Crafty!

So, I am still way behind on my blogging, what with work schedules, preschool, travel, etc.  But I am hopeful that in the next few weeks I can get through my pictures and catch up a little on life from the past few months.  In the meantime, the big girls and I have been having some fun decorating for fall and have had some crafty moments over the past few days.  A few of our favorites...

Pumpkin Treat Bags

These were so easy to make!  I filled orange craft bags with some goodies and then twisted the top of the bag into a "stem".  We then covered the "stem" with floral tape and now we have pumpkins!  These were made for Clara's fall party at preschool and also for her ballet classmates.

Owl Treat Bags

These little owl bags are my faves!  I found the idea for these on Pinterest, but then had to improvise as I didn't have all of the fancy die cut machinery needed for the shape of the heads.  We used the bottom half of a brown bag for the head, and then I cut the sides into an owl head once I had stapled it on to a clear treat bag.  Ainsley and I then taped the eyes and beak on to the head.  Ainsley had the best time making these and was thrilled that the final product actually looked like an owl (actually I was too!).  She will be taking these to her "Mother's Morning Out" classmates to share.

Happy fall and happy crafting!

Octo"burrrr"

Windy and beautiful fall day here today.  So much to catch up on as far as this blog, but I'll kick it off with Clara's quote of the day.   While playing on the screened porch this afternoon, we were talking about how windy it was.

Me:  Wow, it is windy today!
Clara:  Yes, Mommy, that is why they call it Octo"burrr"!

Then she pretends to shiver and bursts into laughter.  Gotta love 4 year old humor!  :)

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!