Good Morning Sister!

One morning, shortly after we moved, I woke up to the sounds of happy voices and found this sweet picture waiting for me in Ava's room.

That is fun for a momma to wake up to.  Now if only this was daily . . .  : )

moving is always more fun with cousins

If I could only do one thing over from our move, it would be the fact that 45 minutes after the girls came to the new house for the first time moved in . . .some of their favorite people showed up.  My sister and her family came in for the weekend to help us unpack and to play.  I can't begin to tell you what a huge help they were and it very quickly let our new house begin to feel like home to the girls. They had fun exploring the new home with such fun playmates.

The girls with Addy and Brynne

 Addy and Ava reading books before bed

snuggles

Olivia and Brecken

Kate and Brynne

Addy and Ava - the glasses twins

Ava wanted a picture with mommy in her glasses too

Cousins!

Thanks for coming and helping us so much!

Moving

I loaded the pictures of our camera on to our computer and realized I took very few pictures of our moving week that didn't even begin to show the hours spent, all the helpers and fun had. : )

One of the things we found really helpful for Ava was trying to make her as much of the process of making our new home as possible.  She did pretty well with a roller brush and loved the chance she had one night to stay "really late."

Helping paint her room

Having fun with Uncle David and Aunt Tara

Watching a movie one morning while Mommy was trying to get stuff done

I couldn't believe how hard and long my girls were willing to work.  We moved almost all of our boxes a couple days before we moved the big stuff and my girls just kept going back out for any box that they could carry.  If only I had that much energy!

Ava hard at work

Kate and Olivia were hilarious.  They would team talk to each other carrying in boxes together - made me smile every time.

Then came the day of the big move - the girls LOVED watching everything get loaded into the big truck. It was a gorgeous day outside which we were so thankful for.  Made it seem like a day of possibilities as opposed to just alot of good bye's.  Although it helped knowing we had lots of time still to come to come back and visit for a bit.

A beautiful day and TWO grandma's -a pretty perfect day. : )

Kate and Olivia enjoying a last "hang out" session in the swingset

The day before we moved Ava got glasses!  She was super excited to have glasses like some of her big cousins and some friends.  If you haven't seen her out and about with them, it's because we're working out a few kinks with her doctor yet.  I think she looks pretty cute though!!

saying "good bye"

Being the age of our girls (and the fact that one is SUPER sentimental), we really tried to do alot to let our girls process what was happening and helping them "say good- bye" to our house.  At the beginning of our serious packing up, I took Ava upstairs and said I wanted to get a picture of her in her room so she could remember what her room was like.  Well my first born immediately insisted she just wanted to take pictures of her room herself.  So sorry for the following picture book . . .this is more for our memory than your entertainment. : )  Let's just say you aren't even seeing half the pictures my sweet girl took of EVERY facet of her bedroom.

Her bookshelf

 Barn and trailors

 Her night stand

 Her shelf of her nightstand (I spared you the look inside her drawer and some close ups of some favorite items)

 Her dresser : )

 One of her shelves

 can't forget her step stool

 the curtains

 and growth chart

 I'm sure you're disappointed you didn't see the closet (every angle), the door, the door handle, the light swtiches . . . .get the point yet?! : )

Then it was time for Kate and Olivia's room

Posing in their beds

 Their dresser

 And beloved climbing wall, I mean, bookshelf.

 My two monkeys!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day came the day before all our official moving madness began.  So it was so nice to stop for a day and just enjoy my family and our home that has held so many neat memories.

Me and my girls ready for church

 These two monkeys always make me smile

 I kind of love them . . .alot.

 To make the day even neater, my mom had come into town to start helping us finish packing up for the move.  She was a HUGE help and I know we would have never been as together or organized without her.  Not to mention the girls were thrilled to have Grandma here.

 One quick attempt at a family shot as the girls were about pictured out

 Am I awful that I let my mother cook on mother's day?!  We all agreed with everything going on it sounded nicer to eat in .. .Ava loved being Grandma's helper.

 The girls showing off all their pictures

dancing shoes

Ryan's cousin Dane got married in St. Louis in the beginning of May and we headed down for it.  We had some time at the reception before things got started and my girls were getting antsy.  I finally decided, what use is a dance floor if no one is on it?!  My girls were the dance party for the a good majority of an hour before they got much company.  They had so much fun and I loved seeing my little girls just love being girls.  Daddy was quite a good sport that night and I think his girls felt very loved.

Daddy and Ava dancing

It's a good thing I have 3 girls or Uncle David and Grandpa might not have had anything to do!

Uncle David and Olivia

Grandpa and Kate

Mother's Day Tea

Are you amazed I'm posting?!  Me too . . .and just as amazed that I finally got blogger to upload decent quality photos!!! Hopefully I can start to play some catch up as our life reaches more of a "normal" busy.  We are moved and have been in our new house for about a month (10 days of which were spent out of town).  Somedays I am still beyond overwhelmed by all we have yet to do but I am so thankful for how the girls have done, all the help and support from family and friends and that we are almost owners of only one home (July 3 is fast approaching!!).  God has been good in more ways than I can begin to share.  But on that note . . .on to some catch up!

Ava's preschool had a Mother's Day tea back in May.  Ava was so excited for it and loved to tell me they had some surprises but wouldn't share beyond that.  It was so fun to watch my little girl that day - can't believe how much she has grown.

Standing by her classmates getting ready to sing their songs to us.

Singing one of their songs

During one part, they had to hold up signs they had made about why they loved their mommy.  Loved this.

In case you can't read it, Ava wrote, "I love my mommy because she takes me to the swimming pool."  I'll admit, being that this was in the midst of our crazy house showing phases (if I have it right, it was the 73rd person who bought our house in roughly exactly 3 months), I was a little nervous what she might say . . .that I could keep a house really clean???? : )  Thankful she saw past the craziness.

Ava and Felicity - it has been so fun to watch their friendship grow this year in preschool. 

Ava and Mommy and her flower pot she made for me

A couple more of her classmates, Mallory and Ben