Fall Fun!

We had a lovely Fall season, and were so blessed to get to enjoy wondeful weather into November! The girls had so much fun with the extra zoo and park time during the not-so-stifling hot days we had in October and November.

I was thankful to be able to nurse Ainsley for a full year, but both of us were glad to be done with the time came! A little smarter this time around, I decided to give Ainsley milk starting around the beginning of October to get her used to drinking something other than water out of a cup. To this day, Sadie Beth has never drank a cup of milk. She was probably 2 1/2 before she decided to actually like anything but ice water. Ainsley took to milk pretty quickly and though she doesn't have it every day, she gets pretty excited when I give her a cup full. It was also around this time we started really working with Ainsley on folding her hands...both to play and for self-control. The "self-control" bit hasn't worked nearly as well as it did for Sadie Beth, but I still think it helps her regroup from time to time when she gets a little rascally (whiny, screeching, demanding, impatient,etc...). With Sadie Beth, it was like a magic trick. If we asked her to stop and fold her hands for a minute, she would amost instantly "get herself together" and become very pleasant within a couple of moments.

Getting ready for a day at the zoo - and in the background you can see pretty much the status quo in our living room. We usually pick up before bedtime, sometimes naptime too, but I don't mind. Toys are meant to be played with.

This was one of those perfect zoo days...plenty of sun and a light jacket was all we needed to stay comfortable! These two have become quite the buddies. Sadie Beth and Julianne play so well together...90% of the time. And the other 10% of the time they become 2 firstborns (within 2 weeks of each other) who feel the need to exert their will upon the other and be the boss. So thankful for the Mobleys, their sweet girls, and all the fun we've had together in the past year!

And the great thing is we each get our own friend! Not only do Sadie Beth and Julianne have playmates in one another, but Ainsley and Lorelai are only about 8 weeks apart. Ainsley adores Lorelai. Around this time she referred to Lorelai as a puppy dog, panting whenever she saw Lorelai...but not to worry...we've progressed much since then. Now (starting around 16 months)she lovingly calls Lorelia "BuhBuh" and gets very excited about any opportunity to play with her friend.

And even though I don't have a picture, I rather enjoy spending time with Julianne and Lorelai's mommy, Allison. Our most of the time weekly playdates have become one of the highlights of my week, as we enjoy watching the girls play and having some grownup conversation ourselves.

Believe it or not, we actually didn't have to work to hard to get a decent picture of the girls, and they all happened to be so color coordinated that day! I'm sure we couldn't repeat this experience if we tried.

Ainsley seems so teeny in these pictures...I think we were right at the beginning of a 6 month long growth spurt.

After a super fun zoo day with friends, we were all very ready for a rest!

Compliments of Ainsley Christianna - this happened at least daily for awhile in the Balzer house. It was Ainsley's favorite sort of mischief, but thankfully we trained her out of it.

My little lady - love seeing the heart God has given this little one. It's such a great responsibility to train her up...my prayer is that she will continue to have a soft heart for the Lord. Some days can be so exhausting and you can feel like such a failure as a parent, but that makes me thankful that it is only His grace and power alone that makes us fit for such a huge task as raising children...

One of the sweeter moments of our family worship time...