Kicking off 2016 {Big Changes}

We started off 2016 with some big changes in our house. 

Getting so big

Sydney started at a new school, and so far, we all love it.  She is in a class with 12 kids who were all born within the same 4 months, so they are all hitting milestones around the same time and are interested in similar things.  They do all different kinds of art, spend a lot of time outside and the teachers always introduce new ideas and materials for the kids to explore.

One of her first days in class...still learning that paint is only for paper

coloring with friends

climbing

Sydney has been learning a lot, and picking up some good habits along the way.  One of my favorites is hand washing.  They wash the kids hands after all diaper changes and before/after meals and snacks, and Sydney loves it.  Now, she insists on washing her hands all the time at home. 

I'm actually surprised that there isn't more paint on the wall

This must have been one of her favorite things - playing with bubbles

One perk for us parents is they post a daily log of what they did during the day and a bunch of photos of the kids.   I just love getting to peak in at what they are up to and see all the photos they post.  Plus it's nice that I can ask her more specific questions about her day and what she did.

Just yesterday, she was running around the room saying "hat" with this bucket on her head

climbing in the sinks outside

In other big news, we have officially announced that baby boy Lederman will be joining our family in Late April!  We are so excited to welcome him into the family and have been doing our best to get Sydney ready.  As much as we talk about it, she really has no idea what she is in for.  T-7 weeks to go.

Baby bump - just over 2 months to go here

Brian and I snuck off for 4 nights to Hawaii for a little get away and sun before his arrival.  We left Sydney at home with MarMe and Grandpa Billy.  While we missed her like crazy, it was really nice to get away together.  We went to the Big Island and I loved it. 

We rented a kayak and kayaked across Kealakekua Bay to one of the most amazing snorkeling spots I've ever been too.  On our way across the bay, we came upon a pod of dolphins.  They were so cute, and there was a baby that kept jumping out of the water.  They were literally swimming right under our kayaks.  We also spent a day at a beautiful beach that was full of sea turtles.  Although they don't do anything mind blowing, they are so cute and I could sit and watch them all day, especially when they just wade in the wake of the ocean.  We spent most of our evenings at a beachside bar, watching the sunset, enjoying a drink, and listening to their live music.  It was a perfect get away, and I know back home, Sydney was having a great time with her grandparents.

beautiful Hawaii

 

While we were gone, Sydney visited the farm with MarMe & Grandpa Billy

Feeding the chickens

Naptime with Grandpa during the Superbowl - we are still jealous of these cuddles

MarMe managed to get a braid in her hair - doubt this lasted long...

We got Sydney a baby boy doll to practice being a big sister and she really loves him.  Mostly, she loves putting him to bed, covering him with a blanket and saying "night night".  Over, and over, and over again.  Her other favorite things right now are bracelets (which she wears on her biceps), hats (beanies in particular but we're hoping that changes with the seasons to summer hats), duplo legos, getting tissues from the box and wiping her nose, cleaning anything with wipes, and saying "no".

She is currently trying really hard to get dressed herself and put her own shoes and socks on.  She is jabbering a lot and starting to connect more words together.  Everyday when I pick her up from school, we go outside and she will see the car and point and say "our car".   The other day, we were in our bathroom, and she pointed to the toilet and said "potty", then to a bag and said "bag", then she pointed to the shower and said "Dada shower"....haha.

sometimes it's more fun to slide with Mama

Being goofy with Dada

Look at those cuddles - Sydney is in a serious Dada phase

coloring with Billy

Hawaii souvenirs

Just cute

Valentines day box - it was empty, just a box for her to carry around.
Not sure I'll be able to get away with that much longer

We've had some really nice weather and Billy came over to splash around one weekend

Looking slightly mischievous

Have you heard of the app, 1 second everyday?  It's an app that you upload a 1 second video everyday and it stiches them all together to make a movie.  I did it for just about a month, and below is the outcome. 

These last 7 weeks as a family of 3 are probably going to fly by.  And although we think some moments are chaotic with just Sydney, I know we'll look back and think how easy we had it with just one kid, so we're trying to enjoy it while we can.