School, Birthdays, and Girls

So Abby is officially in school. It's the beginning of her second week and she even rode the bus for the first time this morning. She loves it so far!

I took lots of pictures the first day as we walked her to her classroom.

Here she is in her classroom. I didn't cry but did get choked up as I'd see her face - determined yet scared. She didn't cry at all, but you could tell she was nervous. She was awesome. She told me she only cried once that first day when they were waiting to be picked up after school and she kept hearing numbers called and seeing kids leave, and she thought she was going to be the last one there.

We celebrated Tyler's 33rd birthday a little over a week ago. I tried a new chocolate cake recipe that turned out super yummy.

The girls decorated signs that we hung in the house with balloons.

I also helped celebrate two of my friends' birthdays by having a wild girls night out that included getting our eyebrows "threaded." Apparently it's the new thing to do, but I'm not gonna lie - it hurts! The whole time she was working on my first eyebrow, I just kept thinking I have to go through with this horrible pain again on the other side. Here's a picture of all of us.

And the passing of the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Shoes" occurred at dinner. I've had them since my birthday and I added my "touch" before passing them on. Kasia and Diane each opened one shoe. Cute right? I crocheted and attached two flowers. So pretty - I know. :)

My parents spent a vacation on the island of Grenada and brought back cute outfits for the girls.

Now that Aubrey is home and spending more one-on-one time with me, she likes to try and be more like her big sisters all the time. Unfortunately she says "poop" all too clearly, but at least she understands what it's all about.

The Summer

We finally got some new family photos so I had to add one to our blog, and decided I might as well add a post of some of the fun things we've been doing this summer including a trip to Utah and lots of water play.

As we drove to Utah, we stopped at a park for lunch to break up the long drive. The drive there was great up until that final mountain pass which got Aubrey sick about two blocks from Tyler's sister's house. The drive back was even worse. This time going through Colorado mountains, it did not go over so well with Tessa's proneness for carsickness. I was never so happy to see the flatness of Texas as we drove home. Here's the girls at a park in Monticello, UT.

We spent a day at This is the Place Monument. Tessa got to help drive the horse-drawn carriage.

Aubrey loved trying to do everything the big kids could do.

Here are some of the cousins. I love how Aubrey is happy to have her picture taken. Abby? Not so much.

Do we see another optometrist in the family? That's Tessa working on Grandma.

The girls did a fashion show with their cousins' dressups.

We've done a lot of swimming this summer, but here's one time I actually had my camera. It was during a playgroup at a splash park. Aubrey finally decided the water was okay, but she only got close enough to touch it with her fingertips.

Abby chose her own pose for her picture.

I don't know if Tessa saw Abby's pose or if she decided on this herself, but I thought it was funny and super cute.

Here are the girls outside while Dad worked on the yard. I couldn't get Aubrey to sit still long enough, but this is a great one of Abby and Tessa.

We're enjoying our summer and not looking forward to its end. Abby starts school in just three short weeks!!!

I can't believe it!