Off and Running!

What a difference a week makes! Alex is now walking on a regular basis, toddling around the house and showing off his new found ability. Arielle must be studying her brother's skills carefully, as she's starting to stand on her own a little more and will walk as long as she's holding on to both of Mommy or Daddy's hands. Ari also got her eighth tooth this week, bringing the current score to 8 (Ari) to 6 (Alex).

We also turned Alex's car seat around today, from rear-facing to forward-facing. Guidelines require seats to stay rear-facing until infants are one year and 20 pounds, so Alex clearly fits both of these requirements and his legs were getting very cramped against the back of the seat, so we decided to give him some more room (and a new perspective) and rotate the seat. Ari, on the other hand, will have to wait at least a few months, as she has several pounds to go before she meets the weight requirement.

This week we tried to keep busy, as Daddy was out of town on business for most of the week. Luckily, we were able to spend a lot of time outside with neighborhood friends. We are taking full advantage of our proximity to the neighborhood tot lot, visiting several times a day some days. Alex and Ari especially like going to the tot lot in the morning in time to see the school bus arrive. They both say "buh!" (bus) as soon as it rounds the corner, and they wave to the bus driver, who seems to think that Alex and Ari are very cute. Here are Alex and Ari on the playground:

Tonight we had Shabbat dinner at Miri and Opa's with a little birthday celebration for Mommy (thanks for the yummy birthday cake, Miri!) Ari and Cousin Naomi helped Mommy open gifts while Alex hung out with Aunt Debbie:

This weekend is a busy one for Mommy and Daddy with lots of events for their various volunteer organizations, so Alex and Ari will get to spend more quality time with Nana and Poppy Jack. They won't be left out of the fun entirely, though, as all four of us are looking forward to a BBQ with all of the "girls" from Mommy's monthly Girls Night Out and their families. Is it obvious we're all very happy that springtime is here?!