Here they are! Our family pictures, taken in Pentwater during our camping trip...
We have had a surprisingly quiet week, and have enjoyed some laughs along the way.
With our summer weather still very abnormal, it has begun to heat up a bit and reached the 80's this past week, with rain or threats of rain almost every day. Talk of 90 degree days was just that... talk.
The girls and I got the chance to spend some time with friends at Sandy Pines on Thursday and we all had a wonderful time. Kathy and Kelly, both from my MOPS group and church, and their children spent the day with my girls and I. All of our kids play so well together and I have such a wonderful time with Kathy and Kelly. I am feeling blessed with the friendships I have developed because of my MOPS group!
At home, we worked on our learning with the letter C - coloring, cutting, gluing, and lots of fun stuff for the girls to do, we're starting to get a little used to having our "school" each day.
Most of the day is spent as usual, playing and general chaos. Alora and Ezri have discovered that they can hide under their beds, and that is fun! One day, we could not find Alora, and she (being the child who likes to ignore rules and all) would not answer. We found her under her bed with a flashlight and Tobi - just hanging out!
Tierney is growing before our eyes. She chatters constantly, and I love waking up to her little squeals and squeaks in the morning. Our little baby is getting so big already, soon to be in 6 month clothes for length. We almost missed the chance of having her fit in my baby doll cradle, which Alora thought was just wonderful :)
There have been several little conversations with the girls this past week that have left me smiling:
On Tuesday
Alora: "Where are we going, Mommy"?
Mommy: "Nowhere"
Alora: "Yeswhere!"
On Wednesday, while having a picnic together:
Alora: "Jesus is my friend!" (yes!!! - almost made me teary eyed)
On Friday, while talking about first, middle and last names:
Our week was filled with learning as we began our second week of preschool at home with Ezri. Alora has been doing the activities along with Ezri, and both girls are having fun with the learning :) In addition to the learning times, we began packing for a weekend away in Pentwater.
Thursday, August 14, Alex and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. While there wasn't much "celebration" in the form of going out, we did life together and appreciated all that the past 10 years had blessed us with. A little wedding photo reminiscing even got the girls chatting about the day.
Our weekend afforded us a chance to get some new family photos and celebrate with our friends on a trip away :)
Bright and early Friday morning, we headed North to Pentwater. As Daddy had a meeting in a nearby town, he dropped the girls and I off and joined us again later after lunch. Once Daddy returned, the real fun began!
Some friends from church joined us on this trip - the Williams' and a surprise last minute addition of the Sebrights. Also with us were Uncle Andy, Jay and Becci. With 11 kids - 2 aged 11, one infant and 9 ages 2-6, we had a lot of chaos! But, it worked out really well, and there were less issues than in previous visits because there were more friends to play with.
The girls had a great time playing outside. While the weather was definitely chilly for summer, barely getting over 70 any of the days, they made the best of it!
There was a dog to play with...
Friends with electronic toys...
And plenty of sticks to build forts and fairy houses!
Even the big boys found ways to play...
We made a couple of trips to the beach to at least play in the sand as well. The water was VERY cold and the kids gave up on that idea pretty quickly.
Nights around the bonfire were filled with great conversation, tons of laughs and even more entertainment as the big boys played with fire.
Sunday afternoon, we made another trek to the beach to play. At least the sun was out, though it was still very windy and cool. The girls had a great time building sand castles, digging holes and burying themselves.
Daddy and Tierney took the opportunity to catch up on some sleep together.
And soon, Jay joined in...
Uncle Andy was right in the middle of the sand fun, helping to dig holes for the girls to play in.
Alora especially loved the big hole and couldn't wait to get into it
And then to be buried in it!
We had such a wonderful and needed weekend away together!
Alora started out the past week by creating chaos during naptime that resulted in a big move for the girls, Alora in particular. After a naptime spent jumping, throwing toys and pulling a framed glass picture I thought she could not reach off the wall, I decided it was time... So, two hours later we had a room with two big beds and little room for much else. But, the girls thought it was fantastic fun!
Alora immediately set to finding the next way she could endanger her life and create new chaos and trouble... Bed jumping!
Ezri was a trooper about the whole situation, and excited about having her bed moved to a new spot. So, in the end, both girls got new sleeping places, everyone was happy.
And then came bedtime... Or more correctly 3 hours of free-for-all. With a new freedom, Alora was all over the room, her sister's bed, even the rest of the house. A big adjustment, we're still working on getting the girls, particularly Alora, to settle down and stay in bed for sleep. Time will bring it, I know, but nevertheless, bedtime is a bit stressful and prolonged right now.
Still, can't help but love those girls, even in the chaos!
They have no trouble making their own fun...
And little Tierney has been taking it all in, hopefully not taking too many notes, but very amused and entertained by the goings on. She gets very excited about what the big sisters are doing and seems to want to join them!
Thankfully, this little angel will still go to sleep quite easily for me :) This past week, she got her own little puppy dog. It was quite exciting for the other girls as they each have their own special dogs, and now so does little sister. Even more exciting was the fact that her big dog matches the little puppy dog we were given for baby "Sally" before she was born :)
We have been able to spend some time with Great Grandma over the past weeks and have enjoyed the time with her. On our last visit, the girls and I helped her clean out and re-organize a bedroom upstairs for a playroom for the girls when they visit. We also spent some time hanging out on the porch, just playing together. I love that my babies can know my Grandma in such a special way, what a blessing!
This past Sunday, we were able to spend some time at Sandy Pines with our friends Tony and Kathy and their children as well as my friend Kelly and her children. While they guys chatted, the ladies took 7 kids ages 6 and under to the splash pad for some fun in the water. The kids had such a wonderful time and played so well together!
Alora was sure to keep track of her little buddy Dresden (also 2), mothering him all over. He was content to be mothered, so it worked out well.
Ezri was thrilled to discover and play, trying to figure out how different water features worked and why. Daddy would have been so proud to watch her :)
After the splash pad, we played on a playground for a bit. Alora was very interested in a carved wood bear.
And was soon riding it with Emmett.
We spent some time in the lake as well, floating in a boat and swimming. Neither Ezri nor Alora had any reservations about hopping right in and swimming off, a bit farther than I was comfortable with as there were many other kids and boats. Thankfully, there were 2 other moms there to help out as my hands were full with a sleeping baby.
Even more excitement awaited us at home that night. It was about 8:30 when we got home. As we were getting the girls into pajamas and ready for bed, a little before 9pm, we heard popping and cracking that sounded like fireworks, followed by sizzling, flashing lights and a loud crash. Needless to say, we were shocked and a bit confused for a moment, rushing outside to see what had happened. Two houses down, about 1/3 of a huge tree split off and fell over the road, taking out power lines as it fell, twisting power poles, snapping wires, and even starting a small grass fire at Cocktailz in town.
The whole neighborhood was out to see the damage. The fire department was on scene to re-direct traffic until well after midnight. Bedtime for the girls became a big adventure. With flashlights and mommy camping out in their room until they fell asleep, it was quite exciting for them. We had no idea how long power would be out, so Alex headed to get the generator from my parents' home and, with Andy's help, hooked it up by flashlight to give us power for a couple of hours until we finally went to bed. The power company showed up after midnight to begin cutting the tree apart to remove it from the road and lines so they could begin repairing the damage. We were very surprised to find our power back on when we woke up Monday morning. The crews worked hard all night and we sure were grateful. The internet was down til mid-day, but Alex didn't mind the time off :)
We're pretty much back to normal now. The tree has been completely cleared, all wires re-connected and back to functioning as normal. Still, we are very grateful that nobody was hurt. We were all too mindful of how badly things could have been and very thankful.
Ezri has been especially interested in dressing up as of late, and wants to wear her "dancing clothes" almost daily. Of course, a straw hat is the perfect accessory, so for a while we had a "dancing farmer".
Alora, who is not as interested in dressing up generally, usually plays along with Ezri anyway. One afternoon, they were playing, imagining that Grandpa was taking Ezri dancing. Alora got to be Grandpa. Pretty soon, Alora was Grandma. Then I heard them pretend crying and asked what was wrong. They told me Grandpa had died. What!!! I talked to Ezri about it not being a nice game to play and re-directed their play. Later, at supper, Alora was very quiet and glum. When asked what was wrong, she said she was said because Grandpa had died. This came up twice during supper. I decided we needed to call Grandpa and Grandma and Facetime with them so she could see Grandpa was indeed alive and well. It also gave us a reality check as Alora is still very concrete in what she believes, so we had a conversation with Ezri about pretending and how Alora doesn't really understand made up things. Poor little girl! Fortunately, seeing Grandpa fixed it all almost immediately and she was back to her cheerful self!
That drama aside, Alora has been her normal rambunctious self. She is stepping into sneaky kid territory, constantly trying to liberate cheese sticks from the refrigerator or snacks from the cupboard at any chance she can get.
There is no obstacle she is not willing to attempt to overcome for a snack :)
Bath times have become more chaotic and fun now that Tierney is ok with the water. The older girls think it is so fun to share the tub with her!
We have finally had some "summer" weather! Back into shorts and t-shirts after a very chilly week prior, we were so glad for the warmth and sun! We got in some time in Aunt Nancy's pool on Friday with my friend Kelly and her two kids, Ayla & Dresden. The kids had such fun together! After a picnic lunch, they left and the girls and I were able to spend several more hours together just swimming and enjoying the day. I truly enjoyed being with my girls and being a part of their fun and antics, without the distractions home can sometimes bring.
It is endless fun and adventure here - and no shortage of tiredness for this mommy! I sure do love these girls :)
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