Sisters

There are no words to describe the joy that these girls bring to me when they play together, love on one another, and giggle at each other. Blessed!

Ella turns 4!

We headed south to Orange Beach last weekend to celebrate Ella's 4th birthday! I can hardly believe it! Four seems so "big kid." These kids should still be babies! Anyways, we took off early Friday to make the most of the weekend. The weather was perfect while we were there and we enjoyed some great family time.

The big kids.

Daddy and his girls about to head to the pool.

Nana and Harper bug checking out the water fall.

This girl is a fish!

Pawpaw and Harper at Ella's party.

The big kids again. They are a mess!

There are no words.

T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

Nanny and Harper enjoying the shade.

We headed to the beach Sunday morning bright and early before it was too hot.

We built sand castles, jumped waves, and collected sea shells.

Happy Birthday, Ella! It's hard to believe that you are FOUR. All I've heard for the past week is how Payton wants to be big and four just like Ella. Please slow down!

School Days...

Payton and Harper started preschool the Wednesday after Labor Day (whatever the date was...ha!). Payton had her first day in the three year old class with Mrs. Carmello and Mrs. Matz. She will go on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

 We tried getting a picture of both girls on their first day...you can see that result. Harper wanted her breakfast and it was 6:15 in the morning. Not a great combination.

 After refusing stand by herself, we finally let her have the banana (what she kept chasing after). We figured why not, this is true Harper fashion. She always has a snack close by. One day I know we will look back and laugh at this.

"This is much better, guys!"

 Harper will be going on Wednesdays and Fridays in the one year old class. Her teachers are Mrs. Sanford and Mrs. Ballard (Payton's teachers form last year).

Each day they have brought home notes saying that they have had great behavior. Now we only hope and pray this continues.

Just for fun, here is Payton on her first day of three year old preschool.

 First day of two year old preschool.

First day of one year old preschool.

Can. Not. Believe. It.

Farewell Summer

This summer was absolutely perfect! It was a great combination of staying home and being lazy, but on the go just enough to constantly have something to look forward to. We had weekly play dates with several of my friends from school. It is such a huge blessing to me that not only do I work with people who are amazing, but their kids are also! We have quite a few babies between all of us. We decided to celebrate the end of summer we would have a cook out with some of our summer buddies. It was a little chaotic with so many kids (Payton being the oldest there), but it was a blast. There were a few who were unable to come. Like I said, words can't describe how thankful I am to have these amazing people in our lives!

The girls lately

Harper is learning how to really "play." Her favorite toys are any kitchen accessory, the stroller, and balls. She is just now really getting into reading. Like her sister, her very favorite book is Brown Bear, Brown Bear. She could read it over and over again 15 times and never get tired of it. Often when trying to give her a different book, she cries and finds this one. She is trying to say some words like "ba" (ball),  "ligh" (light), "da" (dog), "du" (duck). We're working! We started late, but she is also starting to "sign" more. She loves to give her big sister hugs and loves! She also loves to be outside. She can just run around and be happy. Chasing bubbles and riding in daddy's golf cart are two of her favorite outdoor activities though. The fun part is when you have to bring her back inside. There's sure to be a fit as we make our way back in. She is definitely not our water bug like Payton always was. She doesn't hate it, but you can tell it's not her favorite. However she does love a bath and loves brushing her teeth. She still has only 4 teeth (2 on top and 2 on bottom). Her hair has really started to grow (relatively speaking) and and she can finally wear a bow now! She loves to chug her milk in her cup just like Payton used to. Naps are becoming longer and longer. Since we have tried to stretch her to one nap a day as preschool is right around the corner, she will often sleep up to 4 hours in the afternoons.

Payton's favorite activity is probably coloring. She is getting really good too! She has enjoyed swimming this summer and can even do a flip underwater now! She still loves reading and would sit and let you read a book for an hour if it were possible. Just like Harper, she absolutely adores her sister. It has been such a joy to watch them play together and entertain one another. She is still really enjoying gymnastics and loves to practice her jumps and moves at home. She never ceases to make us laugh with the things that she says. She still doesn't really love to eat (unless it's something sweet). She is still taking naps most days, we just have to refer to them as "rest time." When she was home this summer she would always start by reading books and then fall asleep.

I just wanted to recap a little of what is going on with their personalities and preferences right now. These girls bring so much joy to our lives

Painting class

The week that Ella was in town staying with Nana we signed the girls up for painting class. It was basically a sips n strokes for kids. The instructor guided step by step, and believe it or not, the girls did most of it by themselves with very little help. Payton was so proud of her masterpiece!

The pictures are out of order, sorry!

1 Year Stats

We went to visit Dr. Williams a few weeks ago and I forgot to post Harper's 1 year stats. She weighed 19 lbs. 6 oz. (45%), 30 in. long (80%) and head was 18.7 inch. (97%).

Did I mention this baby loves to eat?