Monday, July 25, 2011

A Sister Comparison

Abigail is all girl. She loves performing, dressing up, singing, playing house, cooking and pretending. She has recently really been into cooking shows. She gets things from our kitchen and garden and talks through her preparation of her salads. If you ask her what she wants to wear, a majority of the time, it will be a dress or skirt. Kenzie likes her dresses just fine, but she'll definitely prefer the pants...especially her elephant pants right now (the jeans with little elephants on the bottom). Kenzie also likes pretending, singing and performing, but she is drawn a bit more to physical activities.

Adventure: Kenzie is, generally, the first one to jump into adventure. When it comes to getting into the water, Abigail is a bit more comfortable right now. However, Abby had to watch Kenzie go on the jet ski before she was willing to get on. Kenzie said, "This fun!" the whole ride and wanted to go fast. Abby wanted it slower and was a lot more hesitant. In the same manner, Kenzie was the one who wanted to go behind the tube while Abby wanted to stay on the boat the first time.


Physical Activities: When I asked Abby if she wanted to play basketball one day after we watched a basketball game, she responded, "I could be a cheerleader." Kenzie has been faster to learn to jump and has never fallen down the stairs...Abby has a quite a bit. We play a game where if you get the answer right, you can throw a bean bag in the bucket. Abby seems more interested in getting the answers correct, while Kenzie will often win the game because she has been able to get the bean bags in the bucket. Kenzie definitely bounces up and says, "I'm OK!" most of the time when she falls. She's a tough kid.

Helping: Abby has been quicker to obey. Kenzie is a more spirited child with her own agenda. However, both have a heart for helping and demonstrate this in different ways at different times. When Kenzie helps, she stays very focused and is very good at organizing and cleaning up. Abby gets a bit distracted by play when she is suppose to be helping. When I ask for help, I often see the competitive nature rise up in both.

Kenzie is goofy. I love her personality. A struggle we have with her right now is her having her own agenda, which often includes trouble. She has learned to open doors, and we have had to be much more diligent about keeping doors locked and alarms on. Jer found her at the mail box at the end of our long driveway the other day. She's the kid who would ignore our teachings and walk out the door to the street or the lake. We have to keep a watchful eye on her at all times or soap would be spread all over the counter, things will be torn apart, she'll disappear to a place she shouldn't, the toilet paper will be unravelled or candy will be devoured. Some of that definitely comes with age, but she does seem sneakier.

On a side note, they say that age 4 is the magic age where kids start getting easier. We are seeing that with Abby, and it is a joy to see. Gives us hope! Abby loves make believe right now - pretending to be a baby, going to Lake Chelan, watching fake movies in the car, putting on shows, pretending like I'm grandma or someone else, pretending like she's someone else and has been more into playing with her doll house and dolls.

Both girls seem smart, articulate, emotionally driven (although Abby seems to be more so), fun, interactive, have a lot of interests and both have so much to offer this world. They both have an opinion and know themselves well. They love each other. Kenzie will often go along with Abby's agenda because Abby is kind of a cruise ship activity coordinator around here. However, Kenzie also has her own opinion and will not go along with the agenda if it's not what she wants to do at the moment.


I love watching their personalities develop. It is a celebration to watch their similarities and a joy to see their differences.

Bird & Tree Wedding Cake

I did a wedding cake for my sister's babysitter, Allie.

Corban is 8 Months Old





Here's the little man who has captured my heart. He is eight months old, and the time seems to be flying by. He can crawl easily, pull himself to stand and walk around furniture. He continues to have the neverending smile and sweet nature. He has been exposed to more food and seems to prefer savory/salty over sweet. The girls were all about the fruite, he seems to enjoy the vegis or bread products. He has fallen into more a napping rhythm - 2-3 hours in the morning and a brief to long nap in the evening. Praise the Lord for longer naps and more of a rhythm. He is sleeping, consistently, through the night. We are convinced he seems to be teething at times, but nothing has cut through. He's about 21 lbs. He likes to watch how things work and watch what everyone is doing. He loves his sisters, playing with his toys, books, and just beign a part of whatever is going on with us. He still loves to be with mommy. He is often perfectly content in others arms until he sees me. Then, the panic begins. I can't imagine our lives without this little guy.


Colors Project

This is a color project I started with Abby and finished with both girls. We go through magazines and cut and paste items of different colors on the color page. Then, Abby helps me spell some of the words. This is not only fun and a good learning experience for the girls, but it also is a way for me to get through my magazines. I'm reading recipes or browsing articles as we go.

Boating on the Willamette







While in Portland, we spent some time boating with the Andersons on the Willamette River. Kenzie was all about being in the tube behind the boat. Abby tried, but she was much more comfortable in the boat. We all loved being on the water.

Monday, July 11, 2011

The Portland Rose Garden







Oregon Zoo















We spent the weekend visiting our friends, the Andersons, in Portland. Angela was my roommate for a few years and remains a good friend, despite her current location, Virginia. She was "home" visiting her parents in Portland. Our first stop on our trip was the Oregon Zoo. We had a picnice, saw the animals and took the train to the rose garden and playground. It was a beautiful zoo, and we all had a lot of fun. Kenzie and Abby both liked the giraffe the best. I liked the bigger cats...and of course the monkeys.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Fourth of July






Fourth of July was packed this year. Stacie, Ross, Emma and Elena came over to our house for some swimming. We were blessed with gorgeous weather for the day. Then, it was off to the Durrs' current house for a BBQ. After eating, we went over to the Evarts' house because Jeremy was playing drums for a Weezer cover band. It was really fun to watch him play....better to hear him. He's fabulous! We ended the evening on the lawn of Jeremy's parents new house. We had our own little firework experience while also watching the big show.

Fourth of July Photo Shoot





Saturday, July 2, 2011

The Garden



Our finished garden. I need to update the pictures because the plants are going crazy. We have been eating salad straight from the garden. We have all enjoyed this process.





Abby and dad planting together.



The completed bottom wall. After this step, we had to dig a foot deep and sift all of the rocks out of the soil. Our area is very rocky, so this was quite a back-breaking process.


Jeremy is here prepping the area. He dug out a huge tree trunk, a portion of which you can see behind him.

Let the Four Year Old Princess Party Begin

The Princesses in Attendance: Evie, Halle, Morgan, Abigail, Kenzie, Elena, Audrey, Josie, Ellie and Elle.