im blogging... OK!!!

I have had a few people get on my case about no blogging in awhile (8ish months). However things have been busy!

Dan is working at Blythfield country club this summer as he has for 10 years!! He likes the change of pace and being outside. He doesnt like the whole getting up to be there by 6am though.
This spring his dad bought a couple of motorcycles for all the boys to ride. Dans requirements (made by me- life insurance, safety class, and fully licensed) to getting /riding a bike have officially been met! It is very exciting to see him ride bc i know he really likes it. He is borrowing one of his dads bikes and he actually started driving it to work today. He was hopeing he didnt look like someone in a midlife crisis. I though this was funny bc he is turning 30 this November. Dan has also started running this summer and I try to beat him in distance each week bc he will always beats me timewise.

Calli is such a kid now!! She is not dependent in any sort of way. Its so fun to watch her with other kids. She is just playing all the time. We have really limited tv time this spring/summer and have been focusing on playing inside and outside, exploring outside, riding her bike, working on school work and just being a kiddo. She still isnt into coloring or anything so to work her fine motor skills were do school work which she loves!! She can identify all her letters and numbers up to 25. We just do random workbooks that i have found- and its not like i am pushing this stuff down her throat either. She asks almost everyday to work on her school stuff but i try to only do it 4 times a week so i dont overwhelm her. She loves being read to and she totally plays out books we read. I love it!! The girl has a great imagination. She loves the little french girl Madeline, Boz the bear, Gigi- Gods little Princess, Curious George, adn of course the Princesses. On most days she refers to me as Miss Clavel and the dogs as Genevieve. She attended VBS at Alto Baptist this summer. We bought her a bible during the week of VBS bc she was always asking for me to read her more stories about Jesus- "but not from the baby book mom from the big Bible." We got a childrens translation which is really a great way to read to little ones so they can picture it in their heads. She has really asked some great questions about God, Jesus, heaven, etc. Three of my grandparents have passed away in the last year so I think that has gotten her thinking also. It is amazing what her brain ponders. She did do Awana Cubbies this past school year and she loved that as well.
Some things stay the same (thank goodness) - She is still a momma's girl. She still sleeps with her silky blankie. She still likes us to rock her before bed and sing one song with her (we have done that basically since birth). She still eats very little, but loves all fruit, m&ms, Steak and Shake, Mcdonalds and asks for mac and cheese everyday for lunch.

Andi otherwise still called Baby in our house or Bubba (from daddy) or Winnie (from Booshie). Well what to say about her??? She is just a little ball of joy and we all just think she is hilarious! Calli has always been so serious about life (she has fun for sure but she just isnt goofy) Andilynn is the exact opposite! She walks on her tip toes almost all the time if she doesnt have shoes on, she plays with dolls like they are her real babies and always is carrying a purse and pushing a stroller (fully stocked-this week I found my cell phone in there which had been missing for 12+hrs). She is so goofy when she talks too. We taught basic sign language to both girls when they were little- all done, cookie, milk, more, please, thank you, i love you. Andilynn has really started talking a ton lately but is always using signs (made up or real) to help us understand what she is talking about. She doesnt just do hand motions but like full body motions too! I think it is so funny bc sometimes her motions/signs are exactly what they should be so we completley understand what she is trying to tell us. One of her favorite stories to tell is when we drive by one particular park where I got hit with a softball in the nose. "momma, ooowwwiiee, (points to park) softball hit mommas nose! (signs ball, and then bops herself in nose)." This is one of many. She has stories about airplanes/trains/motorcycles and who is on them.
She is definitley Callis little follower! I love watching them play together and just watching how their playtime develops. It very rarley goes sour. Calli might ask me maybe once a week if she can play by herself for awhile but for majority of the time they are togther! I couldnt ask for anything better.
With all of her growing up and becoming a full blown toddler we are changing things slower with her (calli was forced out of her crib, etc.) Andi is still in a crib til end of August, however we took her pacifier away over Memorial Day weekend (CJ had hers til she was 3). Andi isn't potty trained but hopefully by the end of summer. We didn't want her struggling with that while we were camping in July. She is still a very light sleeper, but she sleeps til 10am if she is undisturbed :) We dont let her take naps though since she is sleeping 14 hrs at night - she got to were she wasnt going to sleep until 11ish. She is still a huge eater! She LOVES hotdogs, pizza, mexican, chicken nuggets, bananas, all veggies, but doesnt like most berries (weirdo :) ) She is definitley like me when it comes to food- pretty much anything!

Noelle Now about me. I havent been scrapbooking hardly at all this summer. We have been so busy with other stuff. Dan and I play in a coed softball league on Mondays and I sub for a team on Wed. This was very different bc last year we played 3-4 nights a week. I have fallen in love with gardening. We did one last year but this years garden puts last years to shame! I have yet to get anything from it but the plants alone look bigger and healthier and there is far less weeds. I have also gotten into running. I started last July on a camping trip where I pushed Andi in the jogger til she fell asleep. I ran 3 miles without knowing it :) I ran my first 5k in September in under 30 minutes, ran the Riverbank 10k this spring in under 60 minutes. Those were my goal times so I was super excited!! I try to run 2-5 miles at least 3 times a week but it is hard with scheduling sometimes. Today I ran 6.2 miles-- a personal best not in a race (same distance as a 10k but very different when you are out by yourself.)
I am still working at Pine Rest minimal hours this year. I am watching 2 brothers 3-4 days a week. We all are enjoying this. Parker is 6 and Micah just turned 1. I love seeing how different Parker plays than Calli does. They definitley are great playmates and work with each others imagnations-- if they are at a tea party astro boy, mario, and luigi are in attendance, if they are playing "mom & dad" they have super powers or are in the middle of some battle while each of them carry a baby doll/stuffed animal. Micah and Andi seem to hang out together I think she likes just not being the baby anymore. She squeals with excitement when he comes over and constantly is telling me what he needs/wants, and tries to help feed him etc. We ALL absolutley love having the boys over. It was such an answer to prayer- so that I could stay home more because with gas prices driving to Pine Rest was getting crazy high. I feel like I am better mom when I can be home with the girls and just work on house/garden things. It is so weird how satisified, really I am extatic with life and the role I am currently filling as a mom and wife! Definitley a change in heart from wanting to get my masters degree and be working full time! I cant believe how quickly the time of them being little is going! I really am glad that I can be home and make the most of it right now.

This summer we have really tried to limit tv time so we have gone on a lot of walks as a family, had a ton of QT playing in the yard, playing board games, doing puzzles, playing playdoh, having bonfires, working in the garden, cooking/baking, and just imagning things with the girls (play house, school, etc)

Well that is it for now! I have completly updated you with words and not pictures this time! I promise i will bring my camera to work and download some. It is easier to use fb to see pics. I only have internet on my phone (cut some expenses) so its hard to upload photos.