Abby's First Day of Preschool

Abby started preschool yesterday at the Charlottesville Day School! She was so excited -- we got out of the car and she said, "School is going to be fun!" Despite being my child who usually takes time to adjust to new things, she went right in and started playing. We were so happy that she loved it!

Heigh Ho, It's Off to School We Go!

All ready for school!
The clothes Millie laid out for the second day of school -- notice the crown, necklace, bracelet, purse (which contains her choice of small, stuffed animal of the day), and oh-so-practical shoes! Fortunately, she could see how the shoes might not be the easiest to get around in and agreed with me that the crown does tend to slip off easily!

Little Miss Jane with one of her new friends, Claire Vance (friends who have just entered Darden this year). Such cutie pies!


It's hard to believe my little Millie is now a full-fledged Kindergartener! It was rather exquisite torture dropping her off the first day (of course, for Mommy, not for Millie) with her oversized backpack looking like it would tip her over and her Hello Kitty lunchbox. We loaded up the family to drop her off together and then I walked in with her. Halfway in, she dropped my hand and started running to the door, so eager was she to get there! On our walk to her classroom she proceeded to lecture me, with an arsenal of very persuasive arguments I might add, on why she should be allowed to take the bus ("A lot of the kids that just got off the bus were little like me, so why can't I take the bus?"). Needless to say, I have since waffled and she is now a regular on Bus #146 and is in 7th heaven about it. I have to admit, it is nice to just walk down the driveway to drop her off and pick her up -- even if our neighbor, who was waiting outside with his children yesterday, came over to tell us he had just seen a black bear rambling behind our other neighbor's house (ah, the joys of living in the wild!).

Abby is eagerly awaiting her preschool debut this Friday and hasn't stopped asking multiple times a day when Millie will be home. I'm excited for her to have a chance to have this new experience. Jane is becoming busier by the minute. Today she stood for about a minute on her own -- I live in dread of the moment, sure to happen much sooner than anticipated, when she is able to run around rather than crawl. I'm not sure how I'll keep up! Mark started back to school this past week and is really enjoying his classes. It's hard to believe he's already in his second year!

I have been enjoying having a little more time to read lately, now that things have settled down a little. I just have to make sure to keep the lines clearly defined between the books and reality. A few weeks ago, after I finished reading Harry Potter and having been totally immersed in the world of magic, I returned to Charlottesville without Mark and feeling a little nervous about being home alone at night in the woods, I thought, "Oh, no need to worry. I can just cast a protective charm around the house and I'll be fine!" The scary thing is that for a moment, that thought actually brought me some comfort! Pretty pathetic, no?

Together At Last!

Dave, Dad, Mom, Miffy, Amy, and Mark at the Washington D.C. Temple
I like this one because it showed the spires. It's such a majestic temple!
Eating at the Bombay Cafe after the temple. Uncle Dave sure knows how to pick a good Indian Restaurant.
Storytime with Daddy
Abby is our little helper these days. She loves doing what Mommy is doing. Here she's helping set the table.

Mark is home!! We've had such a fun week this week since Mark arrived home from Atlanta (the girls are now officially off the market). He surprised us by arriving home a day earlier than planned and thus insured that I would not be carted off by the men in white coats (phew!). I just don't know how single parents manage -- I have tremendous respect for all that they do.

I can hardly imagine a better week! We've had fun just hanging out as a family -- everything has been fun because we've been together. It's been great to finally be home and not living out of a suitcase any longer. The girls were overjoyed to see all of their old toys which all of a sudden seem remarkably like new toys and we've had fun getting Daddy, Millie, and Abby ready for the start of school this coming week.

We had such a special experience yesterday going through the temple with my youngest sister Allison (Miffy) who will be leaving in two weeks for a mission in the New York Rochester/Hill Cumorah Mission. We're so excited for her -- she'll be a fantastic missionary!

Kids for Sale!

Now offering a great deal on three adorable little girls. See below for details:

Item #1 (ID#MILL05): Often takes flight into Imagination Land and is hard to retrieve, especially when parental figure is making urgent requests. Loves to run, jump, and engage in generally boisterous behavior -- specializes in this behavior especially when in close proximity to parental figure who is talking on the phone. Master of Stealth, especially when involving sweet items such a cake mixes or ice cream which are often later found stuck to the carpet behind the item's bed. Expert Negotiator, tries to negotiate everything all of the time (i.e. MILL05: Mom, can I have a cookie? MOM: Yes MILL05: No wait, can I have 6? MOM: No. MILL05: Ok, then 5!). Innovative User of New Vocabulary Words: "Mom, you are just so jealous!! (apparently thinks that jealous is a worse form of "mean").

Item #2: (ID#ABB02): Specializes in naughty behavior accompanied by a winning smile (i.e. Item looks at parental figure, lifts cup of water, pours it onto the floor, and smiles sweetly). Has suddenly found it impossible to go to sleep without being in immediate proximity to parental figure, often resulting in one screaming child and one disgruntled parental figure. Learns much from older sister (aforementioned Item 1) and so also thinks that Mom is "so jealous". Has shown extreme stubborness in regards to potty training yet does not always like to inform parental figure when diaper is full, thus often resulting in certain small "leakages" or "deposits" found around the house, which upon interrogation by parental figure, Item most readily (as if with great pride) identifies.

Item #3 (ID#JA-pre-1): Practically perfect in every way, except of course when parental figure is tired or has a headache, in which case Item's new pet behavior -- loud and incessant screeching whenever item wants something in particular (usually small infant snacks) -- or just wants to hear the sound of her own voice, becomes somewhat difficult. Currently cutting two new teeth, which often makes Item fitful at night. Ms. Sharp Eyes -- if you have lost any minute, dangerous, or merely chokable items that need finding, this is the girl for you. Item can spot that which is completely invisible to the naked eye, crawl toward it with lightning speed and place it in her mouth before parental figure has processed that Item is on the move. Master of the Stairs -- if you'd rather get your exercise vicariously rather than using the StairMaster at the gym, just leave your stairs unguarded for an instant and Item will be half way up in no time(a sure way to get your heart pumping as Item is not yet completely steady on stairs).

SELLER: If interested in the above items, please contact the seller at 1-800-TYRDMOM. Once again, that number is 1-800-TYRDMOM. On second thought, the above items are available for brief rental only, starting immediately.

In Utah with Friends and Family

Abby holding Mark's sister Melissa's two-week-old baby, Rachel. It was so fun to meet her!
Millie playing on the water slide with Melissa's oldest boys Spencer and Jonathan.
Millie in action on the water slide.
Our our dear friends the Southwicks, who now live in Singapore, came to visit for an afternoon in Midway. We love that we have kids the exact same ages and are so happy when the stars align and our Utah/Idaho time coincides! It was so wonderful to see them. Here is a picture of Abby with their Eliza.
Millie and Claire Southwick.
Mark's kind of taken on the role of master mower when we are in Midway (he just loves to ride on the mower) and the kids love to ride with him.
Millie having a quiet chat with Grandpa Ward.

My dear friend Kirsten, who lives in California, also came up to Midway with her three kids to visit. It was so great to see them all and to get caught up! We loved having them come! This a picture of us with Kirsten, Ian, Kate, and Jacob.

Matt's and Sara's Wedding

The three flower girls: Abby, Millie, and my sister Jennifer's Emma.
Millie dancing with Jennifer's David at the reception at the Millcreek Inn.
Abby dancing with my sister Miffy with Jennifer in the background.
Mark and baby Jane.
Millie and her cousin David at the temple.
Matt and Sara at the Bountiful Temple right after Sara received her endowments
Millie and Sara at the temple after the ceremony.
Grandpa Ward holding Jane at the temple after the ceremony.
Abby on the temple grounds after the ceremony.

We had such a wonderful two weeks in Utah while we were there for my brother Matt's wedding and a Ward family reunion in Midway! The girls enjoyed spending time with their cousins and grandparents from both sides of the family and I enjoyed seeing Mark after a separation of three weeks while he's been working in Atlanta. It was a great time to be with family and get caught up with wonderful friends!

The week of the wedding was perfect (notwithstanding the bad luck that seemed to plague me at every turn -- finding that the car battery was dead just as I was about to leave for the temple when Sara went through for her endowments, having my cell phone go on the fritz and not being able to get a replacement for several days, having a spray on tan go terribly awry and being a streaky orange (fortunately it wore off before the wedding :)) -- the list could go on and on!). We loved getting to know Sara and her family better and rejoice in her and Matt's happiness. They are such a fantastic couple!

Goodbye New York, Hello Boston!

The girls with our dear friend Marianne Hopkin and her dog, Micah (oh how Millie loves Micah!)
Abby, Mason Apke, Will Thomas, Millie, Thomas Apke
Millie and Will Thomas
Kids in the Candy Shop

We've finally finished our traipsing up and down the eastern seaboard of the United States for the summer (phew!) and are setting our sights on the West as we get ready to go to Salt Lake City for Uncle Matt's wedding.

We sadly said goodbye to NYC after making visit to Dylan's Candy Bar (a candy store owned by Ralph Lauren's son) for some sweet treats. It was a riot watching the girls pick out what candy they wanted. It was like, well, watching kids in a candy shop! We then made our way to Boston (we won't mention the nightmarish traffic we encountered on I-95!) and had so much fun revisiting old haunts and reconnecting with wonderful friends! It felt so much like home and satisfied the longing I've felt all year for New England. Unfortunately, I was so busy reconnecting with people, I forgot to take a lot of pictures!