Elise's First Day of School

Elise started preschool on Monday. She's going to the same school as she did in the spring, but has a new teacher, Mrs. Sherry. She seems to really enjoy it so far, has met some new friends, and is constantly wondering when her next school day is.

O-R-E-O

This picture was taken after Julia finished half of an OREO cookie (you can see the other half is still in her hand). This girl knows the official way to eat the cookie too...twist off the top, lick off the frosting, and then eat the cookies. You can tell that she thoroughly enjoyed every bite.

Julia at Lake Ave. Beach

Elise at Lake Ave. Beach

Future Triathlete

Felling Diseased Trees

My sister Errin is ambitious. She's not afraid to take on big projects, one of which was to cut down a sizable tree in our yard that was diseased. Don't believe me? Here are the pictures....

Help from Mom and Errin

My Mom and Errin were in town a couple of weeks ago to visit and help around the new house. Although it was incredibly hot, our first order of 'gardening' was the overgrown pond in the back. Over the course of a few days, we pulled almost everything out and planted new perrenials. Wow, does it look great! If I had done this myself, it would have taken much, much longer (I would probably still be working on it). And I must mention how much the birds like their new digs. They bathe in the now accessible bird-bath and sit on the rocks. Looks like it's time to get a bird feeder or two.

BEFORE
AFTER

Swinging with the Girls

We have a swing on the front porch that the girls love. Here's what I found the other day.

Silly Sisters

Coming to a mailbox near you...

We finally had Julia's 12 month pictures taken (at 15 months) and decided we might as well get Elise's pictures taken too. Between Julia's serious face and Elise's cheesy smile, there are some real treasures.