Spring has Sprung

Once again, it's been awhile since I've done any blogging...life has just gotten too busy with an active four year old, and both of us balancing work with family time. Lia is doing amazing. Her speech is REALLY coming along. Now, people who haven't seen her in a few months even comment on how much more they can understand. She is also coming out of her shell now that we've been settled in our house for almost a year and she is enjoying her new school and afternoon schedule as well. As the previous post noted, Lia started ballet in January. During March, there was a brief hiatus from ballet lessons, where I enrolled her in a local gymnastics program for four weeks - just to try it out. The gym is loud and there are a TON of kids there on any given weeknight - so I wasn't sure how she'd do. She is also still working on catching up on some of her gross motor skills in terms of balance, strength, and agility. The first night she was more of an "observer", but since then, every week she has tried (and succeeded!) and new skills and her increased strength is showing!

Lia also got a new, 2-wheel bike a few weeks ago! She is still using training wheels, but she has gotten the hang of using the brakes to slow down, and is working hard pedaling up inclines and using those new leg muscles! We are so proud of her. Now, anytime the sun is shining, she wants to go outside on a ride around the neighborhood with us. When it rains, she just rides around and around the kitchen island! Yesterday was beautiful, so Steve took her out on her bike and she rode over to the neighborhood play area. She face-planted at one point (due to going down a driveway slope too fast and turning the wheel) but she was wearing her helmet and pads, so after a few tears (from being scared!) she got back on that bike and rode over to the park anyway. GO LIA!

Over Lia's spring break from preschool, we took a day to travel up north and visit the tulip fields. It was SO beautiful. Lia said she could look and them "all day and all night". Her favorites were the pink and purple varieties (of course!) but we were able to snap this pic of her standing amongst a field of red. Amazing!