Loves Them to Pieces

Regan found a new love this summer.

Puzzles.
It started with a 25 piece Strawberry Shortcake & a few days later she sat by herself and did her 100 piece Fancy Nancy puzzle. Before I knew it she and Emma were completing a 300 piece High School Musical puzzle together!
Her latest is her 101 piece penny puzzle (the best $1 item in Target)
She's really quite amazing to watch.
Her concentration is intense & her method is her very own.
She doesn't turn all the pieces over first and she doesn't even do the edges first- it's all about finding the right shape!
I can just feel her becoming a little genius!

31, the oldest in the family!

He doesn't "prefer" cake. He doesn't "need anything". "It's just another day"...
How do you celebrate someone's bday when that's the response you get when trying to make it special?? So far our answer is: It's totally different every year.
This year I took Brady out for a movie and even forced him to shop for himself a little!
The next day E & R decorated the house and helped make rice crispy treats with melted chocolate. Throughout the day the girls had a great time reminding him that he is the oldest member of our family! It was awesome. haha
We love this guy.
We "prefer" to have him around.
He makes it so we don't "need anything" more.
It is not "just another day"...it's the day we celebrate him!

Lyla @ 3 Months

This little girl is just the sweetest!
She is happy & mellow.
She loves to be left alone to just watch.
And she watches everything.
But we don't leave her alone very much.
She's too adorable- someone should always be watching how fun she can be!
She sleeps in her crib now. Finally, I know.
She weighs an enormous 9 lbs, 2 oz.
And her favorite thing these days...HER HANDS- she clasps them together on her tummy to sleep and chews on them when she's awake.

Emotional for Everyone

That's how I would describe the first day of school for our family.
It needed to happen...the pools (that we didn't visit near enough this summer) feel like bath water, all the toys have been played with for hours on end, every movie has been watched, & it's so hot that leaving the house has to be absolutely necessary to be worth enduring the heat! So, why not begin the school year!!?
Emma is at a new school for first grade that we are totally loving and Regan started preschool 3 days a week with a teacher she adores!

I think I cried most of the day (can't believe I'm that mom!), but this week I see the light! The girls are so happy and Lyla and I enjoy lots of time to play. Emma and Regan both say they miss me so much, but they had a great time this summer and can't wait to play together after school. Gotta love that!
Things I won't miss about summer:
*always preparing or cleaning up a meal...these girls eat like crazy & some days I felt like I was running a restaurant.
*constantly being asked when Dad would get home "so something fun can happen"! What can I say... I told them a newborn was super-fun & lots of work.
Things I will miss about summer:
*No schedule!! We were chill & I loved it!
*No fancy hairstyles. I'm all for getting the girls ready & playing with new hairdo's but ponytails worked just fine for a few weeks!
*Cuddling with all 3 of my girls. Emma and Regan climbed into bed with me & Lyla (yeah...she was in bed with me, so what? :) every morning and watched tv until we couldn't wait any longer for breakfast...lazy mornings will be missed.

Making Cupcakes in "Swim-Swoops"

Emma and Regan both went through a couple summers calling their outfit of choice -a swimsuit- swim-swoops! The amount of time they got to go swimming this year was sad, but they still got plenty of use out of swimsuits & I just didn't care, whatever made them happy. They wore clothes on the rare days we actually left the house, but were content to be home playing "Kelli & Jessie" (yeah, we watched 'Saved By the Bell' every morning too- better for me than having to sit through Hannah Montana) in swimsuits with skirts over them!
The last day of summer was extra fun because Grandma and Alexa came over to make cupcakes with us...not just any cupcakes...THESE were awesome & easy to make!