Encouraging Words

"So don't be anxious about tomorrow.  God will take care of your tomorrow too.  Live one day at a time." 

Matthew 6:34 TLB

I cannot imagine going through life without the direction and encouragement that comes from God's Word.  This is a verse that's spoken to me many times throughout my life and it's really seeing me through these days of transition as we adjust to life in PA, Anna starting Kindergarten, getting the house put together, and preparing for baby boy.  I praise my Father in Heaven for always being with me and seeing me through all that He allows to come my way!

Off to Kindergarten...

Today Anna started school and boy was she excited!  Of course her camera crazy mommy had to take tons of pictures and when we got to her school she said, "C'mon mom, I don't want to be late!".  She wasn't late and actually we were a bit early.  She looked so cute in her school uniform as did the other kids.  Audrey told me "goodbye" as soon as we walked in the classroom and then went and sat down at a desk and said she wanted to color.  I had to explain to her that she wasn't staying and when she and I did leave, she kicked and screamed all the way through the parking lot to the van hollering for Anna.  Of course she had to wear her boots too... ever since Anna has wore her new school shoes, Audrey's been all about wearing her cowgirl boots. 
Anna said she had a good time at school and we celebrated after school by having homemade chocolate chip cookies.  My mom always spoiled us with warm cookies when we got home from school and that's something I want to do for my kiddos too.  There's nothing better than coming home from school to your house smelling like cookies!  She then chose to go to McDonalds for dinner so that's what we did.  She even got a free ice cream cone there... talk about a great day for a 5 year old!  My dad asked her if she was the teacher's pet and she said, "No!  I'm not an animal, I'm a kid!"  Such a funny girl sometimes!

This free photo slideshow created with Smilebox

Here's a few pictures from Anna's Kindergarten orientation this past Monday.  That helped add to her excitement as she learned where her desk, cubby, and classroom were.  Plus she got to play in the gym while the parents had a meeting with the teacher.  That was a big deal to her.  =)

Audrey was sad because she couldn't go.  It won't be long before it's her turn!

Audrey's New "Do"

I mentioned that both girls got their hair trimmed, actually cut, as I cut off about 2 1/2 - 3 inches on each of them and I'm still adjusting to Audrey's new look.  Anna has had her hair short before but Audrey has not and I think it completely changes how she looks.  Her hair looks much healthier and it's soooooo much easier to deal with.  Both girls have lots of wave and curl in their hair, especially in the ends, so having their hair shorter has made it much easier to wash, dry, and comb.  Thankfully, there's been lots less crying as we haven't had as many tangles to deal with. 

Pawpaw and Grandma Kathy

My parents visited us this past week/weekend and it was so good to see them and introduce them to PA.  My mom is unbelievably talented and can make just about anything with her sewing machine.  Oh to have that gift!  I was not blessed with that talent or patience!  She made curtains for Audrey's room and Michael and I's room out of bed sheets and they turned out great!  Anna loved watching Grandma sew.

The finished product for Audrey's room is below which doesn't nearly do them justice.  The lighting is terrible in this picture but they turned out soooo cute and I love how they look.

Dad was a great help entertaining the girls!  He read to them and was even brave enough to be the patient of Dr. Audrey.  =)

Saying "Goodbye" is never fun!  Thank you for coming and for all of your help!  We love and miss you!

If you look closely at the last two pictures you might notice the girls' shorter haircuts.  Mom and I gave the girls some much needed trims.  We cut at least 2 inches off both their hair and they look so cute. 

Makin' Progress

We're making progress getting many boxes unloaded and broken down.  The only ones we have left to unload are those in the garage and those holding our clothes (Michael and I's) that we can't fit into our closet.  Our closet in this house is 1/2 the size of the closet we had in WV so we're going to be parting ways with clothes we don't love and only keeping the clothes that are in season in the closet at that time.  Moving is good for cleaning out closets and getting rid of things we don't want or need but it sure is tons of work!

A "Deer" Friend

This little stinker was outside of our kitchen window right before dinner one evening last week.  We couldn't believe he was so close in broad daylight.  The deer love to eat our plants.  We need to get the repellent sprayed on them but we sure do love watching them in our backyard.

Daddy Time

Laying on the floor watching a video or show with Daddy is a favorite thing for the girls. 

Another Fair

This weekend the Washington Co. Fair started and the girls have been asking to see more animals so we thought we'd go check it out.  They had so much fun seeing and petting animals and riding the kiddie rides.  We even got to take a hay ride from the parking lot to the fair entrance. 

The bunny with black eyeliner  :)

The 4-H Fair

In July we traveled to Indiana to visit my family for a weekend of birthday celebrating (there are 5 June birthdays and 1 July birthday) and the 4-H fair. It was great to all be together as that doesn't happen very often. My brother and nephew were both home from college and we had lots of fun hanging out together. We started the weekend off with the 4-H parade which the girls loved as they got lots of candy. In the picture below they're waving at the kids on the floats. It was a great weekend and I know it'll be awhile until we get to visit again. While we were there we got to meet up with my lifetime friend Cara. We grew up together and I'm so thankful we still keep in touch! She is expecting a baby boy as well about 4 weeks after me. As you can see, Audrey was not cooperating, but we still had a good time visiting. Love ya Cara! There were several kid friendly areas at the fair that we frequented often and one of them was the blocks/wood building area. Milking the cow was tons of fun for the girls. This was something we did several times. One of the best things about the fair is the ice cream! The girls insisted that we check on the baby chicks each day. It was pretty cool to see some of them hatching from their shell right before our eyes.

Fishing with Daddy

While we were visiting my family in July, Michael and Anna went fishing at my parents' pond. Anna was thrilled to catch many fish and she loves to go fishing with Daddy. If you look down towards the grass, you can see one of the fish Anna caught on her Barbie pole. Mom and Dad's dog, Suzie, loves to play with the fish. Now that we have a pond right beside our house, I'm sure these two will get lots of one-on-one time with one another getting their poles wet. Anna took these two pictures of Michael with a fish. She didn't do too terrible. :)

Family Pictures

Before we left WV, my photographer friend Meghan took some family pictures for us. She did a GREAT job and worked hard to get Audrey to smile. The pictures turned out good and I'm hoping to place our order soon. I thought making a slide show of them would be the easiest way to share them. Enjoy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

27 weeks

Here I am at 27 weeks, measuring 29 weeks and have gained 18 pounds so far (ugh!). This baby boy likes to grow thankfully and has always measured ahead. His heart rate continues to stay around 145 bpm and he's fairly active and has the hiccups often. I'm feeling good as long as I don't sit or stand for too long. I've got to alternate each so that my feet don't swell and so that my sciatic nerve doesn't start throbbing in my behind down into my leg. I hope to get started on his room soon but we need to get the room painted first. As far as a name for the little guy... we can't agree on anything so we'll just keep praying about it and probably won't name him until we see him just like we did with the girls.

Getting Settled

We're slowly getting settled and have the majority of the boxes unpacked in the house. We've still got a garage full of stuff that can't be unloaded until the basement is finished but for the most part, the house is looking like home. Anna has been a great help putting things away and picking up when asked. She especially likes to help out in the kitchen such as cleaning grapes or anything else that involves messing in the sink. The girls love to have their snacks at the island bar. It is nice having a few extra seats. I'm so glad they have one another. They play really well together most of the time. Here's a picture of our backyard friends. The deer come out every night and sometimes during the day and we love to watch them. Audrey calls them giraffes every now and then which cracks us up and even introduced herself, mommy and Anna to them the other night. =) Daddy got a new lawnmower that has saved him lots of time mowing our huge yard. The girls love to go for rides on it with him. I wasn't outside when Anna took her ride but I'll get a picture of her soon riding with Daddy. We've enjoyed the picnic table the previous owners left behind. It's great having a nice secluded area in our backyard to enjoy some yummy food and nature.