September Adventures

We have been busy getting into our new routine. Having Ellie in school has been a new adjustment and reorganization of our time. Mia, Quinn and I are also back to bible study once a week, Quinny has started swim lessons and Ellie is back to Awana. We went on good adventures in September and Quinny started Mommy school. It has been a busy month, but a fun one!

 Love taking this animal lover to the zoo for play dates! She loves the animals!!

 Sweet Mia!

We are a bike riding family now! I grew up riding bikes with my family very regularly and Ben and I are excited to ride with our girls in whatever form we need to! These two are loving the bike trailer!

 Quinny started swim lessons!

 The first day the pool won as she screamed each time they took her from the wall. They suggested a Mommy and Me class and so...

 we BEAT the pool! Quinn is getting more confident with each lesson! Though it wasn't the ideal for Mommy to take lessons too and we are trying to get her comfortable with separation, it is working well and they know our goals and she is succeeding. I will do what it takes for her to be a success at anything she strives for, so if that means I am jumping in the pool each week for lessons together, then I am doing it!

 We have learned to play some serious card games around here!

 We have been cooking treats for Ellie to come home to!

 GrannyFranny knows this girl's heart! When she sends clothes, these girls are over the moon and they are always perfect! Quinny LOVES animals and could not wait to wear this the next day to church! Her giraffe dress was perfect as they started the story of creation at church!

 We were invited to a preview night at Chik-Fil-A! It was an awesome experience! In the South, Chik-Fil-A is everywhere, but here, this is only the 3rd one in the area and one of the few places around we can get SWEET TEA! I am a Southern girl and sweet tea is a must! We got to taste a sampling of everything as they served us and prepared to open. It was something we had no idea what to expect, but was really amazing! This one is styled in a completely different way, I call it kind of farmhouse chic. I have never seen one this way and it was really a cool environment and of course the service was amazing as it is Chik-Fil-A.

 A little sad that her frozen lemonade was all gone!

 One little lady is tired of getting left behind, so she conquered the stairs!

 Working at our Mommy school!

 Some days are just so tiring!

 Every morning we walk Ellie to school and this morning they held hands the whole way! Be still my heart!

This little lady has been cooking up a storm!

Kindergarten, What!?!

I can not believe our Ellie is old enough to go to Kindergarten! The time has flown by! She has been waiting with eager anticipation and we have been so excited for her. It sure is quiet around here with just her gone during the day and a month in Quinn, Mia and I are finally getting into a good routine. Ellie has an amazing teacher and is doing awesome! Her teacher has sent some great emails and a voicemail about how wonderful she is and is doing. She is showing some wonderful traits that I am so proud of her for. Every time I get a sweet email or phone message I tear up a little about realizing how big she is getting and how much she is coming into her own.  I told Ben the other day, so far, we didn't do bad after all ;)! It is completely with God's grace and guiding hand that our girls are who they are. Ben and I are charting a new course in many ways in creating our family, with God's leading on raising our little ladies, and experiencing many new things with our culture and family dynamics that neither of us experienced. It was a very different world when we were young, and that is made more clear to me every day, and neither of us were raised in a home with all girls and 3 children. Those are only a few differences with many more that impact us and the direction we are leading our little ladies. I am so grateful God has given me these little ladies!

Ellie is loving every bit of school! The girls and I walk her to school each morning and walk to pick her up. A couple days it rained, but for the most part it has worked great. She goes later, so she gets to sleep as late as she wants, but the trade off is she gets home later. We will walk until it gets too cold and then she will have to be dropped off until it warms up again. I volunteer each month, so I have been able to do that twice and have loved getting involved in her room and at her school. It is the beginning of a new phase of life for us, but one we are excited about!

 First Day Pics! And of course, we all had to get one with her!

 Quinn did not love that Ellie left her! She was confused as she kept thinking we were going to get her any minute. She just clings a little more to me, but that is her personality anyways. She loves to "nuggle" me and I don't mind one bit! I am soaking it in while I can!

 Quinn, Mia and I went to the zoo on Ellie's first day!

 We wanted to see the baby giraffe before they put them inside for the cooler temps! Giraffes are my favorite animal and Quinn has decided it is hers too!

 Welcome Home Decorations!

So glad to have her home! On the first day you drop them outside with their teacher and don't even walk them in. On the second day they have to go in on their own! They cut the ties early, but her teacher's sweet spirit and kind emails have been comfort to my Momma heart! I totally understand their methods and as a former teacher wish they would have done that at the school I taught at, it definitely makes for a smoother transition!