Jessie's 7th Birthday

My baby turned 7!! I can't believe how fast she's growing up. Here's her birthday celebration.


First I have to explain the eye. She got bit on the eyebrow line of her left eye a few days before her birthday by a mosquito. This picture was taken 2 days after she was bit and the swelling had actually gone down a bit. Both the girls had CRAZY reactions to mosquito bites this summer. We're talking whole calf sections of the leg swollen up. We've basically determined that they are allergic to mosquito bites and slather them with bug spray now. So this is why her eye looks puffy in some of the birthday pictures.


Wow, like I said before...I can't believe she's 7!


Showing off her Nintendo DS and drawing game. She didn't know what the DS was at first, but once we told her what it was she loved it, and now she asks to play it all the time.

Enjoying opening the presents at her Minnie Mouse themed party with family.

She read every card this year, and I mean every card. She made sure to read every word before moving on to the present.

Ready for her cake.

Making that wish.

Roles have changed. Jessie always tries to look over Brett's shoulder when he plays his video games now he's enjoying watching her. Plus they're actually getting along :)

Many of you are used to this view of my dad. I just felt like sharing this picture so he could see this view for a change. :)

Yummy ice cream, and enjoying sitting by Uncle Rob.

Showing Bepa how the game works.

Actual birthday on this day.

She was very excited to see a Phineas and Ferb book. She loves that TV show.

Even more excited to get the Phineas and Ferb DS game.

Super excited to show the game.

Still VERY happy with the book and the game.

1st day of school

These are some pictures from the girls first days of school. Jessie started 1 week before Kat.


Our happy First Grader!

She wanted me to take a picture of her as she pretended to walk to school.

Our big Pre Schooler! She started in the 3's program and goes on Tues. and Thurs. mornings.

All smiles.

She wanted a picture of her backpack too.

Walking down the front steps.

Outside her school by the welcome sign. She was so happy to be there and she had a great day.

The rest of summer 2010

Here are some random pictures for the rest of summer.


Jessie and Kat doing sparklers on the 4th of July.


I like that they were closer together in this picture, but Jessie's sparkler had gone out.


Kat loves to hang off the couch like this. I think she was watching TV here.

Loving sisters.

Checking out the new Disney maps that came in the mail. Picking the rides they want to ride this winter. I've trained them well.

Just a cute smile in the sunshine.

Playing hair salon. They had just gotten their hair cuts and Jessie was in a grooming mood.

Pretending to sleep in Jessie's sleeping bag.

This is a favorite. Kat cuddling Cleo.

Kat in her new big girl car seat.

Jessie showing off her artwork from Girl Scout camp.

Silly face with the artwork.

Sliding at the park.

We were at the park with the girl's friends Kelly and Morgan. This is Kelly pulling Kat up the slide.

All 4 girls on the slide.

Jessie and Kelly hanging out.

Pushing Kat on the swing.

Big sisters pushing little sisters, in a good way.

End of play date. Kat really didn't want her picture taken and this was the best I could get.

The girls at Nature Center camp, June 28-July2

Both girls got to do Nature Center camp this year. Jessie was very excited because this was her first year getting to go all day to camp, which also meant that she got to go swimming Wednesday afternoon at Markin Glen Park. This was Kat's first year of nature camp. She went 3 mornings of the week and I went with her. Next year she'll be able to go all five days, mornings only, and she'll be able to go on her own. They both love it there and are looking forward to next year.


This is Kat on her first day at the little kids pavillion. She had to have a blue chair every day.


Kat's friend Morgan was also at camp with her all week. She also had to sit next to Morgan every day.


Her artwork for the day. The theme of the day was frogs.

Checking out the stream on their hike for the day.

Leave it to Kat to find the rocks. She was more interested in playing with the rocks than looking for frogs in the stream.

Checking out the frog in the tank. They couldn't find one in the stream to show the kids so when they got back to the pavillion they brought over this one from the Adventure House.

Day 2 at the barn. She's petting the cow, Soda.

Artwork from barn animal day. This is her horse. Katie is the camp helper to her right. She loved Katie and looked forward to seeing her every day. Katie was the only one who could get her talking when she was being shy.

Kat insisted on having her picture taken on this tree. She called it "my tree".

What a surprise...she found rocks again. This was during their hike in the field when they were looking for flowers and different grasses.

Just a darn cute smile!

Day 3, making binoculars with Morgan for watching birds.

Kat and Katie checking each other out with their binoculars.

Using her binoculars on the hippo. I love seeing this hippo at the Nature Center. He's been there awhile, but I still remember playing on him at Maple Hill Mall when I was a kid.

Morgan climbing up with her.

This is Friday on Jessie's last day of camp. They had family time in the afternoon and they were doing face painting.

Kat with a butterfly on each cheek.

Jessie had her face painted to look like a unicorn. Her group did a skit for the parents and she was a unicorn in it.

They brought the hawk out for up close viewing. I can't remember what kind of hawk it is.

These pictures of Jessie were posted on the Nature Center website in a photo album for the week so I copied them from there since I wasn't with her at camp.

Jessie said they were digging for fossils here.

They were "painting" themselves with the dirt off the rocks here.

Eating lunch with everyone. This was another thing Jessie loved about all day camp. She got to eat lunch there. She's in the yellow shirt.

Off on a hike.

Checking out a frog up close.

That's her hand petting the frog.

Hiking again. They did lots of hiking.

Jessie's sitting on the towel in the front. This was the afternoon swimming. She brought a lot of that sand home with her, but she had A LOT of fun too!