Five Years Old!

Our big girl turned five on Sunday. I have a new appreciation for the saying "the days are long but the years are short."

The festivities began on Friday, when Grandmom and Grandpa came to visit. They brought a special gift.







A doll made by Grandmom's friend. Mommy had one when she was a little girl, and Sabine loved to play with Strawberry Girl. So when Sabine's own arrived, she promptly named her Blueberry Girl.






Aspen reserves her excitement for avocado and the cats.



In the 24 hour period after her arrival, Blueberry Girl managed to go on a food drive in our neighborhood, helping gather donations for our local food pantry





and go for a hike



and out to eat, although I forgot to get a picture at the restaurant.

On Sunday, both girls were up bright and early, so we began the day with some presents from mom and dad, and a few from relatives that had arrived in the mail.





After breakfast, we had to quick get ready for the party, which Sabine wanted to do at the same gymnastics place as we did it last year. That was fine with us--her guest list included 25 of her nearest and dearest, 22 of whom attended, (along with siblings and parents) so we were just as happy not to be at our house!

The kids spent a good hour burning energy on all of the fun equipment.







At the end, they did a few games with a parachute.











Culminating in one where Sabine sat in the middle, and everyone walked around slowly, holding the parachute, wrapping her up.



Then with a quick tug, she went spinning. THAT was fun!



One shot of most of the group!



Then Sabine got to lead the line to the tables.



We had some pizza



And then a Lalaloopsy cake. Sabine decided what kind of cake she wanted months ago. We had a little cake done professionally (mommy's cake decorating skills were not up to Lalaloopsy) and then had cupcakes to go around.





There were several new faces at the party this year, including little siblings



And little cousins!



Once we got home, we didn't have a whole lot of time for presents, (although Sabine certainly got quite the haul!)



though one special "boyfriend" insisted that his mother stop for pink roses on their way to the party for Sabine, so we immediately got those into water when we got home. I think they kind of blew her mind.



Some good friends came up from the Springs, so we had them back to our house after the party, and then we all walked over to Nana and Aunt Dani's, to visit with them.



Where Sabine got more lovely presents!





Nana and Aunt Dani somehow knew she loved Polly Pockets, and she now has practically an entire Polly Pocket village! We just have to keep the little parts away from a certain little sister.



And little cousin!



All in all, it was a great celebration for an incredible little (big) girl. Sabine, we love you to the moon and back. You are strong and independent and kind and compassionate, and we couldn't be prouder of the amazing person you continue to be.

8 Months Old

Aspen turned eight months old on Friday. We are pretty sure she is teething, and on the brink of crawling. She has just barely figured out how to go from a lying down position to a seated position. It doesn't always work, but when it does, aaaaah, the freedom to be able to sit back up! She is motivated!



Aspen is still working on walking, too, and very into anything big sister has/does/or touches. Big sister is mostly very patient, but does have her limits.




Swinging together at farm


Playing at Nana's

We are into the birthday party season, too. Sabine has a lot of friends with fall birthdays, for some reason. She kicked off the season with a square dance, partnered with W, a friend from both preschool and farm. They have a very sibling-esque relationship, very close, but fraught with lots of teasing and grievances, too. Fortunately, this particular day, they decided to get along, and did really well as partners.









We also had a reunion with Sabine's old play group at a pumpkin patch.Aspen stayed home with a sitter and Sabine and I met up with some old friends. (At least, most of the ones who still live in Colorado, we miss our contingents in Germany and Maryland very much!) We managed to get most of the group to sit still for a picture. These kiddos were all less than two years old when they met. The little girl on Sabine's right was only weeks old when we met her.



The moms posed, too!



The kids really had fun reconnecting, running, and being silly together.











(Sabine practiced her big sister skills on a friend's younger sister.)







It's been lots of fun, and we have plenty more pictures to come!

Clap Clap!

Aspen learned how to clap a week or two ago, and has since become quite proficient.



She has started to use it a lot when she's eating, we are pretty sure she's starting to associate it with the sign for "more." (Clapping is exactly how Sabine signed "more" when she was a baby, too.) We weren't sure, but then daddy bent down to kiss Aspen goodbye the other day, on his way out to work, and he was carrying an apple, and as soon as she spotted it, she started clapping furiously. She loves to gum on daddy's apples when he eats one around her, so we are pretty sure there is at least a vague association with "GIMME SOME OF THAT FOOD" for her!

We also did a little photo shoot recently, of Aspen wearing my very favorite hand-me-down from Sabine. It was the first outfit I bought when we found out we were expecting a little girl.



And while darling, I found this following comparison the most interesting: on the left is a very similar shot of Sabine from her (professional) six-month-old shoot. (So Aspen, on the right, is about a month older, but they are similarly-aged.)



Otherwise, we've been staying busy. We all went out to breakfast the other day...the first of many to come, I'm sure!



Sabine still goes to swim class once a week, and has made huge leaps, recently. Figuratively and literally! They have just started teaching her how to dive. (It's a little hard to see, but that's her in the turquoise suit.)



She can also swim across the pool on her front and back, now, without assistance.

And another first--going for a run with daddy. They went around Hecla Lake.


Warming up


Posing


Taking off!

We also made it to our first pumpkin patch of the season.





Sabine LOVED getting lost in the corn maze. She'll tell anyone who asks about how we were in there for hours. (I think it was closer to 20 minutes, but still, lots of fun!)



Aspen isn't quite into corn mazes yet, but she is definitely into anything big sister likes. Especially big sister's toys. Sabine is good at sharing, but sometimes it's fun to get into stuff when she's not looking.



And getting into diaper stuff when mommy's not looking!



But the biggest excitement in the last week was the arrival of October, and the birthday season! Dustin took Sabine to her first Broncos game as a joint birthday present. Sabine's been talking about seeing Peyton Manning "in person" since last year.



It was a huge success, for about the first quarter. Then I think the noise and excitement level got a little overwhelming, so they came back around half-time. Still, a wonderful experience!

And just because she's so cute, here are a couple of Sabine's recent fashion statements: