Happy Days of Spring

Callie played in her second soccer season this spring, and we are happy to report that while there were still a few times she needed to be prodded to join in the fun, she showed signs of improvement overall.  In fact, there were several times that she actively went after the ball and didn't simply avoid any and all contact.  This is certainly been a parenting struggle.  We don't want to push her into anything, and she says she wants to be there.  But Callie is dealing with two parents who find it difficult to understand not wanting to be out on the field and in the game. All three of us are working on it.  Reese, on the other hand, seems to enjoy the games just fine.  This could be because of the numerous snacks she consumes in the course of the hour we are at the fields.

The four girls pictured below have come to adore each other over the past couple of years.  And if we are lucky, they will continue to have fun together for many years to come.  

 

 

 

Any time Libby and Lucy come to visit their grandparents, Callie and Reese want to run out the door so they can be a part of the visit too.  And Libby and Lucy are just as excited to see them.  It's quite cute to see all the running back and forth between the two houses when the Gipe girls are in town.

 

Lucy and Reese are about ten months apart in age, but it is very possible that they are even closer in spirit.  All the adults involved in their lives agree that the two of them may raise a ruckus or two as they get older.  But they look so sweet, you may say.  And it is true, they are both very sweet.  But the presence of sweetness does not mean the absence of a little (or a lot) of spice.

   

In the meantime, as spring began to arrive and flowers bloomed, we turned around and noticed that Callie is growing up in some seriously big ways.  It's kind of crazy, but it really seems to be happening at a rapid pace.  This is not only a physical transformation, but a mental one as well.  She is more comfortable in taking on challenges she once shied away from and is excited to show us all the things she can do on her own.  As the picture here shows, tree climbing is only one of many things she has taken a liking to.

 

 

Reese is also growing by leaps and bounds and becoming quite a little girl.  Although she loves to follow in her sister's footsteps, she is developing a very clear personality of her own.  At this particular moment in time, this involves putting on the Tinkerbell dress almost every evening when she gets home from daycare.  This has also allowed her to demonstrate her fierce independence, because she does the whole thing herself and does not want anyone helping her get ready.