A Tale of Two Sisters

This picture pretty much sums up the differences in my girls.  I'm not sure who I feel the sorriest for, Alyssa, for having to share a room with a messy sister, or Aniston, for having to share a room with a sister who complains about every stray sock and hairband.   Night and Day, these two:

Sisters. 

(A dynamic I don't understand.  I have a brother who is almost six years younger than I am.  I shared nothin' growin' up.  :)  

I pray for these two.  I pray they remain close and the best of friends.  I pray they rely on each other.  I pray they have a set of girls that are Night and Day, too.  But most of all, I pray that the love each other for the rest of their days.

S-N-O-W

We had a beautiful snowfall last week, the kind you just have to play in.  Soft and fluffy and deep.  It was just perfect!  We stopped schoolwork as soon as we saw it.  Aniston just had to go play, she couldn't concentrate.  She is such a lover of snow.  It's because she was born in Michigan, she says.  :-)

Me: Does anyone know where my iPod is??

Aniston: I do!

Me: Well, where is it?

Aniston: I hid it under my bed.

Me: Why?

Aniston:  'Cause I'm a baaaaaaaaaaad girl!

Then she proceeded to give me her "bad girl" face.

Huh.

A Busy Sunday

Yesterday, at church...

Alyssa and Colton were baptized:

We had our three active duty members wear their uniforms (a pre-Memorial weekend celebration of sorts):

We recognized high school graduates {oops!  No pictures}

We said good-bye to our beloved friends {and thanking God that they are only moving an hour away}

Eric and the Major.  His family has been such a blessing to us!

We prayed over Eric as he gets ready to deploy in a few weeks.  Such a handsome sailor my husband is!

Volleyball was played and food was eaten.

It was a good day.

On Being Content

My Women's Bible Study group just starting reading Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. All I can say is, WOW.  I have so much underlined and I've only read chapter one!  My favorite thing I've read so far is "Ella Spees' Holy Habit of Contentment" and I wanted to share it with you.

* Never allow yourself to complain about anything - not even the weather.

* Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or someplace else.

* Never compare your lot with another's.

* Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.

* Never dwell on tomorrow - remember that tomorrow is God's, not ours.

Just a little something to think about.

The Art of Smack-Talking

overheard:

Aniston:  I'm a jaguar!  RWAR!

Alyssa: I'm a cheetah!  Cheetahs are way better than jaguars!

Aniston:  Oh, yeah?  Well, I'm a cheat...er!

Alyssa:  Like "I'm a cheater at math"??  

*cue hysterical laughter*

Back when the weather was warm...

...I took Aniston to the lake to play in the sand. We are so ready for hot, summer days to be here!

The Difference between Alyssa and Aniston

Let me give you a visual:

 Alyssa's tray of Valentine Dots

Aniston's tray of Valentine Dots:

Do you see the difference? Alyssa's are lined up neatly, Aniston's are a crazy mess. And that is the perfect way to describe Aniston. A crazy mess. In a good way, of course! :-)

Alyssa is Beezus to Aniston's Ramona.

I love my girls.  :-)

Look, Ma!

No training wheels!!

Miss Aniston learned a new trick this past weekend.  :-)

And she lost another one!

She lost her first tooth!!

 And it's making me sad!

Aniston is my baby.  I will never have another child lose their tooth for the first time.

*sniff*

She is growing up way too fast!!

What We Did on Our Summer Vacation {2010}

1. We swam in the lake.

2. We went to Busch Gardens.

3. Alyssa went to King's Dominion.

4. Jacob came home!

5. Colton went to Nebraska. {and turned 12!}

6. We went to D.C. for the Fourth of July.

7. We turned the front porch into an Art Studio

8. We went to the Virginia Discovery Museum and sat in a log cabin

9. Eric and I had a date!  We went to The Melting Pot for the first time.

10. Eric got promoted to Senior Chief!  We went to the WWII Memorial in DC for his pinning ceremony.

11. We rode in a limo.

We DID NOT do any of the school~ish type things I had planned.  I had geography lessons and math games planned.  Good things. Fun things.  But, you know what?  

THAT IS OKAY.

We had a full and fabulous summer.

School starts Monday!!

Happy Arbor Day!

I love the trees here in Virginia.  They are tall and beautiful.  They are perfect for laying under and reading a book.  They are perfect for catching respite from the hot, summer sun.

This big ol' thing is in my front yard.  There's about 20 more in my backyard.  I love these trees!!

(ask me that again in September when the leaves start to fall!)

Alyssa, I don't think we are in suburbia anymore!

"Hey, Mom, why are there a bunch a mailboxes and no houses?", asks Alyssa as we drive along the country roads that lead to our neighborhood.

It didn't occur to my city girl that people live on so much land that you can't see their houses from the road!  :-)

The Middle

When we eat dinner as a family, we do a little something called "High-Low".  Your "high" is the best thing that happened to you and your "low" is the worst thing that happened to you that day.  I can't remember where I first heard about it.  I think it was a magazine, I'm not sure.  Anyway, the kids love it and it's a great conversation piece for the dinner table.

Aniston is my special child.  And I say that lovingly. She likes to do things her way and doesn't like to conform to others.  Case in point:  Aniston doesn't just have a "High-Low".  Nope.  My wonderfully different daughter has a "High-Middle-Low"!

It is so cute to hear her tell about her day.   Sometimes her "high" is not a good thing.  Sometimes her "low" is a great thing.  But it's the "middle" that keeps her talking and talking and talking. Her "middle" could be anything from getting a piece of gum to getting grounded. Whatever it is, that "middle" is newsworthy!

Girl Gone Wild

I came across these today while uploading pictures from my camera.   It's funny what you'll find when you let your kids play with your camera!

Aniston channels Kate Gosselin

See that spiky patch of hair in the back of Kate's head?  Now look at the back of Aniston's head.   And she did it all by herself!  AGAIN.

Which tooth is my sweet tooth?

Where does she come up with these questions?

I sure do love them. :-)

Am I taller than tall grass?

Just one of the many interesting questions asked daily by this sweet thang right here:

Such a poser!

I can't get a normal pic of Aniston anymore.  She always has to strike a pose.  These days, it's usually with her head thrown back, real sassy like.  She is still cute though, no?  I like the last pose the best.  The one with her daddy.