Monday night was "Meet the Teacher" night at Olivia's school! Avery went to this same preschool for Pre-Kindergarten, so it was nice to be back again!

Liv picked out her own outfit and off we were!


Here is Liv with her Teacher Assistant, Ms. Chelsea.


the water table was a huge hit with Livie!



We woke early this morning, and got up and at 'em for her first day of school!




walking in the parking lot!


on our way to the door!!!


she was soooo excited! :)


Her teacher, Ms. Lacie, greeted her right away!


trying to find her locker!


Found it! ;) Got everything hung up and off we!


put our name up in the school house!


this reading area is one of her favorite parts of her room!


and, this is the last we saw of her! She was not scared or sad at all! Gave mom and dad hugs and kisses and that was that! :)


looking forward to picking her up and finding out about the rest of her day! :)

Avery and I both went into the dentist appt yesterday feeling very nervous as to what was to come. After reading the comments here and on facebook of others who have had this before, I was extra nervous.

But, we got there, and there was no pain for her at all. the worst part was the cement they had to put on the expander.


so, it's in. we have to crank it on Sundays and Wednesdays, so her first bit of actual discomfort will probably be on Sunday. they said to expect it to stay on from anywhere between 6-12 months. she definitely has some words that are hard to say, her name being one of them. it will get better with time, as she learns a new way to talk.

IN OTHER NEWS...

our sweet babysitter/church friend Jessi went to college yesterday. the girls made her sweet cards, and we stopped over before she took off. we will miss her greatly. the girls have a strong attachment to her, especially Olivia...

tomorrow Avery gets her palette expander put in. about 6 months ago, our friend's husband (who is a dentist) pointed out to us the issue with Avery's top teeth.

(none of these are our pictures)

this is basically what her mouth looked like before...her top teeth didn't sit on top of her bottom teeth, instead, they went inside of them.
about 2 months ago, we began the process of getting the ball rolling on correcting this. plenty of x-rays, molds, rubberband seperators, etc...and tomorrow the day is finally here.

the expander looks something like this I believe (although her's only fits around one set of teeth)

the point of it is that little by little, the metal piece get's turned and her top teeth will eventually be where they are supposed to be.
i have no idea how often we have to do this turning thing, or what it all entails, but I do know that she has to have the appliance on for about 1 year. we will expand it for around 4-6 months, and then lock it into place for another 6 months so her teeth will not go back to their previous place.

so, that's what we'll be doing tomorrow at 4:15...praying for a calm heart for her and i, patient workers, and little to no pain...

Avery's food allergy results came in the mail today. She was tested 3 weeks ago, and we have been anxiously awaiting the letter!

Avery has been on immunotherapy drops for almost a year now, in hopes that some allergies will either diminish, or fade away.

Here are the results:
egg allergy has decreased slightly (from 6.88 to 5.37)
cow milk allergy has decreased slightly (from .93 to .88)
peanut allergy has decreased (from >100.00 to 53.39)

We are so pleased that these drops are working! I have to admit I am shocked to see the peanut number go down that much! It's still a very very strong allergy, it's just not as strong! Praise the Lord!!!

and it feels soooo good!



after not having our swingset since mid-May, the girls were beyond excited to get it back!

we woke up bright and early this morning...Avery...not so much. she was slow to rise out of her slumber, but when she did, the excitement for the day began! we had breakfast, got dressed and ready, and off we were to school!



Avery Joy, the 2nd grader....sigh...


beautiful, inside and out

and for comparison...

here is the 1st day of 1st grade....

and the 1st day of Kindergarten....


in front of her school


ready for the day to begin...


Avery and Mrs. T...


Olivia, with Olivia... :)


we went out for lunch today with her best boy bud, David, and his family! Culver's it was, and it was so much fun to celebrate with them!


and, after school, posing with her sweet little friend Kylie that is in her class this year...


she said it was a wonderful day...i have a feeling it's going to be another great year!

daddy mowed our lawn today for the first time since we got the sod. it was a lot of fun to go outside in the breezy weather and watch.


tonight, we had 'meet the teacher' night at school. it's hard to believe that school starts up on Wednesday already. Avery was all ready and set to go, with her backpack FULL of school supplies!


her teacher seems to be wonderful, the room was bright and cheery, and it was a very great evening. we noticed a lot of Mrs. T's books on the shelves, and Avery was SOOO happy that there were a lot of series that she's interested in!


Liv wanted to get her photo taken, too....so, here is Liv by the school library with Clifford...


and Junie B. Jones...


tomorrow is a big day, as we get the swingset!!!! the girls have not had it since the beginning of May, so we are anxious to be able to open up the patio door and let them go out and play off their energy!!!

we left shortly after church on Sunday to go up to "A-town" to Nana Judy and Bapa Ron's house! We had such a great time! Lots of yummy food, laughs, swimming, and love!

While there, Nana and Daddy took the girls to the museum! Looks like they saw some fun stuff!




after the museum, we went to visit Grandma Hilda! Doesn't she look great for 91?


we got to go out for supper (yummy) and Uncle DJ, Aunt Rachelle, Noah and Blake came with! It was so great to see them! the boys are growing soooo fast! After supper, we came back to Nana and Bapa's house!

Cousin Noah and Uncle DJ...


Aunt Rachelle and Cousin Blake...


Livie looked so stinkin' adorable, that I just had to snap a quick picture of her!




Nana and Bapa have a pool, and the girls went swimming over and over and over....they learned some new skills and gained some more confidence in the water!

Liv LOVED the slide! She tells people "I can go down da swide with no mommy!"


such a big girl!




Avery also loved the slide too! Just give her goggles and her nose plug, and she's good to go!




The BIG news, was the diving board! Avery was so brave to try it, and she ended up LOVING it!






and, Liv had to try too....into a raft!






before we left, we stopped at the fun storybook land!








Avery and I went on the hot air balloon ride. if you follow me on facebook, you'll know that I felt some ill effects from this silly ride! it's amazing how spinning when you're 30 can give you what feels like vertigo for the WHOLE day...good grief!


we were so high up!


Liv was too small for the hot air balloons, so daddy took her on the carousel instead!


we ended up the trip with a meal at Culver's with Nana and Bapa!


Thanks for the fun vacation!