Yet another haircut

I promise I don't intend to publish every haircut we get in the family, but part of the reason for this blog is for the purpose of family members to be able to be a part of our lives.

Also this is such a huge change for us. For years and years, our girls hated even the mention of a trim. They gloried in their long hair, no matter how long it took to brush or how wild it tended to be. We were not just the family with all the girls, but the family with all the girls with really long hair. I remember almost begging the girls to get their hair cut because I was tired of spending so much time brushing it. Just a couple of years ago they looked like this:
Now all of a sudden, they all want short hair.

As an ironic aside, we are studying the roaring 20's right now. But I'm sure that has nothing to do with it.

So Brynna's been after me ever since Hailey got her haircut to get hers done as well. We measured and she even had enough to do another locks of love donation. Here we are before:

And after:

She declares she loves it. Now that they are old enough to brush their own hair, they see the the virtues of shorter hair. But it really is cute on her!

Good Help is Hard to Find

The girls do so many of the chores around here that you'd think they'd be used to it. But sometimes they rope some of the other girls into helping them. I guess chopping up broccoli is too hard for one girl to do it, so she has to get the toddler to help her.

Look at this child labor. "Here, Ashlynn, take the broccoli.""Put it in the steamer."

"Yuck, get it off, Kora."

OK, so Ashlynn didn't say that. But she would if she could, I'm sure.

There will be days like this, Mama said.

A few weeks ago, I looked around and realized it was very quiet in my house. It was mid-morning on a school day, and it was eerily quiet. Crickets chirping, almost. When I realized the primary reason it was so quiet I had to take a picture.
Now, I post this, NOT to make you think this is how school always is at my house, just like any public or private school is not always going to be quiet. But because it was such an unusual occurrence, I had to commemorate it on film, er uh, digital images. It just so happened that the older four were all working quietly on their math. If they were wearing matching jumpers, this could be the cover shot of a home school magazine. However, usually, this is the scene:

• Kora's in the kitchen doing a science experiment that involves vinegar, pipe cleaners, a comb, and a 1L plastic bottle. Oh, and a nine volt battery.
  
• Aubrey's upstairs on the computer watching her math lesson on cd, and taking notes.
• Brynna is sitting at the table working away, but erasing every other letter because she spelled incorrectly or wasn't paying attention. She's also probably getting in trouble for tickling someone whose love language is NOT physical touch.
• Hailey's sitting with me on the sofa, doing great on the new sounds she's learning in phonics, but completely forgetting all the short vowels she ever learned.
• Lauryn is trying to convince me that everything toy related downstairs is "boring" and that the only interesting toys are all upstairs (where she is not allowed to go during school time on the theory that toddlers and pre-schoolers are easier to keep track of if they are on the same floor as I am).
• And they all need my help at the same time.
  

And Ashlynn? If she's not stealing papers or pencils off the school table, climbing into one of her sisters lap to "help" them with their math, or climbing on top of the kitchen table she's usually doing this:
I'm seriously thinking about changing my Facebook wall photo to this picture.

Random Cuteness

Photography by Hailey and Brynna Smith

Dancing in the Rain

The other day, something spectacular happened. Something out of this world, hasn't happened in nearly two years kind of spectacular.

It. Rained.

Hard and long. For those of you not in south Texas, I hope you can imagine how parched we all are down here. Then last week, it rained for several days in a row. On Wednesday it rained in fits and starts. Then on Thursday, it started raining about 11:15 and didn't stop for hours. It was heaven.

When it started we all had to go out to the front porch just to watch the spectacle. I'm not sure Lauryn could ever remember rain like this and I know it hadn't rained like this in Ashlynn's lifetime!

First we just watched and marveled.

Then we had to reach out and catch some of this marvelous stuff.

Then there were some tentative dashes under the deluge.

Ashlynn liked it!

Pretty soon we were baby-stepping it onto the steps.

Next thing I know ALL SIX of them we doing this.

And this.

Eventually, Aubrey brought Ashlynn into me shivering. Lauryn came in too, not liking being cold and wet. But Ashlynn rather resented being brought in! I dried her off and stripped her of her wet clothes, and then she cried to be let back outside!

Meanwhile, the older four were doing this.

And this.

I was told later that Hailey was waving wildly to the couple of cars that passed by our house during this time. I half expected to get a call from CPS that afternoon.

But truth be told, I wished I could have gotten out with them in their impromptu recess in the rain (I couldn't because of my cast). I love rainy days, and something about the months of drought made my soul feel as parched as the land around here. And I think the girls will always remember the day they went out and danced in the rain.

I love toddlers.

Really, I do. I think I love the toddler stage even more than the baby stage. They are unbelievable cute as they do ordinary things like run or read a book.
You really get to see their God-given personalities come to life.
The flip side is getting to see their little sin natures come to the fore more and more. Deviousness starts early, doesn't it?

"Life is so hard. You hurt my feelings so much! Boo-hoo-hoo!"

"Wait, are they still watching me?"

Brings back memories

Lauryn and Ashlynn are at an age/size where they are wearing clothing that was made for Kora and Aubrey, in matching sets. Some I made, some were bought as a matching set, some were made by my mother-in-law, such as this set:
I can hardly realize that Kora and Aubrey aren't this size anymore. But the present owners of the wardrobes sure are cute, aren't they?

Hailey's Hobby

Hailey (aged 6.5) has decided to take up photography. Either that or she just likes to play with our camera. She did ask permission, so I let her click away the other day. When I uploaded pictures the other day, I found some interesting subjects. Like our front door, bookshelves, random objects lying around the house, the garden, etc. There were about 100 (give or take about 90) of Brynna. I deleted most of her pictures, but kept a few. I love digital cameras - never in a million years would I have let her take over 60 pictures with film!

Hailey's Gallery

Brynna - being a ham runs in (her father's) family

Didn't know doing dishes was so fascinating.

Don't I look excited? I was grading a math assignment. Notice all the bookshelves behind me? Yep, you might be a homeschooler if...

Way cool Daddy.

There were also about 20 pictures of Ashlynn. No joke.
This one just made me laugh. It's a picture of a doll shoe. No, I have no idea why.

Lauryn Helps Me Make Cookies

And then gets to lick the beater from the mixer. The older girls said she was acting like an Indian warrior - using face paint. You be the judge!

Games

Ashlynn has learned a couple of new tricks lately. Toddlers are so cute! First off is peek-a-boo. Sometimes she gets carried away and covers up her cheeks, mouth, or ears instead of her eyes, but this time she got her eyes. Well, mostly.

Where's Ashlynn?

Peek-a-boo!

And she loves pat-a-cake. I tried and tried to get a picture of her clapping at the beginning, but she usually only does a clap or two and immediately goes into "rolling the dough" which is her favorite part.

Roll the dough,

roll the dough,

pitch it in the pan!

Pictures

Yesterday I took Brynna and Ashlynn to have their pictures taken. I'm only a month behind - their birthdays were in April! Here are some of our favorites: