Ok.  I am trying to stay more updated to avoid the super long posts:)  To start. . . . Abby finally got her ears pierced!  The "deciding to do it" part was definitely the worst.  It all came about after a conversation about all of the up coming things that we had planned as a family.  I mentioned that her baptism was coming up and we would get her a dress, and she would probably get her ears pierced (which was something we had always said we would do by the time she was eight).  I didn't even notice at first, but when she heard me say that, she immediately started crying. So, we spent the night talking about the whole thing and I reminded her that her Birthday isn't even until October.  After worrying about it so much, I told her we didn't have to do it by her birthday, and we could do it anytime she wanted.  I also mentioned how fun it would be to show her friends at school and be able to change her earings everyday.  Suddenly, she said, "Ok, then lets go tomorrow."  She still worried about it all night, but when she woke up she was excited and ready to go.  She really wanted to get it all taken care of before school.

This is before. . . .(sense the fake smile and the fear behind it.)

B

And the after . . . Smiles all around.  I was so proud of her, especially after seeing her freak out the night before.  She was super brave and she didn't even need me to hold her hand (mostly because my hand wouldn't fit under the death grip she had on the store's teddy bear.)

She has been so excited since she got them.  The whole first day she kept looking at herself in the mirror every chance she could.  She even carried a pocket mirror around with her when we would go places.  She has been diligent about cleaning them and she is literally counting down the days until she can change them into fun new ones (luckily Grandma made sure she will have plenty to choose from).


We have also been busy with some renovations to our house.  We painted Carson's room downstairs and moved him down with Abby to get ready for the baby.  Carson was so excited with the whole process.  He had some nervous moments, but once his room had all of his stuff in it, it was Home Sweet Home.

Basically, the only way I could get him excited was to promise him Lego pictures for his walls.

We also ran out of storage space, so we talked him into keeping our old chair from college in his room.  He thought it was dumb at first, but we told him Abby was jealous and his attitude changed fast.

So, we moved all of the baby stuff into his old room, and I am trying everything I can to make this whole baby thing feel more REAL.

Big 2nd Grader!!  Abby has been SO excited for school to start!  Excited isn't even a strong enough word.  She has had her first week of outfits all picked out and lined up in her closet.  Luckily, she still let me come to the school in the morning as long as I didn't embarrass her at the bus stop.

She also got a hair cut.

She is in a portable this year, which only added to the excitement.

 Today was school pictures and she wanted me to take a picture of her in case the ones from school didn't work out.

Carson went to meet his teacher today, but he doesn't start for another week.  I can't believe I will be sending two kids off in the mornings!  He is really excited too and he feels much better now that he has met his teacher and it was verified that she was really nice, so he has nothing to worry about.  He was also excited that he "got in" to kindergarten.  When we met with the teacher, she did a series of placement tests with him and he thinks he must have passed  because she told him she would see him next week.

Cooper is totally potty trained now, which is great, except he insists on doing it himself and standing like a "big boy" over his little potty or trying to stand on his tippy toes to reach the big potty.  If I don't  keep my eye on him, he will just go about the day and do his business when he pleases without even telling me.  The problem is that. . . his aim is terrible!  If you come to our house, you might want to steer clear of his bathroom for awhile until he masters the "man pee".