If You Give A Pig A Pancake....

This morning we read If You Give a Pig a Pancake after waking up. Hannah had a great idea to make pancakes, and then true to the book she was sticky and asked to take a bath. During the bath she said, "This is a great day! I can't wait to build a tree house!" which is something the pig does in the book. Unfortunately our book adventure ended there since we niether have a tree large enough nor the ability to build a tree house.

Oh, and it is still really warm here so we keep the windows open at night and the fans on. This morning Hannah was cold so she put a hat on her head and mittens on her feet (even though she has socks!).

It has been really hot here all of a sudden. Yesterday it was 114, today 97 and we have no AC. To beat the heat we open the house at night, close it up in the morning and try to have mellow play time at home. I'm hoping the heat passes quickly, but I have enjoyed this playtime with my girls!

Everyone always needs to learn more about grace. Rick Downs

Growing

Baby girl continues to grow, and now that I am 25 weeks I am feeling it! There are some woman who love being pregnant. I, unfortunately, become uncomfortable when I'mpregnant, so am not among the woman that love being pregnant. I am blessed to be pregnant though, and know that this is a phase that will quickly pass. I do love and look forward to the post pregnancy time when I can hold my baby, rock her, and watch her grow. Please pray for us as we prepare for our baby girl to grace our family with her personality and talents. Jeff and I would especially appreciate your prayers for a healthy full term baby since I am experiencing some mild preterm labor signs, similar to what I experienced with Hannah who was a preemie.

Names yet? No, but we're leaning towards Jean as a middle name since it is my middle name and it means God is Gracious, continuing the grace theme in our girls' names. When we do have a name figured out I'll make sure to post it!

Projects with Grandma Sue

My Mom has been with us for a few days, helping with the kids, laundry, cooking, dishes and in addition has managed to find time to paint the living room, dining room (which are actually one in the same) and hall way. She has also helped cut and hem some curtains for the playroom. And what have I done while she is here? I've slept in every morning, taken naps, sipped water, and went out with Jeff for dinner. It's amazing how much energy she has, and her help and company has been so, so awesome!! Thanks mom for all the help this week!!

Superwoman and her side kick. Which one is which???

Stories by Hannah and Grandma Sue

There once was a dog named Polly. He had one big paw. He liked to play toys. His favorite toy was Oink Pig. Oink Pig made a big noise when he stepped on it with his big paw. OINK!

There was a duck who had a friend pig. The duck and the pig liked to play and splash in the water. One day duck went to the water to find pig but she wasn't there. So, she went Knock Knock on pigs door but there was no answer. She was at the grocery store buying some special treats Orange Blossom Cake because it was her favorite. She bought the cake and took it to the water where duck was and she said, "Duck, I have berries. No, cherries and Orange Blossom Cake. Would you like some." Duck said, "Oh yes, please" but then he changed his mind, "No thank you," because he don't like that kind. "Well, let's just play and have fun!" Then it got dark and they went home and went to bed. "OINK," went the pig!

Second Best

Hannah wanted to meet daddy for lunch today, but with meetings and his regular work demands there was no time today. So, to spice up our lunch routine we ate chicken nuggets (an all time favorite for lunch!) and picnicked outside. When I asked Hannah if she was having a fun lunch time she said, "It's almost as fun as lunch with daddy." Guess I'll settle for second best today. This girl is clearly looking forward to the weekend when she can get some quality time with daddy.

Love You Forever

The baby grew. She grew and she grew and she grew. She grew until she was two years old, and she ran all around the house. She pulled all the books off the shelves. She pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and she took her mother's watch and flushed it down the toilet. Sometimes her mother would say, "This kid is driving me CRAZY!"


But at night time, when that two-year-old was quiet, she opened the door to her room, crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of her bed; and if she was really asleep she picked her up and rocked her back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked her she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

Written by Robert Munsch
Illustrated by Shelia McGraw
*all "she's" in this story were originally "he's" and were changed to fit my life :)

B-I-B-L-E

You have to listen closely to hear Kate, but it's totally worth it to hear her precious voice singing. Hannah loves joining in too, and is an expert at singing the bre-i-bre-l-e :)

Kate has been sick lately, which means that we have been home waiting for Kate's fever to get better. I used this opportunity to cut Hannah's hair (it was long on the right side, longer in the back, and short on the left side...AGAIN!) and I really love the results:
Can you tell how long it is on the right side? It was even longer in the back. Hannah said she was making a sad face because, "I like my hair different length-es."
After telling her that her bangs were long enough now that she did not have to wear bands or clips to hold it back she gave me a smile and then ran off to play. She truly a no-frills kind of girl, which is going to be great with three kids to care for!

My dolls!

My dolls love their dolls!

Diapering a baby: I'm training them now so that my load is a little lighter!

Legoland

Hannah, Kate and I had the opportunity for a free trip to Legoland. So, despite the fact that Kate might not meet the 34" height requirement for the rides, we ventured to Legoland and had a terrific time. Kate was tall enough (barely!) so we spent the day riding rides, walking around, running through water, playing on play structures and laughing together.









What a blessing it is to be home with my girls celebrating their childhood with them!!

Bikes

Hannah is now on a big girl bike with some training wheels. She loves her bike. The other day Jeff was getting ready to go to the grocery store and asked Hannah to go too. She ran to get her helmet, hoping that the two of them would bike together, only to find out that they must take the car to carry all the groceries. Here she is biking to the park:

She waved to me and told me, "Beat you there!"
Kate still prefers the wagon, even though I have told her she can have Hannah's trike.