SchoolPictures

We have decided not to buy school pictures anymore. They are so expensive!...and let's be honest, they usually turn out terrible! This is the second year that I have opted to buy only the smallest package possible, allowing me to at least have one to put in the girls' scrapbooks. I decided that I needed to at least have one to put in their albums so we can some day look back and laugh at them :) This year, I have to say that I was plesently surprised!







Another reason we have opted to not buy school pictures...last year we finally replaced our point and shoot with a great Canon Rebel! Our plan is to take some family and individual pics this weekend. Anyone have any great locations you can recommend? I'd love to find somewhere that we can take advantage of all the great fall colors right now!

MyWindow

This is the view from my kitchen window. Nothing too exciting maybe, to many of you, but I smile every time I look out. It's amazing how one simple picture can have so many stories to tell.

Brooks and the girls built our playhouse together this summer...we even let them help paint! It was great to watch them work on it together and now it's fun to watch the girls play :)

The little purple slide makes me think of the summer months as the kiddos hook up the hose and scream as the freezing cold water sprays them while they slide down.

The leaves on the ground remind me that fall is here and it is sooo my favorite season ever!!! It's also just exciting to see the leaves...this is the first year that the trees were big enough to actually produce enough leaves to cover the ground! The girls are so excited to have something to rake this year...all we need is a rake ;)

The bird feeder hanging from the tree makes me laugh. It hasn't had any food in it almost all summer, but it still looks great hanging there. We got this bird feeder last summer and loved watching all the birds that came to our yard. We were amazed by how fast the food went...which is why it has been empty :)

The fire pit(which you can barely see in this picture)reminds me of the times we've sat with friends and talked the night away as the kids run around catching lightning bugs or playing flashlight tag. Sometimes, it was just Brooks and I that would sit and talk while the girls were inside sleeping.

The lawn chair brings memories of our family eating supper outside on those not-so-scorching-hot summer nights.

And finally, the stash of medicine that covers the windowsill reminds me that the season I so love brings with it lots of coughs and snot :(

Oh, how I love my window! :)

Popcorn&Icee's

Yep! That's right! This mom allowed her daughters to have a bag of popcorn and an Icee drink for lunch today! Can you belive it?!? What a terrible mom I am! Well, it was either that or make Breck very late for kindergarten...what else was a mom to do?!?

After MOTT's, I decided to head over to Target to take care of a couple exchanges that needed to be made....and Breck got to buy a book since she missed the opportunity at the school bookfair and Taylor got to buy her foam ABC's she's been begging for since discovering the neighbors'. As we are heading out the door, I realize that we only have 25 minutes to get Breck back in time for Kindergarten!...the biggest problem being that we live almost 20 minutes away and I have not fed them lunch yet! We rush in to the food court, only to get behind someome who litterally took 5 minutes to order a hot dog!!!! Hello!!! This mom is running late! Get out of my way!!!

We opt for the popcorn because it's already bagged and ready to go. The girls ask for Icee drinks so I kindly agree...it's can't be any worse than a fountain drink, right?

So, there you have it...the reason why Breck and Taylor were blessed with a delicious, not so nutritious, lunch of popcorn and Icee drinks :)

Oh, and by the way, we pulled into the school parking lot with 1 minute to spare!

WordOfGodSpeak

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say

Word of God speak
Would you pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your Majesty
To be still and know
That You are in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I'm finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice

Word of God speak
Would you pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your Majesty
To be still and know
That You are in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay

Reading&Dancing

Lucky for me, all of my girls have picked up my love for reading children's books!...I include "children's books" because those seem to be the only ones I find time to sit and read ;) It is nothing out of the ordinary for us to sit and read several books together.

Taylor comes to me, with a book in hand, and plops down on my lap, eager to hear her book for the 100 millionth time...and I don't mind one bit.

Breck is starting to read on her own, so she comes with her easy reader books and proudly reads to me...and I see the joy in her eyes.

Kaicee has been reading for a couple years now, but we still love to curl up together with a good book, taking turns reading...and I realize she is growing up way too fast.

As I watch the girls' love of books grow, I realize that there is also a bit of a competitive streak in Kaicee. When given a challenge associated with reading, this girl goes above and beyond! This year, her teacher has challenged them thru AR (Accelerated Reader program at school) and their weekly reading logs. She has worked so hard to have the most AR points in her class and to read the most minutes each week.

Yesterday was story hour day for Taylor. Normally I allow the girls to each pick 3 books, but I was feeling like a nice mommy yesterday. I decided to throw out the "3 books a piece" rule and just let Taylor choose whatever she wanted off the shelf. We picked some books for Breck (who was home with daddy, sick) and I surprised Kaicee with a stack on her favorite's, "Mr. Putter and Tabby".


Homework finished...Kaicee discovered the books and began reading to her sisters. Breck and Taylor sat for nearly an hour while Kaicee read book after book. As the evening went on, Kaicee continued to sit and read....








By the end of the evening, Kaicee had read 27 books, for a total of 150 minutes! She was so proud...and so excited that I would considering blogging about it :)

As Kaicee read the night away, Breck and Taylor decided to entertain themselves in another way. In addition to reading, they also have a love for singing and dancing. I hope you enjoy the video!




What a great night in the Egolf house! I love my girls!

SickOfBeingSick!!!

I am not sure if we have allergies or what, but Breck and I are getting ready to start week SEVEN of feeling like crap! Brooks has decided that he would like to join us in our misery. With that being said, I'm heading off to bed and praying that I don't have to follow thru with my thoughts of making Dr appointments for all of us :( Here's hoping we are feeling better tomorrow!

RunningWithKaicee

Kaicee has been begging to run a 5k with me, so a couple weeks ago we finally ran our first race together. I decided to stay with her the entire race and we had a great time together!



She did a great job and crossed the finish line, 35 min and 28 seconds after starting, with a huge smile on her face:)




As we were running, she informed me that she would NEVER do it again. I think she may end up changing her mind...she placed 4th in her age division and really wanted to get 3rd. I have a feeling she'll do it again just to prove she can place 3rd. It might not be anytime in the near future, but I have a feeling she will:)