Giggle-A-Day

Brenna is our little comedian. Everyone says there is something about her personality that is so funny! And I agree...She makes me laugh daily:

Brenna (walking into the kitchen--home all day): Mom, I'm carsick.

Me: You're carsick? Is your tummy hurting? How do you think you got carsick?

Brenna (doing her matter-of-fact lip pucker): Sleepwalking

She uses phrases from TV shows spontaneously throughout her day...

Brenna (while walking around inspecting things with her new huge magnifying glass): Jenkies! (from Scooby-Doo)

Brenna (after I cleaned her up from having an accident): I feel better, so much better, now. Thank you, Mom, for taking all the poo poo away! (song from Doc McStuffins with a twist)

Brenna (while wiping her feet on the rug): Wipe wipe wipe your paws! (101 Dalmatians commercial short on Disney)

And one of her favorite things to do...She sings and dances along to a specific advertisement in the grocery store...over and over and over: Greensheet, brings you buyers! (Even Audrey notices the commercial over the intercom and prompts Brenna to sing her bit.)

Our puppy Pidge is fun-loving, too. One of the funniest things to me is that she loves this giraffe squeaky toy. It is so funny because it is actually made to be a teething toy for children...basically an extremely overpriced chew toy that someone gave us! Glad our third child has gotten its money's worth :)

Finally, we laugh daily about this one, too...Audrey is obsessed with dressing up. After overnight trips of any kind, she immediately walks into her room to hug her pillow pet and change into a princess dress.

Just recently, my mom brought several dozen of my old dance and gymnastics outfits....and Audrey is in heaven. She actually refuses to take them off for hours on end. For instance, she wore this hot pink/fringe/sequin ensemble with jazz shoes to watch my dad rope at my grandma's house.

 And Josh's favorite...this leopard get-up that was actually my sister's when she was in a dance recital :) I don't know where she learned to pose! Good news is that we have lots of Halloween costumes to choose from now, not to mention plenty of daily wardrobe choices!

Trampoline Toss-Up

I don't know who has more fun on these days...

 Them chasing Daddy?

 Daddy chasing them?

 Or me watching all three of them?

I'd say everyone's a winner :)

Bright Beginnings

I haven't shared our extremely exciting news about this fall... I have started a two-day preschool!!

It's called Bright Beginnings, and we will have class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I will be teaching Brenna's class of 9 two-year-olds with Jessie as my oh-so-essential helper! Audrey will be in Mrs. Mandy's class of ten 3-4 year-olds.

Our church has graciously allowed us to hold our program in their preschool wing, one of which is my usual Sunday School classroom. We have been busy sprucing up the rooms for our September 4 start-date!

I am so incredibly excited about all of it, especially the fact that both of the girls get to attend school this year (and I get to be there to see it :) We have so many fun learning activities planned, and a schedule full of learning centers, children's church time, music & movement, and lots of pottying :)

My classroom is decorated with jungle animals and cute curtains courtesy of Mimi. (I hope the wild animals don't set the mood!)

I truly feel the Lord's call on this program as a ministry to kids and parents, and I am excited to see all the learning that will take place.

Summer Wrap-Up

We've now said goodbye to summer...and what a great one it was!

We've wrapped up the season with swimming...

 ...going to the movies...

 ...celebrating birthdays...

...spending time with family...

...staying with our 1st unrelated babysitter...

...playing with friends...

 ...going to a circus...

 ...and just being together!

We'll be seeing ya, Summer!

Have a Best Day!

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's a funny life...

What is it called when several people hug at the same time?

Audrey: A grape hug

While in the store a few days ago...

Brenna (loudly): Mom, that man has crazy hair!

While in the doctor's office...
Audrey: Mom, I am going to play this music on my game, but don't start dancing, ok?

Both girls are absolutely, positively convinced that Pidge once said "Hi!"
Brenna (daily): Mom, last year Pidge said Hi!

Snowcones anyone?

Audrey: Mom, did you know that runroaders are fast birds?

Mom: Yes, do you mean roadrunners?

Audrey: Yes, runroaders.

With Layton one afternoon...
Layton (after a big sneeze): Man, I just knew I was allergic to Brenna!

After Daddy fixed Brenna's harness on the Kubota...
Brenna (bursts into a song from Doc McStuffins): I feel better, so much better...now!

Pagosa--Finale

--Got loaded up and said goodbye to the mountains

--Stopped for a nice picnic lunch and hike at Echo Amphitheater outside Santa Fe

--Yelled special names and sounds into the cave to hear awesome echos!

--Spent the night in Santa Rosa again and enjoyed swimming in the hotel pool, watching the Olympics, and eating pizza

 --Drove through Amarillo to visit Uncle James the next day!
--Trip back went relatively smoothly. Pidge got a little tired of the ride and either whined in her crate or tried to scratch her way out :)

 --Came home with lots of special memories!

Here's an interview I conducted on our drive home:

What was your favorite thing we did on our trip?
Brenna: Riding the Kubota
Audrey: Seeing all the chipmunks
Josh: The nice weather and scenery
Amber: Spending time with family in God's beautiful creation and talking about how the mountains bow down to God...and the trees and rivers and rocks (added by the girls)

 What was the most amazing thing you saw in the mountains?
Brenna: the caves
Audrey: the waterfall
Josh: the rivers
Amber: Watching the girls learn so much about the mountains

 What did you like best about the "People's House"?
Brenna: playing in it
Audrey: getting surprises from Mimi
Josh: the balcony
Amber: the playhouse loft for the girls to play in

What was the funniest thing that happened on the trip?

Brenna: When Pop helped me take Daddy's hat and tee-teeing on the troll bridge

Audrey: When Pidge ran into the bowl and it made a loud noise

Daddy: When Audrey walked into the pole at the house and the window case at the museum

Amber: When Daddy's flip flops floated down the river

Pagosa--Day 6

--Josh and I stole away for some souvenir shopping in Pagosa Springs that morning

--Mimi and Pop entertained the girls back at the "People's House"...or was it the other way around?

--Everyone took naps!

--Went for an afternoon ride on the Tucker Ponds road

--Was rainy and a very cool 60 degrees!

--Girls loved wearing rain jackets :)

--The men love GPS and trail planning.

--Watched a bald eagle sit atop this tree and then fly over a beautiful pond

--Watched a family of ducks on the same pond

--Watched a family of fishermen there, too :)

--Also spotted minnows and deer

--Mountain lightning and thunder rolled in ending a great afternoon on our final day in this mountain paradise!

Pagosa--Day 5

--Took a shorter morning ride up Forest Trail 039

--Girls took their own memorable photos

--Played mountain hide-and-go-seek

--Spotted golden marmots

--Also hiked a little and gathered mountain flowers :)

--Josh and Pidge scouted for beavers in the creek

--Girls enjoyed jumping on some squishy moss bed

--The everyday request from the girls was to go swimming...which is a little difficult to do in the mountains without freezing!

--But we found a resort in Pagosa which is known for the natural hot spring that flows downtown

--The guys took the four-wheelers up Elwood Pass, famous for treacherous passage by covered wagons so many years ago (they mostly liked it so they could drive fast without the females!)
--Mimi paid a nice sum for me and the girls to splash and soak in the 97 degree hot springs pool that evening

--But not many can say they have driven to the summit or swam in the mountains...let alone to a famous spot in history and in a real hot spring! Cool...I mean, warm!