Hello there, Autumn, my old friend...

Yay!  Fall has officially arrived!  As unoriginal as it is, this is part of my favorite time of year.  There is nothing like the time between now and New Year's.  The air is crisp, my creativity is bursting, people are cheerier, the atmosphere is festive, the earth is getting ready to renew itself...  Springtime is seen as nature's regeneration, but I think Autumn, with its vibrant glory, is its celebration.


Smarty pants!

 **Bragging corner**  Okay, I am giving you a warning now:  I am going to do some proud bragging right about here.  Before it makes you roll your eyes or want to throw up, skip this paragraph.  But I am going to do my boasting anyway.  :)  This week we had our first parent/teacher coference.  In preparation for this conference, the pre-schoolers were given a simple assessment test just to see where they were at.  Hannah did AWESOME!  She recognized all but two of her capital letters, all her lowercase letters, all of her single-digit numbers, and identified all of the shapes.  She was the ONLY student to do that with her lowercase letters and numbers.  Do you think Mensa allows 4 year olds???  :)  At the end of our conference we also got her progress report.  The school grades skills with numbers; a 3 means mastery, 2 means developing well, and 1 means needs improvement.  Hannah got all 3's and 2's!  Mrs.. Porterfield says Hannah is verrry smart.  We are so proud of her!

Here are some highlights of the week:

• Airy has turned into Momma's little helper.  This week she helped sort laundry and put clothes away.  She had so much fun putting the clothes away, she started taking all of her clothes out of the drawers, putting them in the laudry basket, then put them away again.
• One day I couldn't find Airy.  After calling for her, she marched into the family room with her waterbottle.  I thought I had left it for her on the kitchen table.  However, when I walked into the kitchen, the refrigerator door was wide open!  She figured out how to open the door and get her own water.  We really have to watch out for this one.  :)

• After Hannah came home from school on Tuesday, we had an impromptu fashion shoot.  Work it girls!
• Hannah told me, "Momma, when we were sitting down, Dylan came and flipped my hair for no reason."  I looked at Josh and said, "You know what that means."  He does not like this development at all.  Hannah also told me that Damien told her she is pretty.  I have a feeling Josh won't like that either.  You know what he'll like the very least?  One of the boys also asked Hannah for a kiss as he was leaving after school.  Luckily for us, Hannah retorted with a strong no. 
• Hannah's class had a cookie taste test.  I wish my science classes were like that.  Oreo won.  Of course!
• Hannah told me one morning, "Momma, these clouds look questionable."  Questionable?  Hehe...where does she come up with this stuff?
• One night Hannah brought my InStyle fashion magazine with her to bed so she could look at the clothes and the models.  When we were at the store, I showed her Vogue and told her it was full of fashion.  She begged and begged for it.  How many 4 year olds do that?

• Airy had the best time reading her new book with her Daddy.  These are the moments that make life beautiful.

To commemorate the end of summer, here is a little slideshow of our Fun in the Summertime Sun Highlights!  Enjoy!

**Side note:  I know it says "Happy Birthday Brittany & Jake!"  It is supposed to say, "Happy Anniversary!"  Let's just pretend that's what it says, okay?  ;)

Sleep over!

There are some things that are just so endearing it almost breaks your heart.  A cupboard full of sippy cups and straws.  A teeny hand opening and closing enthusiastically to say hello to strangers and (most importantly) doggies.  Two little girls, new-found BFF's, holding hands as they walk home from school.  A mischievous smile as they blow bubbles into their milk.  Squealing as they run down the hall to get away from the little sister.  A tiny tot running back and forth between Momma & Daddy to plant wet kisses on their chins. Tea parties on the living room rug.  Sisters holding hands and giggling.

"Come on Sissy!  You can do it!"  So sweet.



These things are so special.  But they almost break your heart because you know that eventually these things will change, likely sooner than you anticipate.  Soon that cupboard of sippy cups will be full of tupperware.  The hand-holding will be with (gasp!) new-found puppy loves.  The mischievous smile means they are hiding something.  Those tea parties will be parties we might not approve of.  Sisters still giggling together, but over boys and make-up.  This thought struck me as Hannah prepared for her very first sleepover this week.  How does this happen, this growing up thing?  Even if you beg your children to slow down for just a bit, they just don't listen.  So I will savor every moment, selfishly hoarding these memories in my heart so they are always with me.  For as much as we love watching these beautiful girls grow up, we will always wish for just one more chance to go back and relive these days.

Here are some highlights of this week:

• Hannah and her class conducted an experiment with their 5 senses and they got to eat popcorn in school!  They touched it, smelled it, listened to it, looked at it, and (the best part of all) tasted it.
• Airy had a pladyate with one of her little friends.  We went to a place called Wazoo's full of bouncy houses (my personal nightmare but that is a different story).  Airy played in the toddler area and loved the slide.  Up and down, up and down...so much fun!

Why can't I go over there?



She looks nervous here but she was all smiles on the landing. :)           





• Hannah and her best friend Alaina had a sleepover on Friday.  It was Hannah's very first and it was "the best day of her life".  (Her words.)  They played dress-up, painted, did "make-overs", watched a movie, had a pretend double wedding*, gave each other surprise parties, played outside, ran away from Airy, and ate sundaes.  After putting them to bed, Hannah came to tell me Alaina missed her mom.  She went home at 9:30.  :)  Although they had all kinds of fun, it was probably just a little overwhelming to spend the night at someone else's house.
• Airy discovered what it was like to have her Momma AND her Daddy all to herself.  They really let her in for "just a minute." Since the girls shut her out (which she absolutely resented at first) she was able to just play with us.  Even though she missed her sister and was so nosy about what they were doing, she loved being with just us.



*Side-note:  At first they wouldn't tell me about this double wedding.  "Who are you guys marrying?" I kept asking.  "You don't need to know that," Hannah would respond with a giggle.  Well, after some careful sleuthing (aka eavesdropping) I discovered that Hannah was marrying Colby and Alaina was marrying Wesley, two boys from their class.  Incidentally, Wesley wanted to come over for the sleepover too.  But the girls told him, "NO BOYS ALLOWED." 


Monsters, Inc can be sooo scary!



Happy girl!





They even had matching pajamas!



U*S*A!

See:  normal.

Busy, busy week! Will it ever slow down? :) Hopefully everyone had a fun (and safe) Labor Day weekend...got to lurve a 4-day weekend! (For the military, it's a four day. Yay!) We were so lucky to score a free trip too. Josh's unit hosted a marriage retreat up in Dallas at The Great Wolf Lodge. We enjoyed a 5-star resort, wonderful meals, and playtime in the hotel's pool and ginormous indoor water park (you read that right, indoor water park). All we had to do was attend a couple of 2 hour seminars.  Fan-tab-ulous! At first Hannah was devasted that she had to miss one day of school. Her exact words were, "I don't want to go on vacation!" That is not normal for a child. However, when we walked into the lobby and she saw the huge water slides, that mentality went right out the window. Okay, now THAT is normal.

Rollin down the river.

We all had a great time. Hannah was all over the water park, jumping through the kiddie pool, splashing through the wave pool, and lolling on a tube down the lazy river.   Airy is such a water baby; she also had a great time. She spent most of her time in the heated pool/hot tub. My kind of fun! Airy even let me dunk her under the water a few times. She'd also kick her legs and try to launch herself between me and her daddy. Brave baby! Thank you Army for a wonderful trip! Seriously, google the Great Wolf Lodge. It is a national chain and is AWESOME. If any of you ever have the chance to go there, jump at it. There is one in Ohio...

Stuffing her face!

Hannah was living for Tuesday so she could finally get back to school. It was like we were away for the longest of times. How is she going to cope with Christmas vacation or *gasp* summer break?! I had to pick Hannah up from her classroom after school on Tuesday and all of the teachers told me how much they missed her (especially in music where she apparently sings the loudest...I guess she has the most music in her heart). This week was kind of a crazy week at school. Hermine graced us with his presence and we got 12 inches of rain. I was just waiting for Noah to come knocking at my door to offer me a place on the ark. School had to start late and they weren't allowed outside. Hannah was stir-crazy. But the weather took a beautiful turn and the girls enjoyed two playdates by week's end: one at the splash pad with Hannah's "BFF" Alaina and a BBQ on Saturday with our neighbor across the street.

Happy girls on vacay!

Here are some highlights of the week:

• Hannah's class learned about the body this week. She was most fascinated by the mouth which led to such astute observations like "we use our swallow muscles to swallow" and "our front teeth are for biting and our back teeth are for chewing but we have to use all of our teeth for chewing" and "our tongue has all of these little things on them for tasting".
• Mrs. Porterfield seated Hannah right across from Alaina in class. My first thought was, "Uh-oh." When I was in seventh grade, my BFF and I had the chance to sit across from each other. By day's end, she had to move her desk against the wall facing away from me. :) Hannah told me, though, that she and Alaina only talk when it's okay. Other times they put bubbles in her mouth.
• Airy inadvertently learned how to do a handstand this week. We were in the bathroom while I was fixing Hannah's hair when I heard Hannah gasp. When I looked over, Airy was sliding head-first in slow motion into the bathtub. She put out her hands and caught herself. She just stayed there in a handstand like it was the most natural thing in the world. Again, brave baby!
• Airy said Yaya this week. That made my mom's day! She said, "Hi Yaya" over the phone. Then she pointed at a picture of my mom and said, "Yaya!" Airy is not the natural communicator Hannah is so this is verrrry exciting for us.
• On Friday, Hannah's school had a Freedom Walk in honor of 9/11. Airy and I joined her for the walk. My heart swelled with pride when I heard Hannah cheer, "U-S-A! U-S-A!" It practically burst when she turned to a soldier on the side of the road and said, "Thank you for your service." Even though 9/11 will forever go down in history as a day of great tragedy for Americans, it is promising to see how we as Americans have banded together to help each other and honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice on that day. We always hear about how uncontent Americans are, if only people could see these kids so proud to be Americans, so promising for our future...maybe if this were the face of America, the world might see us differently. Hannah and Airy know their Daddy and Papa are heroes; but these little girls, dressed up in their red, white, and blue, are heroes too.

...please shine down on meeee!

Whew! It is a lot of work having a child in school! I thought it would give me a nice break...right. I'm sure you experienced parents probably laughed at that. :) I have to get everything done before I can go pick Hannah up while dealing with the tornado that is Airy.

 

We've had a great week here in Texas. Hannah is in lo-ove with school and Airy has been adjusting so well to having her sissy disappear for a few hours everyday. Hannah is definitely a social butterfly. Again, I am her mom so is it really a surprise? Besides finding her "best friend in the whole world", she has someone new to talk about everyday. Her teacher says she is great in school.

 

Here are some highlights of the week:

• Hannah told her entire class the story of The Gingerbread Man on her own.



Posing with her homework.

• She also had her first "homework assignment" which she actually enjoyed.  She also did it all by herself!  She even sewed on little bracelets.  Okay, I had to help her a little on that part...but she did move the needle through the holes I premade for her.  That's awesome!
• This week parents couldn't walk their little preschoolers to the classrooms. We had to drop them off at the end of the hall. It was almost as hard as dropping her off on her first day! But Hannah was a trooper. I was so proud of how she walked straight to her classroom with no trepidation. (Still...it would have been nice if she gave me just one backward glance.) 



Airy may be the Jackson Pollock
of markers..
maybe a career in modern art is
in her future?

• Airy did her first piece of real artwork all on her own too! Normally she just stabs the paper with a crayon or depends on me to move her hand. This time she made deliberate marks. She even picked out her own markers! It always amazes me how our babies turn into little people. 
• Airy has also turned into a little flirt...she waved at every older gentleman she saw while grocery shopping. She even said, "Hi!" to a couple of them. We'll have to watch out for her.
• Airy hosted her very first playdate sans her sissy this week.  We invited 3 of her little friends over and the kids had fun playing...well, just not with each other.  Isn't it funny how babies play?  Side-by-side instead of interacting?
• My new-found friend exclaimed, upon learning my real age, "No you're not.  You look like you're about 20!"  Bless her heart!  (Sorry, that was more of a highlight just about me...but I wanted a permanent record of it somewhere. hehe)

Hannah learned an adorable song in music class this week.  I was so surprised at how well she remembered it after only a couple of days.  It's an oldie but a goodie!

With this video, she has become a true recording artist:  she only agreed to do it after I told her I would pay her a "real" dollar. What a diva!  Next she'll be asking for only green M&M's in her dressing room...

Not to be outdone, Airy has also been practicing her own oldie but goodie.  She kept being distracted by the camera so here she is with a little help from her Daddy (Watch out for the surprise finish!):

Have a wonderful and safe Labor Day weekend!