Put to Bed by Tobias...

Tobias is such a sweet big brother to Lorelei. Last Sunday during dinner we were talking about what a nice big brother he is. Lorelei completely agreed calling him the sweetest brother in the world :-).

I am not sure how the conversation got started but it came to a point where putting Lorelei to bed would make him the sweetest big brother in the whole world. That triggered something and made him want to do that. So, that night Tobias put Lorelei to bed for the first time!

And let me tell you, it was sweeeeeeeet! He brushed her teeth, helped her take her clothes off and put her pajamas on, he took her upstairs and read her two books! She was so happy, and he was so proud!

Here he is reading to her... He has put her to bed two more times since then! I am curious to see where this is going...

Coloring

Lorelei likes coloring. She has her own markers and Lisa got her a new coloring book. She will drag that stuff around the house and sit down anywhere to color. She is gradually improving her skills too. Here she settled down by the cat bed because she wanted to show Darwin what she was doing :-). Darwin was not that interested and left. Fortunately for Lorelei, Lisa was very interested and willing to join the fun!

I like the resulting picture.

Easter Princess

I know, I know, I am a guy and I realize I may get somewhat over-excited about girly things my little girl does, says or wears... But hey, I am a guy, I love my baby girl! So, just read!

So, she gets this super-duper cute pink silky beautiful dress from Nonny. It came with a little head band with a pink bow on top (which she was not too excited about wearing...). We put it on and my god! She was sooooooooooooooooooo cute!

Oh, don't forget Tobias though, because he also looked great in his new clothes. But, be honest, who can resist that little Easter Princess?

First Haircut

Lorelei had her very first haircut last week. I know, unbelievable after three and a half years! And we thought Tobias was late having his first haircut... But, true nonetheless and as you can see in this picture, she enjoyed it... thoroughly. She was even able to sit still throughout the process. Of course we tried to save a lock of hair, but that turned out to be impossible. There was so little hair cut off, and the hair that did end up on the cloth was just fuzz... So, no lock from her first haircut in her album. Hopefully we will have one from her second haircut...

Oh, the hairdresser is my mom, and she enjoyed it too. She is convinced that the little hair she has now will grow into a beautiful full head of hair before we know it. After three and a half years that is kind of hard to believe, but hey, what can you do but wait and see :-).

Playing with the Neighbor

It seems that 3 is the age at which playing together is the thing to do. The summer after Tobias turned 3 he ventured out into the alley behind our house a lot more. Lorelei is doing the same. In doing so, she attracts the attention of other kids, including boys :-). Here she is playing with Jochem, our next door neighbor's oldest... "Jochem is my friend", she'll tell us, which is not a title she grants everyone. Emma, for example "does this" (she will show how Emma pulled her shirt) and therefore "is not my friend". Jojanneke, Lotte and Euan are among the lucky few who are allowed to be Lorelei's friend. We'll see how that develops :-).

Roller Skating

It is springtime... All the kids come out to play, including my kids. Tobias must still have some of the skating virus left in him from this winter, because the other day he wanted to go roller-blading. This has hardly ever happened before. He's had the blades for quite a while but they have hardly been used... Anyway, he got them out and off he went. Then, of course, Lorelei wanted to do that too. Fortunately we have these strap-on roller-skates for your shoes. I can tell you one thing, the also fit on cowboy boots :-). And, just like on the ice, Lorelei kind of "runs" on them with the occasional roll.

Sooooo cute :-)!

Biking (continued...)

Lorelei has been able to bike for a while now, but during winter we haven't been outside that much, let alone biking... Well, it is springtime now and the bike is out! And the girl is biking like crazy! She loves it and is doing really well. She is now able to ride for quite a ways and pretty straight. She is able to round a corner without having to stop. She is able to start by herself. The only thing she can't do yet is break very well. She knows she can squeeze the hand break, but she doesn't hold it... so, she doesn't stop. I don't think she quite gets the concept of the pedal break yet. So, what she does is dragging her feet on the ground, which is definitely not the most efficient way to stop...

There is still some work to do, but as you can see, she is getting there. Maybe soon we can get rid of our bike seats :-).