Labor day

OK, when you play catch up, you get things out of order. For that I apologize, but at least you are getting the info.

We went to Josh's grandparents in Arkansas over labor day weekend. We had a wonderful time. Here are a few shots of the trip.



The girls with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Bailey

The manicure tradition continues....

and perhaps some new traditions were started!!

Aunt Judy bought Brenna a new Barbie doll. As you can see, it was a hit with all parties!!

Piper's version of extreme sports

(I'd like to add here that Stefanie-the grown up- is about 20 weeks pregnant. You can't even tell, and it isn't the angle. Disgusting really isn't it?)

organized sports are amoung us...

I didn't think I would ever let the girls do team sports this early. And I don't know that they will continue from here on out, but I wanted to see how Brenna would do with it. And we know she needs the exercise. (Being at the shop with me most days is not really conducive for getting her heart rate up-me neither for that matter.)

She really does like and enjoys hanging out with so many of her friends.


Getting the bat

Action shot

Right after the collision that resulted in a spontanious hugfest from all parties included. If only all sports were so kind.

First Day of School

This was taken September 4 around 9:15am (school starts at 9:30). They were both happy to go. Sweet Piper really had no idea what it meant to go to school, but settled in as soon as she got there. She has one teacher that was her teacher last year and the other teacher is a wonderful sweet woman. Piper seems pretty happy in there. And Brenna is just thrilled to be back as school. She knew her teachers from church and was most excited they were teaching her.

So far this school year is off to a great start! Busy, but great.

HELP.....

Brenna's Sonshine School class is studying the alphabet all year long. Each child is supposed to sign up for a week (or more) to bring snacks. I signed up for "B" - which is in a few weeks - thinking it would be easy and the letter "B" is Brenna's favorite letter of obvious reasons.

But now, I am stuck. Here is what I have thought of thus far....
*Broccoli-most kids hate it
*BBQ-little messy
*bananas - a viable option, especially since someone suggested chocolate/sprinkle covered!!
*beef- what would be preferred - ground? filet? roast?
*bread-Although Piper would be content with this, I'm not sure the 4 year olds would be

Then there is the option of something in the shape of something...
*Cupcakes to look like Bees -also I viable option, I made Bee cookies last year.
*cookies like buffalo - nah, i don't know how to make brown icing

That is all I got. Ugh

So, I throw it out to you for suggestions, any and all will be considered. Go ahead, get creative. But keep in mind I am but one, not-really-crafty, mother-of-two, double-employed, under-achiever.

Thanks for your help. By the way, expect for this same type post to appear farther in the year when I have to sign up for another letter. Hope I don't get one of the vowels, or Q,X,Y,Z!

perseverence has it's pay off....

anyone have a camera???

I was taking pictures of furniture for the shop and these are the best things we have in here!!!

BTW: check out toogoodtobethroughonline.com !!!!!

Doctor appointment

Brenna had her four year check up this morning.

As a reminder, last year she was mad that Piper got 2 shots and she only got one, because she was three, and thought she should have three.

So last night I reminded Brenna of her Dr. Appt and told her she was going to get shots. She asked if they would hurt, and I told her they would. She didn't look pleased. She reminded me at that point that she needed to tell Dr. Stephens about her leg and stomach hurting.

This morning we go in and the nurse, Ms. Anita, does the preliminary stuff, blood pressure, heart rate, weight, height, etc. Then the nurse practitioner comes in and checks joints and asks me basic stuff. We determined Brenna is a good, average kid. Then Dr. Stephens comes in just because he was there and wanted to say hi. He asks if we are doing okay and I tell him we are. At this point, Brenna holds up her little index finger and says "Actually..." and proceeds to tell him about her aches and pains. Dr. Stephens, with a somewhat straight face, does a thorough exam on her stomach and knee. He finds nothing obvious and asks me about what is going on. I let him know that Brenna will use these two excuses to get out of chores or whatever. He armed us with some tactics for dealing with it.

Then it is time for Ms. Anita to come back in and give the shots. Right away, Brenna asked if she could have four since she is four years old. Anita looks at my with dismay but tells Brenna she can have 4 shots. (Thankfully that is the scheduled amount.) Brenna took every shot like a man...or actually like a woman! She said "Ouch" after each one and then the last one was in her arm. Anita said it burned pretty bad, Brenna just said "Ouch....that hurts SO bad!!!". She never whimpered, she never whined, she never wanted to make Anita stop. She just took it! I was so proud of her!!!

She is getting ice cream tonight.

Budding Artists?

Brenna's self portrait
This is a picture of her when she was a baby. Her hair is "yellow with a little bit of red." I'm not sure if you can see it or not, but she got a pen to draw her eyes, nose and mouth. The dot to the right of her was supposed to be Piper as a baby, but Brenna decided she didn't have room once she started the body.

This is Brenna's butterfly. I think it is beautiful.

Pipers first attempt at fingerpainting. She hated it. I had to smoosh her little hand on the canvas. I'm glad I did. Even if this is the only one we get, it is wonderful!!

Silliness...always silliness

We have a lot of silly moments in our lives!

Finding things to do together

Brenna and Piper do a great job of playing around each other. Until they want the same thing, and even then they really do work it out fairly well. Sometimes Brenna will give Piper what she wants, and sometimes B finds something else for Piper. Either way they end up content and it works. I hope they are always like that for the most part.

Here they are coloring at the shop.

Covert video of Brenna

I was watching Brenna play so nicely by herself today. She was in her own world with the dollhouse. I"m sorry there is no sound, this is done on our digital camera which isn't really designed to do serious video. But I wanted to share.

I love to hear her playing house or anything where she uses her imagination. Today, we all pretended to be mailmen, sharing good news with everyone.

Tea Party

For those of you who haven't heard, we have the absolute best neighbors here at Too Good to be Through. Elaine and her husband, Greg, own Dean Lively Gallery. They are also our landlords. I could not ask for better people to work with. And unbeknownst to us in the beginning we worship together at MRCC (it is a REALLY big church). In the two plus years we have been here, we have grown to really love them and feel blessed by them. Marc and Scott work for the Gallery. They are wonderful too. Both seem to really like the girls. Scott likes to tease them at any given moment for any given thing. Marc likes to challenge Brenna as well as tease her. Brenna is over there as much as she is here, and I suppose it is really just a matter of time before Piper joins her there. I could tell you lots of stories of how sweet these 30+ year old men are to my girls, but it would take a while.

Anyway, Elaine and Greg took a much need vacation to....Disneyland. You can imagine who was jealous ...ok really all of us...and actually Brenna was just really excited for Miss Elaine to get to meet Mickey Mouse, Doofy and all the Princesses. B asked Miss Elaine to tell them hello for her.

Miss Elaine came back to work today and had a present for the girls. She got them a Princess tea set. It was a huge hit and resulted in an immediate tea party.
See photo below....





Scott, Brenna & Marc

American Idol

Brenna got a microphone from one of our McDonald's visits that is an American Idol toy. My guess is that all our friends have these same microphones, perhaps even two or three. This morning Brenna informed me that she had to go to American Idol. She went in the play room to "practice" her song. She shut the door and started singing. Then she told me to let her know when the audience (me) was ready.

I got Piper dressed and we headed to the living room. Unfortunately there were technical difficulties and Brenna was unable to perform. Apparently, her microphone was malfunctioning and she couldn't fix it in time for her audition. Oh well, there is always American Idol 17 (or whatever season they are on!)

Piper pooped on the potty...

...but only because she was diaperless and had already pooped on the bathroom floor after her bath. If I would have been faster, we might have gotten it all in the pot. But since potty training isn't even a thought in our house, I'm not worrying about it.

Piper did get a kick out of sitting on the toilet. She just sat there and swung her legs and giggled.

Pictures from THE wedding.

These pictures are grossly overdue. I have only had them a month or so, but the wedding seems so long ago. I purchased these pictures, but doubt I have permission to post them on this site. I will give full credit to Beautiful Day Images! They a wonderful job capturing the event. Brenna still talks about this day a lot!

Beau, Julianne and Brenna


Brenna just moments before (not after) the wedding. I think this is my favorite picture of Brenna to date. Something about it makes me melt.

Quick update...

This is an excerpt from an email I sent to a family member. Thought you all might enjoy the information as well...

We are doing great. The girls are happy and healthy, and make us happy. Brenna is trying to figure out life and what it all means. She is sharp as a tack and has a wit that keeps us laughing. She is learning to tell jokes…learning. They go like this…Knock, Knock…Who’s there?...Banana…Banana who? BANANA SHOWER!!!!! Followed by head thrown back laughing. That is followed by banana rug, banana cup, banana sister, banana whatever is in sight. It gets old, but I love that she is trying. We keep encouraging her and hoping she will remember the actual joke that she learned. …someday! Haha She also is a very big cuddler. She always wants to be in our lap. If she can’t, then she stands beside you and rubs against you for a while. It is aggravating and endearing all at once. It drives me nuts now, but I know I will miss it later, so I make myself enjoy it. She also wants to know how everything is spelled. I suppose this is a developmental phase, but it is funny. She will stop me in the middle of saying something and ask “how do you spell…?” I spell it if at all possible (some words are brennaeze and I have no idea how they are spelled…we sound those out best we can.) Just in the last day or two she has started wondering about math. “How much is 4 + 5?” We’ll make her count it out on her fingers until she throws out something like “how much is 60+twentyteen?” …ah, so much to learn. And Brenna too!! haha

Piper is truly the happiest kid ever. Even on the rare moment she is throwing a fit, we can so easily distract her that her wails turn to laughter just by pretending we are going to tickle her. She is very big into hugs right now, and mainly hugging Brenna. I think Brenna really likes that. Piper isn’t much of a talker yet. She is vocal, but not really speaking clearly. I can understand her…sometimes… She is good at communicating with her sign or coaxing us to follow her so she can show us what she wants. I think Jaye is going help us with her vocabulary. She has amazing fine motor skills. She is very intent to doing small things…dressing Brenna’s little toys, putting things in little slots, etc. I am at awe of what she is able to do. It really is impossible to be too frustrated around her (ok, not for Brenna) because of her smile and charm.

While we were away....

...they played together...



(did you loose something, Piper?)

...did yard work...




...ate their veggies...maybe...


...started a little business...




I admit I always imagined Piper as the entertainment and Brenna as the manager!!

Brenna is 4!

These pictures were taken the morning we headed out for our mission trip (more info on that to come). The company did a great job. The picture of the two together was my anchor while we were away from the girls. I know I looked at it a thousand times, and it made me smile each time.

Drum roll please.....

OK, these are out of order, but I plan to update this extensively throughout the day. And since I am working on this pictures now, it seems easiest to do this update now.

Before:



After:


I have donated 12 inches to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths in honor of the strongest woman I know: my mom. She recently has been completely released from the care of her oncologist after a fierce battle against in intestinal cancer in 2000 and 2001. I could not be more proud of the woman she is and has taught me to be. I love you Mom.

This morning

I said :
"Brenna give me a kiss, I have to go to work now" *Kiss* "Will you give one to Piper for me when she wakes up?"
Brenna said:
"Yes. Or you could pray about it"
Me:
"Pray about what"?
Brenna:
"Piper. When you think about her."
Me:
"OK, I will."
Brenna:
"And pray for me too. Because we are sisters."
Me (with a heart so full it was about to explode):
"Of course, I will. I love you."
Brenna:
"I love you too, mama."

New glasses...again!

I ordered a second pair of glasses online last month. I had been pricing rimless glasses for sometime, as well as asking others how much they paid. I heard anywhere from a couple hundred to $600.00 for a pair of glasses. I didn't get these originally becuase rimless are just too expensive!! I got these for $58.00 with shipping. I was amazed at how cheap they were. So far they seem to be well made. Of course, they are more fragile than my others but that is true for any rimless frames. These came with antireflective and UV protection. And the prescription is dead on! I am really happy with them, but I feel completely exposed. I realized I have been hiding behind my glasses since I was about 12 years old. (Is that right, ma?) Now, I can't hide a thing and that will take some getting used to! (Are my eyes really that squinty?)

If you are interested, I got these from www.myopticalshop.com. They have an ebay store full of great feedback. Check them out if you are in the market.

And while I am doing shameless plugs, check out my website at www.toogoodtobethroughonline.com!

out of the mouths of babes...

As many of you know, I am growing my hair out to donate to "Beautiful Lengths", a charitable organization that make wigs for women who are battling cancer. I am quickly approaching the time to donate.

This morning I was talking to Brenna about it so she won't be surprised. We saw a commerical on TV where two women switched wigs. I decided this was a good opportunity, so I told her that I was going to get my hair cut and it would be turned in to a wig for someone who doesn't have any hair. She looked at me with her innocent eyes and said "You are giving your hair to Daddy?"

I am still laughing.

Brenna really is photogenic when she isn't trying.



Josh got some great shots of Grammy and the girls outside.



We made a tent in the living room one day for Brenna. Piper loved it as much, but loved pulling the door down most.

All smiles...even if they are camera smiles

This first picture was taken on Memorial Day...


Earlier this week, Brenna wanted to give her doll a bath...and guess who wanted to help? They got along very well and made a huge mess in the process. They loved it, so how can i complain?

The BIG day

Saturday was Beau and Julianne's wedding. And what a wonderful day it was. Most of you know that Brenna was the flower girl. There has been lots of hype about this day, in hopes that Brenna would perform as necessary. Before Saturday, she had not put the dress on once without a fight. That alone made me a little nervous.

As the rehearsal, Brenna was a little nervous, but did go down the aisle to Beau. Of course, that came after Julianne told her she could run if she wanted to. And run she did. Right in to Beau's outstretched arms. I was feeling better, but still nervous.

The day of the wedding, Brenna pulled through. I can't believe I ever doubted. She looked like a beautiful princess (pictures to come later). She walked right down the isle looking left and right to see who she might know. She walked confidently right down to where Josh and I were sitting. I was proud I couldnt' help but cry. At the reception (which was at the OC forum), she ran around in her dress and barefoot loving the attention she was getting.

Just FYI...If anyone needs a flowergirl, we got a good one!!!

And of course, we are thrilled that Julianne is finally our cousin!!

getting lunches ready

This morning I was in the kitchen getting our lunches ready. I usually give Brenna a choice between 2 sandwiches and then she chooses her sides. This morning she decided she wanted a peanutbutter, jelly, ham and cheese sandwich. You should not be surprised to hear that I told her no. She decide PBJ would be the way to go. Then she told me she wanted a square (she has figured out that this way she gets the crust cut off, because I don't usually do that). I was about to cut it in a square, when she changed her mind and wanted it in a heart shape. She pulled out the cookie cutter and handed it to me and said, "I want a heart shape because of my love for Jesus." Can it get any sweeter than that? I think not!

And if anyone wondered, she decided on a banana and applesauce for her sides and water to drink. What a good girl!