Family Pictures

My good friend, Kristen, took some pictures of our family last weekend. As you can see she is very talented and did an amazing job! Thank you Kristen.

Memories

Each day is full of so many memories of my kids. I don't want to forget these so today I decided to write down one main memory for each child.

Ellie... Every night I climb into bed with Ellie and talk. Lately she has started sleeping on her top bunk. The first night I thought, well this will be a quick goodnight, but Ellie had other plans. She insisted that I climb the ladder and into bed with her. I love these times, so up the ladder I went. I love laying in bed with her and talking about our day. I hope we do this for many years to come.

Ashlyn... (Also a bedtime memory) Ashlyn is always full of energy when she climbs into bed. Many times she is giggling and wiggling all over. I've been thinking that I would love to have a special time of talking with her too but I have come to the realization that it is difficult to have "serious" conversations with her. She just wants to poke, tickle and giggle. A couple of months ago I started singing "You are my Sunshine" to her. This has now become our tradition. It's amazing how hyper she can be but when I start singing she immediately sits still and looks right into my eyes and smiles. When I finish she says "again" and I repeat the song a couple more times. It's a sweet moment.

Abby... Her hugs! She gives me the most amazing hugs. She wraps her arms around me so tight and squeezes me. Many times she gives me a pat on the back too. She is full of love, hugs, and kisses.

Ice Skating

Last Saturday we took the two older girls ice skating for the first time. We went with our good friends Matt and Amy. The girls were a little uneasy at first, but quickly learned to keep their balance. They ended up having a great time, and asked when we could go again.



Ellie did a great job and even skated on her own a few times.

"Mommy, Daddy, I'm skating on the ice!" Ashlyn got very excited after her first trip around the rink.

Thanksgiving

We have many things for which to be thankful. We enjoyed the company of family, the comforts of home, and delicious food. . .

We all felt the Thanksgiving sleepies so we decided to go bowling. It was the first time for all the girls. They all achieved amazing scores (with help from bumpers and ramps).

You know you live in sunny Arizona when....

your kids think it is hilarious when the windshield wipers are going in the car.

We finally have been getting rain... the first time in about three months. The girls loved it! When we were driving in the car, each time the windshield wipers went, they broke out laughing... kind of strange, huh?

Ashlyn got a new Hello Kitty umbrella awhile ago and has been waiting to use it. In the afternoon I told the kids they could get their umbrella's and go outside in the rain for a little while. Ellie came out with her snow boots, snow cap, and snow jacket on. I thought to myself, it's raining not snowing Ellie!

Zoolights

Wednesday night we met some of our friends at the Zoo for Zoolights. Ellie's favorite lights were the butterflies and Ashlyn's was the snake. We also rode the carousel. This was Abby's first time riding. As you can see by the look on her face, she loved it!

Thanksgiving Feasts

All of the kids at Ashlyn's school decorated hearts, wrote what they were thankful on it, and hung it on the tree. Ashlyn said she is thankful for flowers.

Tuesday we had Thanksgiving feasts at both Ellie and Ashlyn's schools. At Ashlyn's school the 3 year old class dressed up as Indians and the 4's class were pilgrim's. They read a story, sang a few songs, and then had a potluck feast. After Ashlyn's feast we went to Ellie's school for her Thanksgiving feast. Daddy was able to meet us for that one. There we enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, stuffing, and potatoes.

Ashlyn's Choir Performance

Ashlyn has started attending Cubbies and Choir with her friend Kaley at Arizona Community Church. Last Sunday they had their first choir performance in "Big Church". Ashlyn was really excited and did a great job. This child LOVES to sing, so choir is a perfect fit.Ashlyn and Kaley waiting to sing.This picture is hard to see... Ashlyn is in the front row in the pink dress.

Drawings

Lately both girls have enjoyed drawing. It amazes me at how long they will sit and draw. Here are a few of their creations. One of Ashlyn's Masterpieces.

This is another one of Ashlyn's. I'm on the right (in purple) and she is the grey person on the left. See the resemblance?

Ellie's card for me.

New Obsession- Ashlyn

Ashlyn just learned how to swing all by herself. She is SO excited and proud of herself. This is now all she wants to do. From the time whe wakes up until the time she goes to bed she is constantly asking can I go outside and swing by myself?

New Bathroom Decor

The other day the girls decided make signs to hang up in the bathroom. They drew pictures, wrote instructions, and hung them throughout the room. It is pretty interesting... we have no idea where they came up with this idea. Sign reads: Remember to flush when you are done.

Sign reads: Wash your hands when you are done.

Sign reads: close the door if you are scared you don't have to if you want to you can but you might be scared. I am happy

There are three more that I didn't take pictures of one reading "remember to wipe", another reading "remember to flush when you are done", and finally "Abby no getting in the toilet". Yikes, I guess I just admitted that she has done that a couple times...

Halloween

We had a great time trick-or-treating this year. Ellie dressed up as a butterfly, Abby as a bumblebee, and Ashlyn as Roo (from Winnie the Pooh). We were lucky that once again Grandma made Abby and Ashlyn's costumes. I was anxious to see what she would come up with when Ashlyn insisted on being a Kangaroo. It's still a little confusing where she came up with the idea considering the only Winnnie the Pooh book we have doesn't mention Roo and we don't have any videos. Grandma did a great job and everyone loved thier constumes.

We started the night down the street at Jim and Lori's where we had chili and cornbread. We then went trick or treating with our friends, Kaley, Kami and Noah. After enjoying a couple pieces of candy we walked home and gave out candy at our house. The girls were so excited to hand out candy but unfortunately we had very few kids come.

Our Baby Bumblebee.

Carving Pumpkins

Its hard to believe that its almost the end of October! We sure had a blast carving pumpkins. The girls drew the pumpkin faces and dad carved them. Ellie's featured missing teeth and Ashlyn's had a heart for a nose. They were both very excited about their pumpkins and decided to store them in their rooms until the 31st. We'll see how long they smell like pumpkins.

San Diego