Last night we had a really bad thunderstorm.  At some point, both girls ended up in bed with us.  Not really sure how that happened, but here’s proof that it did!

Noelle decided that Shrek and Fiona should sleep with Mommy and Daddy.  It took forever to convince her that ogres like to sleep on hard surfaces.  I won these silly dolls in the claw machine at Spaghetti Warehouse.  If you ever need a cheap stuffed doll, animal, whatever, let me know… I’ll win you one!

Last night Noelle excitedly told me, "Mommy, Barbie and Cinderella are going to be friends!"  I said, "That’s so great!" and went on my way.  Once I came downstairs this is what I saw.  She had matched the two dolls together, found a VS Pink dog for Barbie to ride and had both of their combs laying out in front of them.  I didn’t even realize both dolls were the same size.  Anyway, I thought the whole set-up was pretty clever.  Noelle loves to role play and make up conversations between Barbie and Cinderella, often having to do with riding horses, brushing hair, and being friends.  Too cute!

The house is coming along so well.  We’ve had so many ups and downs, but our builder, Ed French, is seriously a God send.  He’s simply amazing, and I will never stop saying thank you to him and for him.

*If you are wondering what’s up with the white windows, don’t worry.  They are wood windows, and we will be painting them when the time comes.

As a Mom, I’m always wondering what little things I can teach along the way that will help our girls be innately thoughtful and kind.  It’s not hard, but I know I have to commit to being constantly intentional.  I love when I run across tips that are easy to put into practice.  We always say thank you when we leave a party, but I love the part about having Noelle greet the host upon arrival before she gets caught up in the birthday party whirlwind – how thoughtful! 

Manners Matter
"What’s the difference between a polite child and a bratty one? Often, the lessons are absorbed in early childhood. That’s why, even though kids’ birthday parties involve lots of running and shrieking, it’s wise to also insist on some social niceties, like greeting the host upon arrival and saying thank you when it’s time to go home. These customs may seem minor or even too mature for 3-year-olds, but remember, mighty oaks from acorns grow!" Excerpt from Baby Center – My Preschooler This Week

This picture was taken while playing dress-up one day last week.  This is Noelle’s new favorite ensemble – Barbie Thumbelina!  Noelle has been rockin’ and rollin’ this summer – she has been so sweet and kind and funny, and we are so proud, as always!

This precious little girl has reminded us not to take one moment of life for granted.  Although we do not know Kate McRae personally, we daily cry out to God for her as a family.

Three weeks ago she went to the doctor for tremors in her right hand, was sent immediately to the children’s hospital where they discovered a massive tumor on her brain.  She has already had brain surgery and is starting chemo today.

Three weeks ago the McRaes were just like all of us.  Just like us. 

Go to www.prayforkate.com and click on Journal at the top.  Read the entry from Wednesday, July 22 for the most recent update.  It’s devastating, and this little angel needs ALL of our prayers!

Anna Kate is now 4 months old… I seriously can’t believe it!  She began rolling over on June 23rd (3 mos. 1 wk. old) and just this week started rolling from front to back as well.  She plays with rattles and has found her feet.  It’s so cute when she rubs her eyes with her cute little hands when she’s sleepy.  She smiles seriously ALL the time and loves a good chuckle.  She’s amazing and such a special part of our little family.

Way to grow, Anna Kate!

Builder wakes me up to explain why an arch in the entryway won’t work as he’s explaining to a framer how to fix ceiling error above stairs (yikes).

Study plans all morning to prepare for meeting with electrician (walk through the house a thousand times turning on and off lights/plugging things in in my head).

Memo to light fixture guy that we need 4 cans AND light kit in study… still need to pick out guest bath, girls bath light fixtures as well as sconces going up the stairs.

Make sure the sole plate is attached to the slab with anchor bolts (of course our builder is on top of all of this, just need to confirm so I’ll know without a doubt in my mind how he did it).

Get 15 pages of cabinet design prints to proof and approve for Tuesday meeting with cabinet guy before he starts cutting the wood.  Heights, depths, widths, how many, what type of wood, what type of trim, molding, and where…

Note to self – we need eyeball cans in living room and master hallway, go over niche heights one more time, Noelle’s closet door to open to inside, both outlets need to be down in laundry room (changed my mind)…

Look through BMC West magazine and pick out stair components – Newels, metal balusters, base color, handrail, and starting fitting

Obtain EXACT TV dimensions, speaker dimensions, and all the box components for built-in shelves in living room (none of which we have bought yet).  Work with Mike on this until after midnight.

Think of several things I forgot to put on my list from today as I’m feeding Anna Kate, too tired to go write any of them down.  Pray for all this hard work to pay off in the end.

Go to sleep.

Give in and wake up at 5AM to write down said forgot things from yesterday because every time I awakened in the night I was practicing memorization techniques to try to remember everything until morning came so I never really could get to sleep.

It’s not so much peaches and cream right now, but we’ll make it!  :) 

Mike and Noelle went to the Rangers game with Mike’s family Sunday night.  Noelle got to walk on the field as one of her Arlington Library Summer Reading rewards.  It was sprinkling so Mike had to leave the camera at home, but I took a pic of them before they left.  Noelle was SO excited! 

Anna Kate and I spent the evening at church.  It was so sweet!

Check out last week’s progress.  We are working so hard and getting so excited!  

Paparazzi princess!  We let Noelle color the walls every time we go to the new house.  She loves it!  You should see all of the living room studs – they’re pretty colorful!