A is for Audrie.. and Artist

Audrie has been quiet the artist since starting school back in August.  She is also doing awesome with using scissors and cutting.  I think we're doing some "homework" on a daily basis which consist of cutting, pasting, drawing pictures of people and writing her name.

Here is her interpretation of our family she drew tonight.  For not even being 3.5 yet, I think she did awesome.

Here is her name she wrote today.

Happy 8th Birthday Halle

My baby turned 8 years old. Where did time go?  The past 8 years has been such a whirlwind and so many good things have happened.

She has a great weekend.  Grandma took her to the American Girl DOLL store where she picked out a look-a-like doll.  We went to dinner with Auntie Barbara and Uncle Dale.  Saturday, we went to the Selena Gomez concert with one of her best friends and just us moms.  The 4 of us had a really great time.
Monday, Grandpa Russ came into town and took Halle shopping. Came home with a pair of roller skates.  Good times and broken bones are sure to come.  Stay turned for a post on an emergency Dr, visit in the future. Thanks dad!!

Halle I love you and hope your birthday was wonderful!!!!

The faces of the twinkies!!!

Labor Day BBQ

It's been like 2 years since we hosted something at our house and tons of our friends we're tossing the idea around to host, so we volunteered.  It was a hot day, but we all had a nice time a great turn out and the kids had a blast.

FIRST day of school 2010

It was the first day of school for ALL 3 girls.  Halle is now a 3rd grader and Katlynn and Audrie both started preschool.  All 3 love it.  Katlynn is already doing wonderful in this new school (which I will add I fought for hard for her to be in) and I really like her teacher.  Audrie really likes school and is doing wonderful.  The only real issues we have with her is dress code.  She wants to wear dress-up style princess dresses and flip flops or dress up shoes to school and it is not allowed, so it a morning battle with her to remind her the rules. Things are great,  we're finally starting to get used to the schedule of 3 being in school and so early in the morning.  Dave and I have already started volunteering in Audrie and Halle's class. I am blessed to be able to stay at home and be able to do these things.  Something that would not be possible without Dave.

Katlyn is still getting OT and ABA outside of school and Halle and Audrie are both doing gymnastics.  So our schedule is still hectic and busy, but overall we enjoy and are having a great time watching the kids grow up. For more information on Katlynn's progress, please visit her blog Seeing the beauty in Autism.

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Our first REAL kid-free vacation

David and I went on our first real vacation in July.  It was a much anticipated trip back East.  We started off with a stay at a beach house in Topsail, Ca.  it was a private beach known as Surf City, NC.  We met up with 5 twin mommy friends of mine and our husbands for a 4 day stay. I met all these women online in a group for twin moms.  We met up last year for the first time in person for a weekend.  It was a great time.  We are all from all over the US.  It's amazing I have formed some really great friendships over the past almost 4 year with these gals.  We had a great time together.  It was nice to catch up with them and get the guys to meet this trip.  We had a really nice time just relaxing and hanging out by the water.  We did a whole lot of nothing and for once it was really nice. Next Haute Mommas (that's our "group" name) trip is Las Vegas probably in a couple years.

The rest of the trip Dave and I went to Washington DC to see the sights.  We did a 3 hour Segway tour of all the national monuments and hit up a couple of the Smithsonian's, the Holocaust Museum and the Spy Museum.  We also visited the Arlington national Memorial (watched the changing of the guards) , the Pentagon memorial and the Law Enforcement memorial. All of it was pretty breath taking.

Needless to say it was a much needless and very nice trip.

Dave's parents took on the girls for a week and we are very grateful for that offer because without them the trip would not have been possible.