SEVEN!

Corinne had 5 special friends over for her 7th birthday to make glass bead bracelets, decorate cupcakes, and eat dinner. She and I had gone to a special bead shop last week to pick out the beads and charms together. And C's friends were such sweet, delightful girls. Corinne was an awesome hostess and friend and the party was a big success! My sisters were a terrific help and it was really fun to have them here to be a part of her birthday celebration. I know she'll always remember it - what great memories. And seven years old? Crazy. C is growing up into a beautiful girl, inside and out. We are so thankful for her every day!

Girls' Outing

We took a trip to the nail salon on Corinne's birthday and we all got manicures! It was a lot of fun for all of us. Three big girls (my sisters and I) and the three younger girls (C and her sisters). Fancy!

Christmas

We really enjoyed celebrating Christmas with our families this year. Both of my sisters came to town for a week which was extra special, and we were able to see Brett's side as well. Unfortunately we also battled sickness spanning the entire holiday break - beginning even before Corinne got out of school for break - and it's still going. It has just morphed into different sicknesses. But nonetheless, we all made the best of it, even Aunt L and Aunt M who each went home feeling under the weather. There's just nothing better than celebrating with the people in your life that you care most about and we were still blessed to do that, sickness or no sickness. I am so thankful that my sisters make the trip here to be with us. And I'm also thankful for the family we have in town. We are so blessed!

Birthday

Thankfully Corinne was over the stomach bug by my birthday, though she missed her last day of school before break. (So thankful her program and party were on the 2nd to last day before break!) We went out for dinner in our old neighborhood and of course for ice cream as well. Loved our family day on my birthday! Love these people.

C's Party and Program

It was a full day - the same day we had the program and party for E and S we also had Corinne's party! And her teacher had planned a little program for the parents in their classroom - it was awesome. I *love* Corinne's teacher, she truly is incredible. The kids prepared about 8 songs for us with speaking and actions and highlighting different kids as leaders. Corinne was a leader on one of the songs and of course did a fantastic job. It was SO fun to see her shine so confidently. What a gift to the parents, we loved this special program. The kids were told to dress up and apparently they had been practicing for weeks! None of the other 1st grade rooms did anything of the sort - it shows how much C's teacher loves what she does.

Program & Party

Ellen and Sophie had their Christmas program at school last week, in which they sang as "Shepherds". It was a cute program, followed by their classroom party. I got to help out, which was a lot of fun. They had a great morning, and I loved spending it with them. Sometimes I feel as though life can center around big sis, Corinne. But it was great to focus on E and S and to celebrate them.

Observation Day

We recently got to observe Corinne's dance class and as you can see, Ellen and Sophie had a front row seat with their cousin! Corinne exudes such joy when she is dancing, and I'm so glad we all got to watch her class, Brett included.

Big Tree Field Trip

Recently E and S's class went on a field trip to Big Tree Plantation. I'm always kind of surprised that the pre-school takes the 4 year olds on a field trip in December to a Christmas tree farm, but I've heard so much about this place that I'm glad we got to check it out. We took a tractor ride out to one of the Christmas tree fields and then came in for hot chocolate and popcorn. E and S have wonderful teachers and really sweet friends at school. And interestingly, all of their good buddies have names that start with L! They are in pictures above with Lily, Luke, Linley and Lauren. It is always so fun to hear the chorus of goodbyes they give to all their friends when I pick them up, and all the voices yelling goodbye to them as well. I can't believe I need to start working on their kindergarten paperwork for next year!

Advent

We are getting ready for Christmas around here! We have begun our Advent calendar and our Advent wreath to prepare for the true meaning of celebrating Christmas. Each Sunday of Advent we light our Advent candle(s) and every night at dinner we take turns picking out the scripture verses waiting in the Advent tree's pocket. The girls love picking an ornament that decorates each Christmas tree pocket when we have finished reading the verses. Look closely in the picture, the little Christmas Advent tree hanging up is the one my family used when I was growing up. I fondly remember doing the same routine around our dinner table at Christmas time. Many times I've looked for a new Christmas Tree with pockets and I have found many to choose from...but I guess there is something sentimental about the one I always come back to! So far I haven't been able to make a switch. The girls love it and so do I. I also love knowing that my mom actually made it! So here's to another year of a homeade Advent calendar, worn and tattered felt and all.

Thankful

 

We enjoyed Thanksgiving with my side this year: Aunt Marcey, Pop Pop, Mimi and Bill. Marcey and I teamed up to make Thanksgiving dinner and my mom made her famous pies from scratch. Corinne got busy making a place card for each person. And a friend had passed along the Oreo Turkey idea for which the girls excitedly jumped on board. We had fun putting those together and made a few tweaks of our own to the recipe! Aren't they cute? The girls were so proud to share them and they placed one on each dessert plate. Everything was delicious, but more importantly we have so much to be thankful for. God has blessed us with so incredibly much!

New Bling!

My dad brought back these lovely necklaces for the girls from his recent trip to Puerto Rico. They love them! Thanks Pop Pop!

Snow Day

Corinne had her first snow day on Monday! (E and S aren't in school on Mondays anyway) We had some friends and cousins over to play and have lunch, and the kids made it outside twice for some fun in the snow. Of course that was followed by hot cocoa! Here's to hoping its not a long snowy winter like last year!

So Long, Candy!

 

After Halloween the girls' dentist advertised that he would buy back candy for $1 per pound to anyone who brought it in so he could send it to the troops overseas. Corinne was into the idea from the beginning but Ellen and Sophie weren't too sure they wanted to participate (ie. give up their candy). With a little encouragement from Corinne and thanks to playing up the cash incentive, E and S did give in. I let the girls each choose 10 favorite pieces from their Halloween candy stash and then we took the rest to the dentist. And what a great little operation! We were ushered back to the dentist's actual office, where there was a scale and the huge boxes that were going to be shipped to the troops. The nice hygenist actually rounded up -- I think the girls had only 1.4 lbs each but she gave them $2. They also got a bouncy ball! Pretty great for everyone involved! Otherwise we would be eating candy til Easter.

Halloween Night

It was a rainy, blustery night!! Our street kicked off Halloween with a parade for the kids, followed by a potluck dinner together, and then it was on to trick or treating! We went around with neighbors until we were too cold to continue - which didn't take long this year. I think we were finished in record time, actually. A few friends came over afterward to warm up inside and it was really a fun night! After everyone had left and it was time to head to bed I realized I didn't get any pictures of the girls in their costumes - that is, without their jackets. So I quickly got individuals of Ariel (Sophie), Anna (Corinne) and Elsa (Ellen).

School Halloween Parade

C's school had their annual Halloween parade last week and her principal dressed up as Olaf-- what a great guy! The kids and staff adore him and I can see why--truly a genuine guy and after all these years (I think it's 40 something!) he still loves his job. C was dressed up as Anna, also from "Frozen" (of course).

Disney

Nope, we did not take a trip to Disney World or even Disney Land. But we did get to go see the Disney Princesses on Ice show with our friends and cousins! The girls absolutely loved the show and I think the whole second half was devoted to...wait for it...Frozen! It was a lot of fun to take the girls, and we are thankful that we escaped without spending $12 on cotton candy or $10 on bottled water.

Prepping for Dad's Night

E and S had a "Dad's Night" at their pre school this fall where they got to take their dad for a night of carving pumpkins with their class and teachers. The girls were super excited that this was just for them and Brett and so we did our part at home to prepare the pumpkin ahead of time in anticipation of the big night. Sophie was all about scooping out the insides of the pumpkin while Ellen wanted nothing to do with that!

Children's Theater

Got the chance to see the Cincinnati Children's Theater production of "Beauty and the Beast" and it was a hit! It's always fun to go with our good friends, Lauren and Gwyn, too.

Goofy

I just enjoy this picture...not just because it shows S and C with our good friend Emmy and because I love the sweet and happy faces pictured here. But because I love that C is wearing a WIG and she is enjoying the fun of it (while still smiling sweetly for the camera, as if it is totally normal). It makes me laugh! And it makes me happy that C is doing something out of character and having a ball doing it. I remember my friend telling me that a wig is a great birthday gift around this age, and I can see how that is the case. At this age they are actually able to appreciate the silliness of it...and I may just have to check out wigs for a certain birthday coming up!

Downtown Adventure...a little late

Realizing this post is terribly out of order, but I forgot to post it and then came across the photos again just recently. This was a perfect Sunday afternoon adventure! We took the kids and their bikes and headed down to the river for a little hometown sight seeing. We just love doing outings like this and need to do more of them!

Field Trip

E and S went  on their very first school field trip (ever) to a pumpkin farm! In pre school ALL of the parents go along because the pre school can't do transportation, so of course I loved going with the girls. It was really fun to see them with their four year old friends and to see them on their first field trip. I found it interesting that Sophie was fine walking and hanging out with her friends without me being right by her, but Ellen liked sticking close to me and needed to know where I was at all times. That is a priceless glimpse into who they are right now! It was a great day on the farm, though too muddy for the hayride. We got to feed ears of corn to the cows, crackers to the goats, and the kids got popcorn bags and juice while we sat on bales of hay and listened to the farmer tell (the parents) about different types of gourds. Then we all walked to the pumpkin patch and the kids got to pick out their own pumpkins to bring home. What a great time!