. She throws her food at every single meal. She still wakes up once or twice a night and WILL NOT go back to sleep without nursing. She's the fussiest baby I've had. She's had a runny nose since October, so I can never drop her off at childwatch at the Y.

But she gives the best hugs. She tries to tackle me. She cocks her head sideways and gets in my face to get my attention. She kisses with her mouth wide open. She holds my hand when she walks. She cuddles with her sisters. She screams "daddy!" when he comes home.

She loves shoes. She likes to color, play with whatever toy Piper has, walk on the treadmill, play the piano, and make really loud noises with the recorder.

Her favorite book is "Go, Dog, Go." She signs "milk," "more," "again," and "eat." She can say: mommy, daddy, Piper, milk, more, eat, I try, mine, baby, draw, apple, cracker, hello, hi, bye, goodnight, please, and several more that I can't think of.

She adds so much joy to our family. Love my pretty bird!