Fall Birthdays

This fall has presented the opportunity for a large number of birthday celebrations. In fact the same day that Zoey Berkeley Hannen was born, Callie's good friend Murphy turned four. And by the time Murphy's birthday extravaganza came to an end it had lasted all weekend long. We started off at the Green Tree Tea Room for a five course luncheon. Yes, this was for four-year-olds. You can see the birthday girl in the picture below with Callie and Vivie Ann.



It is evident from the looks on the faces of the three girls that they were having a fine time at the tea room. It was quite funny to watch Callie drink tea and eat mini-sandwiches and muffins. She certainly loved the idea that she was doing something big girls do.

To understand the fanciness of the Green Tree Tea Room, you can start by looking at one of the tables set up for the occasion. Each of our five courses were delivered by waiters who were incredibly attentive. This was particularly displayed by the way in which they constantly picked up the girls' napkins that spent more time on the ground than they should have. Needless to say this was an exercise in manners. More important, it was a lot of fun.

Although our pictures of Murphy's birthday events stop here, the fun did not. Ann-Phillips, Murphy's mom, picked up both Vivie Ann and Callie later that afternoon so they could all go out to dinner and then spend the night at Murphy's house. The evening included bubble baths, princess dress-up, and movies. Callie made her parents the proudest when it was reported that she asked Ann-Phillips if they could turn off the movie and go to bed because she was tired. We wish that she could show such self-control at our house. But we aren't holding our breath on that one.

Our second birthday subject arrived the first week of September and her name is Lucy Gipe. She is a wonderful addition to the lives of her parents, Alex and Sarah, and her big sister Libby. Lucy also happens to be the granddaughter of our good friends and neighbors, Sharon and Chris. We got to meet her pretty early on when she came to Lexington for her first visit.


It is amazing what the addition of two more little girls can do for a household. You can see that Sarah Gipe and Sarah Bowes are handling the additional chaos well, albeit with a glass of wine in hand.



It has been great over the past year or so to see Callie and Libby play together every time Libby comes to visit and stay with Sharon and Chris. They run all over the place with big smiles on their faces. So we can only imagine what it is going to be like in a few more years when Reese and Lucy join the fun.

But now we must move on to the main event. On October 3, Callie Alexis Bowes turned four years old. It is very hard to believe. She was so excited and it was wonderful to see how much she embraced the idea of turning a year older. Because her birthday was on a Monday she got to go to school and spend the day as the special birthday girl. This included getting to wear a sticker all day long that pointed out her new status as a four-year-old.



It also meant that we got to bring in cupcakes that she could share with her friends. Here is Callie sharing a cupcake with Maddie, who has been her best pal since she started going to daycare almost four years ago. They have an incredibly special relationship and Callie thinks the world of Maddie. Ironically enough, Callie got to celebrate Maddie's special day only a few weeks later. October is truly a great month!


Callie's birthday celebrations continued with an intimate dinner party with the Chrismans. When we asked Callie what she wanted for dinner, she requested shrimp fajitas without hesitation. It just so happens that this is only a slight variation on the tacos we prepared for her third birthday. As far as the cake goes, after perusing the options and with perhaps a little guidance from her mother, Callie chose the pink and purple castle cake. This was much better than the head of Tinker Bell or any of the other fairy princess options.



So we are now the proud parents of a four-year-old girl. Next year, however, we may have to bring in the fives by expanding the party to include a few more people her own age. We are not saying that we have made a reservation at the Green Tree, but next year may see a more traditional kids party. We shall see.

First Sleepover

One week before her birthday, Callie got to experience something we didn't think would happen for several more years. That's right, a sleepover! To be completely truthful though, it was all about Callie's parents earning brownie points with some family friends, the Johnsons. Seth and Jessica went to a UK football game so we decided to take on both their kids for the night with the idea that they will be taking on our kids some night in the not too distant future.


We had a great time with all four kids. The afternoon included a trip to the park, where Callie, Vivie Ann, Mason, and Reese played on the swings and went down the slides. All four ate a great dinner and earned their dessert. And of course what comes after dinner but bathtime. Yes, we had all four kids in the bath at once. It was quite a show to say the least.



As soon as Reese left the tub the fun really began. But all good things must come to an end and we had to get all three of the older kids out of the bath. Then it was time for putting on pajamas, brushing teeth, and reading books. But there is always time for another picture or two. We had to document every step to show Seth and Jessica that their kids had fun every step of the way. And we must say that Vivie Ann and Mason were phenomenal. Everyone was in bed and asleep by 8:30. Pretty impressive, if we don't say so ourselves. We only hope Reese and Callie are the same way when they get the chance to spend the night at the Johnsons.


Our last picture is just a status update of Reese and what she has been up to. She turned nine months in September and we have already updated you on her numbers. But the cuteness continues to develop with every day that passes. She is definitely a big fan of the swings.



In fact, all signs point to her being a big fan of anything involving flight and high altitudes. In short, she's a risk-taker and a climber. It's only a matter of time before she starts looking for the easy way out of her crib.

Zoey Berkeley Hannen is here!

We are happy to share the wonderful news about the newest addition to the Bowes family. At 9:30pm Rocky Mountain Time on October 2, Suzy and Brian welcomed their cute daughter Zoey Berkeley into the world. She was a whopping 7 lbs 3 oz and was 20 inches long.



The only thing that could have gone better was if she had waited for just about two and a half hours to arrive, because then she could have joined her Uncle Chris and cousin Callie in the illustrious October 3rd birthday club. But I'm sure Suzy has no problem with the fact that her labor didn't last any longer than it had to. In any case, we are so happy for Suzy and Brian and can't wait to meet our niece Zoey in just a couple of months. It is safe to say that Christmas in Connecticut is going to be crazy this year.

September Developments

Clearly this post was supposed to go up last month, but hey, with the schedules we are currently keeping we are just happy it is going up this year. Following our trip to California over Labor Day weekend we spent the rest of the month in Kentucky. But that didn't mean we didn't keep busy.


Reese was particularly active this month, as you can see in this picture. She wants to spend as much time as possible standing up. In fact she pulls up and cruises around the coffee table every chance she gets. Although she has been crawling for about a month, she has become extremely efficient in her movements, even though her crawl is a bit unorthodox. Reese continues to be a very cheerful little soul, and this picture captures some of the spunk she brings to our family. It is also important to note that this month she has not only learned how to clap but has also begun to make the appropriate sign for milk with her hands. And as we speak her third and fourth teeth are making an appearance.

But of course we also need to talk about the most recent numbers from her 9 month doctor's appointment. Apparently, Reese is shrinking even as she is growing. Her length is 27 inches which puts her in the 30th percentile, down from the 75th percentile she was in at birth. Her weight is 15 lbs 3 oz, which is officially labeled <5th percentile. That is down from the 15th percentile at birth. But how about the head? Circumference is 44 1/2 cm, or the 55th percentile. Now that is an increase from her 48th percentile at birth.



In short, there is a lot of love, joy, and spunk packed into a petite body with a large noggin. We love her to pieces and so does her big sister. The intense love that Callie has shown from day one has not diminished an ounce. It stays strong in the 100th percentile.


Callie has had her own special developments in September. She has started attending a ballet and tap dance class once a week and it is clear that she really enjoys it. It helps that one of her classmates is her good friend Vivie Ann. In this picture you can see Callie with Vivie Ann and another classmate Maya as they get ready to head into their first lesson of the session. It has become a great part of the week. We are trying not to get overwhelmed by whole process, especially since Callie seems to enjoy it. While we are a long way from being cast on a reality show about gung ho dance moms, we were all practicing our leaps the other night in the living room while Callie gave us pointers. The things you do for your kids.

All of those developments aside, September was like most months over the past year. It was filled with some craziness, but overall a whole lot of fun with our two growing and wonderful girls.



Although we don't get to do it all that often because of our hectic schedules, some of our favorite times are when the four of us are just hanging out and playing. This particular night Callie and Reese provided some extra entertainment by becoming real-life jack-n-the-boxes. Seldom have diaper boxes lead to so many giggles.