Never a Dull Moment

We are ALWAYS busy with something!  Sometimes I think we are going to have a week with not much going on and I am wrong every time.  But, I like it that way.  We are usually doing something fun.  This past Friday night, Grandmother and Aunt MaryAnn came to visit.  The girls helped clean for our guests.

 Caroline helped with the crescent rolls.

 The girls showed them their blanket hideout at Nonnie's and Pop's house.

 After dinner, we brought Grandmother and MaryAnn to our house for a tour.  Abby really got into it.  She was a good little tour guide and her assistant brought up the rear making sure everyone was on course.

She even made sure they saw every closet.  Her tour ended on a sad note though.  She tripped in the kitchen and fell flat on her face, but thankfully ended up with just a wounded toe.

 This week we moved on to a new project:  sorting through old clothes and trying on new fall outfits to see what we need.  The girls love to get new clothes and especially had fun modeling in front of their dress up mirror.

 We have a couple of exciting things coming up, so stay tuned!  Aunt Haley is having her baby this week, so we are headed down to welcome Baby Carter to the world and squeeze in a trip to Momo's.  Also, Abby has her first soccer game next weekend.

Beating the Heat

It is way too hot to play outside unless we are in the pool, so I've tried to take the girls on some outings around town for entertainment.  We met our friends, Presley and Dylan, at the indoor Gateway Church playground last week for some fun.

 Climb, girls, climb!

 After running off a lot of energy, these sisters were ready for their chick-fil-a picnic.

We also went to a Blue's Clues Musical.  We've come a long way with our theater experiences this summer.  Nonnie found a great theater that performs musicals based on cartoons the kids know.  It is a small venue so all the seats are close.  We saw Dora's Pirate Adventure last month, but didn't get pics.  I forgot my camera and accidentally deleted the ones I got on my phone.

It's nice.  Abby doesn't bury her head in my lap anymore.

 They gave the kids a notepad to record each clue, just like Steve does on TV.

 The costumes are always pretty elaborate at this place.

Three Ring Circus

I feel like we usually have a three ring circus going on at our house, but last night we went to the real thing.  The girls earned their tickets through our library reading program.  We arrived a little early and went down on the floor of the arena to see the animals.  Pops was excited to dress up in a costume for us.

 The girls were pretty serious when it first started. 

 From the second I found out we were working to earn these tickets, I couldn't wait to get the girls a circus flashlight.  I remember I had a red one with a reflector that twirled around when I was a kid.

 Abby gave the tigers a thumbs up.

 She held her light up for this man that was shot through the air while on fire.

 Caroline waved bye to the elephants and it was a wrap.

 Headed home after a fun first experience at the circus.

Fun Times

GiGi and PawPaw came to town this week and held down the fort while I went to Continuing Education classes in Plano.  It was a long week for me, but the girls did not lack for entertainment.  They did lots of swimming, reading and played until they ran out of steam.

 Looks like PawPaw got roped into playing dress up.

 Tent Time

 Hide and Seek-No peeking!

 PawPaw was stumped on this hiding spot, until he heard giggles.

 They were well hidden in the bed until . . . .

. . . Caroline popped out.

 I think Abby enjoyed putting together her outfits without my advice this week.  Check out the one below.

Hugs

I had to post this picture, even though it is a bit blurry.  These sisters can do some serious arguing, but they sure do love each other.  Lots of hugs and kisses are exchanged any time they are going to separate classrooms at church or one of them is leaving the other for a swim lesson.

Olympic Fever

We have really gotten into the olymipcs this week.  The girls like to watch the gymnastics and short swimming races.  Last Friday, we painted the rings and made torches to get ready for our kick off dinner.

 Nonnie made fish and chips for dinner and we watched the opening ceremony.  We made it through the beginning.  Then it got a little too weird for us.

The girls also decorated brownies with m&ms to look like the Olympic rings.  The adults had bread pudding.  I felt like I was in London.  I just needed Ruth.

"Make New Friends, But Keep the Old" (my favorite Girl Scout song)

We have had fun making new friends in Southlake this year.  The girls have especially enjoyed having them over this summer to play at our new house.  The Currie family came over a few Sundays ago to swim and cookout.  Our kids play so well together, the grown-ups actually get to visit.

 Some of my friends I taught with from Flower Mound came over last Wednesday for breakfast.  We had such a great time catching up.  They are such special women who shared in all my excitement during my engagement and wedding 8 years ago.  So glad we've kept in touch and will always remember what an important role they played in my first years of teaching.