Yeah...Daddy's home :)

Finally, Chris is home to stay. Atleast until he has to deploy for his new job. But that's a worry for another day. Right now we are all celebrating his return. The kids are so excited to have 2 parents now, not to mention that having daddy home makes mommy a much better mom. We ate lunch at the boys' school on Monday. I think the girls enjoyed being up at the school as much as the boys' enjoyed having dad there with a Wendy's takeout bag full of chicken nuggets and ranch.

Perfection

Sophie LOVES to put things together. On one of her reports from the SWI, it said that when she gets bored with things, she likes to take them apart and see how they work. It is so true, she loves figuring things out. She often wakes up from her nap earlier than Isabelle and this gives us some time to do things that Isabelle isn't quite ready for. So on this day, I pulled out Perfection, not quite sure if she'd be able to put many of the shapes in their spots. She needed a little help when she misplaced a few of the shapes, but she did a great job, getting most of the pieces correct. And in true Sophie fashion, she was sure to put all the pieces up when she was done ;)

Little Pink Ridinghood(s)?

I bought these little pink ponchos on eBay the other day....I couldn't resist trying them on the girls! All we need is a little cooler weather :)

A visit from G.G.

My mom came down to visit us this weekend. It was great to have G.G. here, the girls loved having someone around who would accomodate the most indulgent request they could muster. We spent a majority of our time together just hanging out, playing Jenga with Asher and watching the girls act silly in front of the newest spectator. But aside from all that fun we did get some tasks accomplished. We planted some new pots for my front porch, a chore I could not seem to bring myself to do alone. I am so pleased with how they turned out, too! We also planted my iron window baskets with lariope and pansies. Pansies are my favorite. They herald the coming cooler weather and stick around long after the frosts melt away. Then we tackled the pictures I'm planning on hanging in the computer room. I have the frames (purchased at Michael's for 40% off...I know, I'm saving us big bucks on all these projects I've got going on!) and now I know how I'm going to arrange them. I just need to pick out my favorite pics and voila! a beautiful computer room where barren walls once stood. My mom had to leave on Saturday and the kids were sad to say goodbye. We took pics on the front porch (notice the lovely planted pots in the background!) and then I sent the kids inside so I could walk my mom to her car. Sophie stood at the door watching and thought I was going to leave too. I was able to capture that sweet Sophie 'sad face' since I had my camera out already. She makes this face only when she is most upset and it is enough to make me do anything for her. She hasn't learned yet to use it for manipulative purposes, but I think it won't be long...if you look closely she even had a little tear in her eye.

La casa

I know it's boring, but I thought some of you guys, friends and family we don't get to see often, might want to see pics of the new house. I am addins some updated pics of the outside also, since the grass has finally started to come in! It looks so much better after some wonderful rain (and some help from the sprinkler system!) . I am still hoping to add some more plants and flowers ... it's just been a bit difficult to find time for planting since we moved in. But my mom is coming this weekend and she is great with a shovel ;)

Cat fight

Sophie and Isabelle don't fight over much. In fact, they rarely fight at all. But these Cinderella sunglasses have brought out the she-devil in each of them. I gave each of the girls a few turns wearing them and then I had to put them up. Isabelle kept hitting Sophie when it was Sophie's turn and Sophie trying to pull the glasses off Isabelle when it was Isabelle's turn. I guess they both need a pair ;) Disney Store anyone?

How many people can you fit in a photobooth?

Today we headed to the mall. Tori wanted to check out some jackets at American Eagle and I, well I don't ever mind making a trip to the mall. All my favorite shops were having a great sale over Labor Day weekend and I thought I'd go again just for the fun of it. While we were strolling around, actually it was me pushing the girls in our sweet new double stroller and hollering at the boys to stop jumping in front of the stroller like a game of 'chicken', we came upon a photobooth that just begged us to indulge. It turned out the be the funnest way I've ever spent $3. We were laughing so hard, trying to fit everyone in the picture frame, well, you can see for yourself. Good times, good times...

Baby's got belly

Isabelle has slowly and steadily been gaining weight the last few months. It's a welcomed sight at our house (at least when it's Isabelle that's packing on the pounds), since she was so thin when we adopted her and struggled with gaining weight those first few months. I really have to stay on top of her, offering foods I know she likes regularly throughout the day, otherwise she just won't eat enough. When I was dressing her for bed tonight, Zach commented that she looked pregnant in the pants I'd put on her. And he was right, her tummy looked so big! We giggled and of course Isabelle was convinced it was her sparkling wit that was making us laugh. She even struck a few poses for the camera. Work it, girl!

Belle's found a doll to love

We have quite a few dolls around our house. Most are well loved by Sophie, but Isabelle, because of her sensory issues, has major problems with dolls, specifically doll hair. It seems to be the only thing that makes her gag anymore. On top of her disliking doll hair, Isabelle has never shown a motherly side, at least not one that wants to care for babies. So when she specifically asked for this doll two days in a row, I was extremely excited. This doll has yarn for hair and is teeny tiny, just the right size for Miss Isabelle to love. It was so sweet to see her curled up on the couch 'holding' her baby. Maybe she's got a soft spot for babies after all :)

More weekend pics

After the beautiful botanical gardens, we headed back to our hotel. The boys adore staying in a hotel because it means jumping on the beds and swimming in the pool! Thankfully it was a perfect day for swimming as the pool was outside and we were the only ones there. The girls haven't been in a 'normal' pool all summer, but have been practicing their pool skills in our baby pool at home. Both Isabelle and Sophie were so excited to get in, each of the boys had to take one to get them out in the water. They have come a LONG way from being terrified of a little water over their heads in the bathtub!

Great weekend

Chris came home on Thursday (yeah!!) and we headed to Birmingham on Friday for a weekend away. We took the kids out of school for the day and arrived in the early afternoon. We lunched with some of the folks from Lifeline (the adoption agency we used to bring Sophie home) and had a great time talking adoption talk and getting to know some of the wonderful folks who work at Lifeline a little better. The best part was being able to introduce Sophie to our awesome social worker from Lifeline, Karla, who worked so tirelessly worked to help us make Sophie a beloved member of our family. After lunch we headed out to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. It had rained earlier, but by the time we got out there, the weather had cleared and it was gorgeous. The girls were fascinated by a koi pond and the boys were thrilled just to be out of the car and have some room to run around. I was so enchanted by the exquisite surroundings, I couldn't wait to get my camera out and start snapping pictures of the kids. Thankfully the sun had come out after the earlier rain shower, but with the sun came some serious humidity. The kids were, well we all were, sweating bullets. And the girls were getting crabby since they had missed their usual after lunch nap. Regardless, I did get a few pictures that I think turned out well. With Chris home for the weekend, the marvelous lunch companions and the gorgeous afternoon spent out at the botanical gardens, it made for a very memorable day.