'School Pictures'

Every Fall I try to get new pictures of the kids and as a homeschooling mom these are the 'school pictures' that I update yearly. One of my favorite things growing up was looking through all the old school pictures when it was time to put the new one in. There are some interesting ones! Now I enjoy doing the same thing when I replace my kids' pictures each year. Wow, they change so much each year!  One night earlier this month the kids and I rushed out the back door to try and get a few pictures with the amazing light from the setting sun. It was a little colder than I thought and Ian was not his normal happy self. So, I got a few great ones of the girls!

This little bug turned 7 months old in November and can now clap, kind of wave, smack and spit with his lips,  eat puffs/crackers/mum mums on his own, scoot backward while on his tummy, and 'sing' along with us. 

The best one of all 3 of them....

At 5 1/2 this bundle of energy is becoming very independent. She lost her first 2 teeth and a third is getting wiggly. She enjoys learning to read and read all of  'Green Eggs and Ham' by herself this month. She loves to sing and dance and recently started doing her own choreography. She always wants to know 'why/how' things are the way they are and is constantly trying to prove things. For example, we don't do the tooth fairy in our house and just to make sure that Ryan and I were telling her the truth she put her tooth under her pillow to see if the tooth fairy was real. She later confidently told her cousin that the tooth fairy definitely does not exist because she put her tooth under her pillow and the next morning it was still there! She also enjoys creating and decorating. I never knew that a box full of bottles, lids, boxes and other odds and ends could provide so many hours of entertainment! She exhausts me at times with her energy and questioning but I'm thankful for her inquisitive mind, desire to learn, and outgoing personality. 

At 3 1/2 her moods are always changing and we're never sure how she'll react. She can cry or laugh at the drop of a hat!  She has been stretched a lot this year in her interactions with other kids and has greatly improved in her ability to play with others rather than going off alone. She still plays well by herself and enjoys books, singing, and playing pretend. She can be seen and heard singing and talking to herself and her 'guys' many times throughout the day. That's one of my favorite things about this age! It can be exhausting to have to pull her back into our world so often but I love how imaginative she is! She has also joined us for school this year and discovered that she loves to color. And I have discovered that she is VERY particular. She colors in the lines better than Chloe does and hates it when she is bumped or if she accidentally messes up. She likes things to be a certain way and often grabs her corresponding books when I switch activities with Chloe without me having to ask or remind her. I'm so thankful that she enjoys learning as well. I hope it continues!

Another picture, just because. 

I LOVE this picture!