Alice's first day of Pre-K!

Alice started Pre-K this year here in Thornton, Colorado.  She was so excited to start back at preschool, and really seems to like her teachers and classmates.  We are so glad we have found a school that is close to our new home to make things a little easier as we get used to our new city and new routines.  Alice is so outgoing that she has not skipped a beat this week and has already made a few new school and neighborhood friends.  She has hopped back into "social butterfly" mode already!  Here is our "big girl" headed out the door for her first day.
 

Summer 2014 Part 1 "Texas"

We have been super busy with the move, and I have fallen way behind on my blogging responsibilities.  Here are some of the highlights from the first part of our summer while we were still living in Texas...

 

 

"Look Mom, I found some mud!"  Eleanor has a knack for this.  If there is a mess to get into, she can find it in a matter of minutes.



 

 

A little bit of silly time with Daddy...ready to watch a Disney princess movie.  (Jeff loves princess movies!)

 

Sisterly love in the Lowes shopping cart :-)

 

 

 

While packing the girls found a box, and we all know how much fun that can be. Next stop, outer space!

 

 

 

Swingin' in the rain

 

 

 

The new "Katniss Everdeen".  Alice loves her new "arrow-bow" (as she calls it) from Daddy,

and she is shockingly good at it!  We may have an archery champion on our hands!

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff and I went to Boston for his ALC in June.  Here we are all dressed up for a night out to see the Boston Pops!

 

 

 

 

Happy Father's Day!

 

 

 

Obviously, this is the best way to get a drink!



 

 

 

 

Headed out for a ride with Dad in the bike trailer

 

 

 

Synchronized unsafe picnic dinner behavior

 

 

 

 

 

Fun on a Sunday afternoon

 

 

 

Alice chillin' with her "Uncle Keith" enjoying one of our last mega-hot Texas weekends

 

 

 

 

Hanging out among the boxes and pre-packed items.  My girls don't mind messes and chaos at all!

 

 

 

 

Ready for our farewell party with friends

 

 

 

July 4th in Texas...the end of an era!  Here are a few pictures with Nana and Pops

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting for the fireworks to begin is the hardest part!

 

 

 

 And we are off!  Ready (mostly) for this new adventure in Colorado.

 

 

 

 

Alice's Last Day of Preschool 2014

I have been overwhelmed getting ready for the move, but better late than never, right?!  Here are a few pictures from Alice's last days of preschool.  She really enjoyed her time at St. Paul, made lots of friends, and loved her teacher, Ms. Kathy.  It will be hard to find a preschool that we all love so much!

From back left, Molly, Alice, Bailee, Ms. Kathy, Piper, and Caroline

 

All the girls together.  Alice is standing next to Piper, the dark-haired girl, who became her best friend.  We will miss all of these kiddos!

 

Alice towers over most of the other kids.  Here she is with her friend Caroline.

 

 

 

 Getting too big too fast!

 

 

Alice's 4th Birthday Bash

Here are some of the highlights from Alice's birthday. It is so hard to believe that she is already four, and even harder to believe that this will be the last birthday that we celebrate in Texas (at least for a while :-) This year we had a special treat; her great-grandmother Maw flew in for her party!  Her party was at the Paramount Recreation Center and we invited many of her friends from preschool.  We had a great turn out, and she had a blast!

 

 

Here is the birthday girl bright and early in the morning, when she got up and discovered her new purple bicycle with a princess basket in the living room!

 

 

We started the day off right with a special birthday donut

 

 

Then we all got gussied up for the main event

+

 

We had a "Frozen" themed party this year, and invited a balloon artist to make some special designs for all for all of the kiddos.  He was definitely a hit.

 

 

The birthday girl was all smiles

 

 

I even got a nice hat of my own

 

Eleanor really enjoyed her sister's party too!

  

 

 

 

 I definitely learned how difficult it can be to capture pictures of rowdy running children, but here are a few of the shots I was able to get.

 

 

 

 

Many special members of our family and friends were on hand too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The gift opening ensued.  This kid was spoiled rotten! 

 

 

 

She loved all of her gifts and enjoyed every minute of her party, but getting the movie "Frozen" from her Mimi was definitely her favorite!

 

Make a wish!

 

I had to add this shot in.  Jeff got Alice a bow and arrow, (she has been begging for one), and here she is all dressed up taking aim in the backyard after the party.

 

Easter 2014

 

 

 

Easter was full of fun this year, and the weather was very nice.  A great way to spend our last holiday in Texas.  Let me start with this little caveat..., so I am not good at narrowing down photos, or I just take way too many!

 

Alice's Easter Party at St. Paul Preschool

 

 

Alice was so proud to get mail addressed to her.  An Easter card from Cendrine! (My kid is so busy playing dress-up, she rarely seems to be wearing pants these days!)

 

 

The Easter Bunny came, indeed!  Alice loves her Peeps :-)

 

 

 

An early morning indoor egg hunt ensued...

 

 

Eleanor is not much of an egg hunter.  As soon as she would find one, she would sit down and eat all of the contents before even attempting to find another.

 

 

All dressed and ready for Easter brunch at Nana and Pops' house

 

 

 

Alice and cousin Kennie 

 

Easter goody bags from Nana.  I will be lucky if my children still have any teeth left soon...

 

An egg hunt in the backyard with cousins 

 

 

 

 

 

And now we prepare for a big girl's birthday party and a colossal move!