Fire Station field trip

Paige had her first preschool field trip today to the fire station (they get to go on a field trip once a month). Paige loved it, but Claire was totally bored. The fireman who gave the kids the tour & safety info was great with the kids. I love the questions that generate random answers from 3 & 4 year olds. It reminds me of teaching primary & the things kids come up with.

They all got to ride in the fire truck around the parking lot at the fire station. Fun for Paige, but too loud for our fearless little Claire. She opted out of the ride.....




The best I could do with them both looking at me.



Paige's preschool class, JD the fireman & her teacher Mrs. Ririe. I asked Paige who all the kids were, & she said she didn't know everyone's name yet.

Paige is one of three girls in a class of 9! Luckily there are a few boys about her size. The other two girls are younger & tiny. Paige seems to really like her teacher & has fun at school. It is SO quiet while she's at school. Even though Claire fights with Paige before school, she's always sad when her big sister has to go. I don't get it :0)
We do however miss the days with Grama at Mrs. Roger's Preschool. So excited for my neice & nephew to be in the same class with her this year!

We thought about Uncle Matt today who's also a fireman back in California. He & his wife just had their first baby yesterday (see previous post) so we are anxious to meet her! It doesn't seem like that long ago that we took our playgroup to the firestation where Matt worked in Lake Elsinore. I was pregnant with Claire, so it was almost 3 years ago. Time is flying -

Meet my new niece

Meet my newest niece....

Mari Noel Bryant

Congrats to my brother in-law Matt & his wife Kira on their newest addition to the family! She was born Tuesday at 1:30am weighing in at 7lbs 15oz & 20 inches long.

I get to meet her & my newest nephew Austin next weekend & I'm SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!

It's Official!

Jumping Monkeys

I had intended to post of picture of Claire & the gash in her forehead, but never got around to taking a picture or having the time to blog. I was going to title my post as "no more monkeys jumping on the bed" since Claire was jumping on the bed before she got hurt. She and Paige were having so much fun. We could hear them giggling down stairs. Then we heard the crying & saw the big goose egg on her forehead. It was another miracle of divine intervention for our crazy Claire. She had a scratch that looked like it was almost a huge gash that would've required a trip to urgent care.
A few days later she was running around the house with her cousin & a friend of ours. They were all laughing & chasing each other & then... the tears. Claire ran smack into her cousin. Another goose egg under her eye which is now purple- just in tim for church the next morning. So thankful for nothing more than a bruise & a scratch. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before we end up in the ER with her.



This is Reese's new jumperoo. She likes it on her terms... just like everything else. It's fun to watch her in it, but we have to keep the big girls away from it. They were so excited when we first got it. Poor Reese was a little overwhelmed by it all.

Thanks Babe!

My sweet hubby deserves a HUGE THANK YOU! Last night was girl's night out & I was planning to take Reese. It's easier for everyone that way. RIght before it was time to go Mark suggested that I leave Reese home with him. I know he is totally capable, but Reese is a Momma's girl & more importantly has only had a bottle once or twice (never formula). Mark asked "what's the worst that could happen?" It was his first time solo with all 3 kids- So brave!
All went well & it was a successful night for SUPER dad! Reese is not fond of formula, but had enough that she still slept through the night. It was nice to be out & be "alone". I was with friends & it was fun to be just me! We saw "All about Steve" which I thought was hilarious. Who doesn't love Sandra Bullock & Bradley Cooper AKA WIll from Alias? That was followed by a trip to the Cheesecake factory and a piece of Wild Blueberry White Chocolate cheesecake- SO DELICIOUS!!!!
Mark will probably never read this & that's okay. I just wanted to say thank you for a fun night out without kids or worry for their safety :0) Love you Babe!!!

Reeses Pieces

Thought I'd post a video or two of Reese. They're not terribly exciting, but thought you might like to see what she's up to.




Toes are the next best thing if you can't find your thumb, right?

Is it Fall yet?

Paige just asked "when is it going to be Fall?". I'm not exactly sure, but it definitely feels like summer is coming to end. The past few nights have been so nice. It was 64 degrees in our house whenwe got up this morning. It is the most beautiful today! It's only supposed to be 78 for the high. We went for a walk to see "the swan". In the housing tract next to us they have a resident swan. It is so beautiful & graceful to watch. The girls always try to spot it when we drive by. Claire always calls waterfalls "beautiful water". So we decided it was a perfect day to see the "beautiful water" & the swan who Paige has appropriately named Twinkle.
I'm not so sure Twinkle was happy to see us. The girls went right to the edge of the water to watch her & she came right over to them. She climbed out of the water fast & headed their way. I was worried she'd bite, so they quickly moved back.










I love hand-me downs, but they make me realize just how fast time is going by..... I had to take a picture of Reese wearing this outfit. It doesn't seem like that long ago that Claire was wearing it.



I LOVE this fashion statement! Claire has had a cough that won't go away, so we've had her sleep with sock at night & vicks vapor rub. I mocked it, but it actually seems to be helping. Claire is wearing Paige's shoes which are much to big for her. If Paige knew she was wearing them, she would've screamed & chased Claire down. That's a typical day in our house.

Happy Girls

I was trying to get Reese's latest trick on camera. Claire was being funny so I had to get her picture too!



Reese's new trick- She pushes up on her feet and it looks like she's doing a push up.









I wanted everyone to get see what I see when I get Reese out of her crib. She usually wakes up pretty happy. If you call her name, she pops her head up....




You can see her eyes peeking over the side



She is SO happy someone is coming to get her out of bed!


My parents sent the girls the coolest package. It came while while we were at the park & they couldn't wait to open it. The girls both got red Jessie cowgirl hats (from Toy Story 2). They were being so funny with them & wore them most of the day. They also got matching green Tinkerbell shirts that they love! These pics are mostly for my parents- Thanks for sending the girls such an awesome package- They loved everything!






I love this picture! Claire was checking herself out in the mirror... too cute.

Settlers Park

I try to take the girls to the park at least once a week. We have a park in our neighborhood, but there's not much to it. It's close enough that we can walk there & that makes it perfect for us. We've tried to venture out to other parks. There are a couple of cool parks w/ water features that have been really fun. There is the coolest park in Meridian called Settlers park. It is REALLY crowded during the summer. I've been too scared to take the girls by myself because it takes a lot of work to keep an eye on both Paige & Claire while Reese is strapped to me. School started back up & it was warm, but not too hot yet so we thought it would be a perfect time to try Settlers. It is seriously the coolest park for kids. There is so much to do & they had sooo much fun.
We met Joanna & her kids there. Brooke & Jacob came just after we did, & even Aunt Nae-nae came by to hang out for a little while. So glad we finally got to go. We'll try to go again soon!






They have these instruments for the kids to play- giant drums & xylophones. The girls loved them!





You'd have to know Caleb to understand this picture. He is WAY into pirates & was showing Paige his "hook".





Those little red buckets on the pole dump out water & the kids were all waiting for it.

I'm afraid it won't be long.....

Reese is getting too big, too fast! I'm trying to enjoy & its much easier now that she is SO good all the time. She is SO sweet & happy. We love her to pieces! If you put her on her tummy, this is what you'll get. I know that she'll be crawling before we're ready for it. She is already moving all over the place. If you set her on a blanket, she'll be off in a matter of minutes. The older girls, especially Paige are loving being able to interact with her more. They also enjoy playing with the baby toys- new is new right?
Paige tells people that "Reese is totally into me". She does love Paige & smiles when she lays by her to play. The other day Paige laid next to Reese with a book & started reading to her. It was so sweet! I would've taken a picture, but I was in the shower- darn. I did get a few pictures of Claire getting toys for Reese. They are really good with her & I'm just happy they are gentle with her :0)

1st day of Preschool

Paige's 1st day at her new preschool was great! She got to use markers, scissors & glue sticks on the 1st day- needless to say that made it a great day. I had the hardest time getting her to hold still & look at the camera. She's into posing & although it's entertaining, it makes picture taking more of a challenge than it needs to be.

My Mom got this calendar for the girls & they love it. Just wanted to show that August was really over & that September is here! Can't wait for even cooler weather (i know you're all thinking ...." just wait until its REALLY cold"). I enjoy one season at a time:0)

Our little water dogs

Paige & Claire LOVE the pool! We've been several times throughout the summer & I haven't taken any pictures yet. Since summer is over & the pool is closing next week I figured I needed to post these pictures.
Paige can swim the entire length of the pool- on her back. She gets into the floating position & then kicks her way across. We are SO proud of her, but she is pretty proud of herself too. We'll make sure to get them both in lessons next year before the pool opens again. We have a little community pool in our neighborhood & so does Mark's Mom. Her pool has a toddler pool too which is really nice. Mark almost always swims with the girls while I take care of Reese. I've been in a few times & can't wait until next summer when we can all be in the pool together. It's too hot to sit & watch everyone else swim. Reese doesn't enjoy the pool- she's a water snob & has to have the temperature just perfect- even for her bath time. She'll let you know if it's too hot or too cold.
Last night when we went swimming Claire was wearing one of Paige's old swimsuits. It is a two piece, but you can't tell- it's very modest for a 2 year old :0) Mark was telling Claire her liked her bathing suit & said it's a two piece. Claire replied back " a toothpaste?" CLose Claire, very close. We thought it was funny anyway.


Can't wait to go swimming!









Grammy taking pictures too & getting Paige's swimming on video



Please forgive me for the "blair witch" quality of this video. I didn't realize how bad it was until I uploaded it. Sorry :{