Gracyn and Gus

Last week, Gracyn got to bring Gus, the preschool class "pet" home for the weekend. Each child gets a turn to have Gus for the weekend and to chronicle his adventures at your house. We had lots of snuggle time with Gus and he went with us to Little Gym and a birthday party for another classmate. On his last night with us, we had our small group bible study at our house and many friends from Gracyn's class were here for that. They were all excited to see him, but not so excited to take a picture with him. I can't believe how big Gracyn's looks in these pictures. We still consider her the baby, but these photos are evidence she's not.

When she grows up she wants to be a realtor. She is gaining knowledge now by watching HFTV, favs being House Hunters and Love it or List It and playing with the Iphone Realtor.com app.

Wants to be a principal/singer when she grows up. Her inspiration comes from Miss Marsha, the director of our preschool. She runs the school, but leads in the kids in worship at chapel each week. According to Reagan's teachers, this is the perfect job for her.

Wants to be a princess when she grows up. She is not discouraged by her sisters' insistence that "princess" is not a real job. Gets daily practice now wearing sparkly dresses and skirts and constantly playing with hair and make-up.

Surgery

Well, I am five days post surgery and just beginning to hobble around a bit. The biggest challenge was making sure the surgeon operated on the correct leg. She had made a mistake in her initial paperwork and despite several phone calls and more corrections with the surgery center staff the morning of the operation, the surgeon still walked in ready to perform surgery on the wrong knee! She was horrifed by her mistake and in addition to the usual markings on my injured knee, she wrote the giant "NO" on the healthy side and as they wheeled me in to the OR they were flipping the equipment to prepare for the correct surgery. Since showering has been a challenge, I am still sporting those words on my leg all these days later.The girls think it is hilarious.

The first 24 hours after surgery was great. I either over did it and then paid for it or came off a high from all the hospital drugs. Either way, I went rapidly downhill after 24 hours and had a rough day and a half.  Most of Thursday and all of Friday were spent in bed, on ice, with Tommy catering to all my needs! Thankfully I began to feel better on Saturday and even had a short outing to see Addison's friend perform in a play. Today is my final day of rest. I can take about 5 consecutive steps without crutches and can move around pretty well. I am seeing drastic improvement each day and praying that continues. Stitches come out Thursday and I am guessing I will begin some PT. I am ready to have this behind me and be moving at my normal pace soon! 

The Pumpkin Patch is a fall favorite of ours each year. This year we enjoyed a hay ride out to the pumpkin fields, where Addison pulled her own special white pumpkin from the vine. Reagan and Gracyn found perfect pumpkins in the yard. They chased each other through a corn maze, rode in the barrel train and fed carrots to the animals. All this in crisp fall air under bright blue skies. Perfection.

What's Going On...

Tommy:

Working hard and traveling lots! He hasn't spent too many nights in his own bed these last few months.

NYC and San Diego were highlights. The girls loved the loot he brought home from the M&M store in Time's Square.

Coaching Reagan's soccer

Teaching two-year-olds at church.

Kim:

Waiting for the orthopedic surgeons scheduler to call to book my upcoming knee surgery. Mama's be careful on the playground. I tore my meniscus cartilage while pushing the girls on the swing and have been hobbling around for 2 weeks since then.

Keeping up with the girls' busy schedules. Making lunches, visiting classrooms, driving to dance, etc

Teaching 4-year-olds at church

Missing my gym time like crazy!!! Ready to be back on schedule with that after surgery.

Addison:

Just tried out for the Nutcracker at her dance studio. We have a little mouse in the house and can't wait for her performance.

Loving 2nd grade, making new friends and learning lots.

Teaching 4-year-olds with Mama at church. She has a gift with little ones!

BFF's with Chloe and Brooke.

Reagan:

Playing soccer, dancing in ballet and about to start Girl Scouts.

Loves kindergarten and comes home reading more everyday.

BFF's with Olivia L. and Olivia B.

Helping Daddy teach 2-year-olds at church.

Gracyn:

Loving her time in the mornings with just Mama and Reagan and in the afternoons alone.

Dancing ballet, but not loving the "structure", heading back to gymnastics soon.

Loves school, especially playing on the playground with her friends everyday when I pick her up.

BFF's with Elle and Baby Sophie

Detour

So, I couldn't get you closer, but if I could have you would see that giant orange sign down the hill says, "Road Closed Beginning June 18th, Re-opening in October". That is the entrance to my neighborhood and we are on the backside of a very long closure! Who does that? They just shut the whole road down for a quarter of the year. The only other entrance in to our out of our neighborhood requires a 5 mile detour to the backside of the neighborhood and then down some 2-lane, back country roads winding back to the main streets. When I say country roads, think horse properties, corn fields and a llama farm. Its been tough convincing my children that we can't have a horse at our house when everyday we drive through that. The detour is long and frustrating on a good day, get behind the mailman or a bicyclist and you aren't going anywhere!  The girls school is usually 5 minutes from our house, but not this year! Until the road opens, my babies are gone an extra 40 minutes a day, because their bus ride takes over 20 minutes. My final complaint with the whole process is that my big, giant SUV is good for a lot of things, but gas mileage isn't one of them. She gets 14 miles to the gallon, do the math on the extra 10 miles I drive every time I go back and forth from home to anywhere and it adds up to more than a gallon of gas extra each day. I'll be glad to have that $100 a month back in my pocket when October rolls around.

The good news is my big hurry to get out of my neighborhood, just leads to this. The next road is open, but during a major construction process. This photo was taken as I drove 5 miles an hour behind this tractor for 15 minutes. The whole process is making me crazy! Thanks for letting me rant....the end is in sight! I am not even sure what they are doing out there, but I hope it is something spectacular.

Summer Giving

My Addison is a saver! This girl doesn't part with a dime, EVER. She opened her first savings account this summer and I am sure she will be buying her first car or house with that money someday, because I don't think she will touch it before then. So, when she began saying that she wanted to save money for animals, I was surprised and impressed. Throughout the summer, she put aside a small portion of any money she received in a separate box, "for the animals". She loves to visit PetSmart or the grocery store when they have animal adoptions, she has read every "Puppy Place" book written, and she had expressed an interest in volunteering at a shelter. I checked around with the local shelters and unfortunately she is too young to volunteer. However, the SPCA volunteer coordinator was kind enough to offer the girls a tour of the facility if they wanted to bake some homemade doggie treats and bring in their donation. Minus the home baked treats (not much home baking goes on in my kitchen), we put it on our list of summer activities. By the end of summer, with a little help from her sisters and some small contributions from family in Texas, Addison had a decent donation saved up. We went shopping and purchased a few bags of items from the SPCA wishlist to take with her cash offering. The tour was great, the favorite part being a live surgery we viewed through a window. The girls loved on some animals and were happy to give their donations. We showed great restraint  and didn't come home with any new additions to the family, though it was tempting. I am sure we will go back many times for visits.

Also this summer, during their VBS, the girls had the opportunity to donate money to an orphanage in Burma. A missionary from the village visited with the children each day and told them stories of the families there. My girls were touched by the stories and were eager to help. The goal, as a group, was to raise $21000 in a week and they did it! My girls took it very seriously and gave generously with their own money.  They gave from money they already had and did chores for me to earn extra money. Addison donated a large portion of her savings and sweet Reagan actually gave all that she had. They were cheerful givers and were compassionate to others in need. My prayer is that they will always be this way. They sure make me proud!

It's Her Turn

Miss Gracyn had her long-awaited first day of school on Tuesday. She will be with Miss Megan on Tuesday and Thursdays for two and half hours. Miss Meagan was the first teacher we met when we arrived here from Colorado 1 and 1/2 years ago. She was Reagan's 3's teacher and she welcomed our whole family with warmth and love at a time when we really needed it. She is a passionate, faithful, gracious woman, who speaks 3-year-old better than anyone I know and who does this job because she truly loves it. It is a privilege to send another one of my children to her.

Gracyn was up at 7am, dragging a chair to her closet and searching for her "beautiful dress" for school. She asked me to braid and curl her hair, and then she added a few additional accessories when I finished. She didn't have school until 12:30, but she told us several times during the morning that she thought we should go to school now.

The first day was a BIG hit! Her best friend, Elle, is in class with her. And, thanks to the smallish town we live in, we know 10 of the 14 kids in the group. Several are good friends and many of the children are younger siblings of the class Reagan went through preschool with. When we arrived after school to pick them up, Miss Megan said this group was ready! She said it was like they had been there for years, which actually, along for the ride with their siblings, they have. Gracyn's only complaint was that she doesn't get to go everyday! I think we have a great year ahead.

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!