Noelle is a mix of grace and beauty and elegance and poise.  She keeps this family rocking and rolling, and we totally adore her!  Go Greek goddess girl! (and now I’m all done with alliterations )

  

 

Almost everything this baby does is a complete surprise and cracks us up!  I asked her to smile as I was about to take these pictures, and she said, “No Mom, take a picture of my pose!”  She keeps us on our toes, and we never know what’s about to come out of her mouth, but we love every second we get to spend with her.  We laugh so hard and love so deep! 

 

These pictures show just how adorable our Cutie Kate is these days!  She’s still reserved in her own ways, but stands her ground and holds her own as the middle sissy.  We are so proud of her and love her to pieces!

 

Pirate Pippi (Longstocking) Pond, how’s that for an alliteration!  Here’s Anna Kate all dressed up for her storybook character parade at school last week.  We didn’t even know until the week of that they were going to have a storybook character day because they didn’t have one back when Noelle was in kindergarten, but we just finished reading Pippi Longstocking by: Astrid Lindgren, so it was an easy choice for Anna Kate who she wanted to be. 

Pippi’s dad was a pirate, and she told many of her crazy stories to her friends in the book from her previous adventures at sea with her father, so Anna Kate said, “Remember Noelle’s pirate costume?  I’ll wear that!”  Pippi’s little pet monkey was named Mr. Nilsson, so she found a little monkey to carry with her and asked for freckles and braids as well.  It was so fun hearing all of her great ideas, and I love that she put it together all on her own.  The only thing I wanted to add were stockings (tights), but if you’ve noticed, my girls refuse to wear tights at all costs, so that idea was squashed. 

Pippi Longstocking is one of the few books that has been a home run that I’ve read aloud to both Noelle and Anna Kate, as far as their age difference goes.  It’s so hard to find books that fit both their skill and interest levels.  We’ll always start out reading all together, and sometimes Noelle and I will finish a book, and sometimes Anna Kate and I will finish, but this one they both wanted to finish!  I never make them finish a book they aren’t interested in at this point in time because I want their initial experiences with reading to be fun and entertaining.  There’s already going to be enough of that down the road!  They each have to read 20 minutes every night, but they get to choose what they read, unless it is an assigned book, and then we get through it as best we can.  Three years is a big gap at these ages when it comes to finding books they both enjoy, and reading all together is super helpful, so if you have multiple elementary aged kiddos, this is a great read.  Boys would like it too.  Pippi’s best friends, Tommy and Annika, go on all of her adventures with her, and they are highly amused to say the least.  I can’t recommend this book enough (a million times better than the movie) and am absolutely crazy about our Pippi Pond!

My sister, Michele, gave us the book to read from her awesome collection, so thanks sissy!  Anna Kate had chosen to be the purple butterfly for Halloween this year, but after having so much fun wearing this costume, she changed her mind and ended up being Pippi Pond for Halloween too!  That will make for a fun comparison post soon! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

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