She's still as sweet as ever, giving hugs and kisses at just the right time. She loves to play with her brother, can be very independent, enjoys Taekwondo, and loves to sing along with the radio in the back of our car.
She had three birthday celebrations this year: one with Granny and Grandpa and the Shripka's, one with Jeff, Tyler, and me, and a Team Umizoomi birthday party with her friends. All were a lot of fun. For more photos, click on the photo above.
This weekend we had two fun TKD events. Tyler got to participate in his school's instructor demo at a local festival (Tomball Night) and then the next day we had an "in-school" tournament at the school. For the first time, both Megan and I (yes, I'm training now too...it's a great bonding time with the kids) got to compete. Everyone did great and had a lot of fun.
Here are the pictures (linked) and the video from the instructor demo (they were supposed to be on the stage, but there wasn't enough room).
Click on the photo below for the tournament pictures.
It's hard to believe that it's been 4 years already from the cold December day that came into our lives. She's still a very sweet girl (well, at least about 85% of the time) who is really enjoying school and is slowly but surely coming out of her shell (on our airplane ride home for Thanksgiving, the people across from us asked if she always talked so much).
On her birthday, Megan enjoyed the traditional birthday breakfast (a donut with candles) and opened all of her presents. She then got to celebrate with her friends at school before dinner with the family.
The Saturday after her birthday she and 3 of her friends had a Tinker Bell party complete with fairy wands that they decorated, a game of pin the star on Tinker Bell's wand, and a fairy treasure hunt with pixie dust (aka birdseed). Everyone had a great time.
Megan had a wonderful 3rd birthday focused on her two favorite things--Minnie Mouse and princesses. She continues to be a very sweet and funny girl and has started to talk our ears off on a regular basis.
We just came back from my favorite trip of the year...a road trip during which we got to visit the Shripka's, Granny and Grandpa, and spend some time with the Burke's and Chernesky's up north.
This year's trip was quite eventful...
If you don't know why Megan's face looks like this, give me a call and I'll explain...(Hint: it involves 3 trips to urgent care centers in MI and WI and one trip to an ER.). Did I mention that Megan is VERY expressive with her face?
Despite the unexpected stomach pains, broken elbow, and severe rash, we really had a wonderful time. For lots of happier pics and a more detailed story of our trip, click on the collage below.
And if you want a laugh, view the video below of Megan and Lily (who is a bit scared of dogs) playing with Seger.
Tonight we took the kids to our favorite local restaurant, a traditional Irish Pub called the Auld Shebeen, in Old Town Fairfax. Every Friday and Saturday night, they have live traditional Irish music. The kids LOVED it. Little did we know, we'd hear one of Jeff's favorite songs, Whiskey in the Jar.
When we got home, Jeff was inspired to play Ty and Megan the version that he's more familiar with. Here's the dance party that ensued.
About 20 minutes later, this song was Megan's bedtime request (in lieu of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)...we're in trouble.
Our kids love to perform. Megan's favorite songs are "You are my sunshine" and "Baa Baa Black Sheep." And, as you'll see below, Ty's very proud to be an American.
It's hard to believe our little girl is 2! She is a sweetheart with a fairly laid back (most of the time personality) with facial expressions that make her seem much older than 2. She's definitely starting to come out of her shell. And she adores her big brother (except when he's sitting on Mommy's lap). Happy Birthday little girl!
We had a great celebration of Halloween this year, complete with our neighborhood party, our annual pumpkin carving (Ty named our double-sided jack-o-lantern after himself again), a school party, and trick-or-treating with about 10 families from the neighborhood. Click on the photo below for more pictures.
A couple of weeks ago, Tyler, Megan, our neighbor, and I went to Cox Farms' fall festival. Just like last year, it was alot of fun. Click the photo above for lots of action pictures from the giant slides, corn maze, and other fun attractions.
Last week we had a wonderful trip to see Granny and Grandpa and then Up North to see all of the Chernesky clan. Ty and Megan had a lot of fun with Granny and Grandpa, playing music, dancing, and playing with all of their toys. Up North, we had amazing weather and were able to do alot of swimming, tubing, and waterskiing. To view all of the pictures, click on the collage above. And enjoy the videos below :).
We had a great day last weekend going to the Fairfax parade and fireworks. Ty and Megan also had their first experience with sparklers and kid-friendly "fireworks." For pictures click here or if you need a laugh, watch the video below.
Today I had a rare opportunity to spend the day alone with Megan. To be honest, at first I thought that it would be a great day to get some chores and errands done. However, although we got our fair share done, I couldn't resist lots of extra snuggles, playing, and taking some pictures and videos (like the first one below).
And here's a long overdue update on her..
She has the sweetest smile and is generally a very happy little girl. She's babbling a ton and is quickly increasing her vocabulary. She loves to run around talking, as long as there's no one unfamiliar around. When anyone she doesn't know enters the scene, she immediately stops talking and looks up at them with her big eyes and her signature shy look (which I've yet to capture on film). Oh, and she loves shoes, especially mine which she puts on frequently.
Summer around here means wonderful afternoons and evenings out with our neighbors. We live on the end of a long driveway that we share with two families that both have kids. So almost every evening, Ty's first words when he gets home are "Can I go out and play?" Here's a glimpse into our fun...click on the photo for a few more.
Megan is finally talking (and choosing to walk on her feet instead of her knees about 75% of the time now). As you can see from the video, she's learned to say "cheeeeeeese" unprompted any time a camera comes out. Other words in her vocabulary:
Mommy
Dada (she's becoming quite a Daddy's girl)
Ty-Ty (more like Tyyyyyyyyyyy-Tyyyyyyyyyy)
shoe (which she loves to take off)
uh-oh
no (which she says anytime you ask her a question...even if she means yes)
But my favorite sound that comes out of her mouth is the deep belly laugh that she frequently lets out.
Warning: This video is likely to give you motion sickness.
Two weeks ago, we were treated to a special visit from my sister Cathy, who drove 3 hours from Lynchburg, VA to see us (after flying in from Houston). We had a great time sharing our home and our neighborhood with her. Thanks for making the long trip, Cathy!
