Weekly Update - Ended with the loss of a first tooth!

Well, this was an eventful week!  This was the first full week of kindergarten for the girls (and for me spending the week without them).  We also celebrated Ri's THIRD birthday!  I can't believe it.  I still can't believe she's already three...she still seems so much like a baby...but she's THREE!  Unbelievable.  Also, Tay lost her very first tooth!  Such an eventful week...here is the photo-recap.

Let me start with Rea this time as she hit some cool milestones this week in my book.  As you are already well aware, she is quite the active little gal and enjoys bath time much like her sisters.  She protests quite a bit, though, when I try to get her dressed after bathing.

She is continuing her facial exercises by making funny faces.  This week, she focused on her mouth, as opposed to her nose and eyes last week.  Here she is making her mouth as small as possible (although I was only able to capture the shot when she had already made the face and was in the process of releasing the tiny mouth).

And this one was popular this week where she sucks her upper lip in, but I think she is doing that because she has an itchy upper gum...I expect to see some teeth coming through up there pretty soon.

 Hehehe...

 This is a side view, but you can still see her with that little upper lip sucked in!

 And of course, the usual tasting of everything is a daily occurrence.

She has been working very hard at getting her body in the crawling position.  She can't hold this position yet for very long, but she really is happy with herself when she gets up off the ground like this.  Sometimes her arms give out, so I always have to make sure she's on a soft surface in case she does a face plant.  Today (Sunday - 22 Sep 2013), she was able to launch herself forward from this position to actually get a toy she was trying to reach!  So, I think we'll have a crawler on our hands pretty soon...::sigh::

She continues to charm us daily with her sweet little smiles and giggles.

We just crack each other up!  :)

Now, moving on to my little birthday girl...

She has been learning how to connect dots...so she likes to show me on her white board.  I am impressed that her lines are relatively straight and she does make it from dot to dot.  :)  Now that she's three, we'll start working on her pencil grip and the letters in her name.  I think she'll be mastering her H's in no time.

Ri enjoys setting up tea parties for her sisters.  It's especially fun when her littlest sister participates!

The girls really enjoy playing like they are on trips to different places when we are at home.  Their latest favorites are going to a "hotel" or going to the "beach."  Here they are at the "beach."  They brought out the towels hanging in the bathroom (bath towel and hand towel) and pretended like they were sunning themselves...but Ri said, "My towel is little, and I'm little.  So it's my towel.  I fit just right."  Adorable.  

 Here they are going "swimming" and "diving for treasures" in their playroom.  See how she is holding her breath and "swimming super fast!"

Her birthday party was small and at our house, but it was enjoyed greatly by the sisters.  Tay really enjoys giving presents..."Tada!"

Especially when she gets a reaction like this:  "I LOVE IT!"

And the sweet sister hug after thank you kisses were exchanged.

Moving on to Tay, here's the first piece of art she brought home from school.  She made a "fox" because the "older kids" in her class had "fox meetings" while the younger kids went outside to play...and that is when they get to do some art that the younger kids have a harder time doing.  She got to be with the older kids and make her art.  She LOVES art...so I think she will enjoy being a part of the "fox meetings."

And...I still can't believe it...but my first child has lost her very first tooth!  First time we get to play the tooth fairy!  What's the going rate for a tooth these days?  She's expecting a quarter.

Now...on to the food.  This week was mostly a baking week for me as I got obsessed with a new cake decorating technique I found on Pinterest.  I made a dozen cupcakes and a cake for the school birthday party for Ri and I made a whole other cake for her birthday party we did at home with our neighbors over to our house.

 This cake got sent to the school.  Here is the website where I learned how to do this great (and surprisingly easy) cake decoration:  http://www.brasstacksandbasics.com/2011/08/super-fancy-cake-decorating-tutorial.html?m=1

 The second cake I did for the home party was a rainbow cake with a much lighter chocolate frosting

This was how I was just going to leave the cake...and then...

 I was awake and got excited, so I went ahead and did this...

I LOVE rainbow cakes because they just look so cool when you cut into them and the kids are just SO surprised and impressed.  The cake and the frosting were absolutely a hit, and so HERE is the recipe for the cake I used and HERE is the recipe for the chocolate frosting.  You can cut the sugars by about a third and still have a ridiculously sweet cake... ;)

 Here are some of the "snacks" I've been packing for the girls for school.  Since it's not exactly "lunch" since they have lunch before they head to school, I pack them a "snack."  I thought maybe this was too much the first time I sent it, but both girls came home with empty lunch boxes and said they were starving when they got home, so I started adding a little more substantial "snack" for them.  

 And of course, can't forget my kimchi.  Turned out delicious!

So, that's all for this week's update.  Hope you all had a great week and enjoy the upcoming week!