Look at Maddie go!!!!!!!!!!!!

We went to Maddie's seeding tournament today to see where the girls would place for future games. I happy to say that the team did great! Madeline scored 2 goals and is beyond excited. :) GO MADELINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First day of 2nd grade!

Madeline's first day of second grade went really well, even better than expected! She has the same teacher that she had in Kindergarten. She loved her then and loves her even more now! Her very best friend is in her class and so are so many of her other little friends. I dropped her off at school this morning and walked her to her classroom. She almost immediately saw her friends and was off playing. No more clinging to mommy's legs, no more tears, no more constant reassurance that everything was going to be okay. My little baby has become a self sufficient, independent, and vibrant young girl. I am so proud of everything she has done, amazed at her excitement for life, and love her that fact she thinks I am the greatest person around. :) She is just so much fun to be hang out with, play games with, and well, pretty much everything!

I have the hardest time getting Lucy and Ava to actually go to sleep at night. They share a room at night (not during nap) and they find it so fun to jump on their beds, play with their toys, pull clothes out of their closet, or just make goofy faces at each other. I wouldn't have a problem with any of this, but it often lasts for a few hours after I put them to bed. I have tried everything that I can possibly think of to get them to actually sleep when I put them to bed: taking toys away, time outs, taking away privileges, etc. NOTHING WORKS! Tonight I thought I would out smart them... LOL I finally separated them after I asked them to go to bed several times. I assumed that the twin I took out the room would be very unhappy, then after a few minutes I would put her back in her room and she would then happily go to sleep. Well, the first thing I did wrong was assume that this little plan would actually work. I ended up taking Lucy out of the room (since she is the instigator of all of this) and put her in a very small side room with a gate up (I didn't want her to get scared if I closed the door). And guess what, she LIKES it, and Ava hates it! Ava wants to be with her sister so bad. This was supposed to work out so that Lucy would hate being out of her bed, so that when I put her back in bed she would actually stay there. Think again Mommy!!! One day I will think this is funny, but I surely don't right now!!!

Having fun!

Madeline and her cousin Kaitlyn
Ava roller skating. She was so proud of herself!
Madeline and her best friend Delaney at their first soccer practice.
My future pro soccer player!!!

Happy Birthday Lucy and Ava!!!

Can it really be true that Lucy and Ava are three? Let me say it again, three... three... three... I am still not convinced that it is possible that these little girls are three! I can still remember the day they were born, the memory so clear. I don't know what happened to those younger baby memories, it all seems a blur now. I think the fact that Chris I were juggling three kids made our memories not so good. Life is much different compared to those early days and I remember dreaming of the day they would be toddlers so life would be just a tad bit less complicated. Now, here we are! The girls will be starting pre-school in just a few short weeks. Admittedly, Lucy is much more excited about this than Ava.
Lucy, my once needy child that wanted to be held 23 out of 24 hours a day, is now the independent one. She insists on doing everything herself, from getting dressed in the morning, to washing her hands, getting in her car seat and buckling it, and even covering herself at night with blankets. She is also my little helper and loves to set the table, feed the dogs, cats and fish, or just help make a mess. :)
Ava, my once easy going baby, is now my very temperamental little girl. :) She has moments of complete sweetness, but then she turns around and seems angry or frustrated about something! Ava is definitely the sports girls of the family. If you let Ava do anything sports related she does exceptionally well! From riding her trike, to roller skating, playing catch or kicking a soccer ball. Something happens in her little mind and she is just so determined! Her skills for soccer amaze me... and she skates better than Maddie, no kidding!!
Both Lucy and Ava (and Maddie too of course) give us such joy in our lives. We tried so hard to bring them into this world, and although we face challenges and frustrations raising three kids by ourselves, we couldn't be more happy with what God has given us. They are all such wonderful little girls with great personalities and love for life.
We had a little celebration for the girls on Wednesday because Chris was leaving to go out of town Thursday through Sunday. We didn't want him to miss seeing the girls! Yesterday morning I took them to the zoo and Fairytale town and they had a blast!!!

Tent camping

Our camping spot
Lucy having a rough time
Sisters being cute!!
Papa making breakfast with fresh picked blueberries

We went tent camping for a few days just outside a little mountain town called Gurneville with the girls and three dogs. Camping with three kids is a challenge in itself, but with three dogs too? Good grief! LOL Believe it or not, the hardest dog is our little Boston terrier, Piper. We had a fairly good time, and it would have been even better, but poor little Lucy came down with a fever, stomach virus and breathing issues. She was not a happy camper. :( We actually came home one day earlier so we could get her into the doctor today. Despite Lucy being sick and crying over half the trip, we still managed a side trip to the ocean, picked some DELICIOUS blackberries, ate smores, and took a little hike to see some frogs in the pond by our campsite. We can't wait to go again, but when everyone is healthy. :)