The McPherson Chronicles

We signed the girls up for ballet and they couldn't be more excited! They love their tights, leotards and especially their shoes and are so excited for class every Saturday. They stand and watch the big kids dancing upstairs while we wait for their class to start and are so intrigued by everything they do. They have the same focus in their class too. They study each thing the teacher does and try to mimic it the best they can. They practice all the moves at home too during the week  It's so funny to watch them in comparison to some of the other girls in their class who are the same age. My favorite is the little girl Zoe whose focus isn't quite there. She will pay attention for a few minutes and then get distracted and forget all about what she's supposed to be doing. For example, this week they were working on moving their arms up and down (like wings) and Zoe did it  few times and then looked down at her hand, noticed a hangnail or broken nail, and immediately st...

Monday was the first day of school for the year. The girls were excited and all ready to go bright and early. I took the day off work so I could take them and pick them up.   They seemed a bit overwhelmed initially since there were so many kids and its a pretty big school we had to walk through to get to the kinder area. I could tell they were growing anxious waiting for the teacher to open the room and let them in for the day, especially Olivia. Once inside, they were able to choose whichever seat they wanted and the girls chose seats right in the front next to each other. They looked so little with their backpacks hanging behind their chairs at the table. As the teacher gave a brief introduction and some instructions to parents the girls sat and listened quietly. It was entirely in Spanish. Luckily, I can still pick up most of what she was saying and got the gist of it. I gave the girls a kiss and left. I'm so glad they have each other to go on this new adventure. I can...

I wanted to do something special to celebrate the girls starting school. This past Sunday we had a fancy dinner for them. Kevin took the girls out to run some errands while I got everything ready. They had no idea what they were in for when they got home. I decorated the dining room with streamers, balloons and flowers from outside. I got out a nice tablecloth, cloth napkins and our china to set the table. For dinner I went with the girls' absolute favorite- sprinkle pancakes, eggs and sausage. I also made a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert. To complete the party, I got out two of their princess dresses and tiaras and Kevin and I also got dressed up. Everything was all set when they came home! Kevin had the girls put their princess dresses on before they came in the house and they were so curious and excited about what was going on. Then Kevin and Andrew escorted each of the girls into the house and to the table where they giggled and smiled incessantly...

The kids and I went to Kevin's last evening soccer game a few weeks ago and had a fun evening watching him play and messing around with my camera phone. Selfies provided at least 30 minutes of entertainment and tons of laughter.

We finally took our first family photos since Andrew's birth (courtesy of my co-worker Catherine). We went back to UCR, which is where we did photos with the girls at roughly the same age. Luckily, everyone cooperated and it seemed to go quickly and relatively easily, thank goodness. It helps that the kids are so comfortable with Catherine after all this time taking their photos. Here's a sneak peek.

Sarah & Tim were in town this weekend for her early birthday celebration. We had a fun family day at Nana's house with swimming, dominoes, catching up and watching all the kids play. It was crazy humid with stormy weather so we were rained out of the backyard for a bit. It was still a fun day with the whole family celebrating together. Happy extra special birthday, Auntie Sarah! We love you and can't wait to  see what this year holds for you!!

We made our annual trip to the Newport Beach house Kevin's extended family gets every summer. It's always a fun, relaxing day catching up with everyone and seeing all the cousins play together. We're so grateful they let us crash their house and make ourselves at home for the day in their house. The girls always look forward to it!