Summer Babies

Eight

Happy (belated, belated, belated) birthday to our sweet Brinnly. We celebrated with backyard camping over Labor Day with both families (carmel rolls by her request for breakfast) and then had her two best girlfriends over for a lasagna dinner on her actual day. At her family party, I shared that when God created Brinnly, he must have taken the best parts of each of her grandmothers and combined them for our chocolate AND camping, piano AND sewing girl. It is such a blessing to see so many of those traits in our dear, one-of-a kind Brinnly Ruth.

This year was great for her. She did well with the move and was eager to join a classroom with a handful of girls (and one boy). Lots of giggling and reading and playground games happened. And big sister extraordinaire that she is, the twins' arrival was icing on the cake for her. She is a natural with them. She sits right in between both of them in the van and manages them with them patience and grace. She is loved and admired by all of her siblings.

Brinnly is still our fashionista with an eye on trends but plays hard too. She is currently loving the cross-country team and made great strides in piano too. She and Carrigan enjoy tea parties together (sans fruit!) and she has a special language of her own with "Laney-Poo". And does that girl read!  She is devouring Harry Potter as well as her new Liberty books too. It is so fun to watch.

Brinnly Ruth Ward, you are a wonderful gift from God who brings a smile to our faces every day. Your hugs and cuddles brighten our days. Our family is more joyful because of you. We cannot wait to see how God will bless you in your year ahead. He has certainly blessed us with you.  

Happy Fall!

Grant especially is excited that it is football season again. He and his daddy are pretty thrilled about the big Michigan win this weekend too.

Six month action shot

Six Months Old!

These two! Before the month totally escapes us I wanted to jot down that these two are "army crawling" everywhere. Everly has already mastered the step from the family room to the kitchen and is on the hubr to climb in the dishwasher. She is the most determined child I have ever seen. She is now in a crib but Grant still loves his Rock and Play. He loves to BANG LOUDLY on any surface and yet gives sweet sweet hugs and kisses.They live for meal times with the family and are still nursing strong. They fill our days with smiles and blessings!

First, Third, & Fourth Grades!

Five Months Old

Poor kiddos...late as ever for their monthly update. But what a month they had! We started them on rice cereal (actually Everly first helped herself to a Fazoli's breadstick) and they love being a part of the table. They quickly moved on to sampling anything we allow. Everly is very close to crawling and Grant goes to town on his exer-saucer. They still HATE car rides but overall are happier babes. We just love those two! (Their matching onesies read " Born Together, Best Friends Forever")

Serious faces

Don't worry, they're only slightly disappointed summer is coming to an end.  The big girls are truly excited for another school year and the babies are looking forward to a few more uninterrupted naps!

A Day at the Beach...with Pittsburgh friends!

Splish, splash

This guy loves his bath!

Preschool Prep

Delaney is hard at work preparing for her first day of preschool. She had her home visit from her teacher yesterday which included a homework assignment. She drew the twins walking (they don't even know how to crawl yet) and herself with three eyes so that she would look like an alien.  Also, she couldn't remember how to draw any of the rest of us, so she finished the page with a picture of her living with Aunt Kara and Uncle Josh.  And then she went off to pretend (again) that she was nineteen and off to college.

Playtime

Grant was nursing early this morning but stopped quickly and looked up at me and smiled as soon as he heard his twin wake up.  So sweet!  At naptime these two relished having the family room to themselves and Everly scooted over to him and they patted heads and cooed to each other. Love them both and love them together.

The Kurths Came to Wisconsin!

Our dear friends, the Kurth family came to visit us in yet another state last month. What a treat it was!  We picked up exactly where we left off (with just a few extra kids) and explored this state together.  Old World Wisconsin was fan-tas-tic! The kids ran around with rhubarb in hand, checking out every aspect of pioneer life. The Ryans joined us too and we filled up that one-room schoolhouse. We also checked out a new playground, biked to Hallmark, toured the Milwaukee Art Museum and made about a million more memories with these wonderful friends of ours. Plus, they cooked for us!  While we munched on rhubarb bars! Oh, and Karianne and I both RAN together and RAN to Target/Trader Joe's together--my favorites! Thanks for trekking cross-country for us, Kurth family! 

Brookfield Zoo

Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma Sandy our entire family enjoyed a great day at the zoo last weekend. Some of the biggest hits of the day were the dolphin show, butterfly exhibit, and gorilla cave. So much to see and perfect weather topped it off!

At least one is smiling!

He's more of a Steelers/Packers guy

The look on Grant's face when he borrowed Julia's bib.

Six

Six years ago our lives were quite a bit different than they are now and to top things off, a brand new baby girl entered our arms. We couldn't have asked for better! Her bright blond hair and blue eyes reminded us of both her Aunt Kara and her Aunt Amber but she's always been a model of her own. Her sweet, spunky, and brave personality makes her such a unique part of this family.

This was a great year for Carrigan. She had never really enjoyed school before--just various parts of her day.  She and Kindergarten though were a match made in heaven. Her teacher was her special gift from God this year and she really clicked with her friends as well. She reads now and does so all the time.  She loves her sisters but when squabbles occur--and they do!--it is a good reminder that alone play for her is great too. She's becoming quite an artist! And she's a pro at cuddling babies too. Grant and Everly cannot get enough of her.

Carrigan loves riding bikes, pretend play, crafts, fashion, legos, and puzzles. She still cannot really decide on what she should have for breakfast on any given day and she does NOT like cake or frosting. Spicy foods?  Fruit in every course?  Yum!  Her favorite is still tuna casserole. That girl!  Green  is still her favorite color, preferably with pink and cheetah prints on the side.

Our sunshine/storm clouds girl is outdoorsy and tough, spirited and brave. She cuddles up to us often, especially when sick (WAY too much this year!) and chats our ears off. We eat it up.  Carrigan Grace, you are a delight and a blessing to all of us. Thanks for being right in the middle of our hearts