Look Mom...No Training Wheels!

Catalina finally threw away those training wheels!

Wedding....just a couple weeks away!

The girls just received their dresses for the wedding they will be in the day after Thanksgiving. They are getting their hair done and will be carrying baskets full of rose petals. They just may steal the show??!!

This picture was taken just before Ava put started putting stickers on her dress.

Halloween

The girls were princesses for Halloween. We had a party in our driveway again and invited family and friends.

Ariel and Cinderella

Gray carried the girls treat bags while he made his mom carry his. He loves his girls!

Cop and Jailbird

Ava is only wearing one shoe. They are new and light up. Her pinkie toe began to hurt...sometimes beauty causes a little pain Ava!

The Girl's First Music Program

The girl's were in their first music program at school. The preschool and kindergartners sang for a fall program. Ava cried until Catalina arrived and they put the girls together.

Ava spent most of her time singing with her back to the crowd. She would rather watch the other kids sing and I think it helped her remember the songs.

Todd was unable to attend but we have the whole program on video. It was adorable!

The Pumpkin Farm with Ava

Catalina brought Hoppy home from school to spend a couple of days with the Merrill's. The assignment was to play with Hoppy, take pictures of different activities and then write about the adventures! Here is Catalina doing handstands with Hoppy!

Ava and I went to the pumpkin farm last week. Catalina was in school and she already went there with her class. Ava loved the farm. We saw turkeys, pigs, cows, goats and a sheep. She walked through the hay maze, rode a hay ride pulled by a tractor and picked out her own pumpkin. The day was cold (60 degrees) for us Arizonians!

She makes a cute pig!

Ava picked out a "bloody eyeball" for Geramiah. Hope he likes it!

Florida..we miss you!

We spent a week in Florida visiting Papa and Mimi. We had so much fun with them!

We visited the Mote Marine in Sarasota. It's an sea life animal rescue with turtles, sharks, fish, dolphins and manatees. Ava is petting the sea urchins!

Aunt Dona and Geramiah joined us for 5 days. Catalina's favorite part of the trip was playing with her cousin. My favorite part was drinking with my sister (ha ha!).

This is a blind turtle who lives in a brand new tank. It was very cool.

The weather was unseasonably hot and humid. So of course, Ava's hair was gorgeous!

What a life! The Gulf water was so warm and so easy for the kids to swim in. We got to see a sting ray and lots of fish. It was hard pulling these girls off the beach, even when it was storming!

We took these shots at the fisheries in Placeta. What a fabulous place to eat. I am sure Todd Merrill ate his way through Englewood and loved every minute of it.

Mimi and Papa at dinner.

The last day we rented jet skis and hopped on with the girls. We rode around in the channel and the girls loved it! They screamed, "faster, faster!" We came across a pod of dolphins that swam all around us. What an incredible experience and made us feel so lucky. What a great way to end the trip!

What a Life...

We have finally settled into a routine with the girl's school schedule and my crazy work schedule. I have been packing lunches for three on some days, making sure the carpool is up and running, and getting nightly homework done with Catalina. We have been throwing in some fun.

The new rave for the girls is the head wrap after bath...they love wrapping their hair "like mom."

A new chair for grandma! And look, it fits both grandkids too! Could life get any better?

Catalina received the respect award at school. She was chosen out of three kindergarten classes. We are so proud of her!

Backwards robes? You two are so scary!

Last weekend we went to the Arizona Grand for a night. It has a huge outdoor waterpark. We stayed in a suite and Catalina kept asking, "Who lives here Mom?" A movie was shown at 8pm outside over the pool. So the girls went swimming while watching the movie!