A New Chapter

Boy was it HOT when we got home from Utah!  Despite the scorching sun, we headed straight over to Papa's house to visit him and see our horses. Gigi missed her little girls very much and couldn't stop snuffling them. I can't blame her. I like to snuffle these girls myself!

 Benjamin was glad to see us too. I think he was mostly happy to be getting snacks again.

 Beauty was not as excited as the others. She was not ready for her vacation to end.

Even the plants missed us and all the extra water they receive when we come to Papa's house.

 Lillian's tortoise friend, Frans, gained a new friend, Hans.  Lillian was so excited to see Hans in Frans' house she yelled,"Mom! Frans laid an egg and it hatched and now there are two!" She is too smart and too funny.

The girls were excited to receive some gifts from Papa. Lillian  is in love with her new Elena of Avalor dress and Freya, who is obsessed with Nemo and Dory, couldn't be happier with her Nemo outfit.

Besides Gigi, I think Madeline missed us most.  She curled right up in Lillian's lap for belly scratches.

The girls were happy to see their ice cream truck and spent one afternoon selling Popsicles and ice cream in the front yard.

  Lots of people came out to support them and many of our neighbors stopped while they were walking or driving by our house.  Lillian earned $24.50! She can't wait to restock and head back out to sell more!

 We had Lillian split her money with Freya despite the fact that Freya ate a lot of their inventory.  After all, it is Freya's truck!

Even though we missed the slightly cooler weather in Utah, we were glad to be able to swim and play at the splash pad without getting cold.  The sun was warm, the water was warm, and so we had fun!  We even went to cousin Addie's adorable watermelon birthday party and played in the water.

While we were away, a splash pad opened in our neighborhood so now we can splash and swim all at the same time. 

As many of you know, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is in the process of building a temple here in Tucson.  The Saints in Tucson have been taking turns baking and delivering cookies to all the people working to complete the temple.  This month it was our turn. The girls helped me make thank you notes and bag up all the cookies.  We can hardly wait for the temple to be completed so we can visit there as a family.

With the horses, church callings, running errands, and a number of other responsibilities, our mornings are usually packed.  Since we spend half of the day zooming here, there, and everywhere, I like to leave the evenings free for playing.  The girls dress up, build forts, play with toys, go for walks, pretty much anything goes as long as it requires their imagination.

We had a good time playing in August, but the month meant more than just more days to play.  August marked the beginning of a new chapter for our whole family, but mostly for Lillian.  She was overjoyed to start preschool.  For months, maybe even years, I have been hearing her tell me how badly she wants to go to school. Well, that day finally arrived!

 Freya was less thrilled about Lillian leaving her for a whole two and a half hours three days of the week.

 Lillian did her best to console her little sister.  They are so happy to see each other after school. It warms my heart.

 Lillian just finished her third week in preschool with Ms. Cassie. Every day she comes home exuding excitement, thrilled to tell me all the things she does while we are apart.  When she is finished telling all her stories she always asks, "What did you and Freya do today, Mom?" Every once in a while I can tell she is a little jealous of the time Freya and I get to spend alone together.

 Though it was hard to see her go and know that this is only the beginning of her eventual flight from the nest, I have enjoyed the one-on-one time with Freya and seeing Lillian's excitement. I hope she continues to love school as I do.