August little things

Yes, I do realize it is now the end of September (how did that happen?!?), but I’m going to take bite-size pieces to catch up with documenting life around here starting with August. The way my girls make their beds:Notice how cute that is and not the fact that they desperately need new bedding…I’m waiting ‘til we move to tackle that.  In a last-ditch effort to transform Elle into being a reader, I introduced her to “Twilight:”When it first came out and was all the rage I didn’t really want her to read it…didn’t want to get those hormones going too early 🙂 I love that Elle now “gets it” when food is pretty, and sometimes seizes the camera to take pictures. I somehow missed this pic. for our writing on the walls post back HERE, but I love it so here you go:(It’s on the wall going into my little closet office in the new house.) Our end-of-summer schedule: A rare semi-clean kitchen: Elle’s birthday celebration with cousins: A reunion with all my old Laurels I used to work with at church…and leaders too.They are all off doing their own things in the world and I miss them.  And love them.  I mean, are they cute or what? Scary pic, but have to remember the night we scrambled around the high school for orientation to make it to all of Max and Elle’s classes.  Wow that high school is big! Sweet cousin Allie came to take Elle out for a birthday treat with her new driver’s license.  I have about ten billion pictures of this in a few differing variations on my phone… Dave’s cousin and his wife came to town and we utilized every second we could to talk over house stuff with them.Sam, in the middle above, has awesome house ideas. We ate the best bruschetta for lunch that I’ve ever had.I love bruschetta with a passion. I can’t say enough about how much I love these guys and how much help they were!! Lucy’s sweetest ever cousin/friend Audrey:You may have noticed she writes “Audrey” on almost every piece of her artwork 🙂 Measuring again: We are going to have to take this door with us when we move… Claire is so lucky to have so many great cousins just her age. Church swim party: Excuse this super blurry picture but I have to remember Max’s first day blessing the sacrament at church.I cried his voice was so beautifully steady and thick with the spirit.  After words he said he was so nervous he could hardly see the paper he was holding it was shaking so much. Our cute friend/mentor for all these girls left for college.  She has had such an influence on these kids for good.  Love you Kiley! Volleyball Family Home Evening: …trying to help Grace get ready for Jr. High volleyball tryouts. Visiting Josh in his new, whiz-bang classroom.SOOO lucky to live close to him! Another friend birthday to celebrate: The picture Max showed me how he wanted me to cut his hair: …as close as we could get it:(More on NYC soon…) Lucy moved up another level in swim class. Love this great little helper.She is so cheerful and helpful all the time…especially with Lucy.  I honestly don’t know what Lucy would do without her. What Lucy makes every. single. day in different variations: I love that Dora and La La Loopsy are taking naps. I also love that someone randomly wrote up our FAMILY MOTTO on a scrap paper.Makes me believe that it is sinking in somehow… Grace on the first day of volleyball tryouts.So proud of her for doing something scary and hard.  More about that HERE. Claire’s “Cricket in Times Square” project: A date with this guy on the lake: …and his awesome brother and wife too. Family Home Evening night at Costco….…best night ever.  Help with finding, unloading, no dinner mess…hmmm…thinking we should do that more often. Our third car saving grace to help us get around.  Her name is “Jenna” and man oh man are we ever grateful for THREE ways to get people where they need to be.  She’s got a LOT of miles under her belt so we hope she holds up ok!  This is how these two head off to school every day. My nifty way to keep house-building tasks organized: Lucy, fascinated with one of my old journals that I had out for some reason: Selfie with my phone: Elle is under the impression that shoes are optional.  She got out of the car for mutual a couple weeks ago like this…no shoes anywhere to be seen.  Seriously? After you get the carpet cleaned these girls think it is mandatory that you have a dance party with all the empty space. No explanation needed 🙂 There we go.  August was a good one. On to September!