Rylie is 6!!!!

So Rylie turned 6 and begged for a superhero birthday party. Well lets just say most superheros are boys. So I decided with the help of my wonderful neighbor to sew capes for all of her little guests. With several late nights of sewing and a lot of seam ripping I was able to finish just in time for the party. The kiddos went to superhero school and decorated masks. We had such a fun time and we are so thankful for our little 6 year old! She is smart, witty, pays attention to detail, loves Jesus and thinks about others (most of the time). We are so glad that she is our daughter and we pray that she will continue to love the Lord and share Him with others! Happy Birthday Girl!

First Day of School and Homework

So as most of you know Rylie started kindergarten this year. She has been ready for about a year now and couldn't wait for her first day of school. As I dropped her off I started to tear up and I looked over and noticed that she was not at all sad and was standing in line with a confident smile. I am so proud of my little kindergartner. We are reading every night for 10 minutes and she has homework sheets that she has to complete. Sometimes after school or in costume whatever suits her that day. The most fun is picking her up from school everyday and hearing about all of her adventures and everything that she has learned.

A couple of highlights from the first few days at school are:
The very first day the principal comes around and does little motivational talks for all the classes. Of course her speech for the kindergartners is about not picking your nose and eating it (which my children of course do not do). So after she finishes Rylie raises her hand and asks "May I please have a kleenex?"

When describing how they have to stand in line to go places she said, "Mom it is soooo boring you have to stand there and stare at the back of the persons head in front of you. I just want to look around at other things."


I'm sure we will have many other funny moments. Please pray for her friendships and that she will be a light at her school. The other wonderful thing about her going to school is that I get to spend time with my sweet Ella. We are reading books and doing a little bit of preschool together! Please pray that we will have meaningful time together and that she will soon love Jesus too!

Labor Day Weekend

There was a whole lot of football and motorcycle riding going on! Of course we tuned in for the first BSU game of the season. It was fun to hang out with the family and read books that I have on my list. The highlight of the weekend was watching Rylie learn how to ride a motorcycle! Rylie's cousin has a smaller motorcycle and was willing to let Rylie learn on his. They started her out slow and then let her speed up a little bit. She did great and now she really wants to buy her own motorcycle. Her exact words were, "Mom can you buy me a motorcycle and put my name on it?" I guess she wants to make sure that there is no chance of her sister riding it.

Summer is Flying By

Wow! This summer is flying by! It is already July. We have not slowed down once. We are having a great time as a family and doing a lot outside! A few highlights so far this summer are making super hero masks, movie night, camping, running through the sprinklers, riding bikes and our big garage sale (complete with a lemonade and cookie stand). We used some of our garage sale money to buy Ella a new, big girl bike. Ella is officially potty trained!!!!! Praise the Lord! She is a stubborn little gal and wanted to do it when she was ready. So because she went potty (and because she was way to big for her bike with training wheels), Ella test drove several bikes down the aisles of Walmart and decided on the cutest Hello Kitty bike. Rylie also thought that since she goes potty and poop in the big potty that she should get a new bike too (Dream on girl)! Rylie started t-ball this summer and loves hitting, but not so much the catching part of t-ball (she ducks and covers her head with her glove). I forgot how funny and sweet t-ball is. The ball is hit and almost the entire team of 4 and 5 year old kids dive on the ground for the ball and then look around for what to do next. She is quite the little hitter and we are excited to see where her t-ball career will take her.











Two weekends ago we went camping with our friends the Buchers! We had the most amazing spot right on Lost Valley Reservoir. There was a lot of playing in the dirt, bike riding, fishing and smore making going on. We had so much fun and we can't wait to go again soon!!!

Alive and Kicking

We are having a fun summer so far! Craig got out of school on Friday so we are sleeping in a little bit and getting some projects finished. We are looking forward to camping, playing at the park, Roaring Springs, Vacation Bible school and a trip to Alaska (just the 2 of us!). Here are a few snapshots of the last few months...

Father's Day is coming soon, so Rylie decided that Craig needed a "Dad" hat. Craig was very impressed and plans on wearing it a lot this summer.


Rylie graduated from preschool a few weeks ago. She had a wonderful year and we just registered her for kindergarten today at Compass. She is very ready, but I still can't believe our little girl is growing up and going to school.



Rylie learned how to ride a two wheel bike and she is so excited to show everyone her mad skills. She is on her bike everyday with the kids in the neighborhood and we are planning on taking some bike rides this summer.


Ella's training wheel broke on her "big girl bike" so she has resorted to riding the trike. She still looks like she is enjoying herself.


Craig is learning how to ride a two wheel bike also!


Happy Easter! We are so thankful that Christ died for our sins and made a way for us to be with Him for eternity. I can't imagine my life without Christ!



My prayer this summer is from a song from church called Give Me Faith- Elevation Worship (it is on my song list):

I need you to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need you to open my eyes
To see that you're shaping my life

All I am, I surrender

Chorus
Give me faith to trust what you say
That you're good and your love is great
I'm broken inside I give you my life

I need you to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need you to pierce through the dark
And cleanse every part of me

I may be weak
Your spirit strong in me
My flesh may fail
My God you never will

Happy President's Day!

So I wouldn't really say that we celebrate President's Day every year, except for the fact that Craig gets a day off from school. Now that Rylie is in preschool she comes home with all sorts of fun projects and knowledge. It was fun to hear her recite the Pledge of Allegiance and tell us all about the American flag. They also made these hilarious hats and wore star sunglasses. In our opinion, Mrs. Berge is the best preschool teacher ever!!!! So after learning all about America, Rylie decided that she wanted to make her own flag and of course Ella does whatever Rylie does. They turned out so cute! Just remember to pray for our country and our leaders right now with all the turmoil we are in- the economy, education, health care etc. It gives me peace to know that God is in complete control!!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!