Gingerbread house

So Proud!

Yummy!

Say cheese!

The finished product!

We had lots of fun making a gingerbread house today! Kari was a big help to mommy, too!

Tree decorating

We got the tree up and decorated last weekend. It's so much fun to watch the girls get into the decorationg! They are really beginning to understand Christmas this year. O. even asked me if Mary nursed baby Jesus. (In her own descriptive words, of course.)

Handy girl

Our new appliances were finally delivered Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving! Here, I. is busy "helping" grandpa B. install the dishwasher.

Cousins are fun!

We have been so blessed to have R. with us twice a week! It's giving the girls good practice sharing mommy for when we have another baby. They are both great helpers!

Piano Lessons

O. had her first piano lesson on Tuesday. So far she loves it, and enjoys practicing, too. Here she is with her teacher, Amy, and Amy's youngest daughter.

Pretty girls

The girls posed in their new outfits on Sunday. Olivia is especially proud of her new shoes that she picked out herseld. Isabelle finally fits into the outfit I got her in Kenya, and she loves it.

Cousin R. and our family

It sure is nice to have a baby to visit us!

More cousins

R. is already getting so big! He's a fun baby! Stef had to go back to work this week, which means we got to have R. He sure is a fun baby! These are a couple really good shots of Stef and R.

Cousins

Cousins are so fun! S., Kristin, K. and Heather's mom came up for a weekend a few weeks ago. The girls had so much fun with their cousin Sophia! Thanks for a fun weekend!

More apple picking

Here are all my kids picking apples. :)

On the hay

Here they are playin gon they hay at the apple orchard.

Picking apples

We actually got to go and pick apples at the orchard this year! Ther girls had tons of fun, even though they didn't always choose the "best" apples. :)

Apple orchard

An adorable picture of our girls at the apple orchard! It melts my heart!

Pumpkins

Last night we had a pumpkin painting party at church. Olivia and Isabelle are pretty proud of their creations!

New home

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. We're moved and settling in. We really love the new house! Olivia and Isabelle love having their own rooms, and both have much more independence. Mandy REALLY loves the backyard! Last week she even dragged in a bird she had killed - oh joy! Here are some pics of the girls and Mandy enjoying the yard.

Nature fun

A couple weeks ago we spent the morning at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary. The girls found a bunch of treasures during our walk, and brought them home and made a collage with them. It was a fun day!

Stef's baby is here!

Stef had her boy at 12:53 AM Sunday, September 16th! He was 8 lbs 2 oz, 21 1/4 inches long (I'm almost positive). Mom and baby are both doing really well. His name is Ray Nicolas. We had a fun day visiting, but I'm sure baby and mom are ready for everyone to leave so they can get into a routine together. Congratulations Stef! Thanks for sharing this experience with us! We love you!

Games

"Round-round" is a favorite game lately! It's really nothing more than running around in circles together, but here they are playing it and having a blast! The second shot is them playing a mix of round-round and hoola hoops.

Marching

Here are the girls "Marching in the Light of God," which is one of their favorite songs to dance and dress up to lately.

Trampolene fun

Glasses

The girls thought "scaring" us with these glasses was just the funniest thing ever!

First day of school

Tuesday was Olivia's first day of school. WE had pancakes for breakfast as a special treat. (Mommy doesn't usually get up earlier than the girls to make a hot breakfast.) When I wanted to take Olivia's first day of school picture, Isabelle did not want to be left out. So here they are!