My Little Ballerina

As many of you know Piper is girly. Very, very girly. She embraces all things pink and glittery. She always picks out her clothes in the morning. If for some reason there are no dresses washed and she has to wear jeans it's not a good day for her. She actually tries to pick out my clothes as well. She doesn't understand why I don't wear a princess dress everyday. 

Asher is playing soccer again and she has no interest in it. I decided to sign her up for ballet instead. A few weeks ago I took her up to Virginia to get her ballet outfit and I had to drag her out of the store afterwards. Shoes are kind of her thing. 

 Her first class was last week. She is so stinking cute in these clothes.

The class had about ten little girls in it, and it was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. Piper loved every minute of it. I have a feeling we have many years of dancing ahead of us.

First Day of Preschool

Preschool started for Asher and Piper last week. I am very grateful to be back to a routine. They both have good teachers and I think it will be another good year. 

 Neither of them were fans of the obligatory first day of school pictures.

 The sun was too bright and hot for Asher.

Dexter was thrilled to have some alone time with me once again.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I was going to put something up yesterday, but between Dexter's projectile vomiting and Piper's whining I've been a bit preoccupied. I promise to put some good stuff up tomorrow.

Six Years

Yesterday was our sixth wedding anniversary. I met Nate in the Winter of 2004. We hung out with a lot of the same people at the time. He didn't really talk to me that much and I was really surprised when he asked me out in April 2005. I later found out he liked me for a while, but had a hard time getting the nerve to ask me out.  He actually just asked if I wanted to hang out sometime, so I wasn't sure if it was a date or not. We spent a month going out about once a week before I worked up the courage to ask him what we were doing. We started officially dating in May and we were engaged seven months later. Nine months after that we were married. Ten days after our wedding we moved from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. We bought a house, started new jobs and spent a lot of time dreaming about the future. Three months after that I found out I was pregnant. 

It's crazy to look back and see how fast everything happened. We had three kids in a short amount of time. So many people told me that the first year of marriage is hard, really hard. I've also heard that having kids really puts a strain on people. When I think about the first year, and all the years since then I don't remember it being hard. It wasn't hard. I don't really think that is because I'm such an amazing wife. Let's face it, I'm a bit crazy and not the easiest person in the world to be with. I think the reason is Nate. He works so hard all day and never minds coming home to a messy house. He will happily dive right in to cooking when I haven't planned anything to eat. He gives me nights out when I need them. He views parenting as something we do equally. When we travel he automatically stops at Cracker Barrel, even when there are a zillion other places he would rather eat at. I'm so grateful to have him to spend this life with. He makes my heart very happy. 

Originally I wanted to go away together for the weekend, but it didn't work out. We decided to spend the day at the beach, and had a blast. The weather wasn't too warm, so Dexty was quite happy in the sand. 

 He loved running up the the waves and turning away and letting them chase him.

 Pipes loved it, just loved it.

 Asher spent most of the day playing in the sand.

Happy Anniversary to the man who made all my dreams come true.

Sweet Summertime

Summer is just about over here. The kids start preschool again next week, and most of their friends are already in school. Usually I have mixed feelings, but not this year. Dexter has hated the heat so it's been a bit hard the last few months. Asher and Piper want to live at the beach and the pool, but Dex just doesn't like being hot. Yesterday it wasn't too bad in the morning so Clarissa and I took the kids to Virginia and we spent some time at the Fun Forest. 

 Ashman is taking after his Daddy with a love of rock climbing.

 Dex loved running around and having some freedom.

 This guy can't go anywhere without some wheels.

Brody is so sweet with Piper. She is definitely still in the princess stage of life. She expects to be waited on quite often.

Seriously can you handle his cuteness? He spent the whole time swinging with this expression on his face while holding onto his crackers. 

After the park we went to lunch and then target. I was going to pick up a few things for Asher's party, but the level of whining put a stop to those plans. I left with Piper screaming "You didn't buy anything for my princess party". Her birthday isn't until next June. I guess she likes to plan ahead.  

Friends

Last week we headed back to our old neighborhood and hung out with Ronnie and Lois. The kids had such a fun time seeing them and swimming. 

 Asher has changed so much this summer and it has been amazing to watch. He swims completely on his own now, and at the beginning of the summer he was terrified. He is also riding a bike without training wheels. I love seeing his confidence. He is so proud of his accomplishments.

 Silly little Piper. Lois has a little fountain and Pipes spent most of the day sitting in there instead of the pool.

Dex actually had a great day in the water as well. He loves climbing in and out. I spend most of my days now just chasing him around.

5k

Last Saturday morning Asher and I did a 5k together. It was such an awesome experience to share with him. He has been wanting to do another race for a while and this was by far the longest he has done. We started off by running and then alternated running and walking. The last mile was really hard for him. His side was hurting and he wanted to just stop. Every time he said he wanted to stop I yelled "No quitting". He would yell it back and we kept saying it louder and louder. We talked a lot about perseverance and how important it is. I am so so glad for the morning with my Ashman.

 At the end of the race they had medals for the top three runners in each age group. Asher got first for boys 12 and under. He was actually the only boy in his age group. It was such an accomplishment for him to be so young and to do this. He was thrilled to be called up to the front and get his medal.

I pray that he will continue to have perseverance throughout his whole life.

Painting

I think one of the hardest parts of parenting for me is the realization that I will always be tired. Piper wakes around 5:30 every day and the boys are up before 7. It's hard. Most days we have morning plans, but about once a week we have no where to go. These are the hard days. By about 8:15 Asher is usually whining about turning the TV on. Unless we have sick kids our rule is that it stays off in the morning and they get a certain amount in the afternoon. It's so hot out that it's hard to be outside, so that means I have to be creative about indoor things. 

Luckily Sage and Brody came over today and all the kids wanted to paint (except Dex, he was too busy trying to play in the litter box). 

 When Asher isn't painting blimps on blue paper he enjoys making cheesy smiles.

Piper is just happy we haven't run out of the pink paper yet. At one point in the morning she looked over at Sage and said "You are just so beautiful. I am beautiful too". Well at least she doesn't lack in the self-esteem department.

It's 12:30 now and the kids are getting their TV time and I am going to sneak into the kitchen and eat the last brownie and try to not fall asleep.