Always Busy!

I can't quite figure out why days seem to get busier and busier, but they do! This has been one of the longest gaps between postings, and I know I have also been slacking on pictures too.
One thing I can say is that we are all sick of winter and snow - it has been the one of the snowiest winters I can recall. In addition, the four of us have all had various illnesses, colds, flus, stomach bugs - more than any other year I can remember.

This winter I signed both Maddy and Caitlin up for swimming lessons. Maddy's class was maximum 4 kids (and some weeks it was only Maddy and her friend Annabelle so they got lots of one on one time with the instructor). She really loves the water and is really improving her skills - her favorite thing is "dunking" (jumping in the water from the side of the pool and going under water). I'm glad she likes it so much and is comfortable being in the water. Caitlin's class was at the same time in a different section of the pool and I went in the water with her. She liked the water but gave the instructor the evil eye any time she tried to go near her, until about the 5th class when Caitlin finally agreed to give her a "high five". By far our (or should I say my) favorite part of the morning was our trip to Starbucks afterward with my friend Lora and her kids Annabelle and Sam, who were also in the swimming classes.

Greg's MBA classes continue to go well and he is somehow managing to fit his studying in with everything else without too much impact to our daily routine. I give him a lot of credit - I'm not sure I could do it at this point!

Last weekend Greg and I went up to Whitefield NH for a couple of days while the girls stayed with Grammy & Bubba. We had a great time - we skied at Bretton Woods during a snowstorm and it was some of the best skiing I can remember. That night we ate at a really nice restaurant called The Wine Cellar where the restaurant is actually in the wine celler and you are surrounded by thousands of bottles of wine - it was amazing and the food was awesome too.

Caitlin seems to learn something new every day and has really had a word explosion lately. She is at the age where she wants to be very independent and do things herself and of course gets frustrated when she can't. The girl knows how to throw a tantrum too! She is a very spunky, funny kid - loves to laugh and joke around, and is very playful. She still loves to read books and will get book after book to sit and read with us. She also loves tow trucks and any kind of big truck she sees on the road - she'll get all excited and point and watch intently. She is a great sleeper but went through a recent phase where out of the blue she would cry and scream when we tried to put her down. I read that that often happens around 18 months but keeping the normal routine is the best thing to do, and the past couple of nights have gone much better. Also, once she falls asleep she's fine all night, it's just been putting her down that was tougher. She has learned to say "please" and "thank you" and has been really good about saying them at appropriate times. My favorite thing she says is "putt putt" (our term for passing gas) which she'll say and point to her bum when she does one - too funny.

Maddy continues to grow up in front of our eyes and sometimes I can't believe how fast it is happening. She is a pretty easy going kid and very adaptable. She is also very patient which at 4 years old is quite amazing to me (she definitely doesn't get that from me!) She is interested in a lot of different things - loves swimming, music, singing, dancing, reading/writing, numbers, math, science. She loves princesses, crafts, and has mentioned a few times wanting to try skiing. She also said she wants to play soccer again on Coach Mike's team, which I am happy about, especially since her first few experiences with soccer (on a different team) weren't so great. I am hoping she enjoys it this spring.
A few funny/clever things Maddy said to me recently:
"Daddy and I like to fold our pizza and you like to fold clothes."
"Why is the counter called a counter if there are no numbers on it?"
"Mommy, do you hold hands at Zumba and sing ring-around-the-rosie?"

Next week we head to FL for our annual visit and cannot wait to see everyone down there and feel the warm sun on our faces!