First Day of Preschool

Lizzie and Josh on their first day of preschool together.


We started these kids in the two year old class together this Fall. (They both just missed the 3 year old class cut off.) It was a Mommy and Me class so Mary and I started out taking turns going to class while the other one watched Lucy and Julie. However, it soon became clear that Lucy is not quite ready to be away from her Mommy! Because of this, among other reasons, Lizzie and Josh just had their last day of preschool this week. They had fun but they actually still have three years to attend preschool so I think we will try it again next Fall, and this way she won't be so bored of it by the time she reaches Kindergarten!

Local Fun

This picture brings back great memories for me. Almost every Wednesday we would head to the local farmers market and stock up on the fresh produce and other healthy goodies! The afterwards they hold concerts in the park, overlooking the water. This picture of Lizzie was during one of those performances. Lizzie was attached to her sunglasses all summer long!

11 month old Julie

Its kind of fun to post these pictures from when Julie was 11 months because it wasn't that long ago and she looks so tiny! Just the fact that she is in crawling position makes me smile because she is so far beyond that now! She is a fast runner too.

The relationship between Dave and Julie is adorable. She gets so excited, bounces, then runs to the garage door when she hears Daddy coming in from work.

Dave always treats his little girls like such princesses its no wonder they love him so much!

Puyallup Fair

The Puyallup Fair was very entertaining to the girls this year.

Fun Shows

Lizzie's first fair ride.


And of course the animals were a favorite!

Hangin Out

Brooke came over in a black and white striped shirt and Lizzie wanted to match so they were twins for a day.

Thats a lot of kids on one couch! I was doing some babysitting and they were all lined up on the couch so cute I had to get a picture.

Trevor is Back!

And now to start a Blast From the Past!
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A little reminder of how much fun we had this summer!
I got so behind on my summer blogging that I am going to just add them now. ( For keepsake/printing purposes: All blogs between the lines of stars should be inserted right after my tiling the kitchen blog.)

Trevor is back from Russia! My littlest brother is now an RM! Its hard to believe but we are all so very proud of him and his service in Novosibirsk.
It just so happened that Dave had a CE course to attend in Chicago right about the time my brother was getting back so we flew out for a visit. He had a lot of great experiences there and it was fun to hear all of his stories. I loved watching him continue to communicate with the people of Russia via Skype. I even got to meet and say hello to some of his friends and people that he taught.

The kids were just as excited as me! We showed Lizzie pictures of her Uncle and told her all about him to the point that she was super excited to see him. All the cousins loved wrestling with Uncle Trev!

3 Years Old

3???!!!! Time to face reality. My little baby is growing up. Some evidence:


She started preschool this Fall!

She has become an amazing story teller complete with different voices, plots, and points of views.

Built a repertoire of songs she sings by heart.

A whole other repertoire of books she reads by heart.

Potty trained and can do the whole shabang beginning to end without any help.

Says the cutest prayers all by herself.

Has a grasp on the concept of time and learning to read a clock. (Knows the big hand only)

Builds whole kingdoms and huge towers with her blocks and pink duplos.

Cleans her whole room by herself.

Favorite Activities: Playing with her cats (real and stuffed), coloring, Play-doh, everything outdoors, going to the park, visiting family, reading, going to the movies, playing with friends and cousins, pretending, helping in the kitchen, pounding on the piano while singing, and playing the "Poof" game. (Daddy taught her that one.)

Favorite Color: Yellow (Its been her favorite color since she was 12 months old)

Favorite Words/Phrases: Meow!

Favorite Candy: Skittles

Favorite Song: I am a Child of God (I hear her singing this to herself in bed sometimes)

Favorite Book: "Put me in the Zoo" by Dr. Seuss, among many favs.

Favorite Movie: Milo and Otis (talking cats and dogs? Talk about her dream come true!)


Liz and her love of hats and other accessories is hilarious. She was so excited when we gave her the Rasta hat souvenier from our cruise. Any hat, really, will make her smile.

Lizzie has reached a great phase lately. Her sense of indepence and wanting to always be the one in control and taking charge made for some of the "terrible twos" moments, but we have outgrown some of that and she is more aware of what her boundaries are. She has always been one smart cookie, and that still holds true. She is always shocking us with her grown up way of putting things and her ability to communicate in such a poignant way. When she is at home with her mom and dad she can really show her sweet side by telling us how much she loves us and doing things when she is asked with such enthusiasm. She is a great picker upper around the house at times and her favorite job is to put away the silverware. She really has the good big sister thing down. They have their moments but those moments of good times are outnumbering the negative ones these days. The girls really have a good time playing together, chasing each other, laughing, wrestling, playing with stuffed animals, and coloring together. When Julie naps, Lizzie always says, "I want her to wake up!!"