Gran and Da

I worked this past weekend, so we headed down to Gran and Da's for a visit.  The girls had a great time....swimming, climbing trees, and visiting....so fun!

It was a beautiful weekend so the girls spent a ton of time outside.  We were in the pool a lot as it is probably the last time we will swim there this summer.

Learning to climb a tree was also a big hit!  It was so sweet to see them up there, as I think I have seen every one of my nieces and nephews up in that tree as some point.

Silly faces

When not in the tree, the girls and Gran spent a lot of time outside exploring in her yard. 

"Flying" around Gran

Hugs

Sweet Madeline

One of the highlights of the weekend was a visit from a few of my aunts (Aunt Christine was missing).  It had been 2 years since I had seen them, so it was a treat to spend a little time catching up.  The girls had a great time showing off for them, and Clara loved that they were her "great" aunts!  

Clara (for some reason, not smiling), Aunt Marion, Aunt Maxine,
Aunt Mary with Ainsley, Gran and Madeline

Sisters

Bookworm

I went into the girls' rooms late last night to check on them before I went to bed.  As I walked up to Clara's room, I saw a light on from behind the closed door.  I walked in and saw this...

Sweet girl had fallen asleep mid-book...what a little bookworm!

9 months

So, this post is a little late, but Miss Madeline has hit the 9 month mark!  She is so much fun right now...exploring everything, crawling everywhere, and full of smiles and laughs.  She is moving so quickly and is pulling up on anything taller than her.  She loves chasing the girls especially while they are pushing their strollers, and enjoys knocking down anything they build with legos or blocks.  Every toy must go immediately in the mouth, and we are still on the lookout for some teeth.  Her favorites right now are yogurt, any green baby food (loves her veggies!), baby puffs, and music - she sways to anything with a tune!  Oh, and little curls are popping up on the sides and back - yay for curly haired girls!

Sweet girl

Strolling like her sisters

I did it!  So proud!  :)

School days

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Preschool has begun!  It seems that the summer flew by, and truth be told, I am sad that school has started.  I have really loved having the girls home every day, so although the girls were eager to start, it was a bigger transition for me!

Clara has started 4K and loves it so far.  She has really sweet teachers, Ms. Angie and Ms. Cindy, and a few of her classmates from last year are in her class as well.  She has done a great job learning over the summer...reading like a pro (so proud!)...so I look forward to all this year has in store for her.  

Hugs on Clara's first day

Headed in to 4K with backpack!

Found her chair right away

We made some special "Survival Kits" for Clara's teachers for the first day of school.  I got the idea from a friend, and the teachers seemed to love them!

Ainsley is going to "school" (Mother's Morning Out) 2 mornings a week, and she is loving it as well.  She especially loves wearing her backpack and lunch box!  Her only difficult transition has been on the days Clara is at school without her.  She sobs when we drop Clara off, and tells me over and over through the morning how much she misses Clara.  So sweet...she loves her sister so much!

8 months!

So, Miss Madeline turned 8 months old this weekend.  Her first year is flying by, and she is enjoying every minute of it.  In the last month, she has started crawling and is chasing her sisters everywhere.  She is also starting to pull up a little and babbling more and more (ma ma ma ma ma).  Her favorite things right now are her squeaky giraffe "Sophie", cheerios, and peas!  She loves sitting up at the dinner table with everyone and is quick to give a smile.  Happy 8 months, sweet girl!

The three musketeers!

Ms. Kathryn Says...

Ms. Kathryn was Clara's main teacher this year and was so loved by our sweet girl.  Our end of the year gift  for Ms. Kathryn was a book we wrote.  Ms. Kathryn is full of wise words for these sweet 3 year olds, and Clara repeated all of these funny sayings at home.  I made a book of the funny expressions, and Clara colored pictures for each page.  Here are a few excerpts...

"Mind your own beeswax"

"Don't be a nature girl, especially on stage at the Christmas show."
Good advice for little girls who like to lift their shirts while performing on stage. 

"Don't smoke your pipe; big girls don't suck their thumbs."

"Don't stay up for the late, late show, especially if you have
a party the next morning."

"Don't show your undies at school."

"If you don't have anything kind to say,
don't say anything."

This was such a fun project to work on, and watching Clara come up with the ideas for the pictures was priceless.  We hope you enjoy, Ms. Kathryn!