Football Time

Last weekend, we went to the Buddy Walk to support Down Syndrome in Wyoming.  It was a really neat experience and the kids had a blast!  The event started with music, Wyoming cheerleaders, games, and treats.  

 Milan was very eager to dance onstage and she has some great moves!

 After the walk, we had lunch at Tailgate Park.

 Then, we took the girls to their first Wyoming football game.

Their eyes were glued to the field before kick-off, then they lost interest and had fun playing with their friends and eating candy.  They still talk about the football game whenever we drive by the stadium....they definitely want to go again!

First Day of School

I have loved having Milan home with me for the past 5 years.  I have enjoyed being her mom, teacher, and influence.  During that time, Milan has become an intelligent and independent little girl.  She is ready for all the new experiences that come with school. I really miss her during the day, but love hearing all about kindergarten when I pick her up.

 Milan was a little timid about her first day of kindergarten for about 5 minutes, then she saw her friends on the playground, and ran towards them without even looking back.  

 Here's Milan excited to start her day!

Eden started preschool at the same school Milan has attended for the last 2 years.  It is a great preschool; Mrs. Wrhel and Mrs. McKinney are awesome!  Eden is the youngest in the class and with her shy personality, I was a little worried about the first couple of weeks.  It turned out that I had absolutely no reason to worry!  Eden was so excited to be a big girl at preschool, see her favorite teachers, and her favorite friend Brenna.  Eden gave us all a hug and went off to play with Brenna.  (I would have gotten some more pictures, but she was having too much fun playing with her friends.)

 I am excited to start volunteering in the girls' classes so I can see them in their new schools. 

Miss Eden turns 3!

Our sweet little Eden turned 3 on September 3rd.  Eden is an amazing little girl!  She showers us with hugs, kisses, and tells all of us that she "wuvs us very much."  She is very quick to share and is always thinking of her older sister.  She is quite a little joker and everything she says in her little voice is pretty much adorable.  

Eden woke up to birthday decorations and TONS of balloons (which is exactly what she requested.)  She wanted to open presents first thing in the morning  and was very excited about all her gifts (bike accessories, wooden cupcakes for her kitchen, Barbie, and new bedding.)

We had our friends, the Perritons, come over and grill steaks with us for Eden's birthday dinner.  After dinner, Eden got a little shy about blowing out her candles.....

 but she was very excited about eating her cake!

 Of course, we couldn't celebrate this milestone without a princess party!  We had a fun little party with dress-up, candy jewelry, crown decorating, "Pin the crown on the princess" game, and musical chairs.  

Here is my pretty little princess with her cake.

 Cora made a cute little princess too :)

 And, we can't forget this princess with the green tongue.

 Present time :)

 And a very happy little Eden bug!  

I asked Eden about some of her favorites and these were her answers:

Color:  pink and purple
Food:  yogurt
Drink:  juice
Animal:  monkeys
Show:  Dora
Game:  Candyland
Thing to make:  crafts
Thing to wear:  princess dress-up (she also likes bathing suits and comfortable pants)
Friend:  Teag (she hasn't seen Teag in over a year, but apparently he left a lasting impression :)
Place:  Disneyland
Song:  princess music
Restaurant:  Wal-mart (they do get donuts when they're good...I guess Eden is a fan)
Thing to do as a family:  watch football

Daddy's Home!!!!!!

I am very lucky that Dave chooses to work his butt off during the summer so that I can stay home with the girls and we have a comfortable life.  I really couldn't ask for a better husband.  That is why we missed him like crazy when he was gone.  Dave got home on August 26 (the day before school started) and I'm not sure who was more excited....me or the girls.

Here are the girls with their cute sign...of course it is on pink poster board!

We tried to savor our last couple of summer weekends with daddy so things were pretty hectic.  We celebrated Dave's birthday by camping with a bunch of friends.  Dave got to do some of his favorite things.....build camp fires, ride the Rhino (he was pretty much the camp hero with that thing!) and enjoy carrot cake around the campfire.

The girls were also super excited for camping!

We had a GREAT time!  It got a little chilly at night, but the girls were very bundled up and slept really well.  Even Cora slept through the night in her car seat.  

I always love the camping "after" pictures.....the girls always have a special look after playing in the dirt for days without a bath and they couldn't be happier! 

 We also enjoyed the last days of the splash park.  It wasn't really warm enough for swimming, but the kids didn't really care.

Big Girl Bikes!

Milan took off her training wheels on August 24th and learned to ride her bike in about twenty minutes! She was waiting for daddy to get home to take off her training wheels, but in the end decided to surprise him with her new skill when he got home.  She picked it up right away and has been riding all around ever since (we got her a new bigger bike the next day.)  

 Little Miss Eden has learned to pedal her Dora bike this summer.  She likes being a big girl just like her sister.

And the Summer Fun Continues......

It has started to feel like fall with cooler temps in the mornings and evenings.  I don't mind fall, but I am not ready to end summer so we are enjoying every last minute!  

 We spent some time at the Albany County fair checking out the animals.  Milan thinks she wants to join 4H when she is 8 and raise a bunny.  Eden thinks that they should have monkeys at the fair.

 We visited Arts in the Park where we visited some llamas, made necklaces, and listened to music.  Milan really wanted to dance, but it wasn't really that kind of music.

 Milan also got her face painted, but then ran through the splash pad so it was short-lived.  Good thing I got a picture!

 Milan was invited to a fun mini-golfing party.  While Milan was golfing with her friends, I spent some special time with Eden.  She loved to hit the ball once per hole, then she picked it up and moved on to the next spot.

 We hit up school lunch a couple of times a week.  I'm not sure how much the girls really eat, but they like running around the gym with their friends afterwards :)

Of course, we are spending as much time as possible playing at the park and swimming on warm days.

 Eden's favorite park activity is eating snacks!

Eden still takes a nap every afternoon so the whole family gets some downtime.  I love having a chance to spend time with Milan, get some stuff done, and sneak away for a little nap with Cora.  

Here we are enjoying a beautiful evening at Ivinsion Mansion....the girls snapped a couple of pictures, then ran around playing.