This is Abigail on picture day. I can't believe she is in second grade. She brings a lot of joy in our life and there is never a dull moment when she is around. We love how friendly she is and how her personality lights up a room with fireworks! She is loving her school and her teacher. We hope that second grade is a good year for little (or not so little) Abigail.
I love it when my girls are sweet to each other. It doesn't happen often, but when it does I try to snap a quick picture. In the top picture the twins are watching a movie together snuggled up nicely with each other. In the bottom picture, Abigail is reading a bedtime story to the twins and they are listening to "Brown Bear Brown Bear What do you see?" by Eric Carle.
The top picture was taken of the twins in September of 2008. Fast forward 3 years and the twins are still wrestling with Elizabeth pinned under Emily, unable to escape.
Darin has been driving a big 18 wheeler for the past couple of weeks while he waits to hear from his Pennsylvania job. He is working long days, but is having fun being on the road in this big truck. While Darin was on a route he decided to pass by the house. I am sure the neighbors thought he was lost when he parked right in front of our home.
We are SLOWLY working on getting the girls bedroom back together. Last weekend they started painting the chairs to their desks. We will have some pretty loud colors going on, but I think it will be cute. I can't wait to see the final result. Hopefully, their room will turn out as cute in real life as it looks in my head.
I have been collecting stuff over the past few years in hopes to one day do a pre-school out of my home. Well, this year I made it happen. I started trying to get licensed by the city in April and finished all of the requirements by July. Our first day of pre-school was on September 6th. I have a full class of eight 3 and 4 year olds. The twins love it and I am having alot of fun.
Last Thursday, I had been a "single" mom for two weeks and three days. I tried to get a hold of Darin all day, but his phone was off. I then noticed that there were some large purchases on our debit card and I became concerned. At 9:00 at night, after being in a panic, I finally got a hold of Darin. Here is the story of his very eventful day. On Wednesday 9-7-2011 it was raining really hard at his job in Pennsylvania, so hard that his managers told them to call it a day and head home. All the guys went to bed pretty early that night, but were jolted awake to the National Guard banging on their door forcing a mandatory evacuation. The guys grabbed what they could and headed out the door in knee deep water. The Susquehanna River was flowing through their front yard and rushing past the house in the back yard. When Darin went to bed the river was about 40 feet from their back door. The guys loaded up in a 15 passenger van and after 2 detours finally made it out taking a chance as they drove the van through three foot deep water to escape the flood. They traveled to higher ground (NY) and the company put them up in the hotel. The area was declared a natural disaster zone and Darin was told that it would be a minimum of 5 weeks before he could return to work. The guys could choose to stay in the hotel or head home. Dairn decided to head home since he missed his family and now was not making any money. Darin flew home and finally called me to tell me the harrowing story at 9:00 p.m. when he landed in the Salt Lake Airport. Heather and Shane picked him up from the airport and we were re-united at midnight. I am so grateful that he is alive and well and not stranded on the roof of the house he was living in. The house's first story is still under water and it may take them a while to re build. In the mean time, Darin is hoping to help out with harvest with some of the larger farms in the area to at least keep some cash flow coming in. The video is of some if the destruction that occurred that night.
It is canning season again here in Idaho. This weekend I have spent quite a bit of time doing peaches and corn. Earlier I did beans, chicken noodle soup, and canned apricots and apricot jam. Next weekend is pears and the following weekend after that will probably be applesauce. It is a lot of work, but I like it and the food seems to taste so much better to me.
Abigail's first day of second grade was on September 1st. When I got to the school to take her pictures the camera battery died and I was so upset. September 2nd was Friday and they always wear their school shirts on Fridays. Monday the 5th was Labor day and we didn't have school, so I snapped these pictures on her third day of school which was September 6th. She seems to be liking her new class and loves her new teacher Mrs. Sirois. Mrs. Sirois reminds me of a sweet grandma that you just want to climb up in her soft lap and hear a story. I hope Abigail doesn't take advantage of her soft-spoken-teacher and appreciates the calmness of her classroom.
Yes, my Texas friends Abigail is wearing a jacket. It is about 55 degrees in the mornings when Abigail heads off to school.
Darin works as an Inside Sales Representative at All State. He is the Secretary in the Elder's Quorum Presidency and an all-around-handy man. He is adored by his girls and loves having a little boy now to hang out with after work. He loves life, hard work, and his family.
Misty
The Mom
Misty is busy, busy, busy. She teaches 16 preschool students, 20 piano & voice students, and 13 Let's Play Music students each week. Her calling at church is the relief society pianist. Misty loves being a "dance mom" and a "soccer mom" and watching her children develop their talents.
Abigail Lynn
The Big Sister
Abigail is a high energy 10 year old. She is Fifth grade for the 2014-2015 school year and she is very much a people person. She loves swimming, shopping, crafts and cooking, but her most favorite thing is dance. She has also really been working hard on her tumbling over the past year or so. Abigail loves playing the piano and singing as well. Abigail has developed an interest in pageants, we will have to see where that interest takes her in the future. She is a bit of a neat freak, really good at doing household chores, and is VERY Squemish. Abigail is the best big sister and is a great example to her three younger siblings
Emily Celia
Twin A
Emily is 7 now and loves to play with her sisters and other kids. She is in first grade for the 2014-2015 school-year. She is confident, outgoing, and likes to be in charge. She is very sweet and loving and fun to talk to. She can be pretty silly at times and when she starts giggling there is no stopping her. She loves to talk and makes our hearts melt when she looks at us with those big hazel eyes. Emily is a people-pleaser and loves compliments. She has really grown to love dance and cheerleading this past year and it is very apparent that Abigail is her role model. Emily is our resident girly girl; she loves everything pink, glittery, and posh! She loves to help out around the house and thrives on praise. She is a good girl and we love her very much.
Elizabeth Claire
Twin B
Elizabeth is 7 as well. She is full of charisma and is very spunky. Sugar and Spice is what makes up Elizabeth's personality. She is a great snuggler and cuddler, but has a mischievous streak and you can tell when she is up to something by the twinkle in her eye. She is sometimes cautious and unsure about herself, but a very deep thinker. She has an analytic brain and is our resident tom boy. She loves jeans, t-shirts, baseball caps, and monster trucks. Her favorite pass time is spent playing soccer or basketball. She has also started gymnastics this year and she is a natural. She is very strong for her size and extremely coordinated. She loves to give hugs and kisses, but if you cross her, you may regret it. Elizabeth never hesitates to express herself when it comes to people she feels comfortable with. Elizabeth loves to laugh and has a great sense of humor. She is pretty darn funny. She can make almost anything turn into a joke.
Carson Kent
The Baby Brother
Carson (the baby) really isn't a baby anymore. He is two now and the busiest, most exhausting person I have ever met. He has the cutest smile and is such a happy boy. Carson is very smart and can take-apart, climb on, and disassemble ANYTHING. He has a pacifier addiction, which we are trying to break because it is so fun to hear him learn to talk. We can't imagine what life would be like without him. He is the perfect finishing puzzle piece to our family.
