We moved in July to another townhouse to get closer to a school where Lanelle was accepted into a Spanish immersion program. With moving, came all the normal work of packing, and we threw in some painting for good measure.
Lanelle and Julia's first lemonade stand.
Cute kids playing under a desk with a flashlight.
In August we took a trip to Oregon (and Utah) to visit family. Here we are visiting Crater Lake.
Our niece, Danielle, got married. Lanelle is holding Danielle's bouquet while she helps her Dad with his boutonniere.
In Utah, we made our way to Provo and hiked to the Y one morning.
Sharon, my mother, with Sharon, my daughter.
With some encouragement and good examples from her older sisters, Sharon is learning to be quite helpful for a one year old. She can barely reach but is still determined.
Even though hurricane Irene was relatively mild for us, it did manage to knock down a (huge) weak branch near our house. The girls were thrilled to climb in it before we chopped it up and hauled it away.
Lanelle's first day of 1st grade (with Julia and Sharon).
Lanelle is carrying a flag at Hispanic Heritage night at her new school. She is already learning a lot of Spanish. Just as we hoped, it is a lot of fun for all of us to be practicing Spanish together.
Playing with the glass in the french doors. This picture conveniently shows off all 5 of Sharon's teeth at 18 months.
Sharon is just about the sweetest baby I could ask for. What baby do you know that not only cooperates with eye drop medicine but then poses so perfectly with her medicine in hand to prove it?
Lanelle wanted to try making a cake all by herself. With very minimal assistance, this was the result.
Collins and me at Great Falls, VA.
Julia and Sharon at the zoo on a nice fall day while Lanelle is in school.
Julia displaying her "antennae" from Discovery Club (a co-op preschool).
Sharon now consistently folds her arms to join us in family prayer. So cute.
Of course, blogs always highlight the happy, fun, and positive moments of life. Don't worry, our kids still make messes, can occasionally drive us insane, and keep us so busy that we frequently have to just go to bed and wake up to the juggling act the next day. Going forward, if I post often enough, I may wind up posting pictures or telling stories that show more of our every day life. We'll see. For now, thanks for your interest and I'll see what I can do about keeping it.
