Pool Party for Lauren's 6th Birthday

Here are a some pictures from Lauren and Mackenzie's Birthday Pool Party.  The two share a birthday and have talked about having a party together for over a year now.  So this year they got to celebrate together.  We had a total of about 30 kids there, including our H2H group, and other friends the two girls invited.  I thought the party was a huge success and I really enjoyed visiting with all the parents while the kids enjoyed swimming. 

Madison, Lauren and Mackenzie getting ready for birthday cupcakes...love Lauren's excitement!

Lauren and Mackenzie blowing out their candles

Sam, Will and Mackenzie

Lauren and Josiah's back

The birthday girls swimming

Allison, Madison, Ava, Coy and Egypt in the Kiddie pool

Allison and our neighbor Chloe

Arionne and Egypt

Dylan with a sweet smile

Clara with a sweet smile

Lauren and Matthew, our neighbor

A bunch of kids swimming

Allison trying to warm up...she had some major goose bumps!

Madison basking in the sun

Lauren opening her presents after we got home.

Happy 6th Birthday, Lauren

This is the only picture I took of Lauren today on her birthday.  I can't believe she is six years old and in first grade.  We enjoyed looking back at some baby pictures today.  At school, she is the Student of the Week and has enjoyed being the line leader all week, sitting in a special birthday chair, getting birthday cards from her classmates and taking ice cream to share with her class.  Allison and I went to school and had lunch with her today.  For dinner she picked Firehouse Subs and we surprised her with Froyoz before church.  It was a busy, fun day!

My six year old Lauren

We celebrated Lauren's birthday this past Saturday with our family.  I made her cake and she and Allison decorated it.  

Parker, Lauren and Allison

Lauren and Allison blowing out the candles

Lauren and her friend Mackenzie are having a joint pool party to celebrate their birthday on Saturday with lots of friends.  Should be another fun day of celebrating.

Happy Birthday, my sweet angel.  I am so proud of you and so thankful that God chose me to be your Mommy.  I love you!

Allison's Turn

Today was Allison's first day of her 4 year old Pre-K class.  She woke up bright and early at 6:00 (after a late night to bed after church last night).  She was pretty excited and unusually chippery for the morning.  She's more like her mommy...in that it takes her a while to wake up and get going in the mornings.  Even though she usually wakes up earlier than Lauren, she moves slower and it takes her a while to perk up.  She will normally come in my room and snuggle in the bed with me until Lauren gets up.  But not this morning.  She was ready for school.
She loved her new class.  Next week her class will have 25 students in it.  20 of those children go every day...an additional 5 come on Tuesdays and Thursdays and a different 5 go on Monday, Wednesday, Friday.  I don't know how Ms. Cheryl does it.  Guess that's why she only weighs about 90 pounds!  Perhaps I should try that!  Not!!!!

Here are few pictures of our morning.  I can't believe this will be the last year I'll have my baby home for part of the week.  I'm not looking forward to next year!

My big 4 year old girl...can't believe she's this big

Allison's 1st day picture with her sister

Allison by her cubby

Allison walked right in and started working

Allison with her lead teacher Mrs. Cheryl

First Day of First Grade

My sweet Lauren continues to amaze and inspire me.  She loves school so much!!  She did not jump out of bed this morning when I went in to wake her up like she did last year for her first day of Kindergarten.  But once she did get up, she was the same enthusiastic little girl eager to go for her first day of first grade.  Last night as I was putting her to bed, I asked her if there was anything that she was nervous or concerned about for school.  She does not have one single person from her class last year in her room.  She kind of looked at me like I was crazy when I asked her if she was concerned or worried.  She just said she could not wait for school.  We got her in bed early and even spent some extra time right before bed reading and settling down.  But she still had trouble going to sleep because she was so excited about school.
When I picked her up at 11:15 she was beaming and eager to tell us all that she did on her first day. She's ready to go back tomorrow for her first full day. I just hope Mommy is ready for her to be gone that long. I don't think her little sister will really like her long hours at school!!

My big girl ready for first grade

Our 2nd annual outside picture before school

                                     

Lauren sitting at her first grade desk.  She looks so big to me.

Lauren busy at work on her first day.

End of Summer Mini-vacation

We spent a couple of days over at Sunrise Ridge the first week of August as an end of summer mini-vacation. We enjoyed swimming, hiking and pancakes!!! It doesn't get any better than that. The weather was hot and sunny so we spent lots of time in the pool.  On our last day, we went up to the Pancake Pantry and had a delicious breakfast before heading up to hike on the Laurel Falls trail.  This was the girls first time to actually walk the whole trail....2.5 miles round trip!  They were real troupers!!

We all got our toes painted before the trip...Allison, Mommy, Lauren

Sweet picture of Lauren swimming...love that smile

Lauren's pancakes....Bears in the snow..

Allison's Bears in the snow

Silly Sisters at the fountain

Sweet sisters at the fountain

Daddy and his favorite little girls

Granny and Pawpaw and their girls

And we're off and hiking...Lauren, Allison and Mommy

Can you see the snake?

Lauren taking a rest

We made it to the falls....the girls are getting their shoes off to get in the water

Aaahhh...the water felt great!

Lauren and Allison at Laurel Falls

Lauren and Allison climbing on the rocks

More rock climbing



Sweet little Allison