Cousins!

My best attempts at getting a good picture of all six . . .

Stairsteps

Emma Lee, Ryan, Kerri, Joshua, Rachel Beth, & Ethan

The easiest way to solve the whole don't look at the camera issue!

Quick! Escape while you can!

Promise of the last one brings out some smiles :)

Okay, well I meant the last one on the beach . . .

Room for more?? : )

It's Official . . . We're "Trying"

Today we mailed out the application (along with the non-refundable fee!) to begin our international adoption process!

Handy Andy

A while back, I was searching online trying to find a bookshelf for the girls' room. I found the perfect one: it was white, adorable, would look so cute in their room, and just the size I was looking for. Unfortunately, I fell in love before I looked at the $425 (plus shipping) price tag. Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. I still couldn't get it out of my mind, so I printed out a picture, took it to Andy and asked him if he thought he could make it. Fortunately for me, my own dear Handy Andy loves a project. We took a trip to the man mall, you know - Lowes, bought the supplies for a fraction of the cost and within a couple of hours of his starting the project, he had built me a bookshelf pretty identical to the one I found online. Granted, because of classes, exams, dissertation, and just life in general, it took a couple of months to get it completely (paint and all) finished, but I now have it! As is normal with us, one project spurs on another, so we also repainted a portion of the girls' room and created a dress-up area complete with a full length mirror and flower pegs on the wall.

I also foresee a future project because I'm ashamed to admit it but my almost 4 and almost 5 year olds still sleep in their toddler beds, and guess what - in my searches online I just happened to see a bunkbed set that matches the bookshelf. Maybe after graduation, Andy will need a new project....  

A Creative Moment

With two extra kids and a tub full of donated glitter, sequins, beads, buttons, paint, and all kinds of other assorted decorating items, I decided to have a small stroke of creative genius. This normally results in things not turning out quite as I pictured them and a mess much bigger than I ever imagined. However, this time, things turned out pretty darn cute (and really not too messy at all - although I'm not sure how that happened...). We decided to make puppets. No, not of the paper bag variety - don't you know those are so boring (as I was told).We raided the girls room for old or hopelessly stained t-shirts and mommy's sock drawer for some socks I probably haven't worn in at least ten years. (Yes, Andy, one of these days I WILL get around to cleaning out my drawers - but SEE, I needed it!!). Add in a few paint stirrers, some duck tape, and some safety pins and you have yourself some puppets.

Not only have you killed - I mean creatively entertained for - a couple of hours, but do you know how long puppet shows can last??!!

You've Got a Friend in Me

Here's proof that my animal/insect/reptile/anything alive and moving loving Kerri can make a friend out of anything. I'm pretty sure that she has never met any "animal" that she hasn't immediatley fallen in love with. It is hilarious to watch her radar go off at the slightest hint that there is a dog around. She drops whatever she is doing and runs toward the dog (big, small, calm, wild, hyper, mean looking or nice, it doesn't matter). Only after much coaching has she now reached the point where she shouts as she runs toward the owner, "Can I pet your dog, can I pet your dog, can I pet your dog!" Sure, that's understandable - I'm told I  was the same way when I was little, BUT her obsession doesn't end with cute, furry things . . .

Yep! That's a crab she found on the beach.

Uh huh! She did hold it.

You bet! She did let it climb all over her.

Yes! Kerri was in absolute heaven with her new friend.

Where Does the Time Go?

 I can't believe it. Remember, as a kid, how LONG a year took to go by? It seemed to take forever to get to Christmas, the next birthday, or that really big event you'd been waiting for. How is it possible that in a blink of an eye almost five years have gone by? It was only yesterday that I was dwelling in the wonder and excitement of becoming a first time mom, so how is it possible that today I dropped that baby off for her first day of preschool? Today is just a reminder to cherish each and every moment! I don't even want to think about how quickly "tomorrow" will come!  

Sugar, Spice, and Everything . . . Fishy?

Our summer has been CRAZY! I have an absolute ton of pictures that haven't even made it onto the computer yet, but such is life. I did want to share this cute little moment with you and promise (well, maybe) that more pictures/posts about our summer are soon to follow. Andy did several summer camps with different churches, and the girls and I tagged along with him on this last one up in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was almost like a vacation since (1) It wasn't our church, so we could come and go as we pleased with the kids and (2) Andy only had to preach in the evenings, so our days were fairly free. The girls absolutely LOVED the whole camp experience from the very first moment when they saw they got to sleep on bunk beds until the end when we had to carry their crying, upset-over-having-to-leave little selves to the car when it was time to go. But, on to the title of the post . . .
The girls had their first fishing experience and were very proud of their catches! It was the perfect fishing for a 3 & 4 year old. The lake was almost overflowing with fish. They fished with the tiniest hooks I've ever seen (making me feel slightly more comfortable about putting them in their hands) and bread (what?!). Well, whatever, it worked! The wait time for catching a fish was about 15 seconds! :)










They also swam in the same lake with the same fish . . . (notice I said "they"!) and literally "with." At one point, when it was just Kerri in the water, she had about 20 fish within an arms reach! Here she is using her goggles to look at them underwater.

Also, notice the very tall, very old, very rusty, very rickety (well rickety-looking) slide that I allowed them to use to slide right into the fishes' very favorite spot! Yeah, I'm just a great Mom like that . . . (no comments!) :)
Anyway, this is just proof (for those of you who had doubts) that my sweet-little-dress-wearing-princess-loving girls can get down and fishy with the best of them! :)