chicken farmer

mid-season soccer shoot

my babies

backyard science

Have you ever torn apart a sunflower? Really, it's fascinating. Beautiful design.

Elise's 1st Homework Assignment

Family Coat of Arms

Who knew there would be homework in Pre-K?! Thankfully it was a great first experience. Elise was excited to do it and was able to do 90% of it on her own. Oh, and in case you were wondering... Elise drew an extra family member of sorts that she said was NOT our new baby.

Me: Then... who or what is it?

Elise: It's a bug.

Me: But we don't have a bug in our family. Why did you draw a bug?

Elise: I just wanted to.

Me: Could we make it into a table? Maybe our family is sitting around a table?

Elise: No. I don't want to. It's a bug.

2 1/2 weeks to go!

37 1/2 weeks pregnant

Daddy's Home!

A few days ago Toby returned home from 16 day trip (NHSC Conference and two out-of-town rotations). The girls were so happy to welcome him home.

waiting

finally!

YES! We love Toby Daddy!

Another first for Elise...

The bad news... Elise wrote on our bathroom wall.

The good news... she used pencil.

AND she made her S the right way. Way to go Elise! :)

First Day of Pre-K!

All smiles and eager to go!

Buckled and ready

On our way in

So excited to see her friends and get started!

a snapshot

Life is about to get pretty crazy. Just 3 1/2 weeks away from my due date, I know sleep deprivation and a really cluttered and dirty house await me. :) But in this quiet moment (Claire is napping and Elise is at her first day of Pre-K - pictures will be posted soon!), I thought I'd share a snapshot of my first two girls. Before the fog of caring for a newborn sets in, I'd like document what my first two beauties are like...

Elise Kathryn Long, 4 1/2. She's full of energy, emotion, imagination, and enthusiasm. You never have to wonder if Elise likes something. It's written all over her face, and the tone of her voice doesn't lie. I often say about Elise, "Her life is a musical." Not a day goes by that she isn't singing (at maximum volume) while she plays and dances around the house. Preschool songs, vacation Bible school songs, original numbers... I hear quite a variety of tunes. And it's all wonderful (once I convince her to quiet down just a little).

Lately, Elise has become interested in doing pages from a giant pre-k activity book that I bought her. Dot-to-dot, color-by-number, tracing letters engage her mind and keep her busy at the kitchen table for up to an hour. There are definitely times when I worry that Elise is too easily distracted, but it is in these moments when I'm happy to see just how focused she can be. It's so fun to see her excited to learn (in books and out in the world).

Other interests... looking at books, drawing mermaids, soccer, helping me cook, and playing "chase" with Claire. Her imaginary friends seem to have disappeared, which I would guess has a lot to do with this little one...

Claire Margaret Long, 14 months. Curious, determined, snuggly. Claire is a sweet girl. She loves to explore... from wandering around church during "coffee hour" to taking off in the backyard to "feed" the chickens some grass... she gets an idea and she's off! And she doesn't like it when I disrupt her plan. One of her favorite things is climbing (on chairs, boxes, the piano bench, the couch) and then attempting to stand without holding on. Elise was never that brave or persistent at this age! (Well... and at this age, Elise was still a crawler.)

Things Claire loves... animals, MOMMY, peaches, and pooping in her sleep. Okay, I'm not sure if she loves the last one, but she sure does do it a lot. Which brings me to the thing that mommy does not love... Claire's poor sleep habits. Okay, on the bright side... Claire goes to bed great, usually around 7pm after a couple of books and cuddles. She rarely cries when I put her in her crib and within minutes I know she's asleep and she'll sleep through the night. The bad news... too often she is awake before 5:30 and very upset. Then this tired girl goes down for her two naps fine but will often wake after only 30 minutes, again often upset and usually in a messy diaper. This too shall pass, I know. I just think that after two months of this (and when a new baby is on her way!) I'd like Claire to move on to a happy phase of getting enough sleep. Oh my... speaking of her poor sleep habits.... it's been 29 minutes and Claire is awake! Mommy time is over for now.

Hard to imagine a third little girl making her entrance. Who will she be? What will she love? Won't be long now.

oh, the choices...

Time to order new frames for Elise. Which ones are your favorites?

Here are some choices...

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CHOICE 1, front view

CHOICE 1, side view

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CHOICE 2, front view

CHOICE 2, side view

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CHOICE 3, front view

CHOICE 3, side view

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CHOICE 4, front view

CHOICE 4, side view

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CHOICE 5, front view

CHOICE 5, side view

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CHOICE 6, front view

CHOICE 6, side view

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CHOICE 7, front view

CHOICE 7, side view

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CHOICE 8, front view

CHOICE 8, side view

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Little sister waiting patiently.

Just joking. :)

night-night

Aunt Tarami's Visit

We've LOVED having Aunt Tarami here with us in Junction. I was JUST telling Elise that we had five full days with Aunt Tarami, and now (somehow?!) we're already preparing to take her back to the airport in the morning. So sad to say goodbye. :( I wish we knew for sure when we'll see her and Uncle Justin again. It's funny to think we'll both have new babies the next time we're together!

WE LOVE YOU TARAMI!

Here we are: 25 and 35 weeks pregnant!

Elise loves her Aunt Tarami!

Today we had a great little picnic at Hawthorne Park. Claire refused her milk and insisted on her own (and first) Capri Sun.

Yesterday's lunch at our favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant.

Aunt Tarami is here for the peak of the western Colorado peach season. YUM!

On Sunday we went to the pool and enjoyed some time at Splash Pad. This was Claire's first time walking around all by herself there and enjoying the water.