6 going on 16 ?????

When is it that girls start talking on the telephone with their friends? Sophie has talked with a couple of her friends on the phone before, but I had to call their mothers which are friends of mine and Sophie asked to speak to their daugther(s). Anyway, Sophie asked me after school today if she could call her friend Taylor? Well, who is Taylor? "Taylor is my friend from cheerleading camp." I didn't remember her talking about a Taylor before from cheerleading camp this summer. After more questioning, Taylor is in her class this year and Taylor gave her her phone number today. Well, I told Sophie that after she had her homework done and finished supper she could. We also practiced on phone ettiquette and what she should say when calling. I let her call and limited her call to about 5 mintues...what do 1st grader have to talk about? Apparently, not much, as I suspected, but she was so excited about it. I on the other hand wanted to cry....just another little reminder of how much she is growing up. The whole thing to me just seemed like a big deal to me...this was a friend I don't know. Sophie said that Taylor's mom said something about a play date, maybe there is a new friend in it for me too!

And the School Year Begins.................

The first day of school was August 24. Sophie started 1st grade and seems to enjoy it so far and she likes her teacher. Where did the time go? My baby is in 1st grade!
Here she is on the way out the door & with one of her best friends, Allyson. I know the book bag is almost as big as she is, but the messanger style bag is what she HAD to have.

Emmeline is growing so much.....she moved up to the next class at day care since she is using the potty now. That class is the one just before the last class before they go to "big school".....my baby is growing up too fast! Since going to that class she has picked up so much more. She is making sentences/putting more words together now, saying her ABCs & 123s. Her teacher told me today that she was showing the children the shapes today and Emme said "circle" when she pointed to the circle! It is amazing how fast they learn. They are little sponges. The night before school started she figured out how to get out of her crib and would not stay in, so off came the front rail to convert to the toddler bed. I was just hoping she would stay in the crib longer. Anyway, she seemed to love this newfound freedom and we were up almost all night long. She did well after that, but this week, she is testing her bounderies. Momma here has been batteling sinus/allegies, head & chest cold for about 6 weeks now and is running out of strength & patience...hate to bother daddy with too much. He works so hard and leaves home at 4:00 AM to go to work. We are tired....but those precious boogers will always melt your heart & make you smile.

Here is Emmeline enjoying a Wendy's frosty

Checking out the neighbors dog.

Last Days of Summer

Tomorrow is the first day of school, so I guess that means summer is officially over. This is just a little of what we did this summer.

Daddy's Birthday in July

4th of July - Emme discovers the slip-n-slide & Loves it

Sophie went to cheerleading camp

Sophie lost her first tooth in July!

Trip to the Farmer's Market downtown.

Off to church!

The girls enjoyed the pool, beach, water park, Freestyle Music Park, field trips with Sophie's day camp, the aquirium, slip-n-slide in the Amma's yard, Bible School, and getting together with friends. The summer sure flew by!

Our Summer - so Far

Weekends with friends at the River

Kindergarten Graduation & Last Day of School

Too Much Water?

What a fun weekend we have had so far. Friday was Sophie's field day at school. This was her first Field Day, so momma had to be there, of course.....Since we had so much rain, field day was moved into the gym, but the kids still had a great time. These days, the kids or classes do not win ribbons for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place, because, for goodness sake, some child would get his or her feelings hurt...I mean, I hate to see a child upset, but in my opinion, this sets kids up for a lifetime of disappointment. If they do not ever get to experience disapointment, how will the be able to function in life......life is full of disappointments...better to learn the right way to win & loose while you are young........anyway, I am off my soapbox now............... Sophie was thrilled with her "participation" ribbon. She played like a good sport & had a great time, and so did I.

Since, they were not doing anything important after field day & lunch, this momma got some big time brownie points.....called our family friend/neighbor to see if I could get her girls to go home , so we could go swim at her mom's pool. So I checked out Sophie, Allyson (who is in her class), and Allyson's big sister, Grayson......they were thrilled. We spent the afternoon swimming in the pool...............then Ron wanted to go stay at the river house with some other friends, so we headed down to the river to cook, play & relax, with friends...The kids had a great time & our other good friends, who have a river house next door came over too. 6 kids running around, in & out the house and the screen door a slammin' (one of my favorite sounds........how nice. All the kids played so well together, the adults hung out on the dock & enjoyed margaritas, good conversation, listening to the crickets, frogs & other sounds of the river and the display of lightening bugs through the trees across the river...........perfect! God is good!

This morning the daddies went fishing, and our friends daughter got sick....so the day was cut a little short, but we went home for lunch & naps, then off to the beach! Emmeline LOVED it! Last summer she just wanted to eat the sand. All she wanted to do was get in the ocean and lay down in it! We couldn't keep her out of it. Sophie's friend Allyson went with us. They love & fight like sisters, and did they ever on the beach...then once we were on the way home, they were over their quarreling & begged to go swimming at Allyson's grandparents pool (which is "The" gathering place on the weekends - year around). Since everyone was there already, even Ron, we went swimming at the pool...We had a fish fry with all the fixins. The fish were caught today & we even had gator tail...that someone brought home from the river today. My kids did not want to leave...they were so tired....Sophie cried & Emmeline was great! With only an hour nap today, and up 2 hours past her bedtime, she was still as good as gold. Can there be too much water in one weekend? We still have Sunday! But Sunday is church, dinner, and NAP for everyone, except momma....off to Florence, SC for our pastor's ordination with the United Methodist Church! Better get off here and get to bed........Good Night.

Kids say the most precious things.....

Kids say the most precious things. Sunday, after Sophie woke up from her nap, she was eating a popsicle and it was red/cherry.......she hopped around the corner and said, "Momma, yoy know what the color red represents?" She said, "The blood of Jesus & His Love" My heart just melted. How proud & grateful I am that she knows Jesus. I pray that continues throughout her life.

Then today, we passed by a church and she said, "Momma, there is Jesus' car!" "Where?!", I said. "At that church. It had a cross on it & it said Jesus on it!", she responded. She was refering to the church van parked at the church. I loved it!

Emmeline is talking a lot more now...just in the last week, she is picking up more words everyday. Sophie was talkin' up a storm at her age, but from talking with others, their second child didn't talk as soon as their first and also, she had an ear infection every 2 weeks forever. Since she had tubes in her ears in January, she has been talking more....maybe my poor baby couldn't hear very well. Her day care teacher told me today, she is talking more there too, and is even saying some of her classmates names, Max and J.D. (John Dennis)!