Fallin' for Fall

Last Saturday, we had fall family pictures done at Lair O'Bear Park in Morrison....amazing!  I am so excited to see our pictures!

That afternoon, we headed to a little fall festival down in Castle Rock.  The girls loved the bunnies, a carriage ride, and picking a couple of little pumpkins from the patch!

I love the look of their blonde hair in the wind!

On Sunday, we went to a local church to get our pumpkins!  We love this spot because the pumpkin pictures are awesome and the money goes to their youth mission trips! 

This is the pumpkin that we picked!  It has a flat side and the girls have been reading a book called "The Square Pumpkin"  They have named it "Squary"  We also came home with tons of "baby pumpkins!!"

Top Ten

 Ten Great Things About Nora At Age Four:

1.  Nora wants to be both an artist and a space man who walks on the moon when she grows up!

2.  I have a feeling that Nora is going to be Daddy's sporting buddy!  She loves watching games with him!

3.  Nora is a great snuggler and loves to be loved on! 

4.  Nora loves being the middle child.  She will also stake the claim to something that is the middle because of this.  If we have three cookies lined up, she picks the middle one!

5.   Nora loves learning.  She does a "homework" book during Clara's homework time and loves it!  She is also learning to write and read her letters!

6.  Nora has a great imagination.  She loves to have a great story going with Barbies, My Little Pony, Littlest Pet Shop or Squinkies.

7.  Nora is a wonderful sister!  She loves to play Mommy - Baby with Lila, where she is the mommy and Lila is the baby. She is so caring and nurturing!  She also adores Clara and will play with her any chance she gets!

8.  Nora is nostalgic.  She will hold on to things for as long as she can.  She had a hard time moving and wanted her room the same.  She was reluctant about changing from a toddler to a full bed.  She also will say things like, "I miss being three."  So cute! 

9.  Nora still loves the color blue and monkeys are her favorite animal!  Gotta love her consistency!

10.  Nora is so precious to our family!  We are thankful for this sweet and loving little four year old!

Nora is FOUR!!!

Nora is now FOUR!!  We love tradition in our family, so we did our usual!! 

 We started the day with gifts...

We went about our day, as usual.  Took Clara to school, went to dance and then spent some time at the park! 

That evening, we went to Red Robin with family.  Daddy brought Nora and the girls and me flowers!  Nora got sung the Red Robin birthday song, had ice cream and opened wonderful gifts!  What a lucky gal!!!! 

Party Time!!!

We celebrated Nora's 4th Birthday this past weekend!!  She wanted a Tanlged theme party at Treehouse Discovery!  She invited a few friends from our old neighborhood, her school friends and her cousins!  A great time was had by all! 

La la la!

Clara is singing in the Children's Choir at our church!  She goes to practice each Wednesday with Mackenzie and they love it!  The best is the church has also offered a book study during the same hour and free childcare for the little girls.  Right after choir and book study, they even provide dinner.  It had been really good so far!  And the best part, it only cost our entire family $10 to eat!  Plus, no mess at home to clearn up! 

This last Sunday, was the first Sunday the children's choir sang!  Clara was so nervous, but did a great job!  We are looking forward to the next time!!

No Michelle Kwan or Scott Hamilton Here!

Months ago, I bought a deal for ice skating lessons for the girls.  I figured Lila would need parent help and I thought, poor Brian!  Sucker will be out on the ice.  Ha ha, joke was on me!  Nora needed to be a parent as well, so that meant both of us were on skates.  As I registered, I asked Brian if he knew how to ice skate.  He did not and neither did I.  When I mentioned this to the scheduling lady, she suggested we practice a bit before coming.  Ha ha!  Like we have time for that and if we are getting a sitter, that is not the ice I am interested in (we would be more interested in the kind that goes into a margarita!)  

So on the skates went...on all five of us!  Luckily, the girls had on helmets, but I started to wonder why I didn't pack ours.  As soon as we stepped out on the ice, I was petrified.  I could not imagine how I was going to help Lila or Nora stay up and keep myself up as well.  Clara was in a different class so I could see her barely out of the corner of my eye (because I was too occupied with keeping mine on the wall)

Nora and Lila did good!  They were scared at first, but Nora really started to get how to stay up.  Lila needed help, but just being out there was an accomplishment! Clara loved it also.  All three want to go back next week, so that must be a good thing!  I am on the count down...one down, five more classes to go! 

100 Words!!

Clara accomplished a huge task last week!  She knows her first 100 sight words!  They kids are tested on these words during the first week.  The ones they don't know they work on with parent volunteers and have to know the words with little hesitation and proper pronunciation three separate times.   We have been working hard at home and it paid off!  Clara did it!  The best part was, I was the volunteer that day!  I got to test her on her last two words!  Her teacher then made the big announcement to the class and then Clara got to go tell the principal.  After, she got to call Dad on the phone to tell him!  We were so proud of her!  Ice cream was in order!  

Just some random shots!

Love looking back at the quick funny pictures I take with my phone (or when I forget my camera and need to take a quick pic!)  Here are few of those!

Yes, we love ketchup!  Lila loves it so much she licks it off her plate.   I would too if it were appropriate behavior for an adult!

Nora loves this dress.  It was a dress Granny sent for Clara a couple of years ago and she wore it for Lila's baptism.  Nora found it and it fits her now.  She feels like a princess.  So much, that she also wore her crown with it to dance! 

Lila at dance!  Love her little tutu!

Clara draws, writes and colors A LOT.  However ,this was close to my heart as she made up and worked out her own math problems!

Two cuties at music.  Nora insisted on one purple and one pink bow.  When else can you do this in life than when you are three??

Clara and Nora both have school on Mondays, so Lila and I have been getting in some sunshine at the park! 

Clara had her first official Daisy meeting, where she earned a purple petal for Respect Myself and Others.  I love the little tunic with the iron-ons!!  They even sing the song "Make New Friends!"  I still remember it from Brownies!

The girls looked at good and bad lungs and even got to touch them!!