Happy Halloween!

We may not be Trick or Treating tonight if we're feeling too crummy and sick, (Boo Hoo!) but at least we've been getting loads of Halloween fun all month long... Trying to get some pictures together to share but it's getting late so I'll just post a couple for now from our annual family pumpkin carving party! Just to say Happy Halloween!!! Promise I'll post more soon with the cutest little fairy sisters you ever did see :)

Latest Family Portrait

  

Compliments of Miss Lily, age 5. I think it turned out pretty good! Apparently the reason Lily looks like she is a little bit higher than the rest of us is because she tripped on a rock... With that accounted for Sierra then had to jump into a mud puddle and --in case you were wondering...is jangling a ring of super-sized keys and sporting a pretty tremendous ponytail. Love these kind of school assignments! Kindergarten Math!

If you are curious what has been up with my extreme neglect of my blog it would be safe to say we are still adjusting to this having a kid in school thing. Sending your kids to school gives you something of a break, but it requires a lot too. Pick ups, drop offs, not to mention the getting ready (Heaven help us!), homework, fundraisers...the list goes on. Homework does not take the suggested 10-15 minutes - just so you know. It takes much longer! (They suggest 20-30 minutes daily reading just to begin with + worksheets + writing and math practice and various activities you have to choose off a calendar...) But most days it is not really too bad. I know with Lily it could be. I am so glad we worked with Lily on reading before she entered Kindergarten because I can only imagine how much harder it would be if we hadn't! I am so proud of her - she is reading amazingly well, and some days when it's super busy I just let her do her reading time without me over her shoulder. (The assignment is read or be read to anyway, and we still always read to her at bedtime too.) It's nice that she was used to working at lessons before school started because she doesn't need to resent school for suddenly giving her all this work she'd never had to do before! It's just part of life...or she can resent us, but we got those drawn out battles out of her system in advance, hopefully...for a while...please! But seriously...

Life feels so fast paced right now, I feel like I just can't keep up with all I need and want to do - like blogging. I want to record memories of all the things that are happening each day, but it all takes so much time and my little family comes first and the responsibilities I have to them - so unfortunately some things are just going to be forgotten :( I take pictures, but I rarely get time lately to even go through them. Maybe I'm just not good at juggling a lot of things, but with all I have to do keeping the house clean, and my family fed, and various needs met (Whoops, another day gone by without getting Lily's nails trimmed!) --I really don't get enough time to devote to my kids as it is! This last week or two I have been hardly getting on a computer at all, and I have to say it feels really good! I feel much more fulfilled and happy focusing on home tasks and projects for my kids than finding out what everybody is posting on facebook or what tragedies and triumphs are going on around the world. It's just distracting. Seriously, we have enough ::drama:: around here already...And the two most precious little girls to look out for! Nothing more important than that! I'm sure I will check in here now and again and post more regularly someday, but for now I'd rather neglect my blog than my kids! They need my face time more than anyone or anything else! :)

I love to see how much they love each other!
Sierra has started giving Lily hugs at bedtime. "Hug!" They are the sweetest sisters!

Had to post this sweet one to make up for posting the drama face! Sorry, Lily ;)

One of each sweet girl for good measure!

They are getting big so fast - and we love them so much! Got to just enjoy this time while they are little while we can!