First Beach Day

We have had temperatures in the 100's already!

Perfect for our first beach day of the season!

Miss Molly is so much stronger than last year!

Last year, her life-jacket would carry her away, but this year she swam for a whole hour before getting tired!

Ellie loved being carried in the water, playing under her shade, and enjoying the textures of the sand.

This girl, this girl..how she LOVES the beach!

She was super thrilled to be here, and watching the JOY on her face was worth sitting in the heat all morning.

I can't wait to spend many, more days here this summer.

Maple Syrup

Over our spring break, we had a chance to take a field trip to learn about maple syrup making.  It was Jillian's spring break, and so she was able to attend with us.  It nearly brought me to tears watching her "labeling" everything she saw with sign, and so freely exploring this new place.  My heart was overflowing!  She was totally connected to the speaker, asked questions via sign, and commented on so much all with her sign language.  In the beginning, we could have never, never done anything like this.  Her anxiety would have gotten the best of her or she would have preferred to pick grass and not get involved with the group.  NOW...she is just so so interested, able to communicate, and best of all........HAPPY!  Fear doesn't so easily overcome her and I was over the moon to get to have this day with her!

Anna Mei carried this yoke like a champ.  We had just talked about being unequally yoked in marriage as she comes up with the hardest questions during Bible time so it was so neat to have this physical representation of those verses.

Mini Molly was a champ.  It was cold outside, but we learned so much!

The girls each got a chance to drill into the tree to collect sap.

They loved all the hands on activities.

We ended our time eating ice cream with maple syrup on top, but I didn't get one picture.  I think I was finally warm being back inside that I didn't even have any feeling left in my hands to find my camera.  It was a great day of memories with my girls despite the frigid temps!  Spring break in the Midwest can be COLD. 

Snowmen

We have loved having snow on the ground.  My Anna Mei loves to be out in the snow, and she was dying to build a real snowman so she was super happy when the weather turned warm enough to enjoy this white stuff.

While we waited to play in it, we read lots of snowman books!  Snowmen at Night is one of our favorites, and we did this little art project inspired by the book.  We talked about perspective as we created them as this is an aerial view of a snowman. 

We used pastel crayons, and the girls absolutely loved using them.

They did not hold back when adding color to these unique guys, but I always encourage them to create anything they want so I resisted telling them what to use.

This girl's fine motor skills are truly amazing.  She cut out all her pieces by herself with regular scissors!

This one is my artist.  Her brain is definitely not black and white.  She sees the world with an artist perspective for sure, and I enjoy her so very much!

Making Salt Dough Ornaments..

I have seen salt dough ornaments everywhere..

and I love making ornaments with the girls each year.

Because we hadn't attempted a salt dough hand print mitten in the past,

we went for it, and making them was so much fun!

This girl has loved all my crafts, but she really liked this one.  The shapes she cut out were completely unconventional and totally unique just like she is.

You can see the trail of destruction in the background and our little tornado sitting on the floor in the middle of it all!  What a blessed morning this was to have my girls with me!

Wickiup Hill

There is an amazing new, natural playground at Wickiup. 

We grabbed our babies last Saturday and went to explore.

Water pumped into a log that leads to a creek is a giant hit with my babes!

Bamboo building center was so unique and provided such fun!

We couldn't even begin to photograph it all as it is amazing what this playground has to offer!

The music station was fun for everyone.

Ellie loved this huge metal drum that provided her vibration and sound.

Precious, Happy babes were everywhere!

We did some trail hiking and Molly led the way!  That girl can sure run!

They have an authentic wickiup that you can rent to camp in. 

Wood, rocks, sand, water..everywhere to play in, on, and around!

Spring..when will you come?  We can't wait to play here again, but it looks like winter is on the way in our parts so we may not visit again for awhile. :(

Sisters

A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.

Devonian Fossil Gorge

After an appointment at the U the other day, we headed with a picnic lunch to the fossil gorge.  It is on the way home from the city so it was a perfect detour to turn our appointment into an outing.  

It wasn't a large area to hike which was perfect for our little girls' short legs.

The temperature was beautiful,

and our sweet girls loved, loved exploring.

It was a day that I stepped back out of for a minute, and gave great thanks that these enthusiastic little ones are mine.  How life would be so dull without them.

There were wonders everywhere, and our girls took full advantage with wonder.

I am not sure we had the actual patience to find a real fossil, but we sure thought we saw many.

We also did plenty of hamming it up while we explored.

Grateful...Blessed....

A little sad too that summer has to end.

County Fair

Daddy and Emily returned home on Friday night, and our hard, hard week of flying solo is a distant memory.  WAHOOOO!! We didn't let Daddy rest too long because we were dying to head to the county fair.  We had so much fun last year, and this year didn't disappoint.

Molly LOVED seeing all the animals.  Our favorite were the three day old baby goats.  They were so adorable drinking milk from their momma.

One of our favorite spots is the giant sandbox in the corner of the barn.

It didn't disappoint as Ellie Grace was a fan.

I continue to marvel at how easy going and adaptable this baby girl's spirit can be.

This girl is growing so big.  I love who she is becoming.

When our baby is tired, she sleeps.  This personality trait is a huge blessing.  Isn't she just sweet?

Most activities, like face painting, are free at the fair.

It is such a huge treat to have this done each year.

There are lots of exhibits of historical nature that are hands on.

This was a civil war campsite, and the girls loved exploring it.

It wouldn't be the fair without junk food.  Molly loved this ice cream sandwich.

Ride Time is always a thrill.

When the swings started, the look on the girl's face was precious!

Smiles abound!

As always, I spent a good part of the day marveling at this 8 year old of mine.  I never, never dreamed she would look at a camera while smiling.  It wasn't in her skill set for a very long time, but just look at this girl.  To watch her in the midst of this chaotic, loud, unpredictable crowd enjoying herself was a miracle before my eyes.

It was a beautiful day.  We are so thrilled to have Daddy home, and I am certainly praying more diligently for those who do this parenting thing solo.  Being without him for a week makes us give thanks for him even more.