5 in a tub??

Our friends left this morning :( We had such fun while they were here, and ended our final evening together with a girl group bath. After a very brief discussion we parents ended in an unanimous decision that all 5 girls were NOT going to fit in the same tub. So, the two dads teamed up and bathed the little girls first....



and then the big girls!


So, we set our sights on the friends waiting for us in Beijing! A change of plans means that we now leave home on February 21st - that's less than two weeks away! Yikes - I have a lot of packing and planning to do between now and then.

In the meantime the girls and I are determined to enjoy our last days at home, just the three of us ladies playing-away the daytime hours. Both of them change so quickly, I know by the time we get back from Beijing with their little brother, they will be really different.

Lydia's newest and biggest accomplishment is her attempt to say "Julianna" instead of the abbreviated "Nana" she's used since she was about 11 months old. It sounds like "U - Li - Anna" and it is just precious to hear. She is so proud of herself and calls for her sister a thousand times a day, just to show off her new skill!

And today's sign that Julianna is growing up way too fast? This morning at breakfast she told me that she was already "three and a half". I clarified that the 8 weeks that have passed since her 3rd birthday hardly qualify her for "three and a half" status. But seriously, where did she get that from? I didn't even know she knew of the "____ and a half" concept!