We are back into the swing of things with school and activities starting. I am thankful it worked out for the girls to go to gymnastics after school on Wednesday, giving us enough time to get back for church. We eat dinner at church on Wednesdays (wonderful ministry our church offers for us busy parents and an opportunity to fellowship) and then have Awana afterward. Brynna started back to dance on Tuesday nights which leaves Monday and Thursday evenings open for other things.
While the big girls are at school, Brielle and I have lots of fun together. We read books, work lots of puzzles, take many trips to the bathroom (yeah for being diaper-free during the day!), and practice her ABCs (only misses a couple of letters). She helps me with the laundry (and can tell you who each article of clothing belongs to) and dishes ("It's heaaavy!" as she pulls the plates out of the dishwasher). She has a love/hate relationship with naps. Sometimes she's asleep in less than 3 minutes and other times, it may take an hour of her fighting it. She has adjusted to the sitter's house now (only took 8 weeks) but sure loves being home with mommy! :)
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| On August 21st, I hosted a surprise going away party for our sweet friend Rose. She and her family left for Costa Rica for language school and then will be heading to Peru to serve as full-time missionaries there. Alex and I are both members of their MST (missionary support team) and it has been such a blessing to watch God provide for this family! |
On August 23rd, we celebrated Brielle being a part of our family for 4 months! It is strange really to think it has only been 4 months! There are times when I have to remind myself that she hasn't been here from the beginning and that I truly didn't hold her until she was 18 months old.
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| Ha! While most Kindergartners are perfecting their ABCs, mine copies things she sees written in Chinese. I have no idea what this says except that she copied it from a Mentos container. |
On August 25th, we went out on Pappy's pontoon boat. Brielle was a little unsure at first...
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| (Even seeing this picture makes me nervous because I did not like the idea of her having her life jacket off, but it was only off while she was sitting with Pappy when the boat was anchored.) |
But I think it's safe to say she loved being out on the boat. :) She pointed to the water splashing up on the sides and I said it was making waves...so she proceeded to wave at the water. haha.
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| Brielle & Gramma |
The next morning, the girls wore matching dresses to church so I had to snap a picture.
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| Brynna loves her big sister role and has really taken off with her reading skills! |
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| On Sept. 1st, Krista and I took our oldest girls school shopping, but before we left, Braylee made a "rickshaw" to pull her little sister in. :) |
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| Shopping with her best friend. |
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| Alex recently taught the girls how to play Monopoly and they take it very seriously! They spend 3-4 hours playing a game. |
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| As I mentioned, we spend time working puzzles. Brielle loves it and can say most of the animals names and sounds. |
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| One morning, she had to lay her blanket out perfectly before she could start. |
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| On Sept. 7th, Braylee participated in her 1st parade as Little Miss. |
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| Brynna made this sign to hold up for her sissy. She came up with this idea all on her own. :) |
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| She took good care of Brielle and showed her the ins and outs of candy gathering. |
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Some sweaty girls after the parade.
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| After the parade, we ate dinner at Mason's. It was Brielle's 1st time and she sampled just about everything. :) |
