Hilton Head Island 2011

We had another fantastic time at Hilton Head in July. As usual, our routine was breakfast, bike, beach, pool, lunch, rest, beach, pool, bike to dinner, crash.... rinse and repeat 3 or 4 times with only a little variation. This was the first summer that we've had 4 full fledged swimmers on our hands, so that made everything "way more fun". For the first time ever, we spent one morning playing putt-putt. Whew, that was exhausting! Another first was the girls actively trying to make friends with other kids we met on the beach and at the pool ... also great fun! They found lots of little girls and even several little boys that didn't mind being friends with a whole gaggle of sisters. Scott helped each of the girls take turns learning to ride on the boogie board. Ella became quite good at it, and after making a new friend one day tried to ride off into the sunset with her new friend on the board. That was a completely new nerve wracking experience for this mama who is used to having her girls hover very nearby at all times!

On this trip the girls became very eager to ride their own bikes... guess those carriers are getting a little bit cramped! So we told them that when they learned to ride without training wheels they could bring their bikes and not ride in the carriers anymore. Guess what? The minute we got home we removed them and within a week all four of our kiddos were riding their bikes sans training wheels!! Perhaps those should be the next pictures I post?!?

First Day of School x 4!!!!

Today is a BIG day in our house. Kate, Maggie, and Sarah have entered the world of Kindergarten. They are probably the youngest in their class since they won't actually be 5 until the end of this month, but they are ready. We couldn't hold them back any longer!

Silly Faces

Serious, study faces

Maggie

Sarah

Kate

Ella... first day of 1st grade, and she didn't even look up as she waved me off this morning. She's an old pro at this school stuff and has been eager to get back to "The Creek" since mid-July.

Now with a little bit of time on my hands I hope to develop a daily discipline for blogging to catch up on the thousands of photos and summer memories that are sitting idle in my head and on the computer. Stay tuned...

Pretty Spring Afternoons

Most pretty afternoons I can count on at least one hour of time during which all four of the girls will play outside on the trampoline together- happily!! I have never been more thankful for a single piece of play equipment... ever!

Yesterday I joined them after I had supper started to take a few photos of their silliness. They are simply adorable these days.... even if I do say so myself.

all together in front of the old red milk barn

Ella... doing a few tricks for the camera

Maggie with a pretend sad face.... and Sarah curious

Kate... too cool, and yes, we washed her stringy hair before bed

Cute Little Stinkers

It's a good thing these little gals are so stinkin' cute.... because a week ago one of them brought a yucky stomach bug into our house, and it still hasn't left! Family movie night was all the more interesting tonight due to our sickness drama. If I "get" to take a turn with the bug personally in the next few days there may not be any new posts, but if that happens we'll just blame the stinkers. Here's hoping we'll be able to enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend!!

Last night on our way home from church I was preparing the girls with the instructions I wanted them to follow when we walked through the door. When Scott isn't home I tend to act like a drill sargent in order to get the bedtime routine done. It was after bedtime already, so they were to take their vitamins, brush teeth, get jammies on, put the dirty laundry in the basket, and select their books. Five simple instructions... they've heard them so many times that when I started the conversation they all started rattling off the steps in order to me before I had the chance to finish.



Once we were all unbuckled and safely in the house they got amnesia. So I handed out vitamins and then told them to meet me in their room to read some books after all their other tasks were completed... oh, and I set the timer for 5 minutes. I had no idea what that timer was for, but they all have a pretty strong desire to beat any and every timer so it didn't really matter.



I went to my room to get ready for bed as they were all running off in the direction of their bathroom. Several minutes later when my timer went off (I suppose it was to pull me out of my own temporary amnesia) I walked down the hall to check on them. That's when I found all four of the girls lined up across their 2 sink bathroom counter half way brushing their teeth and whole heartedly singing "It's a hard enough life for us, it's a hard enough life for us" - their version of the opening number from the Annie movie.



So I pretended to be Ms. Hannigan and sent them off to change into their jammies while I cleaned up the bathroom. It looks like a walrus tried to take a bath in the sink after they are done brushing, washing hands, basically doing anything in the bathroom that involves water.... just in case anyone was wondering.



A few seconds later I found Sarah changing her clothes in her bedroom all by herself when we heard the other girls cutting up over in Ella's room. She nearly jumped out of her skin, was immediately in a hurry and said as she was running for the door, "The girls are all laughin' and I'm in here missin' out!"

***

everyday life with 4 sisters... always someone to sing with, always someone to dance with, always someone to play with, always someone to laugh with, always someone to love... you girls are not missing out on a thing!!

While the Cat's Away...

While the Cat's Away the Mice Will Play... (in her closet)

Maggie, Kate, and Sarah are all completely capable of dressing themselves these days. I have maintained control of this chaos new desire to constantly change outfits by putting locks high up on their closet doors. However, this morning they found the loophole in my system.... Ella's closet. Ella spent the night at a friends' house last night so she wasn't here this morning to stop them from going through her closet and dresser for their attire. When they were reunited this afternoon Ella's first comment to each of her little sisters was, "Just where did you get that outfit?!?"

I hate to be the one to tell her that she has years and years of repeating those same sentiments to her three adoring siblings! Sisters, sisters... and as you can see in the pictures they each have their own ideas about "style".