I don't think Mattie was asking for a cowgirl for a flower girl. :)

Actually, the room that Mattie was getting ready in had these toys, which worked well to entertain V and K while we were waiting for the finishing touches.

 Watching the bride get her dress on.

 Our little flower girls! They did so well getting down the aisle, pulling the ring bearer (Isaac) in a wagon and stopping every few steps to throw out some petals. Aaron and I couldn't see them walking down, but we heard everyone laughing, so it went well...no tears or stubbornness, so I was happy!

 And then there was one...  haha

Kate made it halfway through the service before needing to step down because she couldn't be still. But as soon as she left, V was able to stand quietly and less wiggly, although we did have some nose-picking episodes, one or two times of lifting her dress up, and some other distracting behaviors. But otherwise, it was pretty good for a 2 and a 4-year-old!

 We all loved the TOMS that the bridal party wore. Very cool. And I'm excited that V and K will be able to wear them into the fall and winter coming up.

 Watching the first dances.

 I really enjoyed the wedding. It was a little chaotic trying to meet the needs that the girls had all evening, but everything went smoothly and Scottie and Mattie seemed like they were having so much fun!

 Vivian could have danced the entire night away. She stayed on the dance floor for every song, and cried when we said it was time to go.

We were so proud of our sweet girls. My nerves were shot by the time we were finished, but they did so much better than expected and we were thankful. It was an awesome wedding day for everyone!

I have a few videos to include in a different post...

We just got this CD in the mail with this wonderful slideshow of the big visit to NC. I am so thankful that they took pictures and loved how they arranged it!

We missed them that week but I know they had so much fun. Mike, Peggy, and Brooke were so selfless to serve us in that way. It means a lot to us that they were able to spend time with them!
It will be easier for you to see the slideshow if you click on the bottom right corner, to make it full screen.

 They were cracking us all up with their cuteness and being a little prissy.

 They got their sillies out right at the start...

 I adore this picture of them...can you see Kate's face in the mirror? And Vivian was thrilled about the flowy skirt attached to her leotard.

 Group hug :) So sweet. This was not posed. They were just that excited!

 Dance superstars in the making haha!

Getting ready to start...this was my cue to get out of the teachers' way and stop taking pictures.

They go back each day this week from 9-12. Love my little dancers!

 They jumped from one toy to the next, needing some pushing at some points, but overall they had a great time playing. They couldn't decide if they liked the flower sprinkler or not...hopefully we can give it a few more tries and they'll decide they love it.

 Kate quickly figured out how to grab it so she could spray others...

 But Charlotte didn't mind! She probably thought it felt good because it was pretty hot today!

 Little Emma played, too. She was so adorable to watch.

The two oldest spent a few quiet minutes looking at pictures together while the adults chatted away after lunch. 

We were so glad to have them! 

 Our friend Kendall was with us on our whole trip to NC this weekend, so it was nice to have her to chat with in our beach chairs. V and K played so independently, or with Aaron, so I took the opportunity to just simply sit. 

Aaron took this picture of the girls making pies on and watering my huge belly.

 Sweet little redhead :) Or redhead-looking only in some pictures...??

 We played this paddle ball game, but not for long because I couldn't move very fast. Our record from a previous year, though, is 502 hits back and forth without dropping the ball!

 Whoa...getting as sandy as possible.

 Kendall got this shot of the baby belly.

We all had fun and relaxed! We didn't come in for lunch, and Kate skipped her nap, so we were out there for a long stretch of the day. 

We showered, grabbed dinner and ice cream out, and packed up to leave this morning. We've had a great weekend but I'm looking forward to getting back to a normal routine here in Salem :)

For all of our eastern North Carolina friends and family, you might appreciate this photo of Vivian happily gnawing on a piece of fried fatback at breakfast on Saturday morning (at Oak Level Cafe)!

We've been talking for a few weeks about taking away Kate's pacifier. Tonight is the night! When we got home from NC this afternoon, she threw them all away herself and seemed pumped about it. We shall see how it unfolds :)

I'm afraid this is terrible timing, right before the baby arrives, but Aaron has rightly said that there will always be an excuse about why it's not the right time. I do have a love for pacis...they can be so helpful! But lately she's been asking for one more often or sneaking to find one (since she turned one the rule has been only in the bed for sleeping), and it's been getting a little frustrating. 

This picture shows her happy demeanor as I put her to bed, but I highly doubt it will be this easy. I will make an update about how this all turns out!

Our first little one is now four years old. Last year when she turned three, I wanted to update about her and share her latest developments, likes and dislikes, personality, etc, but I kept procrastinating and never did it! So here it is for her now that she's four. Most of you probably already know these things about her, but it will be fun for me to have it on record to look back on later down the road.

Her third year was a breeze and so much fun. I can see that her fourth year may be a little tougher as far as my guidance for her goes, because I can now see a little attitude from her occasionally, and sometimes a little too much emotion about the wrong things. It's tough to be a girl! She is mostly compliant and so sweet. 

Physically:

She has hazel eyes and her hair color hasn't changed much in the last several years.
She still has a strawberry birthmark on her cheek that showed itself a few weeks after she was born. It has gotten a lot smaller, but I think it just looks that way because her face has grown. We don't even notice it anymore because it's just a part of her!
She is a great eater. She tries new foods without hesitation and eats a lot at meals. She knows what she doesn't like, but that's not too much...she isn't too picky. It's hard for me to say her favorite foods because she likes so many! She usually eats a whole peanut butter and jelly sandwich and might ask for more.
It is difficult to get her to drink much during the day. She just doesn't drink very much! 

She sleeps soundly, about 10 or 11 hours at night. She doesn't take naps and hasn't for almost this whole past year. At night, if she's stayed up too late, she doesn't melt down or start to throw fits or crash, but she does turn a little loopy and silly or gets quiet and dazed. She sometimes wakes in the middle of the night and cries from having a bad dream. 

She is pretty coordinated...a good runner. She has just learned how to swing by herself by pumping her legs. She is good at riding her bike (with training wheels). She loves to swim but still wears swimmies. She's been getting brave this summer in the water: jumping in, putting her face under water. She loves to dance and pretend to be a ballerina. She and Kate will find a toy that plays music and one will hit the button while the other one does a little dance, and then they switch. We haven't done any sports stuff with her, such as learning to throw and catch a ball.

She is learning how to get dressed and gets frustrated easily when she can't get her shirt or shorts on right away. She is starting to take showers instead of baths (once or twice a week, because she still likes to play with Kate in the bathtub of course).

She has a bad habit of putting her fingers in her mouth or picking at her top lip. In the winter we went through a really bad phase of her picking her lip, where she was making a callus in the front or even making it bleed. Ughh. That got better, but she still reverts back to this when she's thinking to herself or when she's being shy. I have also noticed that she does it more when she's tired or didn't get enough sleep the night before.

With Kate:

They are playing well together most of the time. For every 20 minutes of playing sweetly together, there is a one or two minute conflict when I have to referee, but then they will continue playing. 

She is not the one who initiates hugs or kisses with her sister. Kate mostly does that. And when Kate tries to give kisses, Vivian gives a little resistance (she says something about Kate giving wet kisses and she doesn't like it...I think it has something to do with Kate's pacifier??).

They have been sharing a room for over a year now. They do well with it and I'm so thankful that they have this opportunity. Usually Vivian goes to bed first because she doesn't nap, so that helps to avoid having them talk or play too much when they're supposed to be sleeping. If Vivian wakes first, she usually grabs some books and reads quietly to not wake up Kate. But sometimes I have to remind her not to sing or talk, or I might have to go grab her out of the room before she wakes K up.

Vivian has usually been the one to step aside in conflict and let Kate get what she wants. I can see that changing a little recently :) A few weeks ago I saw Vivian put Kate into a headlock. Ahhh!! Funny.

One of my favorite favorite things about the two of them together is the way they speak to each other. It is so cute to watch them try to convince the other one about something.

I also love to watch them use their hands when they talk. They both do it, but Vivian does it more, especially when she's trying to explain something to a group of friends.
She has a little bit of a temper! It usually shows itself when Kate pushes her too far. It manifests in shrill screams and a red face. 

Friends:

Vivian loves going to church and preschool to play with friends. Her closest friend is Julia. When I watch her in a group, I can see that she likes to observe what others are doing and try to figure out what they are doing or how/why they are doing it. Sometimes I forget how much she's growing until I watch her interact with other kids, and then I realize she is not a baby anymore! She is still trying to navigate the drama between girlfriends, taking turns, sharing, and . We spend a lot of time talking about what she could say or do in certain situations...I've learned to do a lot of pretend conversations before we go to playdates or church as a preventative way of guiding her. But then after the fact we have to spend a lot of time talking about what she could have said or done differently...oh, I'm thankful for car rides and the downtime before rest time or bedtime :) I've realized that this is how it's going to be with girls: lots of talking!

Activities:

She still loves Melody Makers (a music class for little ones)! We also continue to visit Ms. Becky from our church once a week, and in the fall she will be going to preschool 3 days a week from 9-12. We are thinking about dance class for her in the next year or two...I know she would love that. We love to do playdates with friends at the park or pool. She likes to watch TV shows or movies, but is scared at the smallest little thing...when the bad character is showing evil or doing something mean, any fighting or danger. She cries and hides her face when those things happen! Her favorite shows or movies are Angelina Ballerina, Strawberry Shortcake, Caillou, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

She just got her first Barbie for her birthday and is playing more and more with dolls. She is pretty good with making up ways to play with them. She loves to play tea party and dress up.

She is slowly starting to use the computer to play games or watch videos. Mostly she sticks to the Sprout Online website because I haven't explored other websites for her to use.

She has a "rest time" for about 1 to 1.5 hours each day while Kate sleeps. She plays by herself really well. She loves to use her Leap Frog Tag Reader to do games in the back of the books or on her maps. 

Church:

Vivian is learning the gospel slowly. She knows about sin and can identify her sin when she is probed about it. She doesn't really know much about how Jesus atoned for sin, though. She can say that he died on the cross for our sins but hasn't really learned to connect the pieces yet. She knows who she can ask for help to obey (the Holy Spirit). We spend a lot of time talking about God the Father and attributing things throughout our day to him. But I can see that when I ask questions, "God" turns into the buzz-word answer. :) Don't know if she's really making the personal connections yet.

She listens intently when we do our Bible stories in the morning. She always reminds me that we have to do the questions at the end of the story. We needed a little change from the Jesus Storybook Bible, so we are now going through the Gospel Storybook Bible and are about halfway through.

We are kind of stuck on #25 of our catechism questions because of inconsistency this summer :(

She isn't really progressing on learning how to pray. I have some ideas for this but haven't started using them for teaching her yet. I thought she would just learn by listening to us pray, and then imitate, but she doesn't. It will come, I'm sure. Actually right now we're just trying to teach both girls how to keep their eyes closed and not play or talk while we're praying. One thing at a time!

For the last year, we have been introducing Vivian to corporate worship (once a month, then twice a month, etc). A little before she turned four, she started sitting with us during the service every Sunday. This means that she goes to Sunday School with Kate and her friends, but then we go get her for the service. She sits quietly and has her "church bag" with books, activity books, her Bible, and crayons. The expectation is for her follow what we do (when we pray, she bows her head, when we sing, she sings, when we read the text, she follows along with me, etc). She is slowly getting into it. I think for the most part she is just waiting for Nick to start preaching so that she can get her church bag things out to do. But she's in there, hearing the Word, learning how the service progresses, and seeing us worship together. It's going as well as we'd hoped so far. 

With Aaron:

She adores Aaron and I can tell she thinks a lot of him. She knows what he is good at and what I'm not ("maybe Daddy can fix that when he gets home", or "can you call Daddy because he will know"). She thinks he is hilarious. Sometimes when she is playing with him, she'll say that I can't come along because it's only with Daddy. I don't mind :) When he is around she very much seeks his attention. She doesn't mind his antagonizing way of playing (unlike another little girl in our house!).

Learning:

Vivian is really progressing fast with her reading. I won't say much about this but only for my records, she is reading now on about a 2nd grade level (my guess). She doesn't know how to "sound out" words the old-fashioned way (phonics), she just either knows them or she doesn't. But I have started to not be surprised about words that she can read. If she doesn't know a word, she makes a pretty good guess and can usually figure it out based on context or the first two or three letters. She likes to take turns while reading books and always chooses the shorter paragraphs. Even though she can do it, she sees it as work I think and would rather listen :)

We don't do any kind of structured learning aside from Bible/gospel learning things. We only read books together and right now I'm happy with that! We haven't started learning to write, but I think it will come naturally as time passes, because she likes to trace letters in activity books. But if I asked her to write an R, she wouldn't know how to do that, for example. 

She likes to write her name over and over. It looks decent...you can tell what the letters are, but it certainly looks like a 4-year-old wrote it :)

Here is a sample of something that she could read. We love this book, by the way (The Priest with Dirty Clothes by R.C Sproul)!! She and Mattie took turns reading it on the way home from the Charlotte airport, but for the last half of the book she kept forgetting to let Mattie have her turn and just continued to read the whole thing.
She has a really amazing memory, as do all kids, I'm starting to realize! God has given them such awesome brains! I guess when we get older our minds get full of so many other things that we lose this impressive memory that kids have. One of the craziest experiences we've had with this this past year was to do with Kate's birthday party last August. Eight months later or so I happened to be talking about it one morning and randomly asked Vivian about one of the games we played. There was a picture of a ladybug and she was missing her spots...the kids had to hunt for the spots in the yard and then glue them on. That morning this winter I asked Vivian how many spots the ladybug was missing and without hesitating, she said, "Six". She was right! Unbelievable. But I will say that I can tell a difference in how observant Vivian and Kate are. For example, when I pick them up from preschool, I could ask Vivian what color shirt so-and-so had on that day, and she would know the answer (whereas I think Kate is more hands-on...). She really watches and remembers. It's so cool.
I asked Aaron to describe some things about Vivian that he wanted to remember about her at this age:
"She's agreeable, trusting, and very teachable."
I'm going to leave it for now, and if I think of more things I want to share about her, I'll add to it! I will add her weight when I get a chance to put her on the scales.

(we tried again for a different belly shot tonight after dinner in downtown Salem)

I am 35 weeks along, with 5 weeks to go. I am a little doubtful that I will go the whole 5 weeks, though! I had an appointment last week and everything is great...very healthy heartbeat! I have noticed more frequent Braxton Hicks contractions in the last week or so. I didn't feel any contractions this early in the first two pregnancies, so it has me wondering. Will we meet baby a little early!? I hope not too early! We are hoping to get to the second week of August, at least! Thanks for praying for us. 

A few tidbits:

I have been doing a lot of physical stuff this week, so my back is bothering me again. 

I have hit my weight gain max...with still a month to go! My current weight is about what I weighed when Kate was born.

I really love and cherish the kicks, rolls, and any kind of movement that he makes. I try not to get too used to it, but to be mindful of the gift that it is.

I am definitely waddling. You can make fun of me if you see me, I don't care :) 

 I didn't take my camera in because I was afraid they wouldn't allow it, so here are some cell phone pictures. 

And I didn't get any pictures of the birthday boy! :( But it was an awesome celebration!

Yesterday we drove to Greensboro to meet Peggy and Brooke. After sharing some ice cream, we gave the children to them and they drove off! They are keeping the girls for the week in Spring Hope, while I stay at home and get ready for the baby. It is such a gift to have this time to work on the house, but we are definitely going to miss them! 

They were really excited about the trip. When Vivian saw Peggy (Grandma) she squealed, "We're going to stay at your house and Mommy and Daddy are not going to come!!!" 

Hopefully I will be able to post some updates on here this week. And look for baby boy nursery pictures!