Back to School

 

 

We are well into the school routine around here. The girls started last Wednesday and so far are loving school!

Addison picked her new clothes from Justice....she would have nothing to do with Gymboree during our back to school shopping. She got a super sweet teacher who has a big rewards program where the kids earn stickers that they can trade in for big prizes! Working for a prize is the girls LOVE LANGUAGE, so she is happy as can be. She does seem to have a "spirited" boy at her table, who often keeps them from winning table prizes, but she hasn't complained too much about it! Her little bestie is in her class again, so they are happy to be seeing each other again daily. I am proud of her for already working hard and trying her best. We are excited for a great year.

Reagan was ecstatic about the BUS!!! Can you tell from the picture? Little sister has been watching Addison leave on that bus everyday for 2 years and she has been waiting for her turn. I thought I would have a hard time sending her off, but there was no way I could be sad looking at her grin that spread from EAR to EAR! She has a close friend in her class and 2 great friends on the bus. She finds her besties on the playground and comes home with great reports everyday. Yesterday, after the 5th day, her teacher sent me the sweetest email just saying how much she was enjoying Reagan and what a sweet, helpful little girl she was. My heart was so happy receiving that! Reagan is reading away at home, learning everyday and ready to take on kindergarten!

Here is my funny bus story from the start of the year! Addison has always sat in the front of the bus. She sits next to an autistic friend from our neighborhood and has always served as her helper on the bus. She has a few other friends that sit up front next to them and we have never had any problems.

Well, yesterday Addison comes home and tells me that Reagan tried to sit in the back of the bus with the "Very Inappropriate" boys. Addison said she heard them saying all kinds of bad words (PG words, probably not bad by some people's standards, but banned in our house). She waited until the first stop, marched to the back of the bus and told Reagan, "These boys aren't talking nice and you need to get back up front!". Reagan, surprisingly took sister's orders well and moved to the front. We have since let her know that is where she needs to stay! I love that they look out for each other. Mine will only ride the same bus for one year, so I am going to enjoy it while I can.

Mimi's Wedding

Mimi's wedding was a busy day of hair appointments, dress-up, pictures, a beautiful ceremony and a fun dance party! The girls did amazingly well, considering we started with hair early in the day and they were dancing at the reception many hours past their bedtime. My dad had loaned me his camera (same one as mine), after I promised not to leave it in the car, so I was able to take some pictures. Still waiting for the professional pics....can't wait to see those.

Can you tell they are excited?

Reagan can turn on the supermodel when she wants to!

She was full of poses the whole night!

Mimi the bride and the little ones in the wedding party.

Pretty girl....she loved her long dress and bouquet.

Enjoying 10 years with my man, back at the location of our wedding. We squeezed in one half of a dance between parenting at the reception!

Gracyn needed to be twirled by someone all.night.long! Papma was a good sport, especially considering he has recently been diagnosed with arthritis in his shoulder.

Daddy and Reagan....these girls danced their little hearts out. They never stopped!



My adolescent nephew, not sure about the love he is getting from his mama.

What wedding is complete without the chicken dance?

Lovely bride.....not sure why she is sideways, my computer usually turns them correctly, but it won't let me rotate this image. No pictures of the groom on my camera! Hopefully the ceremony pictures will make it in soon.

Addison and Grandma

Bride's Room

We are still awaiting the photographer's pictures from Mimi's wedding, but here is a sneak peak. Here are Addison and Reagan in the bride's room just minutes before the ceremony began. Picture perfect and ready to head down the aisle.

And, here is Gracyn. She was all dressed for pictures and ready to go. The minute we went back to the bride's room after pictures, she stripped everything off. Shoes, dress, bracelet, it all came off. She said it was too itchy. So, here she is minutes before the ceremony, stripped down to her underclothes and eating chicken nuggets!

Pappy

More sad photography from the phone. The girls had lots of good catching up time with Pappy while in Texas. He came to see them the first day, bearing large bags from the American Girl Store. One of their treats was the McKenna Doll's gymnastics set. Perfect timing with the Olympics. The girls loved cheering on the American Team, all the while having their dolls perform the moves. Pappy somehow managed to squeeze in a brief nap despite the chaos around him....he has a gift!

Lucky Day and Classy

A very big thank you, once again, to the people who stole my camera in Texas! It kills me to think of the 8 days worth of pictures that are gone! Courtesy of the common criminal, I bring you what little photographic documentation I have of our trip....a few tiny IPhone pics from Tommy's camera. Thank goodness he is always snapping away with that thing, otherwise we would have nothing.

Early in the trip, we spent the day with Miss Debra. Since the horses at their house have all been sold, she arranged for us to spend the afternoon riding horses at a friend's farm. It was a perfect (104 degree) afternoon and the girls loved it. The family we visited has small children, so their horses were just the right size and temperament for us. Gracyn and Reagan were immediately enamored with Lucky Day, that small little black pony. He is not much bigger than our lab and as gentle as a mouse. They brushed him, saddled him and then took turns leading each other around the (gratefully covered) arena. Lucky was one mellow old man....perfect. He got some yummy carrots, a good brushing and lots of petting in return for the laps he made in the heat.

Addison was fast friends with the daughter of the farm, Hannah. She was in her element among the dogs, cats, chickens rooster and horses. Nothing would make her happier than if we moved to the country. Just in case she ever talks us into it, she is saving for a horse. She was in awe to see a girl her own age living her dream. Hannah has her own horse, Classy. She and Addison took off to the field to catch her horse and bring her back to the barn. Hannah was so sweet to share Classy and let Addison saddle and ride for the afternoon. Like Lucky, Classy was a laid back, sweet horse and was exceptionally patient with my eager riders.

The girls could have stayed all day, but we only had Miss Debra for a short window while she was in town from one show and before departing for another. And truthfully, as nice as it was, one can only take the heat for so long. My girls loved this day and won't be forgetting those horses anytime soon. Thanks Miss Debra for making it happen!

Shattered

Summer is nearing a close and hopefully as school and schedules return, I will be a better blogger! I still haven't finished my posts from our Colorado trip and now we just arrived home from 10 days in Texas. We had a great time visiting friends and family on a trip that included 4 hotel rooms, 5 states, more than 2500 miles on the car and a big wedding! The blogging for this trip won't take me too long, because unfortunately I have no pictures! On the 8th morning of our trip, I headed to my car early in the morning to get a quick breakfast and found a window shattered out and my camera gone. So sad, not only to lose an expensive camera and my Flip video, which was also in the bag, but to also lose all the memories we had documented on the trip!!! Tommy has a few pictures on his phone, and we have lots of beautiful pictures from my Mom's wedding, but everything else is gone. So sad!