Just a Note

In the post below Sammie is wearing a shirt that says, "Miss Giggle." I picked this one out just for her because I don't know of any other saying in the whole world that would suit her better. This little shirt draws lots of attention. "Oh, you must be Miss Giggle," people will say. Sammie always responds, "No, my shirt just says 'Miss Giggle,' but for reals I am Sammie."

Kickin' it at Disneyland

My parents drove down last week so that they could take the girls to Disneyland...and me too. We haven't been since Olivia was almost 3 years old. It's been a while. We had so much fun! I was a little nervous about how it would go with all 3 kids, especially the baby, but everyone was great. Sammie had a difficult time with the concept of waiting in line and tried to escape from us to the front of the line a few times. Abby did not like Pirates of the Caribbean. I really needed the pacifier on that one, but left it in the stroller which was cozily parked outside. She loved "It's a Small World" though and even dozed off to sleep. After riding on the Matterhorn once, Sammie chastised me for putting her in the front and agreed to ride it again if she wasn't in the front. Olivia and I got soaked on Splash Mountain which Olivia DID NOT LIKE. She enjoyed the rest of the ride though. She felt like a big girls because she is tall enough for all the rides now, but she didn't want to try all of them out just yet. Olivia and Sammie loved meeting the fairies and the princesses and they seemed a little confused, but wanted to believe that they are the real deal. I think they know that they are not. I'll let them figure it out.

I loved watching my girls and how they just took everything in and loved all of the details and noticed so many things going on around them. Fun times and stright to bed when we got home. I think that I'm ready to go again : )

She's a "RED ROCK STAR!"

The "Red Rock Stars" is the name of her team. At the start of the season when Olivia cried at her first soccer practice because she didn't like the ball getting taken away from her, I thought we were in for a long season. I also didn't really have any expectations because I knew that this might not be her thing, but we were just going to try it out. Olivia has been getting so much better and even thinks it is fun. She complains that her uniform is too big (though she seems to have grown into it this past month) and the number makes her itch, and the shin guards are sweaty, but she has some really great moments during the game where she is focused and trying...often she likes to dance or scratch her back or look at the sky and misses the ball that rolls right in front of her. It was fun to watch her on Saturday. She was getting into it at the end of the game and I could see a potential soccer player. Going to her games has been an enjoyable family activity and it has been sort of fun being a "soccer mom." I don't think I will pin that soccer picture button on my shirt though. That might be pushing it. This has definitely been a learning experience for her and I'm so proud of her!

Daddy Dogpile!

I have a wonderful husband. He loves his little girls and oh, how they LOVE him. Time with Daddy is a treasure to them....so may little sweet moments. They know they are loved.

5 months

Here is the monthly update of our little Abby. She is 5 months now and is starting to "play" with the girls more. Sammie doesn't like it when I put Abby down for a nap. "Well, Olivia is at school and Abby needs to be awake so she can play with me," she says. It is so sweet to see them interacting with their baby sister. Abby loves to scream. Not a crying scream, just a playful scream while she is hanging out on the floor. She also does it when she should be napping. I guess she just loves to hear herself. She loves to walk around in her walker and can actually get across the room in it. I love her chubby cheeks and she just always seems pretty happy. She is such a smiley baby. I love it! Abby loves to watch her big sisters and it is fun to imagine all three of them running around together...oh, little girls.

What's the haps?

October has been...BUSY! The baby is in the room with the computer and so I never get to update the blog. I feel like we have just been in a whirlwind around here. Olivia has been playing soccer and is starting to enjoy it more now. Her little sister Sammie REALLY LOVES soccer after watching her big sister and we may have a little soccer player in this family. I think Olivia would rather be dancing and twirling, but I'm trying to introduce her to things that don't have sparkles and frills--we still love sparkles and frills though. They do wear really cute bows and I'll have to get some pictures from her next game.

I made a Halloween wreath. I can't decide if I like it. The grapvine wreath was only $2 and I spray painted it black. The letters were on sale for 40 cents a piece. I've had the spiders for a couple of years. I just gave them a dusting with green glitter. Some glue gunning, an orange ribbon and there you have it, a Halloween wreath.

In September our playgroup went and picked apples. I love the little trees there that are just right for tiny arms.

Sammie started preschool. I taught the first month. This group of kids are a dream. They are so good and we moms who are teaching are so lucky. They are excited about everything and get along great! I was helping one of the kids in the bathroom and told the rest of the kids to wait on the rug...not expecting them to stay AT ALL. When we came back, there they were, on the rug talking about their outfits.

Olivia is doing great this year in school so far. She loves to go and comes home so happy, except for the first few minutes. She definitely needs her quiet alone time to unwind. After that--Happy Child. She is getting to be quite the reader and loves trying to read signs, lines of the newspaper, and labels.

I took the girls to see Disney Princess on Ice. Joey decided to sit this one out. Disney really knows how to put on a show. The girls were entertained and starry-eyed the entire time. I will never forget the excited look on Sammie's face as the princesses skated around or how Olivia just longed to be out there with them. Folding stadium seats are not 3 year old friendly.

We are gearing up for another basketball season. I think pre-conditioning started today. Joey will be coaching the Freshman team this year in hopes that he will be able to be home more instead of having an entire week go by and not getting to see the girls.

I can never seem to get the house organized enough or clean enough, but that's life. Where one mess ends, another begins and plenty of the messes are my own so I have no one to blame. We still have so much more this month with Disneyland and Halloween coming up. I love this time of year!

Perspective

I really don't like the pink house down the street. I just really wish they would paint it a different color.

Olivia has a different view on the matter...
"I wonder who lives in the pink house. It is so beautiful."

Sammie, tell me a story

Sometimes I ask my kids to tell me a story just for a good laugh. The things they say are so funny. Today Sammie told me a story...
"Once upon a time there was a good bad guy. Then a bad bad guy came and killed him. Bad bad guys don't wear any color of the rainbow. They wear just black. But the good bad guys wear lots of colors."