milestones 2, 4 & 5.5

really?? already??  How can it be that so many afternoons feel like time is dragging and yet how are the months disappearing so fast?

L
height:
weight:
Newest Achievements:
-attending kindergarten and loves it.  Her favorite part is Ned's Head where she reaches into a bucket, pulls out an item and has to identify/sort the item by the first letter in its name.  She loves riding the bus and usually is singing the new Spanish word she learned that day.  She loves school but usually I have to ask her about her day question by question as she doesn't readily tell me.
-She's taking two dance classes this year, one is her Sparkles Class (for competition team) and Ballet.  The year had a rough start, as she was really worn out by her new, much more demanding schedule but now she's really enjoying it.
-Lost her first tooth (bottom left) and now the top left is wiggling it's way loose too.
-loves to dish herself up, pour her own milk.
-Up next? she wants to ride her bike without training wheels and learn to ski.
Favorites:
-activities: going outside to play with new neighbor friends, helping me cook, playing house/school/doctor/"cooker"/tea party/carnival
-foods: salmon, cucumbers, mushrooms, ham and cheese sandwiches, red vines, pizza, chocolate pudding, ice cream and sweets of all kinds
-toys: princess barbies, books, purses/dress-up clothes, her stuffed animals (but her favorite rotates), play kitchen, puzzles
-movies/shows: Matilda, Beauty and the Beast, Princess Diaries
My favorite moments:
-how she takes care of her sisters, sweet and tender (mostly)
-her very sincere, very seemingly "grown up" prayers
-the way she wants to include everyone: sisters, Daddy, cousins, random strangers at the park, etc.

A
height:
weight:
Newest Achievements:
-Amazed how well she colors, staying in the lines so precisely.
-She loves school, squealing and dancing and rarely waits for "backpack time" to show me her projects from the day.
-Up next? she wants to rock climb.  guess we better get a kid sized harness.
Favorites:
-activities: coloring, reading books, riding her scooter, playing house/doctor/school/storytime, going to the drive in
-foods: mac&cheese, ramen, peaches, popcorn, goldfish, tortellini alfredo
-toys: Doc McStuffins doctor kit, princess barbies, play hair salon
-movies/shows: How to Train Your Dragon, Tangled, DocMcStuffins
-and since it didn't fit in any other category but is too cute to forget: Panda and Yellow, of course.  She has become really good at leaving them home and doesn't even ask to take them anymore.  we even braved our first night without them during a weekend at Grammy's.  but since I'm not in a hurry to let her grow up, I'm fine with her endearing attachment to them for quiet time and bedtime and movies.
My favorite moments:
-she wants me to cuddle her into wakefulness.  While most of her day is abrupt and full of bursting energy, she can be surprisingly tender and sweet, especially when tired.
-her impish-light-up-the-world grin, particularly when she's done something mischievous
-she loves to be her Daddy's helper and really shines with some one-on-one time, becoming so sweet and polite and talkative

E
height:
weight:
Newest Achievements:
-I love the way she jumps.  both feet, huge grin, knees bending bounce and land giggling
-she likes to pick her own clothes now, usually I let her choose between two outfits
-she sings along with me at church 
-she's become very good at opening doors and escaping if they're not dead bolted.  can also climb in and out of her high chair now (refusing to use the tray but likes to "scoot! scoot!" up to the table) and into her carseat
-mastered feeding herself.  watching her spoonfeed herself cereal without dripping or drink properly from a cup kind of makes me melt and wish I could shrink her back to a little baby that still needed my help
-Up next? potty training.  not so excited about that.  but she shows all signs of readiness, we've just been waiting for better timing (post moving and travel).
Favorites:
-activities: chasing/imitating sisters, playing with babies (real or toy), going for walks, bubbles, tiger tickle chasing
-foods: pancakes, berries, fruit snacks, suckers, ice cream, ramen, string cheese
-toys: her dollies, her stuffed animals (her entourage currently includes a pink tiger, her lion, Grumpy, her unicorn, a giant Minnie Mouse, Kitty and a pile of blankets)
-movies/shows: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
My favorite moments:
-the nonstop chatter.  she talks all the time and I'm continually amazed by her vocabulary.  She's the only two year old I know that uses "sure!" and by far the most polite child I've ever met, always saying please and thank you without prompting and addressing people by their names.  her new favorite however is "nah nah nah! come and get me!" thank you big sisters.
-when I pick her up from daycare, even though its only been an hour, she squeals and races to me like it's been days.
-too many.  she's just so unbelievably cute!

our usual routine:
I wake up at 7am to go L.  She wakes up grudgingly, always cranky and begging to keep sleeping.  I usually give her five more minutes and then rouse her by having her choose an outfit.  We eat breakfast together, finish getting ready and then I walk her to the bus stop.  I wake A up by asking her to choose an outfit and by then, L is calling me.  She wakes up in a great mood, calling me, begging for milk, breakfast, "get dressed" or "change bum".  They eat while I do dishes and we're off. Most mornings A goes to school while E and I go to daycare/the gym and then run errands until the big girls are home from school.  We eat lunch, play for a little while and then E takes a nap while we have "backpack time" and a quiet-time-movie.  When E wakes up, we play with toys, do some chores, play outside with neighbors (and on their trampoline) make a huge general mess of things and wait for Daddy to join us for dinner and whatever evening plans we've made.  By 8, (usually closer to 8:30), we ready the girls for bed, E first followed by the big girls.  And shortly thereafter, I consider the list of things I should do and do very little of it and surrender to my comfy bed.