tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71457957151319366492012-01-27T17:40:59.805-06:00Brad, Brandy, Brooke and BrennaBrandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.comBlogger8281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-43078718413351956662012-01-27T14:13:00.003-06:002012-01-27T17:02:14.446-06:00

The post where I get to talk about me? LOL No, not really. Just wanted to share the most awesome gift I got. :) And it cost no money. Just thought..time, and effort. And I really think it was the most awesome gift.So, first off.. for my birthday, I got invited to a lunch at Olive Garden with Brad and my mother in law and grandmother in law. The day started off kinda crappy honestly. I

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-18555915934495833682012-01-26T09:01:00.000-06:002012-01-26T09:01:00.127-06:00

She wrote it all on her own. I had been writing her notes....like, "Brenna is fun", etc... in her lunch box or whatever. So she wanted to write me a note and the best adjective she could come up with (which is pretty good I suppose!) is 'not bad'. "Mom is not bad" (in case you can't read 3 year old script ;)And the other night, we had a tiny celebration for Brooke for an accomplishment of

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-67165934441530392552012-01-24T10:37:00.000-06:002012-01-24T10:37:00.396-06:00

I walked outside the other morning and lo and behold our peach tree had TONS of blooms all over it. You woulda thought it was March. You know, like...Spring time! Ugh. I mean, don't get me wrong, its all pretty and nice to see that it survived another 'winter' and all with no care by us. But depressing if that's all the winter we're gonna get. :( Not pictured, the orange tree.. which is

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-77397547631872637632012-01-22T17:45:00.000-06:002012-01-22T17:45:00.511-06:00

One thing I haven't mentioned here I don't suppose... is that Brad dislocated his knee a couple of weeks ago. It was actually the day over our school break that the girls and I went to see my parents for the day. He got home from work, sat down, and went to get up and apparently his knee just 'popped' out of place. He fell and then had to 'pop' it back in to place. Yikes. Yea. That hurts!

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-28449494590254882022012-01-20T07:45:00.000-06:002012-01-20T07:45:01.418-06:00

Brooke is back in action at the piano. She played through her entire Christmas book over the break and then some! Now, its time to move on! Her teacher pulled me aside just before the break to discuss the Spring semester. First off, Brooke is scheduled to take her first Theory test (like a statewide deal) the end of January. She has been taking practice tests here lately and doing well so we

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-18882400068904614402012-01-19T14:42:00.000-06:002012-01-19T14:42:00.786-06:00

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-75432935828015125582012-01-18T09:19:00.000-06:002012-01-18T09:19:00.301-06:00

At the end of the semester, the school has 1st semester awards. It was supposed to be in their newly rennovated outdoor classroom (which is SUPER nice btw), however, it was also the coldest day of the year thus far on that particular day. So last minute decision to move it inside. So it was less than formal, but still... important. :)Brooke's awards went as follows:Perfect Attendance...AR (

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-8397409223075966652012-01-17T14:03:00.002-06:002012-01-17T14:19:23.178-06:00

I went through Brooke's iPod the other day and watched all her videos. Some of them were too funny/cute not to share. And I thought they deserved their own post. :) She had many many of Brenna 'performing'. Here's one...From our ride in the car back from Brenham a couple weeks ago...And here's a more recent one, documentary style. :P Though, bear with her...she hasn't exactly figured out (

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-36242726010492455822012-01-14T07:07:00.001-06:002012-01-14T07:07:00.440-06:00

When I was taking pictures of Brooke the other day, Brenna wanted to be included. So here's some fresh pictures of my other cute little girl. :)And she got a feather for Christmas too...Here's some extra pictures of her dancing around the house. She is VERY much a show girl. LOL

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-29894862694668880542012-01-12T07:00:00.000-06:002012-01-12T07:00:07.810-06:00

With November and December being sooo busy for me on photoshoots and other family and school engagements, I didn't take a lot of time to take pictures of MY kids. And lo and behold...all of the sudden... Brooke is getting her new teeth! ACK! I didn't ever get any 'good' pictures of her toothless. And I LOVE her toothless grin. Love. I'll be sad to see it go. I think because mainly I know that she

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-31218955605117885012012-01-10T18:41:00.003-06:002012-01-10T18:59:02.177-06:00

Hi all! I know I've been MIA lately. Busy... Busy catching up. Busy getting 'back to normal'. Busy cleaning and putting up Christmas decorations. A few photoshoots too. Just busy. I kept having stuff to come and post about... but never time to do it.So here I am again. I'll start small. We spent the first week after Christmas playing. Playing with new toys and games and things. There

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-68061434328458901612011-12-30T11:25:00.001-06:002011-12-30T11:25:00.684-06:00

So, after the first part of our Christmas day with just us... we spent a lot of time lounging, eating treats, and playing with toys. Eventually, though, we got around to picking up and cleaning up (a little) to prepare for the rest of the family coming over for Christmas dinner! Brad started in on the turkey...My dad got here and started cooking too!And while we were both busy cooking and

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-89449591250653993392011-12-29T15:48:00.003-06:002011-12-29T16:24:36.260-06:00

Have to divide into two parts b/c our Christmas day was PACKED full of fun. So, Brenna woke up at an unbearable 4am on Christmas morning. And since we didn't go to sleep till after midnight....it was an early start! She did just come into bed with us and didn't even glance in the living room (ha!), but didn't go back to sleep real good until about 5:30-6am. Or maybe that's just when *I* went

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-40156934290197966692011-12-24T22:29:00.004-06:002011-12-24T22:37:32.815-06:00

So excited its hard for anyone to sleep around here! So what else to do, but blog! LOLAfter our day of playing with iPods and LeapPads, baking cookies and birthday cakes, we got all dressed up for church (after only a couple of mishaps) and headed out for Candlelight Service. (which might be my favorite part about Christmas!)We got home after church and the girls laid out the cookies we had

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-77283849873263565322011-12-24T16:10:00.003-06:002011-12-24T16:19:10.830-06:00

Its Christmas Eve. So we let the girls open one present - from Brad's friend, Terry. We knew they'd have TONS to open tomorrow, so we let them have this one today. Plus we got them things to go with what we knew he had gotten them. ;)Brenna went first...THE hottest toy this year! He had secured one a long while ago, but now this precious LeapPad's are no where to be found. She was pretty

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-50661478125920105172011-12-24T09:17:00.000-06:002011-12-24T09:17:01.140-06:00

Yesterday, Shannon and her family came down to visit and celebrate Christmas with us a couple days early. Fun was had by all...lots of giggles, lots of food, lots of torn wrapping paper. I'd call it a success. :)The girls peaking at the presents to determine whose present was who's beforehand...And tearing them open! Before she left, Shannon surprised us with a trip to Santa's Wonderland! We

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-47329610037414606432011-12-23T15:51:00.000-06:002011-12-23T22:17:24.504-06:00

Since tomorrow is Christmas Eve, we expect Chris will be leaving us soon. He usually spends his last day/night here on or near the fireplace so as to not miss his ride back with Santa. In the meantime, I thought I'd share his latest escapades. I enjoy seeing other ides so I think there might be someone out there who enjoys seeing ours! So here's the last you'll see from Chris, our elf....for

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-83837489483358856722011-12-23T08:26:00.000-06:002011-12-23T08:26:00.375-06:00

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-83068495560986063142011-12-22T17:22:00.000-06:002011-12-22T17:22:00.052-06:00

We had a friend invite us and a few other kids over to a gingerbread house decorating party! She pre-assembled all the houses, so they each had their own house to decorate with all the icing and candy they wish! My kids had a load of fun...and I enjoyed not having to do this at my house! LOL

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-2067023755650421262011-12-22T10:02:00.000-06:002011-12-22T10:02:00.387-06:00

We are starting to make this an annual event I think. We collect stuffed animals from the past year that the girls no longer play with or pick some cheap ones up at garage sales or whatever...keep up with them for months leading up to Christmas and then we send the kids in to deliver them to the residents of a local nursing home. It makes their day! And the kids enjoy it too for the most part.

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-47740244290489273802011-12-21T07:22:00.000-06:002011-12-21T07:22:00.965-06:00

Every year a week or so before Christmas (typically), all of Brad's side of the family comes to town (or as many as can get here on any given year) to have brunch at the Country Club and then celebrate Christmas by doing a White Elephant/Chinese Christmas gift exchange. This past Sunday we did just that. Brad's grandmother treats us all to a fabulous lunch every year and we get to see family

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-82242553106278114092011-12-20T17:16:00.000-06:002011-12-20T17:16:00.388-06:00

2 posts in a day!! Excited are you?!?!With the kids now on Christmas break, they are getting creative in their play to make do with their day.Yesterday, Brenna decided she was going to have a cat parade. Do we have an abundance of cats you may ask??? No. She wrote the word "cat" on every sticky note she could find in the house and lined them up in the hall for the parade. Not sure how she was

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-77545393330362192702011-12-20T14:17:00.002-06:002011-12-20T14:21:39.574-06:00

Nothing here but pictures..... and one of ALL my 'kids'. :)

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-34732448783301012012011-12-19T12:29:00.004-06:002011-12-19T13:04:21.533-06:00

Friday was the girls' last day of school, so they BOTH had their school Christmas parties that day. Of course, I had to help. Well.... I decided against helping with Brenna's so much. There were already a lot of volunteers and I was the only one at all coordinating, planning and preparing Brooke's party. So, there is only so much I can handle. Plus, I knew Brenna would need my help with

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-21328012910863160132011-12-17T11:03:00.003-06:002011-12-17T11:18:07.715-06:00

As one of their Christmas 'events', Brenna's school goes Christmas caroling to one of the local nursing homes. This past Wednesday was the day they did that. Unfortunately, I didn't get to make it to watch (I am too overscheduled I tell you!!!), but Brad was a great dad that took off work to be there, drive her and another kid there and make sure to get some pictures and video for me. :)She's

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-69655201747529825752011-12-16T08:44:00.001-06:002011-12-16T08:44:01.468-06:00

Sooo bummed. This year, at church, is the first time I didn't get any pictures or videos from the Christmas program. I was so bummed. Because this is also the first year that Brooke was in the big kid class that had so much participation. And Brooke was probably THE only one that sung every word to every song. And Brenna's one or two songs, she sang fabulously. People actually sought me out

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-34202792490820300552011-12-15T09:37:00.001-06:002011-12-15T09:37:01.095-06:00

Brooke's school had a fundraiser over the weekend where we got to have Breakfast with Santa. They had pastries, breakfast tacos, fruit, crafts and activities, a hayride...and Santa of course!the hayride with Carlie....Tara manning the bake sale...And meeting the big guy! They both were very talkative to him, told him what they wanted and were great! Had a lot of fun! :)

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-33227346322386730062011-12-14T08:04:00.001-06:002011-12-14T08:04:01.046-06:00

Brooke's school was supposed to have their annual Turkey Trot just before Thanksgiving, but it got rained out. :( The kids were bummed. Or at least my kid was. Then it got postponed till December and we are now calling it the Reindeer Run. For the little kids (K-2nd grade) they had to run 3 laps around the track, which equates to one mile. The bigger kids (3rd-5th) had to run the perimeter

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-89592107791225907152011-12-13T13:57:00.002-06:002011-12-13T14:04:34.258-06:00

In the past, the town we live in used to have (for many years!) a light display, free hot chocolate, cookies, hayrides, Santa visits and more at Christmas in the Park (at one of the local parks). It was pretty good - and all free! There was also live entertainment (Brooke once had a dance recital there). Well, this year, they decided to move to a different 'park', except its not really a park.

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-90124249201879611462011-12-08T08:11:00.000-06:002011-12-08T08:11:00.438-06:00

Brenna singing Amazing Grace. The second first she tries to do (in a different language) but forgets. And what she really should be singing..... (just kidding! we love her expressions though...she needs to be in drama or something!)....

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-32206971616203539002011-12-07T09:00:00.000-06:002011-12-07T09:00:04.371-06:00

Despite the yucky weather over the weekend, somehow the parade went on! Actually we kinda lucked out b/c the rain was situated all around us but stayed away for most of the duration of the parade. There was about 10 minutes in there where it was raining but otherwise, it was fine! Lucky us! Picnicking in the car before it started (you have to get there early to get a spot to park!)....Ok.

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-54333444984372360272011-12-06T09:18:00.000-06:002011-12-06T09:18:00.278-06:00

The other day Sierra came and visited and the girls threw together a piano concert. Brooke played, Sierra sang. They wanted to do every page in the book! So, yes, a lot of videos...but they are only 30 seconds each. :)And this one was total sightreading on Brooke's part! She had never before played this song. :)

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-3182508108725740482011-12-05T14:50:00.001-06:002011-12-05T14:50:00.193-06:00

We are really enjoying our Elf on the Shelf again this year. But especially this year! Our little Chris has been busy and sometimes up to no good. I think he's gotten a lot of new ideas off of Pinterest of things to do around here. ;)I wanted to take a minute and share some of his latest doings... so fun! One morning, we found him and Barbie having drinks...Brenna made the mistake of pulling

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-12670701289609492692011-12-05T10:43:00.000-06:002011-12-05T10:43:00.316-06:00

For some other happier news and pictures....This picture was taken at Thanksgiving at my Uncle Bill's house. The girls made a new friend, Daisy. They really really really really...Really! (did I say enough 'really's in there??) wanted to bring her home. :)And to report more thankfulness news...we have a new stockpile of firewood for the year! Woo hoo! This picture really makes me happy. :)

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-24384489837568293952011-12-04T09:30:00.004-06:002011-12-04T10:26:57.411-06:00

I don't even know how to fit this post in to just regular daily life. It seems so unreal to me. I don't know how we should keep on with our regular life when such tragedy has struck. Its taken me a couple of days to gather my thoughts...but I did want to share.I know I've posted before about a close friend of ours that has a sweet little boy named Max. You may remember me mentioning

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-85881992858726200922011-12-03T12:40:00.004-06:002011-12-03T14:45:00.608-06:00

*I'll warn you first, I am posting pictures here of what happened. Its not *that* horrific, but the pictures will be at the end of this post so you can read and see pictures later if you like or skip the pictures*I guess we couldn't make it through the Christmas season without *something* happening. Let's see... we'll start with first, the broken arm at 19 months old, then at 2 1/2, we had the

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-42436253256149312412011-11-24T08:29:00.000-06:002011-11-24T08:29:00.365-06:00

So much to be thankful for this year! So much. Its easy to get bogged down with bills, routines, school work, schedules, appointments, making lunches, making your kids eat, etc etc etc.... the list could go on. Especially for us. Life is CUH-RAZY! But let's take one day to think about how most of the world is less fortunate than us. We have clothes on our back (even if they aren't the

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-19536262085795562672011-11-23T08:30:00.003-06:002011-11-23T08:58:14.560-06:00

I mentioned earlier that Brenna was having her Thanksgiving program at her school this week. Well, last night we went to it. I was expecting a few songs, a little chaos, and a meal to follow.Oh my. I waaaay underestimated what it turned out to be. We showed up, they had the parking lot half blocked off. Christmas lights strung everywhere (the program was at 5:30, so it was starting to get

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-65886645881652186212011-11-22T08:07:00.001-06:002011-11-22T08:07:00.359-06:00

Remember, I mentioned that we would be starting to decorate. With all those many many tubs and boxes of Christmas stuff. I SWEAR once its up, it really doesn't look like *that* much stuff. I mean, a lot. But not like extreme.Anyway.. so this weekend, we started digging into it. First we get the tree up and going. Our tree is probably about 15 years old. Not kidding. Brad had it before we

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-45556735668229511762011-11-21T08:49:00.000-06:002011-11-21T08:49:00.861-06:00

I thought and thought about doing something crafty for the girls for Thanksgiving, to remind them what Thanksgiving is about. There are tons of ideas on Pinterest and other places. And I had all the intention in the world to do one of these awesome projects. Most recently as this afternoon. I had big plans. Then, last night, I was preparing dinner. The kids were "STARRRRRR-VING" and needed

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-16693642736577131072011-11-18T13:36:00.005-06:002011-11-18T16:05:40.935-06:00

Today was pajama day at Brenna's school. They got to wear their PJ's, bring a small pillow and a stuffed friend to cuddle with...as they were going to read "If You Give a Pig a Pancake.." and make pancakes and waffles. So fun!And then the other day at school, they made these edible windmills. I thought they were sooo cute! And the spokes really even turn! (they are on a dowel)Last night we

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-15177015100927270532011-11-16T07:55:00.000-06:002011-11-16T07:55:00.119-06:00

Ok. For the longest time it seems now... Brenna has been doing an impersonation of Brooke. I have been trying and trying to get it on video to no avail. By the time I get the camera going, one or both of them shy out of it. What makes it sooo hysterical (and believe me, its hysterical!), is when Brenna shows us her "Brooke face", immediately, Brooke goes to denying that she looks like that,

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-40277933364595571942011-11-15T07:13:00.000-06:002011-11-15T07:13:00.198-06:00

Didn't take a lot of pictures.. but wanted to tell everyone about the cool-ness that is House Party. I had a friend turn me on to it. Basically, you go and create an account and sign up to receive notifications (they even have a FaceBook page) and apply to be a house party host for their different products, if interested. They do everything... from kitchen supplies to picture stuff to video

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-1362264860309155102011-11-14T07:06:00.000-06:002011-11-14T07:06:00.284-06:00

I kid. Sort of. I discovered the other day that Brenna had chipped her tooth. A tiny corner of it was cut off it looked like. Brad and others questioned, maybe it was just wearing off? But. No. I checked pictures from just a week or so before and it was fully intact. And, of course, I notice these things! :)Anyway, I asked her if she knew what happened to it. She said, "No... but maybe

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-22112135738022717912011-11-11T19:55:00.003-06:002011-11-11T20:42:53.038-06:00

makes Brandy a very busy mom!sigh.It has been sooo crazy around here. Weeks are full of school, piano, Kindermusik, volunteering, editing, errands...and then I still have a house to maintain! Weekends are full of photoshoots, birthday parties, and sometimes a combination of both! Whew!So, no pictures this time. But I wanted to update a little. Brooke's report card came home this week. All

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-37114746446700560672011-11-07T08:16:00.000-06:002011-11-07T08:16:00.780-06:00

A short video for today. I don't think I've ever heard a more beautiful rendition of "I'm A Little Teapot". :) Note - she is using both hands, not looking at her hands, reading the music, and playing more than one note at one time. Beautiful. :)And here's a video from her lesson, taken with my cell phone, so excuse the quality. ;)

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-9439671309799124132011-11-04T13:46:00.004-05:002011-11-04T14:21:19.038-05:00

Sorry, I am such a slacker blogger and am so behind lately! So many photoshoots, so many pictures, so much editing, so little time. And the blog suffers. But I am insistent to get this post up before Thanksgiving so here we go!Our "Halloween" started the Sunday before, where we got the girls dressed up (see their costumes in previous post) and went first to the George Bush Library for their

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-92047127159722096682011-10-31T13:27:00.002-05:002011-10-31T13:33:45.973-05:00

More posts to come on all our Halloween activities!!! But for now, just wanted to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Halloween! Here's our little kitty cat and her hippie girl sister. :)

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-29413391598548128022011-10-28T16:39:00.003-05:002011-10-28T16:52:46.790-05:00

Instead of a "Halloween" party/event... the kids at Brooke's school do a vocabulary word hat parade. They each draw a word from a pool and have to make a hat showing that word. Then they have a parade...Brooke drew the word "state". Hrm. At first I thought this was not a good word. But then I heard some of the other kids' words and I was ok with. We decided to use the word state, as in a

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-54507415186476365072011-10-27T18:32:00.002-05:002011-10-27T18:48:08.410-05:00

On Wednesday at school, Brooke got to "pop her top". Now, you may be asking...what is this you are talking about??? Well, I'll tell you.At her school, when they get 10 AR points, reading all their books independently to get those points, and proving themselves by reading at least three of those books in front of their class....well, then they get to 'pop their top'. What that means...is they

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-90808353615062381912011-10-26T08:39:00.000-05:002011-10-26T08:39:00.152-05:00

This past weekend, I had a last minute photo shoot cancellation and Brad had gotten free tickets (through his work) to the Texas Renaissance Festival. So we decided on the spur of the moment to take the girls for the afternoon and enjoy RenFest on such a beautiful day. We hadn't been since the girls were born. Not huge fans...neither of us really. But, it was free (except for food and

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-75206600791920622052011-10-24T08:16:00.001-05:002011-10-24T08:16:00.716-05:00

My two little mini-Rangerettes did great at the football game this past Friday!We got there and had their hair up and their tiny bit of makeup on and ready, they got their new shirts to change into and were raring to go!I was a wee bit nervous about leaving our tiniest Rangerette in their complete custody crossing the street to the football stadium and her having to be responsible to follow her

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-42341575757606671412011-10-21T08:10:00.000-05:002011-10-21T08:10:00.232-05:00

I came across this idea from a Family Fun magazine. I thought it was pretty cute and extremely easy for this non crafter person. :PI've been collecting milk jugs, cleaning them and then letting them dry out. We finally got to do our little project. Handed the girls some markers and they colored their own faces on their ghosts (and I did one too as an example). Oh, and yes. I really did let

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-65910864117441967292011-10-19T20:02:00.002-05:002011-10-19T20:09:46.807-05:00

.... is her two front teeth!Ok. She would kill me if I was continuing to sing that song! She's still a tiny bit embarrassed by this whole tooth losing stuff. But also a tad excited. Yes, she's a girl. So she can't make up her mind if its cool or ugly. :PBut regardless, she's lost the other top front tooth! It got super duper lose at dinner tonight. To the point of it bleeding a bit which

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-3770420133099067292011-10-16T08:52:00.001-05:002011-10-16T08:52:00.120-05:00

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-65174197755908640582011-10-15T15:18:00.004-05:002011-10-15T20:01:23.931-05:00

Today was the day. The much anticipated RangeRette Camp! Ever since Brooke went to Bengal Belle Camp over the summer, Brenna has been asking to go 'when she grows up'. They have to be 5 yrs to go to Bengal Belle Camp. Then RangeRette Camp came along and the age requirement was 3 years! Woo hoo! Brenna has been stoked about it ever since we first got word. This is another high school in our

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-29335870809411513372011-10-14T14:14:00.003-05:002011-10-14T14:18:21.007-05:00

For those that know her, you may be surprised, but Brooke has actually always been pretty creative. She thinks of things to do or draw or make that others don't. She hides her creativity behind her shy-ness, though. The other day she brought home her art work and as usual, I was pretty impressed! It was her Halloween themed drawing/painting...And just to add in another picture to the post....

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-70560339244935605522011-10-13T09:32:00.000-05:002011-10-13T09:32:00.472-05:00

...kinda go like this... (on the weekends anyway)...Brenna thoroughly enjoys sleeping in Brooke's bed (b/c Brooke is the super cool big sister of course!)...While Brooke spends the same time reading through lots and lots of books! (note to self: get the girl some more books!)

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-5685880387138316432011-10-11T09:29:00.000-05:002011-10-11T09:29:00.167-05:00

Brooke is getting better quickly on the piano! She is learning the note names for the bass clef, which is a COMPLETE foreign language for me and very hard for this old dog...to try to learn new notes. But she seems to be picking it up well! She's also doing well with her theory book and loves the computer lab time! :)

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-13910323090600205122011-10-09T21:18:00.003-05:002011-10-09T21:26:24.834-05:00

Ok. I shouldn't kid like that. But it was kind of ironic to me that the day she was wearing that shirt she lost her tooth which made her look like the jack o' lantern. LOL And the one right next to it isn't far behind either! Its also very loose. And really, I really shouldn't kid because she was very upset leading up to this tooth being gone. In tears, upset. She absolutely did NOT want to

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-57072822950089728472011-10-06T08:42:00.000-05:002011-10-06T08:42:00.121-05:00

At Brenna's school, they just finished a unit on space - as in, the planets, astronauts, etc. As part of that, they all built astronaut suits. Yesterday, Brenna got to bring her suit home. Isn't it the craftiest thing ever? Pretty cool, eh? It fits on like a backpack and it even has tubing attached as a 'breathing tube'. :) The stickers are all the different planets they've been talking

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-88461719825517461252011-10-05T08:46:00.000-05:002011-10-05T08:46:00.475-05:00

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-48540759686916576252011-10-04T10:50:00.000-05:002011-10-04T10:50:00.287-05:00

The other day, Brooke brought home a folder full of 'stuff' she got for perfect attendance for the 6 weeks and for making the A Honor Roll. She was most proud! (as was I!) It consisted of a coupon for a free kid's meal at Schlotzsky's, a perfect attendance ribbon and pencil and then a metal keychain engraved with A Honor Roll. Pretty cool! :)We also got in her Fall school pictures. I bought

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-45405696994792174242011-10-03T13:41:00.002-05:002011-10-03T13:46:05.091-05:00

Check out this video of Brenna reading! She's really reading these days! I think its so cute to listen to her in the backseat of the car, pick up a book and sound out words...all on her own! She spends ALLLL of her spare time writing letters. At home, she BEGS for "homework". It only makes me a little sad because I think of what could've been if she had still been with Ms Lydia this year.

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-56440749161521566942011-09-30T08:25:00.001-05:002011-09-30T08:25:00.580-05:00

The first six weeks of Brooke's school was over last week. Every day, she brings home her daily folder, which includes her homework for the day and a calendar which gives her conduct for the day. The spectrum for this ranges from E - expected, which is where all the kids start out at every day, to S - step down from E, if they do something wrong or are exhibiting bad behavior or aren't paying

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-61970444484554546132011-09-29T09:19:00.001-05:002011-09-29T13:54:31.123-05:00

The other night we attended and participated in an annual fundraiser for a sweet friend who's son has Ducenne Muscular Dystrophy. It was an ice cream party night at Ben and Jerry's with some local celebrities and a fun raffle drawing too! The kids had a lot of fun, eating ice cream and playing with each other. :)I even, somehow, managed to con them into taking a picture with two A&M football

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-2335034003586976302011-09-28T14:02:00.003-05:002011-09-28T14:19:28.989-05:00

This past Sunday was Transition Sunday at our church. The day picked to move from our old church building to the new church building. The plan was to meet at the old location, have worship up until and just after the Children's Message, then everyone pick up their things, the hymnals and bibles in their pews and a few designated people pick up the items from the altar and transport them to the

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-91105095033452630212011-09-23T06:54:00.000-05:002011-09-23T06:54:00.062-05:00

We had some old glow in the dark bracelets that I had gotten on clearance, intending to use them at 4th of July. But then we had the whole DisneyWorld thing come up and we weren't here for the 4th... so they were just sitting around collecting dust ever since. Last night we opened them all up and threw them in the bath tub. The girls LOVED it! :)

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-57010838398657306552011-09-22T09:06:00.000-05:002011-09-22T18:57:42.041-05:00

Another idea I stole from Pinterest here. I'm telling you... that site is full of great ideas! And I wanted to post here, because I think this is a fabulous idea for staying connecting with your kids. This is a journal, a regular simple composition type book I bought at Target for a couple bucks. I turned it into a Mommy and Me journal of letters. I bought the letter stickers, put them on a

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-60270968953079308742011-09-22T08:59:00.001-05:002011-09-22T18:57:42.042-05:00

Sort of... :P I thought it would be fun to spend one weekend night last weekend and blow up the aerobed, let the girls have their own mini sleepover in the living room, complete with a movie night and popcorn and lots of fun and giggles. It started off with the best of intentions. And they were super excited. However, our choice in movie kinda ruined the plans. We picked Soul Surfer. And

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-56114162916057691792011-09-21T13:58:00.000-05:002011-09-21T13:59:35.784-05:00

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-18012813311517343112011-09-19T09:32:00.000-05:002011-09-19T09:32:00.485-05:00

Last week was the start of Kindermusik. Now, Brooke has graduated of course and is no longer enrolled in Kindermusik. And Brenna is starting the first of the series of classes where she gets to go by herself! She's now in Imagine That! round of classes, which is the level where they still do lots of fun things, singing and dancing and such... but they go by themselves to get them prepared for

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-11122757486697484962011-09-15T18:59:00.001-05:002011-09-22T18:57:42.043-05:00

Ok - so I promised a little play by play of how we accomplished the Book Nook in our new room, which we have now labelled the "study". Sounds all professional doesn't it? :) Well, here's the tutorial. I know I found a lot of these things helpful when we re-did the room, so I thought I'd share our own experiences and what worked in case anyone else is interested. Soooo...here goes!Ok, first

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-33199654635942093222011-09-13T09:14:00.003-05:002011-09-13T14:06:43.233-05:00

Things have been quiet on this end from us for a while because we have been busy busy! Besides the normal school routines, PTO mtgs, piano lessons, orientations, and other things related to kids... we have been tackling another remodel project. Ok. I don't know if it can really be considered "remodeling", since we weren't tearing down walls or putting them up or anything....but maybe just "

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-57819703960466781532011-09-11T09:27:00.002-05:002011-09-11T09:37:19.748-05:00

I know I will never forget where I was and what I was doing that dreadful day that will forever be marked in our history. I was sitting at my desk at probation when the news started filtering through the office as if it were a bad piece of gossip. The TV got turned on in the break room and we all gathered in between office visits and whatever. Time stood still. At first it seemed like a joke.

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-9955603801249748602011-09-08T16:50:00.000-05:002011-09-08T16:50:00.438-05:00

...Into piano, that is. I really thought that it would be weeks of learning notes and where the notes were on the piano, etc. But that is the exact opposite of how Brooke is learning to play piano. And I am loving it! It keeps it fresh, new, exciting and happy learning for her. After only TWO lessons, she has played numerous songs, including these two very recognizable ones, using all 10

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-28086883039297950242011-09-07T17:16:00.001-05:002011-09-07T17:16:00.605-05:00

Our great state is on fire. Literally...nearly the whole entire state. Even in my little bitty town, there have been grass fires, structure fires, and more pop up. Luckily, not near my house and fortunately they have been contained sort of quickly...for the most part. I mean, considering. Considering what these fires are doing to the rest of the state. Literally 100's of 1,000's of acres

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-88835585708009668912011-09-07T13:56:00.003-05:002011-09-07T14:13:08.390-05:00

Since taking away naptime, we have instilled reading time for Brooke. Reading time consists of sitting somewhere nice and quiet, while Brenna naps, and reading books of her choosing for a while, only stopping to maybe do other quiet activities - like writing, coloring, etc. No electronics (TV, games, computers) allowed during this time.Of course, now that school has started, reading time only

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-75515657827636469342011-08-31T09:35:00.002-05:002011-08-31T09:53:48.968-05:00

This past Monday, our beloved Belle (Brooke's hamster) died. :( We aren't sure why or what happened...she seemed fine over the weekend, she was less than a year old? So I don't know. Coincidentally the fish died the same day, so maybe they had a suicide pact or something? :P All kidding aside, Brooke was very upset. But it afforded us the opportunity to really talk about death and what

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-80241741506627708842011-08-28T21:44:00.002-05:002011-08-28T21:49:51.215-05:00

Today, its about "Happy Birthday" to MY Daddy. That's right, today my dad turned another year older. We drove over to his house to take him to lunch and visit with him some on his special day. He provided the girls with a tasty treat of Root Beer after lunch (not something they get every day ;) . They love running circles in his house (literally) and are always excited to be there. So

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-91293533303903563772011-08-27T20:51:00.003-05:002011-08-27T21:54:31.287-05:00

Today, Brad turned.... another year older. Ha! You know, at his age, we stop counting right? Or, we at least stop telling anyway! ;P Today was Brad's birthday. No big shin-dig or anything this year. But I did surprise him with a super cool cake...if I do say so myself! No, I didn't make it. Heck, I ain't that talented! For sure! But I did plan it...and buy it. That counts for

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-12167836904880685932011-08-26T16:45:00.003-05:002011-08-26T16:48:25.954-05:00

Brooke is doing well at school. So well, in fact, I honestly think she is already the teacher's pet. She's gotten E++ each day and a couple of "wow!"'s too. Yesterday she came home with a ribbon, which signified she got a "Happy Visit" from the Principal. (whose name is Ms Happ coincidentally ;) Apparently if they do something above and beyond, the teacher can award them this with a note,

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-85912644526558638392011-08-25T10:25:00.001-05:002011-08-25T13:18:54.219-05:00

Today was the day that Brenna started school at Traditions Montessori. This is the same building that she went to school last year, with Ms Lydia, but since Lydia's retirement, a new group of Montessori teachers started up a new school in this building. We are so fortunate that someone came along to try to fill the void and that Brenna can keep along the (hopefully) same path she was going when

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-13750508922766312062011-08-24T15:07:00.000-05:002011-08-24T15:07:00.694-05:00

Brenna starts her school on Thursday of this week. So, last night, we had a Meet the Teacher/Ice Cream Social at her school that we went to. Of course, its at the same school (building) she was at last year. But its a different 'school' with different teachers and all. While we are lucky that someone opened up another Montessori school in the same building (so its close by for us still!), we

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-61791445519067533112011-08-24T09:53:00.004-05:002011-08-24T12:05:28.805-05:00

Left ya hanging? Well, Brooke's first day at school (and all subsequent days so far) have been great! She loves her teacher (who also happens to love her), she has made a couple of friends, one in particular that is her 'best' friend at school, Carlie. She tells me she has fun every day and enjoys library time most. Her grandmom peeked in on her one day (without her knowing) and saw Brooke

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-24845683063658815072011-08-22T13:07:00.001-05:002011-08-22T14:06:06.173-05:00

So, as I sit here and type, my baby...my precious precious, sweet innocent child....is off by herself in a big bad school for 7 hours. And will be there from now to eternity every day of her life. Ok. I may be a TAD bit exaggerating. But, that's what it feels like. You mold these children. You raise them. You want them to go off and be successful little beings, making new friends,

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-90000406065169059962011-08-21T08:47:00.002-05:002011-08-21T08:47:00.545-05:00

The other day, the girls ran across this picture (be sure you click that link first!) And wanted to recreate it. So here's "Life in Box", years apart. :)

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-82714492006657075682011-08-20T14:17:00.002-05:002011-08-20T14:17:00.305-05:00

We went ahead and enrolled the girls in one more swimming session before school started. Its something fun for them to do (they really enjoy it!) and its pretty cheap, especially after you've already done one or more sessions (they knock some off the price for a consecutive session within the same summer). So for the last two weeks, they've been going every day. Brooke is in Level 3 now, which

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-13008264785372847592011-08-20T08:05:00.002-05:002011-08-20T08:05:00.155-05:00

We've met up a couple times over the summer with some of our old Montessori Schoolhouse friends. Luckily, a couple of the kiddos will see each other again next year at the new school (Brenna, included). However, a couple have chosen different schools, and of course, Brooke is moving to 1st grade/public school. So this last pool party might have been the last time a few of them will see each

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-82740618152427358412011-08-19T08:51:00.001-05:002011-08-19T08:51:00.387-05:00

Last night was the much anticipated Meet the Teacher night. Brooke was so excited...I was a little nervous. This just means the big day is that much closer! eek! Anyway, we showed up (early, of course) and did the Drive for Kids first. The Dodge dealership provides 3 brand new cars and for every one person that drives one, they give the school $10. No calls later, no sales, no cost to us,

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-84757507268951209942011-08-18T08:40:00.006-05:002011-08-18T08:40:00.490-05:00

Last weekend, as one last hurrah before school started, we took a day trip and drove up to Fossil Rim Wildlife Park. This is, by far, one of our favorite places to go. They have a lot of great animals (including giraffes, which are always our favorite!!!), aren't too far away, have a cool restaurant with wonderful food and lots of pretty scenery. Its just a nice place. And, if you are in the

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-38022973845226400002011-08-17T13:16:00.000-05:002011-08-17T13:16:00.378-05:00

The other day one of the local nursing homes put together a Back to School Bash/Carnival. They had games, dunking booths, bounce houses, pony rides, train rides, snow cones, and more! And it was all free! So fun. This is the same nursing home that we went to last Christmas to deliver some Christmas cheer. You can go back and read about that here if you are interested. Anyway, Brenna wanted

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-74353850244570771782011-08-17T08:44:00.001-05:002011-08-17T08:44:00.745-05:00

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-48264509287694506722011-08-16T08:46:00.000-05:002011-08-16T08:46:00.573-05:00

Brooke has gotten pretty good at the hula hoop! Take a look-see...

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-63527792173843190292011-08-15T14:05:00.000-05:002011-08-15T14:05:00.960-05:00

Our days seem to be more busy crazy than ever before during these last few supposedly lazy days of summer. We have the highly anticipated Meet the Teacher night coming up this week! But in the meantime, Brooke received a letter from her teacher, welcoming her to the class and reminding her to come to Meet the Teacher, etc. (Brenna also got a letter the same day, coincidentally, from her school

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-5069250376695225482011-08-15T08:21:00.003-05:002011-08-15T08:21:00.284-05:00

Since getting home from our trip, Brad's been doing the odds and ends in the bathroom getting it completely 100% finished. Its been totally usable since we got back. But he added the floor, the recessed medicine cabinet, the light fixtures, mirror, all the hanging of things and the extras..etc. I bought new towels and bathmat. Just all the finishing touches. Anyway, I don't have any good 'before

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-51861664564566068462011-08-14T10:17:00.003-05:002011-08-14T10:17:00.799-05:00

For real. In fact, I was just about to tell you...pay no attention to the brown (what used to be) grass in the background of these pictures. I'm sure we're at a record for days without rain and temps over 100. I try not to think about it. And only hook up the sprinkler for the girls to play in.

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-89542385104762715372011-08-13T09:09:00.003-05:002011-08-13T09:09:00.258-05:00

And so it begins.... We took Brooke school supply shopping the other day. sigh... My little baby. School supply shopping. For the 1st grade! Yikes. This is me... ------> :-(Anyway, the time has come. So we hit the stores. We pulled the list out. And we started gathering the materials on the list. Ugh. If only it was that simple!! Who knew?!?! Ok.. so first off.. There is this

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-74839219027153788812011-08-12T15:59:00.000-05:002011-08-12T15:59:00.238-05:00

So, with Ms Lydia retiring and closing her school, we were in quite a bind as to what to do with Brenna next year. We finally decided (back in March/April) to enroll her in a local church mother's day out/preschool kinda program. We were very disappointed that she wouldn't be getting the same quality academic instruction as she would with Ms Lydia again, but this was the nicest place with nice

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145795715131936649.post-51687995910228516612011-08-12T08:53:00.002-05:002011-08-12T08:53:00.099-05:00

The other evening, in place of our normal Tuesday night bible study, we all met out at the land and got to watch our cousin, Kylie get baptized. First, there was BBQ and lots of yummy food.Then we all went up to the pond and sang songs while watching Kylie get baptized.So proud of her and so awesome to be a part of! :)

Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10857643535849987147noreply@blogger.com0