Busy Sunday

 Last Sunday we had a crazy busy day!  We began the day by doing a survey and giving blood at an East Austin church for a long-term cancer prevention study (no photo op) then to our church for Sunday school, and working the nursery.  Then we went to UT for our international match.  We had some time to fill so we walked to the fountain, it was a beautiful day.

 This is Janine, she is 21 and from Germany and studying for one year at UT.  Hopefully there will be many fun outings with her this year.  From there we dropped the girls off at the Birches (we have great friends with big cars, they played and then took the girls to Choir & Awana, Heather picked them up and took them to her house and put them to bed in her guest room...)  Caleb and I drove to Houston to Second Baptist church for our last Bebo Norman concert.

 He was with Andrew Peterson (who we had seen before in CS) and Sara Groves and three amazing musical backups.  They all took turns and played each others' songs.  And of course there was a Compassion International video and plea and it made us more enthused about having Juan from Peru and Aswini from India (and you can sponsor your own too!)

I won't be melodramatic and say this is the day the music died because we do have all of his CDs, but it is sad knowing we won't see him in concert or get another album.  Caleb sang one of his songs at our wedding.  When I was expecting Lydia, he secretly bought the latest CD and picked three songs to play for me for our long drive to the hospital while I was in labor.  We worked the Compassion table in a VFW hall in Bryan and got to meet Bebo.  We saw him in Austin and there got Juan (it was after our first Compassion child moved out the area and we didn't have one for a year or so).
It was a great concert (yeah I pretty much cried through the whole thing) and worth the drive.  When it was over we headed back to Austin and picked up the sleeping girls around 1am and brought them back to their own beds.
Thanks to Caleb for introducing me to Bebo and other great music and to our friends for caring for our girls!

Historical Book Review

If you liked the Sound of Music and Downton Abbey, then you will love The Governess of Highland Hall, a novel by Carrie Turansky!
I got this book for free by agreeing to review it on my blog from Multnomah Publisher's blogging for books.  I chose this because the information said the heroine came from serving the poor in India.  Unfortunately, it was light on describing her time in India and heavy on the dramas involved in falling in love on an historical estate in England as the governess.
Julia returned to England with her ailing parents and to make ends meet she works as a governess for an in trouble financially yet titled, widowed estate owner who needs a booth in his faith and who has two lovely children who need a firm hand and more of their father's attention.  You can guess the end.
After I requested it, the book came out with a series name:  Edwardian Brides, that probably would have totally turned me off of it, but if you enjoy historical romantic Christian fiction (this wasn't Amish it was British) then you would enjoy this book.  The story is uplifting; lots of faith and prayers.  The upstairs/downstairs drama is fun to read as a modern American (hence Downton's success).  There are several intriguing subplots and characters.  Even though they go through fire, it pretty much ends up happily ever after.

Gloria's Party

 Family!  Jackson is like a brother, they were born 17 hours apart and we were happy to have a combo pool party.  Jonathan and family also came to celebrate.
Do you know how to make it FINALLY turn cooler in Texas?  Plan a pool party :)  Fortunately it wasn't raining, just occasionally cloudy and cool.

 The mamas!

 The theme was mermaids and Wild Kratts so we were super excited that some critters came to play-a snake and tiny turtle.

 Lots of friends came to sing and celebrate.

 And there was even some swimming.  Some of the kids swam a lot and a few adults.  Others looked at us like we were crazy.  Getting out was the hardest part, but this is good bye to our amazing neighborhood pool until next summer.

 These two cuties were born the same fall and they had a great time playing.  Lucy & Adelyn

 Birthday friends with their poster.

Back to the house to open some presents, including mermaids!  And uhhh I didn't get a picture of Nana who came and helped (and held crying girls a few times)!  Love you Nana!

First Days of school

 1st Grade at Del Valle Elementary, she has Ms Hoffman who is out with a new baby so her long term sub is Ms Roose!  There are several friends from her class last year.

Pre-K at Woodlawn Baptist Church, teachers- Ms Gloria, Ms Jill & Ms Cathy and she had homework! A page of writing A & a!

Dressing up

Kylie comes over two times a week and we have lots of ways to stay entertained including dressing up.  The girls put on a show this day like normal Lydia has wonderful ideas and they have a great time until the younger ones stop doing exactly what she says and then Lydia falls apart because its not happening as she imagined!  She is very creative, now her self control and being okay with less than perfection needs to grow in accordance.
We went also went to a friend's princess party!

Ice Cream Fest

 On a Saturday, Caleb took the girls to the Ice Cream Fest.  It was hot but they ate a ton of ice cream.

 Lydia chose a pony ride

 and Gloria the petting zoo.

She also got this amazing butterfly.  Lydia got a glitter bird tattoo.  They had a great time and spent more money than they would have if mom would have gone with them :)  I stay at home and organized!

B-day trip

 After dance camp, we drove to Salado, where TIME was waiting in the mailbox.  The cover story was on bees and how they are mysteriously dying.  Lydia decided she need to discovery why, so she wrote a supply & time list.  When we got home on Monday she did get the honey etc and went out to the bees at our mint plant---and got stung, oops!

 We rode with my mom & dad (poor Nana in the back seat with sick Gloria) to the birthday boys house!

 Jonathan's party was at a bounce house.  Bill & Lydia had a great time with the velcro wall.

Cake time!

Dance Camp

 The girls went to Dance Discovery's week camp in August.  The theme was Peter Pan's Tinkerbell (I don't think they tried to kill human girls but I wasn't there....)  They did build fairy houses during the outside playground time with huge blocks.  

 Show offs!  Caleb got to come and they wore their last year's recital outfits again.  Gloria is growing up and really enjoyed it this time!