First Day of Kindergarten and 2nd Grade

Yesterday was the first day of school and the girls were ready! Thankfully both Linwood and I were able to drop them off and experience this moment with them. Of course India just wanted us to leave us at her line. Actually this was a really happy moment because it meant she was comfortable and confident. Jordyn was smiling ear to ear! Linwood snuck a peak inside the classroom and said that Jordyn was sitting quietly at her seat with her hands in her lap.

Yes, we are proud parents! At the end of the day Jordyn said that it was one of the best days of her life. India said the first week of 2nd grade can be kind of boring, but she has high hopes for the year.

Hanging Lake Adventure

Whew! It seems like I just cannot keep up with this blogging thing :-(. I guess the good news is that I have been spending so much time with my girls and taking care of my husband that the days are packed with fun and excitement and just flying by. We have been on summer vacation for 2 weeks now and it has been AWESOME!!!! The girls are taking swimming lessons, India is taking a pottery class, and Jordyn is taking piano lessons. In addition, Linwood injured his knee playing basketball on Memorial Day. It turns out that he tore his ACL and Meniscus and is in surgery as we speak. A sweet, sweet friend of ours is keeping the girls today and I have no doubt they are having a ball! That said, I have a few hours of time to catch up with you :-).

Digging through the photo archives on my phone my favorite ones were from a "camping" trip we took back in May. I say "camping" because we actually stayed in a one room cabin but since it didn't have a bathroom, water, or electricity I concluded that it counted as camping. We were in Glenwood Springs, CO and had the opportunity to hike up a mountain to a place called Hanging Lake. The trail was only 1 mile long but it was up a steep mountain and the last few hundred feet involved climbing up a rock wall. I had no idea how the girls would do but I was pleasantly surprised at what troopers they were! India almost ran up that mountain. She was right behind the leader of the group and didn't even want to stop and rest. When I told her that I was so proud of her determination, she said "Of course I never thought about giving up, Cousins Rock never gives up." (Cousins Rock is a group the girls have made with their cousin Cenika - I didn't realize it was as inspirational as it is.)
On the other hand, Jordyn could not be stopped coming down the mountain. I kept asking her to slow down so that she didn't trip and fall because the trail was rocky and full of tree roots. As I watched teenagers and adults slip and fall around us, my pleas fell on deaf ears. She could not be stopped!!

Here are some photos of our hike. I have no idea why they are sideways. They look normal on my computer. Help Techies!! We also got to swim in the Hot Springs Pool, but I didn't get pictures :-(.

At the sign before the hike. India did not want her picture taken that day.

Starting the hike through Glenwood Canyon.

Jordyn  during the hike.

Hanging Lake was waiting for us at the top! Breathtaking!

The girls hiking behind the waterfall.

There was another huge waterfall above Hanging Lake. 

Linwood and the girls behind the big waterfall.

We ate at a pizza place that had pizza slices bigger than the girls' heads. They are still talking about it!

India's 7th Birthday

It is hard to believe that India is 7 already! She wanted a horse party so we made it a horse/cowgirl party. It was over spring break so many of her friends were traveling, but I think we had the perfect amount of guests and fun! Rasheed got so much attention that he slept for hours after it was over. It was a beautiful day outside so we were able to do games and playing outside. Here are some pictures...

The "horse cupcake cake" we made at home.

The calm before the party.

Playing in the backyard. I forgot to take pictures of the games. We did the sack race, 3-legged race, wheelbarrow race, and cake walk.

Posing for a picture.

Opening her presents.

Jordyn was the designated helper.

Singing "Happy Birthday"

I asked them all to say "Hee Haw" when I took the picture.

Funny Faces :-).

In Jesus Name

Yesterday was one of the most exciting days we have had in our lives and as a family. A couple of weeks ago India mentioned to us that she wanted to be baptized so we prayed about it, talked with her more and made it happen. Glory to God our oldest child was baptized in Jesus name March 23, 2013.
Pictures will follow soon.

Photo Drop

Here are a bunch of pictures from my phone over the past month.
India and Jordyn both got their hair straightened for the first time by a student at my work. They got a new straightener that uses steam and is less damaging to the hair. It was fun but definitely a once in a while treat. It was fun to see how long their hair is straight.

 

Jordyn at her "Green Eggs and Ham breakfast" at Preschool. Hair still out and long after straightening.

India and her girl scout troop had a Teddy Bear Tea Party for Valentine's Day.

The girls rode their bikes to Clement Park to feed the geese. I ran along :-).

Linwood has started refereeing basketball games. The girls and I went to watch a game and they had to get dressed up like referees too.

We only had one referee outfit so India decided the bumblebee costume was close enough.

We had to leave when the girls got bored and started to grab Linwood's butt every time he came close to us.
They love their daddy!

 

Our newest addition

The girls have been asking for a dog for months and months. We had to tell India that Santa was not able to bring live animals on the sleigh....and then we said that we needed to wait until we got a house with a yard...eventually we ran out of excuses. So, who knew that Craigslist also sold pets?! We happened across this little guy and decided as a family that he would be a great fit for us. This weekend he turned 10 weeks and he is a bundle of puppy love, ankle biting cuteness.
Since he is a boy, daddy decided that he should get to name him.
Meet Rasheed. Named after Daddy's favorite basketball player, Rasheed Wallace. We'll see if he grows into his name.

This is Rasheed on the first night we got him. He was 8 weeks old.

With his favorite toy. Sleeping half in and half out of his bed.

He's growing!
Sorry all the pics are of him sleeping. He really is adorable when he is awake and playing but we haven't been able to juggle him and the camera.

Settling In

Hi Family,
After a long blog hiatus I think that we are back on track. Our move went smoothly and our new house is feeling like home. I guess you could say that we have a "new normal".... and we like it :-)! Everyday we wake up Linwood and I talk about how abundantly God has blessed us. He is so good!!!
Here are a few photos of some of the main rooms in the house. This is how it looks everyday - with us living in it - so excuse the mess.



Dining Room - I am sitting at the chair with the computer right now writing to you.

Our yard. And the girls playing out there - which is why I have time to sit down and write this post :-). That little white fluff ball beside Jordyn is our  new puppy.

India and Jordyn's Room. Even though they didn't have to, they still chose to share a room. Not sure how long that will last but it sure is sweet for the time being.

Our guest room...one room out of the two room suite. So, just in case you were wondering if we had room for you, we do :-).

The girls' playroom. This will be Jordyn's room when she decides it's time to move.

Our family room has a sink in it....strange...not sure why, guess it was a 70's thing.

 

Moving

Sorry for the lack of posts/pictures, we have been really busy getting ready to move! We are taking pictures of the process and I will post them as soon as things get a little less crazy. 

We love you and will write more soon :-)

Thanksgiving Peak

We did not take an abundance of photos over our Thanksgiving trip to Estes Park and most of them were of elk, not cute little girls :-). It was so much fun to get away and relax. We did craft projects, watched movies (and of course football), found the Big Dipper, saw LOTS of wildlife, and went hiking and sledding. As we were watching an elk herd one day the girls hung out the back window pretending to shoot the elk with their markers to make jerky. Grandpa's girls :-). We love you all and are so thankful to have such loving, thoughtful and fun friends and family!!!!!

Sledding Hill in Rocky Mountain National Park

Elk as seen from our cabin

Daddy acting silly

Gils sleeping

Buddy, our elf, is back and stirring up trouble!