from Kate's camera...

Scott took the girls to the Puyallup fair on Sunday, while Gracie and I worked on things around the house. He said that this fair beats the Great State Fair of Oklahoma. No way!! I thought nothing could beat that.


And a video of Gracie that Kate did:

And one more that I did when Gracie was playing on the floor:

...and just FYI-- Gracie is 16 lbs. and 24 inches...right about average for a 5 month old. She's a little less chunky than K and E were at this age. She's having a fussy, clingy day after shots. :(

weekend pics:

posting pics of Kate and Ella...

Just to balance out all the Gracie pics on the blog, I thought I'd post a few more of my big girls. I love them too. :) $1 whoopy cushions from Target always bring a smile, even if they only last 10 minutes before they bust:






And my sweet Ella:

Saw this on facebook....

I just love this, these girls are so talented.

Ella dancing to ELO

My dad always tells me about how I used to dance to ELO when I was a little girl---I loved it. Ella must have inherited the ELO dancin' gene...

got it!!

Gracie snorting....now you see why I can't seem to get anything done around here. I'm enjoying her so much.

Gracie pics (yet again)...

I wish so much that I could have had this DSLR camera back with K and E were babies...

random group of pictures....

Kate playing Shrek operation, and wearing some sort of dress-up hat:


This picture was taken last Thursday night after Kate's first swim team practice. I don't know if you can tell in the pic, but Kate's hair is white because I put baby powder in her swim cap to make it easier to get off and on. It works. :) And we are SO super proud of Kate for making the swim team. She's awesome!


Gracie and Daddy this morning:



Ella would not be eating this if she had any idea how good it was for her. I've discovered the art of making fruit smoothies, and freezing them into popsicles. I always feel like I hit the jackpot when I successfully trick the girls into eating something healthy for them. This one is organic marion berries, rasberries, and blueberries, plain yogurt, and sugar. YUM.



And one more:

a new and completely necessary checklist for my girls--

For a calm & peaceful morning:

-Get dressed. Throw laundry in hamper!
-Go potty.
-Wash hands. ELLA---GET YOUR GLASSES ON--(and make sure they are fingerprint-free)
-Eat breakfast. Do you need mom to do your hair?
-Brush teeth. Clean up the bathroom.
-Get backpack organized.
-Are you eating a home lunch or school lunch? Is your lunch in your backpack? Water bottle?
-Do you have your take home folder? Library books? Papers signed?
-What jacket or sweatshirt do you need?
-Shoes? Is it a P.E. day? If yes, or you are not sure, you MUST wear tennis shoes (or Keens).

THANK YOU FOR USING YOUR CHECKLIST!! Love, mom

no T.V. for me I guess....

Today, I decided to turn on the news---and find out what's been going on in the world. I haven't been keeping up...staying super busy--trying to figure out our schedule. I haven't watched anything in days. So I flip on the news, and seriously--the first thing I hear is, "Studies show that parent interaction with babies goes down 20% when the T.V is on." Kind-of funny, but felt guilty since I had just laid Gracie down on the floor to play by herself. So I decided to turn off the T.V. and take some pictures instead. We are all so crazy in-love with Gracie. She's all about being calm, peaceful and happy. She's also becoming very mobile--a little too fast. She's scooting backwards, trying to crawl, rolling everywhere. QUICK--CHILDPROOF THE HOUSE! :)

Playing on the floor: (the lighting on these pics wasn't super--I'm still trying to figure out the best time of day and what rooms get the best light...loving the house!)






Daddy and Gracie (from yesterday):


Ergo baby (we LOVE LOVE LOVE the ergo---makes life SO much easier!):



Big school debate:
Scott and I are giving the local public school a little more time. It's OKAY---each day is a little more promising. We are still researching...I don't want to make too quick of a decision, if we end up doing private school, I need more time to get set up in this house and do my homework. I don't plan to homeschool at this time. We plan on being here in WA for a while, so this decision will affect the next few years. I still supplement (more so with Ella).



And I'm THRILLED that my cousin Emily just had her first baby boy. As far as I know, this baby boy doesn't have a name yet. Isn't he precious?? Congratulations Emily and Nick!! What a cutie!!

9/16: UPDATE--he has his name FINALLY!! :) Welcome to the world Cal Phillip Schnabel!!

Back to school pics....

Kate is in 3rd grade, and Ella is now in 1st. I like the school, but it's way overcrowded.....so, back to the big school debate...Scott and I are carefully weighing all of our options.