Peek-a-Boo

Working hard!

Kisses

Kisses from Audrey are the best!

Ian the Artist

I love when Ian colors on the ground like this:

Such a cutie! Another perk, he stayed happy and entertained while Mom fixed dinner.

3rd Tooth

Someone came home from school SUPER-EXCITED today. It's been a dream of hers since she watched her friends in kindergarten lose a tooth at school. Rachel didn't lose her first tooth until 1st grade. And now it's almost been a year since she did that. She was very excited to come home today and have her tooth in a treasure box. And this tooth has caused a lot of drama. It's been just hanging there for weeks, driving Andy and I crazy. But she'd flip out if we'd suggest pulling it out, so we finally just stopped trying a few days ago. We're grateful we don't have to go the weekend looking at her very loose tooth. We're also excited that she's so happy with herself. She's dreamed of a day like today for quite awhile!

Boys Trip to Utah

Andy did some recruiting at BYU at the beginning of September. He took Ian with him on his trip, since this would be the last time Ian could fly free. Luckily this recruiting trip went much better than their trip back in March. Everything went smoothly, no one was sick, no flights were delayed, and I think everyone had a good time. The timing of this one was extra special since Andy and Ian got to meet Elsa (who was born in August). A lot of us back here in Texas were jealous of the opportunity they got! Here are a few pictures of they fun they had in Utah:

Meeting Elsa:

 

 

 

 Grandma with Liam and Ian:

Playing at the King's house:

Fun at the aquarium:

 

 

A cheesy pictures sent to a Mommy who's missing her boy:

Checking out the big tractor at Isaac's football practice:

Grandma taking them for a wagon ride (Ian was upset because Daddy wasn't going):

Loves for Liam:

At the airport ready to head back home:

I'm glad they got the chance to go up and see family. I remember the days back when I used to go and we'd just pay for my ticket and Rachel would tag along as a freebie. Crazy how time has flown by and now the tradition is to just send one of the kids. Although by March it will just be Andy who will be going, Ian will no longer be free. It's fun to have these chances and these memories to make. The girls and I enjoyed some girl time while the boys were away. But as always, we were glad to see them come home.

Playing in the Rain

This afternoon we arrived home from church and were actually getting a good rainstorm. It has been months since we have seen rain like this and the girls were excited. So, they quickly changed out of their Sunday best and put on their swimsuits to go play in the rain:

 

 

 

Ian insisted on joining them:

  

I love this picture:

 

 

 

Rachel helping Ian get back to Mommy to get dry:

The kids definitely had fun playing in the rain. Our sidewalk makes a good stream during heavy downpours and has been enjoyed by our kids for years!

Daddy's Boy

Ian LOVES his daddy. So, he was quite upset today when he wasn't allowed outside while Daddy was working in the yard. I just hate putting bug spray on him, so he watched from indoors:

When Ian got bored of watching, he tried to be like Daddy by trying on his soccer cleats:

Finally Daddy came inside and Ian was thrilled:

Who can blame him for loving his Daddy so much. Doesn't that look like fun???

Big Trouble

Today was the first time Ian got into some major mischief. He was being awfully quiet in his room. When he emerged this is what he looked like:

That's Aquaphor (really thick and pricey Vaseline) all over his clothes. Yeah, probably about half the tub. Let's just say that outfit was thrown away, no way was that greasy mess going to come out. Ian got to spend some time in time out contemplating his no-no:

Ian is definitely an explorer and so we're bound to have things like this happen. Luckily most of the time his exploring is harmless. This time it wasn't. He now knows that he cannot touch the Aquaphor tub. Hopefully his next adventure of exploring his world won't lead to such a mess... We'll blame this on it being Friday the 13th!

Daddy/Daughter Dates

The Saturday before school started was a busy day for Andy. He had two very important dates scheduled. Every once in awhile Andy tries to take the girls out on dates. He lets them choose where he'll take them. Audrey chose the Children's Museum and Rachel chose a Skeeters baseball game. Right after lunch Audrey and Andy headed out for the Children's Museum:

 

They ended up spending about 3 hours at the museum. Audrey loved it! She was so excited to go. We went ahead and got a membership, so we'll continue to go throughout the year. It was fun to have pictures sent to me throughout the afternoon as they enjoyed their date together:

 

 

Audrey and Andy got home around 4:30, which was just enough time for dinner before Rachel and Andy headed out to the baseball game:

The Skeeters have only been in Sugar Land for a few years now, but we really like the option of baseball games closer and a bit more reasonable in price. Before the game even started Rachel had a bunch of treasures from different sponsors (it worked out well to get 3 stuffed animals, so she could come home and share):

 

A picture with Swatson, the Skeeters mascot:

 

Throughout the game at the end of an inning one of the players would throw a ball out to the stands. After one of the innings Andy and Rachel got the attention of one of the players and he threw the ball right to them. What a happy girl! Even though there's no show 'n tell in 2nd grade, Rachel talked her teacher into letting her bring the ball to school the next week to share with her class... :)

 

One bonus of a Saturday game is fireworks afterwards. I was impressed that Rachel stayed up that late. I don't think she got to bed until about 11 pm that night. She was so excited and had so much to tell me when she finally got home.

These two girls are definitely blessed with an incredible dad. They cherish spending time with him. They are definitely learning how a good man treats a woman. I'm so grateful for him and the sweet relationships he has with his daughters.