Finally ... Mexico Memories!

Most of you know our Mexico trip after Christmas ended with me in a wheelchair (fractured foot from a fall off a dock into the ocean) and also the demise of my iphone and camera. Well, miracles of all miracles, somehow my pictures survived! Here are a few of my favorites, including one of the last taken on our sunset sail before my big fall ... Thank you Mom and Dad for taking us all on this memorable vacation. Despite a few setbacks, it was a wonderful week!

I bought the girls these adorable shirts on our first night.

The girls hamming it up as always.

This is such a favorite - a framer for sure! Look how they're holding hands, so sweet.

This was the first time they actually loved the beach. We spent hours building sand castles. Mark is a master builder!

Here is our best family shot from the week.

And here is one of the final photos taken with my camera before it (and I) fell into the ocean!

Halloween Parties Galore

No, it's not even Halloween yet, but our girls have been "in costume" for the past four days! Hopefully, they'll still want to wear their curly red wigs tomorrow ... Tomorrow, tomorrow ... I love ya, tomorrow! Here are our little Annie's! More to come after the actual holiday : )

Orphan Annie and Fancy Annie

Evie at her dance class Halloween party with her friend Rachel

Evie and all the girls - Nora too! Poor thing, I always have to drag her away before class starts. She has to wait until she's 3!

We had to change it up a bit for music class Friday - our costumes were in the wash! So black cats it was!

At a Halloween party Saturday - the entire family in costume. I'm Miss Hannigan and Mark is Daddy Warbucks.

At the Loreis' annual Halloween party

Nora and Reece wrestling in the leaves!

Soccer and Lucky Seven

Friends of ours recently started a casual (free!) soccer league/team that meets weekly at a nearby park. The girls and I went for the first practice on Wednesday and had a great time! Nora was only interested for about 15 minutes, and then she was off in the sandbox, but Evie loved it. Aunt Melina also loved watching her nieces take part in an athletic activity (she doesn't consider dance a sport!)

Also of importance in our family, Mark and I celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary over the weekend. My parents took the girls to Nixa for two nights so we could really live it up - by live it up, I mean sleep in, watch whatever we want on TV, go see a move IN THE THEATRE, and go out to a fancy dinner. We had so much fun! Mark is on his way to pick up the girls now. I have to say, I had such a lovely weekend with Mark, but I'm really ready to have my entire family home again!

Aunt Melina bought the girls both soccer balls and sporty t-shirts!

Love Evie's smile in this pic. You can tell she's having fun!

Evie and her "Aunt Meena"

All the kids gathered round - aren't they cute!

Mark and me before our anniversary dinner!

Sunflowers and Cider

We're having a great fall in Kansas City - warm days, cool nights and lots of sunshine. We've been trying to maximize the wonderful weather with lots of day trips - first to Johnson Farms for pumpkins and then to the Louisburg Cider Mill for apple cider, apple cider doughnuts and caramel apples. Here are some of our favorite pics from the last two weeks:

Friday night in the backyard with friends

The girls at the pumpkin patch

The Cowies in the sunflowers

Our haul

Daddy and his girls

Enjoying apple cider slushies and doughnuts

Evie on a hay ride with our good friend Maggie - Nora was scared!

Fall is Here

This weekend officially marks the beginning of fall. We went to Overland Park's downtown fall festival (so cute), did yard work with the girls help (ha!), cooked out with our neighbors, watched football (boo for MU and the Chiefs) and even cleaned the garage!

The girls are also in their third week of school and doing great! Evie had a chance to bring home the class mascot, Tabby the cat. She had Tabby (a stuffed cat) for two days and then went to school and shared with the class what her and Tabby did together. I took pictures for a poster, not knowing if she'd actually say a word - she's actually really shy at school - but her teachers said she did great, telling the class about her time with Tabby. So proud!

School Days

Everyone (and I mean everyone) was excited for school to start today! The girls had their friend and neighbor Phoebe over for bagels to celebrate, and then we all headed to school together. Evie is in her first year of preschool - she has her own hook for her backpack and will even have show and tell this year! And Nora is in mother's day out. Both were excited to see all their little friends and didn't even notice when I left, although I did get some big hugs from them both. Here are some great pics from the day. Thanks to my good friend Lynn for designing such adorable photo props for their first day. Can we make this a tradition?! Check out our growing girls. Oh, and don't mind Nora's hat - I made the mistake of showing her a new winter hat this morning and she wouldn't take it off until right before we walked into school!

Final days of July

The girls are both napping, but knowing I have may not have too much time ... I can't spend what I do have on our blog - there's work to do! But I wanted to post a few pictures from the last two weeks. We've had so much fun with family and friends. Too bad Mark starts back to school next week! His time at home seemed to fly by!

Family dinner at Accurso's with the extended Childers family

Cinderella with Evie - so much fun but very hot!

Evie and her best friend and neighbor Phoebe at Cinderella

Who knew a box could be so much fun?!

Evie with her second cousins at Great Yiayia's birthday party