February/March 2020

This time I combined posts for 2 reasons....I forgot to post on February and we didn't have much going on to write about.  Daddy was gone for a week doing work travel and I worked a bunch.

We did have a fun dress up week at school for the book fair.  Our favorite day was "Dress as a Favorite Book Character".  Abigail is Pinkalicious, I went as Splat the Cat, and Hannah was Dorthy.

The girls also played in a piano festival and received the highest grade.  They worked really hard and and played very well.  It's nice when that gets rewarded.

March started off great, one week of school then we were out for Spring Break.  We hopped up to AR for an overnight trip to see some friends and family.  It was a whirlwind trip but lots of fun. Then we came back and ran a bunch of errands, played outside when it wasn't raining, met friends for lunch, built lot of Lego creations and relaxed at home.  Then everything changed as things began to shut down due to COVID-19.  I know this has affected everyone everywhere, but I definitely want to document it.

Our school district extended Spring Break one week and there was no formal plan for learning.  Some of the teachers put a few suggested activities online.  That week we chose to do a mix of fun and relaxation along with structured learning.  I got to pull out my teacher hat and get creative.  Starting March 23 the girls officially began online instruction.  I have been super impressed, but not at all surprised with all our teacher have done.  They are awesome! Both girls have ROCKED their learning.  They working independently and having a plan to follow.  Most days assignments and piano practice are done by lunch time so they are loving the extra free time.

We miss our friends, teachers, and my family (we are staying away even though we live in the same city), but are very thankful for video calls.  It's weird not to have any outside activities or go anywhere beside the grocery store.  However, we have LOVED getting to take walks, play in the backyard, watch family movies, and play games together.  All in all trying to make the best of the situation.

March 2018

The weather is finally warming up but not TOO hot yet, so we're trying to enjoy playing outside while we can. Abigail is getting better at riding her bike and can now ride all the way to the park.  A little more practice and then we can go check out the MANY awesome trails in Plano.

We spent the first weekend of our Spring Break in Arkansas.  We got to see Daddy's family and some long time friends.  Sadly the only picture I remembered to take was in the car driving. 😒😒We'll head up there again this summer and I'll try to do better.

Daddy took one extra day off work and we decided to visit the Heard Museum.  The place is larger than I expected.  We explored 2 of their nature trails, saw the rescue animals, and checked out the indoor fossil and shell exhibits.  I'm glad we have a membership so we can go back and explore more.

Now that both girls are in school, Grammy Day's are few and far between.  We took full advantage of having Good Friday off.  We made bird nest cookies and painted on the easel outside in the beautiful sunshine.  My mom took pictures but hasn't finished editing yet. 

I do have Easter picture picture to share though. 😀 We took these two weeks ago during spring break. My mom bought these sweet dresses and flower wreathes last year off zulily.  She had visions of a dreamy photo shoot. 😍 We decided to save money and wear them for Easter too.  The Bradford pear trees were in full bloom when we took these pictures, you can almost pretend we are out in the country instead of 5 mins from my parent's house.  And we got totally lucky because 2 days later the wind picked up and all the blossoms fell off.  LOVE how well these turned out.

I love the flexibility that comes with working as a substitute.  I can pick and choose which jobs I accept.  That means I still get to go on field trips.  Joined Abigail and the rest of the kindergarten classes at the Outdoor Learning Center.  This is a facility owned by the school district and the students visit every year in elementary school  They talk about something different from their science curriculum each year.  They have a nature trail to walk along and a large room filled with animals that were once owned as pets that people could no longer care for.  People's poor judgement never ceases to amaze me....who thinks a bobcat is a good pet?!? 😕😕

July 2015

I know I said it last month...but the summer is seriously FLYING by!  School is right around the corner and I'm not ready yet!  July has been busy with HOT HOT temperatures, swimming lessons, a visit from my cousin, and a trip to Arkansas.  One of our favorite things is Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-a, dress like a cow and eat for free.  I made costumes for us last year and they still fit.  =)

Miss Julia, the same sweet former student of my mom's, taught swimming lessons again this year.  Hannah's first few times in the pool with us did not look promising...she did NOT want to put her face in the water.  But she overcame her fear in the first lesson and has made REALLY great progress.  She is almost swimming independently.  Lessons are over, but we're still hoping to get in the water a few more times with her and practice what she's learned.

This was Abigail's first year to do lessons.  She also stared out really hesitant, not really even wanting to get in the water.  She's made good progress as well.  She has no problem going in now, blows bubbles, and kicks her legs too (not always at the same time though).  We're still working on floating, she is not nearly as relaxed as Hannah.  Both girls LOVE Miss Julia, she is so patient and sweet.

We haven't spent much time outside unless we're in the water....TOO HOT!!  But my sister, the girls and I, did take my cousin to the zoo while she was in town.  It was super hot, but overall a good visit.  Thankfully they had fans and misters set up to cool off.

We spent last weekend in Arkansas visiting Nathan's family.  We had a really good visit with his dad and sister (no pictures, his apartment is too dark), and had dinner with good friends.  We also decided to drive an hour north to visit the University of Arkansas where Nathan went to school.  He enjoyed showing us around campus.  The university has a neat tradition of carving the names of all graduates in the sidewalks.  The girls thought it was cool to find Daddy's name.

 All the above photos were taken with my phone, but my mom is slowly catching up on editing photos. These were taken in June.  Enjoy!

August 2014

We started the month by taking a trip to AR to visit Nathan's family.  So thankful that the girls are good travelers.  There was hardly any whining in the car.  Hannah enjoyed reading signs out the window and they both enjoyed the many cows and horses.  Even though it was hot we met Nathan's dad at the park.  Everyone had fun and this park has a train to ride.  It was the highlight of the trip.  =)

Summer is almost over and I'm sure you're asking yourself where the swimming picture are...finally here!  We've had some crazy rain storms that made for some cooler weather (not that I'm complaining).  Hannah did swim lessons with Miss Julia (my mom's former students) again and we had a friend from church join us too.  She is still not swimming independently, but made LOTS of progress and has more confidence too. She's even jumped off the diving board, with her puddle jumper on.


 
Abigail started the summer not really too sure about the water.  She watched Hannah's swim lessons from the other side of the gate.  She played in the gravel box with the younger sister our friend.  She was paying attention because the next time we swam with her she wanted to try new things.  She will blow bubbles, let me hold her out on her tummy and kick her legs.  And she'll float on her back for about 2 seconds before she's trying to sit up.
 

We've also finally found a splash park that the girls will actually play at instead of just crying.  They are still cautious but will actually get wet and seem to have fun.  Thankfully it's not too far from our house so we've gone 4 or 5 times.

8/12/13

We decided this summer to enroll Hannah in swim lessons.  We found a place really close to our house that offered evening lessons.  We thought that would be easier so that one of us could stay home with Abigail.  Swim lessons were 4 days a week for 2 weeks and there were only two kids in the class.  Hannah cried several times for the first few lessons, but seemed willing to do most of what the teacher asked her. 

My mom has a former piano student that works at a pool and has taught lessons before.  We decided to do a few more lessons one on one in Grammy's pool.  Hannah REALLY liked this sweet girl and made a lot of progress.  Her last lesson was today.  I'm very proud of her.  =)


We went to Arkansas for a weekend trip.  We had a few minor melt downs, but the girls both did really well.  So thankful that my girls are pretty good car travelers.  Hannah had so much fun watching out the window for cows and horses.  It was good to see some of Nathan's family.  Hopefully it won't be quite so long before we head back up there again. 

Nathan's dad

Nathan's Aunt Linda (mom's sister) and his mom's husband Tommy.

Nathan took last week of off work too and we enjoyed having him home.  We mostly hung out at home because it was too hot to do anything.  We did go to a small splash park one morning with my mom.  Both girls were very cautious, but seemed to have fun. Pictures coming soon.  =)