Friday Night Fun

It's funny how the girls get 'hooked' on a certain thing that they like to play with for a while.  This week they have truly enjoyed several hours each afternoon playing in the 'treehouse.'  They take bags and bags of things out to set up their little house-books, blankets, coolers with food, dolls, and trash bags-one for trash and one for recycling. :-)  Tonight they decided that their treehouse needing cleaning.  They put on their aprons and took rags, the mop and the broom outside to clean.  When they were finished the wood flooring looked amazing!

When they came in, they told us that the hard work was finished.  They were going to bed early because tomorrow was going to be a busy day outside!  They had big plans for their Saturday.

5K Room Visit

Today was Maggie's 5K room visit, aka her last classroom visit at our school.  Oh my...it's gonna be a sweet year!  Everybody adores Mrs. Baker because she makes life and learning SO MUCH FUN!  Maggie was so excited to tell me about the "safari hunt" she and Daddy had to complete to see all the different areas of her classroom.  Tonight I received this extremely SWEET picture from Mrs. Baker and it made my heart melt!  SO SO SWEET!  We're looking forward to a great year!

Dental surprise

We've determined Caroline has the most stubborn teeth!  When we visited Dr. Elvington in July, Caroline had a very loose tooth.  We worked the tooth for over a month but it would NOT come out.  She had a top tooth that was coming through the side of her gum but the baby tooth would not let go.  Well Dr. Elvington said that if the top tooth broke the gum, we definitely needed to come in.

Well it did, so we made an appointment for today.  Caroline said "Do you think they will pull it?"  I assured her they wouldn't because those type of procedures required a separate visit.  WRONG.  After Dr. Elvington checked her out, she said they could work us in today vs. having to wait until October to come back.  Neither one of us expected that!

This girl while a little bit nervous, handled it like a CHAMP!  I was so proud of her!  I wish I was as brave as she is.  I sat in my seat, rather uncomfortable, listening to the procedure.  But not her, she did great!!  She called her Daddy just before they got started and requested Jello, mashed potatoes and ice cream.  For those that don't know, Andy is the BEST nurse.  He handles these situations so well.  So thankful for him!

So far Caroline has had a great night!  She hasn't complained once.  She thinks it's hilarious that she can't feel her lips and than when she drinks, it spills. :-)  I think the half smile is precious!!  Here's to hoping she has a great night!

Backyard Fun

Our weather this weekend has been absolutely amazing!! Very cool temps for us and little to no humidity.  The girls have really enjoyed playing in the back yard together.  Saturday after we returned from the Y, they played outside for several hours.  I found them with a water hose on the 'tree house' as they call it.  Thankful for sweet memories.

Caroline Makes Breakfast

Yesterday when Maggie woke up, I was still asleep.  Caroline said "No worries, I got this."  She got up with her.  When I woke up an hour later, I found Caroline in the kitchen making breakfast for them.  Looks pretty good to me!  Maggie was impressed!

Officially the Final Y Swim

We thought our Y membership ended yesterday however, it was today.  So we made one last visit with Aunt Jill and Nori.  It was a cool morning but it didn't stop our girls from having fun.  Considering we were the only ones there for most of the time, I'm sure the lifeguards were thrilled!  Maggie earned her green band last weekend and was so excited to finally be able to swim with Caroline and Nori in the deep end.  I got a few pictures of the girls jumping in the pool.  They were supposed to jump in together but Caroline tricked Maggie saying it was too cold.  Caroline thought it was hilarious, Maggie not so much.  They finally went in at the same time and had a blast.

We have absolutely LOVED our Y membership this year.  We were sad to leave today...but Lord willing we will be back next year! :-)

3rd generation....

Today I pulled out the ironing board and the girls clothes.  My hope it to get a few weeks worth of clothes ready for school so I won't have to think about it.  Caroline offered to help me iron so I said why not.  She did a great job!!  My friend Jill thinks I'm crazy for ironing BUT my momma ALWAYS ironed our clothes...I hate to see a wrinkle in nice clothes...hopefully I'm teaching my girls the same thing!  Thanks Caroline!

Silly Mags

Mags has fallen in love with her soft, cozy robe.  She loves a good pair of slippers and it's an extra bonus when she gets to wear her curlers.  We've been watching the Brady Bunch and she thinks she looks like Alice! :-) Too Funny!

Messy office

Conversation with Maggie today:

• Mags: When are you going to clean up your office?
• Me: Considering it's mostly YOUR mess, I'm guessing it will be AFTER YOU start school! :-)

Caroline's first day of 5th grade

The big day finally came and our girl was READY!  She informed us early on that she didn't need or want us to walk her in.  Say what????  Ok...I just it's a sign of independence and self confidence right?  So we had our traditional monkey bread for breakfast and were waiting for the clock to strike 7.  We all prayed together and headed to the car.  The ride there was filled with great excitement on C's part.  We listened to her favorite music from "The Greatest Showman."  As we prepared to let her out, my eyes began to fill with tears.  I was thankful I was able to tell her to have a great day without my voice cracking.  She was out the door and on her way.  She barely had time to turn around and wave...

We met her teachers last Thursday night for Open House and I was so thankful.  It made today so much easier!  We LOVE her teachers and are so very thankful for them.  We are so grateful for the Lord answering our prayers about her placement.  She knows one student in her class, which was a friend from REACH.

The day went well and when I picked her up, she was SO EXCITED!  She got in, said she had a great day!  She couldn't talk fast enough...she can't wait to return tomorrow!!  Here's to a great year!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday Swimming and a funny story

 A few days ago, we were leaving the pool.  We have to walk through the exercise area of the pool to leave.  Maggie looked at me as serious as she could and said:

• Can you believe some people only come to the Y to exercise?
• ** total silence**
• Not us...we only come to the Y to swim! :-) 

Shortly after I took the first picture, something big happened!  This girl tried out for her green band and got it!  She was SO excited!!  Shortly after she earned her green band, Aunt Jill and Nori met us.  She couldn't wait to show them!  The girls got a few minutes in the outdoor pool before they closed it because of lightening.  No worries, we headed inside to the indoor pool and the girls had a blast.  We celebrated Maggie's green band accomplishment with ice cream before heading home.  It was an exciting time!!

Back To School Haircuts

Today was all things back to school.  A visit with Mrs. Baker, hair cuts for both girls and back to school shopping for Caroline.  Both girls decided they wanted to cut their hair super short!  It's just hair so I said sure.  Both were SUPER excited with their cuts.  I think they are super cute!

School supply shopping can be a little overwhelming.  Caroline had 6 different lists to buy from.  She loved picking everything out.  She even got to pick our a new water bottle and thermos...hello kitty is no longer acceptable. :-)  We came home and sorted and labeled everything according to who is went to.  Wouldn't you know we missed two things.  Because I'm crazy like that, I had to go back to the store to purchase those two things right then so that I could mark everything off our list. :-)  Ready or not, 5th grade we're coming for you!

A Mexican Treat

One of my sweet school families emailed me to let me know they were home from Mexico (where they spent the summer with their family) and they had a little something for me.  We met earlier and this is what I got!!  They brought me Mexican candy shaped as some of their native foods.  It was made with all natural sugars and such...how cool!  What a sweet surprise!!

Maggie's 5k homevisit...

Today Maggie had her 5K home visit with Mrs. Baker.  Our family adores Mrs. Baker and it honestly doesn't seem like that long ago when she was here for Caroline's 5K home visit. We are super excited about this year!!  We know Maggie will love 5K just as much as Caroline did.  Andy and I were waiting in our room while they were visiting and I looked at him and said "THIS...this is our last Calvary home visit..."  WOW time is flying by...our season of preschool is coming to an end so quickly!  We will enjoy this year for sure!

Pool Party with My Summer BFF

Last Thursday, Jill and I both planned to spend the day at the pool together.  She went back to work yesterday and Friday we were going to be out of town, so Thursday was our last official day at the pool.  We love our summers spent at the Y.  We do not take this time for granted...it's a gift to see each other 2-5 times per week.  We spend more time together in the 2 1/2 months of summer than we do all school year long! :-)  Our kids think we join the Y so that they can play and have fun together...silly kids, we join the Y so that we can hang out and catch up while you are entertained with friends!!  I love you Jillzy!  Until next summer!

Fun with Kylie

Today we enjoyed having Caroline's sweet friend Kylie over for a visit.  These girls have enjoyed the last 4 days of school together!  This year will be very different for them.  They were both excited but a little nervous as they talked about the new schools and the new year.  They shared lots of laughs and giggles and had fun playing with their AG dolls.  Hopefully life won't get too busy so that they can still have playdates throughout the next two years until they are back in school together.

It's a new day!

This past week has been extremely difficult as we closed the chapter on a 15 year run of Andy's job in the superintendents office!  As crazy as it sounds, when Andy came home Thursday, after his last day, there was almost a sigh of relief that it was done...the chapter was closed and we're ready for what's to come.  We both know that the Lord has greater things in store for Andy and for us.  We just have to wait to see what they are.  As he left for work this morning, I thought about the beautiful sunrise we saw a few weeks ago.  Andy's future is a lot like that sunrise...we don't know what the day will hold, but it's gonna be beautiful!  We prayed that Andy would shine brightly with the new folks that he is working with...that they would see something different in him and that maybe he would be a breath of fresh air for these fella's.

Jellystone Park camping

We got to enjoy our second weekend of camping!  I learned a few things on this trip

1. If camping in the summer, we WILL have a water source available to cool off.  
2. If camping in the summer, ask if the site is shaded!
3. We seriously need to get a mattress topper for our mattress. 

Otherwise, we had a blast!  The kids loved playing in the pool and in the splash zone area.  The campground had a lot of fun activities throughout the day that the kids could enjoy.  They made a tie die shirt, built a marshmallow tower and joyed a H2O "hey" ride.  (Andy can thank me later for taking one for the team on this one...we all got soaked except Daddy who was back at the camper cooking dinner!)

We took Charlie Brown on this trip and he did great!  He only escaped once and he actually sat in the grass for Andy to pick him up.  He's a sweet one!!

This weekend was a wonderful getaway with our family!  I am really excited for more opportunities like this one for us!  Next trip, celebrating Andy and Caroline's birthday!! :-)

Snaggle Tooth Mags

Mags wiggle her 3rd tooth right on out..she made it her mission!  The moment she woke up, she started working it...she didn't stop until this afternoon when we got it out.  She looks adorable with her tooth gone! :-)

Mermaid Maggie

Nori let Maggie borrow her Mermaid tail at the pool and Mags was thrilled!!  It was hilarious to watch her walk in this thing! :-)