Then & Now

                      

 

Welcome Fall!

 This is our 8th fall here in Chesterfield and my oh my how they've grown. I remember hoisting the girls up to take their picture in here.

Here are Elise & our friend Claudia before they entered the haunted house.  Anabelle & Sadie wanted nothing to do with it. Sadie actually insisted on staying 50 feet away at all times.

 Duck races!  These are some serious competitors!

 On top of the hay~

 Anabelle chose a really different looking pumpkin this year. 

 Sadie just couldn't decide, but ended up getting a cute small one without a stem. 

 Elise had a hard time, too, but ended up with one that looked like a giant tomato.

 

Like I said...My oh my how they've grown~

 



'The Contract of Law'

So Anabelle has been involved in producing, directing, and acting in plays at school (on the playground during recess) since the end of last year.  Since September, the title of the play has changed 3x and there's been numerous problems with casting and actors dropping out (kids saying they want to play basketball instead).  As of yesterday, Anabelle decided to get an agent to prevent further problems from occurring.  Here's what she typed up had me print to bring to her agent (who is also the director of the newest play 'Aladdin'). 

 

The contract of law

   Anabelle Skye Dow declares that her agent should give her whatever she wants whenever she wants. For example, Anabelle doesn’t want to do practice, so Anabelle’s agent calmly says okay we will make that happen.

     Anabelle Skye Dow also declares that whoever her agent is they must wear sun glasses and walk in front of her. Her agent only has to dress in all black occasionally.

       Rule number 3, whoever Anabelle’s agent is has to be nice or else the fine of $ 1.

       Anabelle’s 4^th rule is in order to be Anabelle’s agent you must let her be in charge of all the props.

       Anabelle’s final rule is that all the directors get to choose their own parts. No main parts may be chosen.

Anabelle from her previous play 'Cindy Ella' playing the role of Justice Beaver.

Hatteras

Hatteras is one of my favorite places on earth. I just love it there. This year was our 20th year visiting the Outer Banks and Hatteras is by far the best place for us. It was hard to head home after such a wonderful relaxing week together. Here are some pics from our week. I think the highlights were boogie boarding every day, Sadie climbing the lighthouse, seeing lots of stingrays, me reading a great book, exploring Avon pier, watching beautiful sunsets, and avoiding one tropical storm and one hurricane. YAY! 

This is the top of the lighthouse after I played around with the image a bit.  I loved the reflection of the clouds in the glass.

 Ahhh...

Daddy helping the girls catch the best waves.

 Posing for a beach pic

 Awesome spot to watch the sunset in our neighborhood. I found it on one of my morning runs. 

 Burying the kiddos

 One of these might be a Christmas card photo :0)

 Just chillin~

 

Having fun together.  That's what it's all about~

Labor Day Climb

 To celebrate the last day of summer, we took the kids to Peak Experiences (one of Elise's favorite places). 

Here's Sadie on her first climb.  She did great! The second climb was a 50ft wall and after about 20 ft, she said she wanted to come down.  On the 3rd climb, she did the ladder and went all the way to the top, but looked a little worried.  It wasn't until she was finished that we asked her if she realized that that rope around her harness would catch her.  Well...she didn't.  Poor thing!!!!  We just assumed she knew she wouldn't fall.  No wonder she looked so freaked out! 

Here's Danny with his Hercules calf muscles.  He was like a spider climbing to the top. 

 And, here's Anabelle who surprised us with her natural climbing abilities. She went up like it was nothing and was all smiles. 

Lastly, here's Miss Climber herself repelling down the ladder.  She went up so fast each time it was hard to snap a shot of her.  After our climbs, the girls wanted to climb around these smaller walls, but we had to spot them which is why I didn't snap any pictures.  They were like ants over there!

Are you wondering why I'm not up there?  Well...I hurt my back that week and thought I'd be in a world of pain if I attempted to climb.  Maybe next time :0).



Summer Ends, Fall Begins

 This is a little strange...I'm sitting her 30 minutes after my children left for school without shedding any tears.  Hmmm...was it because they've grown?  Or because I've matured as a mother? Or because they've all been to school before?  Or because they beat the summer's all time bicker record :0)?  Yes...I'm enjoying a quiet house right now, but honestly, I miss them already.  Okay...now the tears are building up. 

 Where did the time go?  Wasn't I just taking her to her first year in preschool?  Now she's going into first grade.

 Excited for her last year in elementary school and super stoked to sit at the back of the bus!

 Ready for 4th and happy about it!  YAY!   No crying or worrying this year!  I hope she still has joy for school by the end of the week :0).

 

YAY!  The bus showed up this year and it was sunny!  A much better start to school than last year.  I hope their school year is filled with lots of giggles, joy, enthusiasm, friendships, and of course, lots of learning!