Ramblings

 Stuart Little came to ASUMH campus and I thought it was a great chance for the girls to see their first play!  We hadn't read the book or watched the movie, so they really didn't know what to expect.  Amelia colored this picture to gear up, haha. 

 

I thought Amelia would do well, but I was curious about Elise.  I'm always curious about that hilarious girl.  We met our sweet friends there for a fun Sunday afternoon out.

It was a hit!! The play was about an hour and fifteen minutes (perfect length) with a very straightforward, easy to follow script.  Elise blew me away.  I was trying to narrate for her and she would say, "I know mom, they just said that." HAHA. She followed every scene change and joke.  It was a great afternoon and I hope more kid-friendly plays come to The Sheid.  

Another fabulous thing about MH is the library.  Such a wonderful facility and so many current books.  Love it. This book is so precious--our favorite of all that we've checked out in a while.

And lastly, we love having visitors!!  The girls were saying they missed Meme and Pop and when I mentioned all the times we had seen them last (quite a lot) Amelia responded that she meant she missed them being HERE.  So, a visit was arranged and the loveliest day was had. 

Meme brought homemade chocolate chip cookies!

 We took a walk down to the trail and enjoyed each others' company.  Can't ask for much more.

Out of the Darkness 5K

 Amelia has been wanting to do a race from the moment she watched me do part of the Color Me Rad race and I thought this glow in the dark race would be perfect!  Of course, all serious runners chow down at Pizza Hut right before the race.

We had the jogging stroller and our good friends, The Butlers, and tons of glow sticks.  Amelia and Finley started off strong and we were off.

 Finley gave out and got in the stroller with Elise, but Buzz kept on trucking.  She surprised me big time and kept wanting to run, run, run.  She was all smiles at mile marker two and kept talking about how fun it was to run with me.  And I agreed; a great time with my girl.

This is blurry, but oh so cute.  She was about to hit the three mile marker and SO proud.

 Ice cream to celebrate our run!  It was an awesome night and another great memory to store away.  The girls were so good and it is always a win if the thing you plan in your head plays out exactly that way, haha.

Poppy the Pumpkin

We carved our pumpkin Sunday night because the girls could NOT wait to get started.  We all made a face on paper and took the best parts of each one and combined it to make our face.  The girls hated the goop inside, just like every year and Ross had to scrape most of it out.

 

  In fact, the only thing Elise wanted to do was dance around and sing pumpkin songs.  This girl definitely has a mind of her own. 

 

 

Amelia on the other hand, was into every detail of the carving and Ross even let her use the little pumpkin knife that he claimed "isn't that sharp."  She was right over his shoulder talking him through the cutting, which was hilarious. 

 After the nose had been cut out, Elise said he had pumpkin boogers all over him and she went to get a wipe to wipe his nose off.  Then, she decided to just stick this in his nose and made us all laugh hysterically. 

 The girls named him Poppy the Pumpkin and it was a beautiful fall evening- the simple kind I used to dream of before I had kids and a husband.  Truly, I am living the dream.

Pumpkin Patch 2013

Steph and Derek were just two days away from their Seventh Anniversary!

 The morning of our great fifth year tradition started out with POURING rain.  I was determined not to be disappointed and just happy that Steph and D and the girls had spend the night and that we were having such a fun time just being.  Playing and laughing and coloring and shrieks of hide and seek.  But then, after a delicious breakfast and some lounge time, the skies cleared and it was a beautiful day for finding a pumpkin!!  And off we went.

Loading up.  Elise and DD

The pumpkins were the brightest that I had ever seen. 

Sweet Poodle took a little catnap on the way and finished her rest on her mommy's shoulder.

This girl and her joy are so sweet.

Jumping!!!

Look at that blue sky!

Without a doubt, the biggest light of our life!

This hill was hilarious.  And dangerous.  The girls loved it immensely.

Ross's new post-residency schedule is SUCH a blessing for our family.  So happy to have him home more.

Can you see how red Elise's cheeks are?  Hottest day ever, haha.  Literally the hottest pumpkin patch day we have ever had.  80 degrees!

I always say this is one of my favorite traditions and the older the girls get, the more it becomes true.  Such a happy spot in my heart.

School Update

 

Best Friends

 Elise has started bringing home more papers and being increasingly proud of her work at school.  Amelia is great to really brag on the stuff Elise brings home and I can tell Elise's teacher does a great job of reinforcing the lesson because Elise then talks about it NONSTOP, haha.  She still gets sad in the morning when I drop her off.  She is excited until the second we walk in the door and her lip quivers.  She cries some mornings and is fine other mornings.  I can't really pinpoint the issue or trigger other than she thinks she will miss me.  And you know what?  I miss her- TONS.  But, I hide at the window until she is fine and thankfully she continues to have a wonderful day.  Her coloring skills are improving and it warms my heart to hear her talk about her best friends.  She always has plenty of stories about "those two wild boys" and proceeds to tell me how she plays with them ALL the time.  Elise is not nearly the people pleaser that Amelia is, so it is interesting to watch how little she strives to get a reward for good behavior.  Her excuses and reasoning leave Ross and I in stitches.  That girl is special and I cannot wait to see how she uses her spunk for great things.

Amelia is thriving in a way that I could only hope for.  I was the most worried about her and honestly she has thrown me for a loop.  She is delighted to go to school each and every morning that it is a school day.  I have to chase her down the hall for a hug and a kiss because she is sprinting to her classroom.  And she has even asked to go full time, to which I promptly denied the request.  I need that Buzzy time even if she thinks she is ready to give it up.  I am thrilled that she loves her teacher, friends, and loves learning.  Her greatest accomplishment is that she is reading words now.  It is precious to see her sound things out and then exclaim, "I READ THAT.  I AM A READER."  Of course I am quite proud, also.

After school treats are a must when your kiddos are as amazing as these!