Attack!!

Call me crazy, but I think the Rocky Mountain Ranch is under attack.

Good thing Brandon had positioned the ranch hand in a good place to fight off the Jurassic Park-esque attack.

Caitlin's 4-year Stats

We took Caitlin in for her 4-year check-up today. This is her second check-up she's had without Brandon tagging along. The first was at 18 months, and only possible since my parents were in town for a visit. I try to make the kids appointments as early in the morning as possible so that Brian can come, too. Brandon's early school schedule - before 8:00 am - makes it pretty easy to get up and get one of the first appointments! Caitlin's always happy to have her mother's undivided attention, and today she got the undivided attention of both parents for a while! I could tell she was loving the fact that both Brian and I were coming to her appointment when she kept looking behind us to make sure daddy was following us to the doctor's office.

Caitlin's 4 year stats are as follows:
Weight: 35 1/2 pounds  (50th percentile)
Height: 41 inches (75th percentile)

Brandon, at the same age, weighed in at 33 pounds, and was 40 1/4 inches long, yet he was only in the 25th percentile for weight at 50th for height. I never cease to be amazed at the difference between boys and girls physically. They are so different! Caitlin has never looked as skinny as Brandon does, even when she's weighed less and has been taller (at same age comparisons).

Things Caitlin is doing lately:
*School - loves, loves, loves preschool. Can't wait to go!
*Counting - she gets up to 29 before she gets confused.
*Tracing - her ability to trace lines and letters is better than Brandon's at the same age. Must be a girl thing.
*Playing girl games - and by that I mean playing things that other girls want to play, like Polly Pockets, or babies, or different toys. We even had a playdate with only preschool girls the other day. Having an older brother has meant that trucks, cars, trains, Legos and dinosaurs have been all the rage for both kids in our house. She plays well with boys, which is good since there aren't any girls her age on our street. Recently we discovered that a girl friend from preschool lives just up the hill, so I'm sure that there will be more playdates to come!
*Talks very well. Both kids were early talkers. Brandon was easier to understand earlier on, but Caitlin's sentence structure and vocabulary beat his at the same ages. She just wasn't as clear until she was older.
*Naps and diapers are becoming a thing of the past. She still takes naps sometimes (she has to rest most days, even when there are no naps). I thought naptime would be done by now, but the early schedule we're subjected to has keep napping in our day, at least for a while. Caitlin requested to be diaper free for naps back in early October, and has only had one accident since then (and she was sick, so I don't really count that one). She has requested to sleep diaper-free at night, but the results have not been so positive. Our new saying is that she can be diaperless after she wakes up dry. She asks me almost every morning about her progress (we're so not there yet!).
*Food - Caitlin has become picky on amounts, but still loves her veggies!
*Activity - I sometimes wish there was less. Man, that girl is like the Enegizer Bunny - she keeps going and going and going...........

Reading

Ah, so this is why it was so quiet in our house!

On Turning 4

We made it! Caitlin turned 4 today. And, honestly, if I never see another cupcake again in my life, it won't be too soon.

We all talked, and decided that Caitlin's birthday this year would be celebrated outside of the house. Last year we had her party at our house, along with her friends, their siblings, and parents. That's a lot of people to host, but it would have been a very small party without everyone! This year Caitlin waffled between a Chuck-E-Cheese party and an indoor swimming pool party, finally choosing the pool. I managed to call and rent a room over Christmas break (while we were in California, no less!) for the 16th - the Saturday before her birthday. We send out an E-vite, and began preparing. She had a blast! Her happy face right here shows her joy.

Her actual birthday was today. I made arrangements to bring cupcakes to preschool. This time I got to stay with her during her little party. I wasn't able to stay at Brandon's school, which was part of a larger Christian school. That made me a little sad. I think Caitlin was happy to celebrate at her school, but I'm not sure. Maybe it was just a little overwhelming. She got to wear a birthday crown all day and was just thrilled! She asked if we could go play games at Chuck-E-Cheese after dinner, so our little family headed down to play skee-ball, and a whole host of other games before bed time. It was nice to not have to watch a whole host of other kids there, and nice to not have to eat there as well.

Happy 4th Birthday, Caitlin! I know how happy you are. This has been a big year. First you started preschool, also a big deal, and now you are finally four! I hope this year is wonderful!

Caitlin's World

I was recently able to upload some pictures from Caitlin's camera onto the computer. In the past it's been impossible to do, but something about the software for my new tiny camera has made this possible. In case you're wondering about Caitlin's world, here are a few pictures to help you understand what she sees.

Things we now know about Caitlin -

#1)  She loves her family. She loves to take pictures of us. But her portrait aim is a little off.

#2)  She likes "Shaun the Sheep". She was very pleased with her well-framed picture of Bitzer.

#3) She spends much time in the car (as seen in these fine portraits of the inside of our Honda):

#4) Random things appeal to her, such as the Roomba, and her feet.

I Love You, Kid.

Caitlin's favorite game is "I'll be the mommy and you be the kid." Brandon never expressed any interest in this game when he was 3. Maybe all little girls play this game, but it's new to me. Caitlin will play it with anyone who wants to, and the dialogue goes something like this:

Random participant: "I love you Mommy"

Caitlin: "I love you too, kid."

Leapster Expectations

Today was my first foray out into the real world after our long Christmas break. Brandon went back to school today, and I was heading to Bible Study. After getting Brandon out the door at 7:40 (which wasn't as easy as it had been pre-Christmas break), I managed to get Caitlin into the car and leave at a fairly normal time. The snow was lightly falling as we drove to Boulder. And Caitlin went on and on about wanting to come to class with me.

Now, I love my little daughter dearly, but do not (repeat - *do not*) want her to come to my class with me. I'm doing a Beth Moore study, and today was video day. If Caitlin comes to class with me, I don't get to watch to the video. I get to say "be quiet" about 50 thousand times. I get to listen to Caitlin sing her mashed-up renditions of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" or the "Jingle Bells, Batman smells" song (remember that one from your childhood? It's still around). I get to get up and get Caitlin snacks every 10 seconds. And, eventually, I get to leave with Caitlin in tow. Probably early. Call me selfish, but I wanted to watch the video! After about 10 minutes of Caitlin insisting that she was coming to my class, and me gently telling her that she gets to go to her own class, she broke out with a huge whine of "I'll just play my Leapster when you watch your video!"

Ah, the Leapster. I forgot about the Leapster. I also forgot the Leapster at home, which ended Caitlin's insistence about coming to class with me.

Then it dawned on me. In early November Brandon had a random Wednesday holiday. Bible study was still in session, so I took him with me. The 5-6 year old class isn't big, and Brandon still knows most of the kids and teachers there. Due to his young age for being in first grade, and the high number of homeschooled kids at our church, there are many kids in the class that are his age, slightly older, or at least at his same level. However, I told him that if the class was full, he could just come into my class with me and play his Leapster. It all made sense! Caitlin thought that because she now had a Leapster, she could just head off to class with Mom and play it in the corner. As if her Leapster ownership catapulted her into a new realm of big girl territory. Trouble is, Caitlin is high maintenance. Brandon is not. At least not in that sort of situation.

So now I know. I'm informed. And I'm wrong. I thought Caitlin didn't remember as much as Brandon. Silly me!