A little late but well intentioned

My parents came out for a visit several weeks ago to celebrate the September birthdays, Phoebe's and mine.  We had a fabulous time while they were here and I have been meaning to post pictures of their visit but for some reason I have not taken the time to create posts of the weekend... I know, I'm a bad daughter... but I am trying

Grandma and Grandpa with the girls

A little girl time with their favorite "big girl"

Thanks again for coming to visit us in STL we are so glad you made the trip and we are looking forward to future visits!

Virginia Trip

While we were in Virginia visiting Ben's parents we drove out to visit a farm which belongs to a friend of Duane's.  While we were at the farm we took a hay ride tour of the farm.  The scenery was beautiful!

Audra and Phoebe were really enjoying the ride but neither of them were "into" taking pictures that day

Luckily I was able to get a few cute pictures of cousins Elle and Lewis

The horses were much better subjects!

Snack Time at the Yoder House

As with any household which contains young kids snack time is a regular occurrence at the Yoder House.  However, our girls insist on eating their snack in the "snack time place".  Otherwise known as the middle of the kitchen on the wooden step stool we purchased before moving to STL.  Problem is they constantly disagree about who should sit where... and to think I assumed the stools feature of having folding steps was a good idea.

On this particular day Audra was enjoying a York as her snack (an extra special treat for being brave when surprised by shots at the doctors office).  Yeah, she was slightly excited!

Church Retreat

The last weekend in August we attended the annual St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship retreat at a nearby state park.  It was a really beautiful setting with lots of activities for kids and adults.  The girls and I traveled to a nearby creek with some of the other families (Ben was crawling through a cave at the time)

I was amazed at Phoebe's bravery when walking through the water, even after she fell in face first!  Her bravery may not seem that momentous but she often claims to be scared of things like riding in a stroller if it does not have a bar across her lap and won't walk off the porch without holding someone's hand because there is a two inch drop.  We are going to have our work cut out for us as we encourage her to explore her world... we will keep you posted on how that goes!

Audra also surprised me with her willingness to catch minnows, crayfish, and water bugs.  If you look closely you will see a small fish in the net - yeah its dead.   

The "little friends"

We all made new friends during the weekend and deepened our relationships with others but Phoebe and Audra won over Matt and Jen (a super cute couple just a bit younger than Ben and I).  Phoebe often tried to convince Jen to share her treats with her - as you can see she was able to finagle an ice cream cone and proceeded to finish it herself.  

We can't wait to go again next year!

First day of School

Audra started preschool today! 

I can't believe that our little girl is old enough to attend school!    

Showing off her fabulous new backback!

Are we done yet???

The one action shot I was able to get while she was exploring the classroom with Phoebe.

We can't wait to see all of the things she learns during the coming school year

Hey is anybody there...

The girls were playing in the yard the other day while I was cooking and apparently Phoebe got bored and decided to come and look for someone to entertain her. Problem is Phoebe can't reach the door handle so being the sweet polite child that she is she just stands at the back door saying "hey, hey, hey" until someone notices her and lets her in the house.

Poor thing had to wait an extra minute this day... it was just too cute not to snap a picture

It's that time again!

If you read this blog regularly you know I have a very talented sister, Rebecca, who is a photographer and you probably also know that I like to take advantage of that fact! I HATE studio photographs but I am too cheap to pay the professional photographers to follow us around and take "candid" pictures of the family. Luckily Becca and I have worked out a barter system where we trade my sewing for her photography. Otherwise she would be too expensive as well! Just kidding, Love you Bec! So anytime we visit her or she visits us we try to sneak in some type of photo shoot. In June we were able to get great pictures of the girls in their "fairy skirts" and a few cute photos with their mama. When she was here in August I asked her to take a few family pictures.

We went out to a local park a few miles from our home. Usually we just hang out on the playground but I didn't really want a big orange slide in the family portrait so we took a stroll down the walking path and were able to find some great places to take pictures!

The girls were a little nervous about standing in the water but holding onto mom's and dad's hands really helped them feel more secure.

I love this picture of Audra taking some time to enjoy the feel of the spring running over her toes... OK all of you who know my daughter well know that she was washing off the "gross mud" that made her "yucky dirty"!

All of the pictures turned out fantastic and I am really looking forward to having some printed and framed. Thanks again Bec for giving us a great way to remember our kids as such precious ages. I am so thankful for your creativity and your willingness to share your talent with our family. Hugs!!!

An Early Birthday Treat

While my sisters were in town they threw me an impromptu SURPRISE early birthday party, complete with Happy 31st birthday Pooh hats! While Ben and I ran to the store to get "kid requested" ice cream my sisters organized the troops (five kids under the age of five) to create a sign and decorate the dining room. I would say they did a fantastic job! I was touched that they thought to do a little something to help me celebrate and was completely taken off guard...OK I cried... but only a little.

Audra was particularly enamored with the idea of the party being a surprise!

My "cake" was actually several varieties of cupcakes Ben had ordered from a nearby Gluten Free Bakery, they were fabulous!

Apparently once you turn 30 you don't get individual candles anymore - just one huge candle. I wonder how large the one will be for my 40th birthday? I am a little scared to find out!

"Happy Birthday dear MOM-E"

don't you wish there was audio for this?

What? No more cake?