Need We Say More?

Back to School 2012

What a summer!  Although I had a few large responsibilities this summer, we fit in a lot of playing, too.  But all good things must come to an end.

Yesterday marked Ally's first day of 3rd grade.  Yes, really.

She was nervous.

I'm not sure why.

Her teacher is her mom.  Her classroom is in her basement.  She didn't have to worry about people not approving of her hair or clothes.  She didn't have to impress a new teacher or navigate the dynamics of a new peer group, building, or schedule.

She said she was nervous about math.  It must be genetic.  She gets it from me.  She has very few problems with math, but she dislikes it.  That's how I was (or maybe how I still am).  Anyway, Ally navigated her first day of school well, declaring that her math assignment was easy.  (I didn't have the heart to tell her that the first few lessons are a basic review...)

We're starting a bit slow this week, with math, English, reading, writing, and Bible.  We'll add history, geography, science, music, and art next week.  At some point in the year, we'll revisit Spanish and add in some typing lessons as well.

Without further ado, here's our favorite 3rd grader...and the teacher's assistants of course.

Today was Ally's second day of 3rd grade and she was equally unaffected by math.  Phew.

Natalie started her second year at preschool today.  This year she'll be in the "Getting Ready for Kindergarten" class which meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.  She was returning to the familiar, with her teachers, the classroom, and the building being the same.   She was thrilled to return and had a great day.  My only question is, "Why does she look so big in these pictures?"

Something must be wrong with my camera.

All the way home from dropping Natalie off at school, poor Christopher moaned, "I wanna be four like Nat-Nat and go to her school."

(Yes.  He's holding goggles here.  I don't know why.)

Mrs. Gorman bringing Natalie to the car at pick-up.  What a great day!

Christopher is 3!

On Saturday, June 23, our little man turned 3! We had a great weekend of celebrating with him. He received some great gifts, but one of his highlights was the new Spider Man bike that Grandpa & Grandma V. and Uncle Jeff & Aunt Annette's Family sent him.
The videos below are unedited...sorry, I have no motivation to edit video these days!
There are also some photos from the weekend below the videos.

Christopher's Bike Reveal

Christopher's Maiden Bike Ride

The Photos

Beach Fun

Here are some shots of our first few days in Duck, NC.  We are absolutely in love with the Outer Banks.  Here are Chris and Ally dancing to the beat of their own drums in the surf!

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Natalie Singing...He Plants Me Like A Seed

After an embarrassingly long hiatus, we are back and somewhat motivated to start maintaining this site again.  Here is a short video of Natalie singing one of the songs she sang at her school program this Spring.  This is a rare moment, as Natalie is not fond of video cameras, so enjoy.



Unfortunately, it was just about a half hour after this sweet video was filmed that Natalie had one of the biggest temper tantrums we have experienced. At least we didn't capture that on video!!! :)

Winter Greetings from Wisconsin

The snow has finally arrived in Wisconsin and Ally found this "heart" that was a warm spot in the cold.

Nat-Nat

And now...we interrupt the silence to bring you news of Natalie's birthday!

Yesterday, our precious middle-child turned four years old. Amazing.

We prefer to save parties with several friends until next year (or maybe the following year), so we asked her how she wanted to celebrate. In the end, we decided to invite over a precious family who has three girls, two of which are close in age to Ally and Nat. It was such a fun time together! The kiddos played and gabbed and laughed and screamed while the parents (tried) to hold a decent conversation. We were mostly successful.

So our traditional blowing-out-the-candle picture is a bit non-traditional. We had to interrupt their playing to draw them back to the table for cake and candle-blowing. It is clear by her hair that they were playing hard! Our little celebration took place on Saturday night.

On Sunday, her actual birthday, we had church in the morning and Awana at night, but she chose our lunch and opened gifts in the afternoon. She chose pizza, in case you were wondering.

As you will see in the pictures below, we decided to give her a dollhouse for her birthday. And we spread the word through the family, asking for furniture for the house.

It has been approximately 32 hours since she saw her dollhouse for the first time. Take away ten hours for sleeping and two hours for Awana last night. She has played with her dollhouse for no less than 10 of the remaining 20 hours. No exaggeration.

Natalie has rarely been an "easy" child and is the cause of more than a few gray hairs, but she is the source of such life in our home. Her energy and enthusiasm is such a joy and she is constantly teaching us valuable lessons about love, patience, and parenthood.

Should you care for a reminder, you can read her birth story here. Down on the right, you can search for 2008 posts, then select January for pictures and one of our favorite videos of all time, taken the first time Allyson met her new sister.

Happy 4th birthday Nat-Nat! We love you!

December Hello...

...and November.

Ahem. Sorry for my absence!

We sent our Christmas cards and added our blog address to the bottom, as we typically do. So just in case we have any new visitors, I thought I'd better stop by to say hello.

The fall was full of activity, schooling, playing, and enjoying one another. I have pictures galore, but here's one just to lure you in.



I'm working on a year-in-pictures post...so come back soon and check it out!

(Off topic for a moment: Check out the difference between my adorable husband in the picture on the blog header and the picture above. Woa. That's what a 80+ pound loss will do for you!)

As we approach Christmas, we are constantly reminded that this season is such fun for kids! Everywhere we look, the kids are amazed by the sights and sounds of Christmas. "Look, LIGHTS!" or "There's a Santa!" or "Look, it's a Jesus! And Mary! And...what was the dad's name?"

This will be our first Christmas (maybe ever??) that we are on our own. No one is visiting us and we are staying close to home. So we are planning a mini-vacation to an indoor waterpark, as well as lots of quality family time.

I'll do my best to post a few pictures before Easter. :)

So until you hear from us again, enjoy a fabulous Christmas! Read the Christmas story (the real one, from the Bible!), enjoy your family and friends, eat an extra cookie, and take lots of pictures. We love you!

Can't Argue With That

Ally was working on the vocabulary section of her spelling book the other day and coyly presented her work for my approval:

I think she understands the concept.