{This is Our Life} 34.52 {Secret}

My secret?

That I have a mess.  I occasionally lose my mind over it until my throat hurts and my kids are scared.  Never mind every closet and the basement storage room looks just like this "cleaned up" play room (or worse).  There are moments that I just need a bit of organization to feel like I have it together.  

I am an imperfect mom who is loved in every which way by three little girls.  Thank you for adoring me and forgiveness when I don't deserve it.

 Another secret?  

They sometimes get ice cream before dinner and eat way too many sweets, period.

 Secret?  

I let the kids run barefoot, have dirty faces and play in the mud in dresses.  I let them make tupperware houses for roly-polys and catch butterflies way after bed time.     

 I let them pick out their own clothes and wear them backward if that is the way that feels best. 

 I let them water the plants even though most of the water doesn't make it to the pot and the one getting soaked is them.  I let them wash the windows even when they make a huge mess and every towel is wet...

and it is my mess, their mess, our amazing mess and our life is just too short to worry about it and time when they are little is just too fleeting.  The days will come all too soon when they have flown the nest and when I long for their mess.  I just have to remind myself of that simple fact every day.

Juliette's first day of pre-school (the 3's)

Juliette is off to pre-school at CLP with Mrs. Miller and Miss Sandy.  She also attends interactive academy once a week which she completely enjoys.  On Friday, she was so excited to be at home with her mama and I really missed this sweet little face during the day!  But, I also enjoyed some alone time to run errands and get started on my long list of things to do solo!

Here she is before her first day...self dressed and she was proud that she matched her pinks!

An AG photo shoot

 Keeping busy...

The girls begged for me to take pictures with their American Girl dolls.  I am always happy to oblige them...they have such patience and grace for me!  They quickly dressed themselves and chose which location and pose they wanted.  :)  I am not always the biggest fan of the expense, but Jamie loves the fact of how playing with dolls keeps them young and innocent.  

School days...

are upon us.  Homework, piano practice and after school activities have begun.  Isabelle hasn't started swim team yet and so we have time to get used to being back.  The girls are settling into school, making new friends and playing with old ones and are generally excited about their day.  

 homework.

Allie in particular is really excited for "first grade to teach me something new".  So far it has been review and she sat down at the table to do her one page of homework in markers...rainbow letters of course.  Here she is helping Juliette with learning to write and phonics.  Gotta love it!  :)

in twenty minutes...

Juliette woke up so happy in our bed...this is a place she loves to nap, snuggled up between our pillows and covered up to her nose in downy blankets...

 She loves to run her hand on the polka-dotted ruffles of her "Bubba"...back and forth...

 ...and then she is up...running outside and not even taking a moment for shoes...stripping our dry trees of leaves...and then begging for a popsicle..

such a new found interest in learning her name...she wants to trace my letters, draw rainbows and faces 

she is getting so big...I about cried this morning when walking back from dropping her sisters off at school and noting how big her shadow looked next to mine...holding my hand.

{This is Our Life} 33.52 {Out of Focus}

 Such beautiful creatures...even when they are broken...but still the butterfly drinks, opens his wings and flies like it isn't...

photography is such a journey...rules are learned...rules are broken...and sometimes sharp focus doesn't always capture the joy and beauty...

1st and 3rd grade! 1st day of school...August 14, 2013

 Mrs. Parks is her teacher this year.  When Isabelle got off the bus I asked her if she liked her first day, and she said, "I didn't like it, I LOVED it!"

 Allie has Mrs C. Daugherty this year for 1st grade.  She said her favorite part was making new friends.

And off she goes.  Isabelle walked to her classroom herself and said we didn't have to follow her in.

A few more hours of Pure Michigan on August 13th...

St. Joseph Pier and Light house

Such a windy windy day!  Lake Michigan had some major waves and we were able to watch surf boarders, para-sailers, and sailboats on Silver Beach.  I was so happy to spend my birthday morning with my wonderful husband and girls.  Not everyone gets to blow out candles on a sand cake!  

In the car driving back to Indy, Juliette exclaimed, "I don't want to go home, let's go backward".  Every good vacation has to come to an end!