January Date Night

 Earlier this week, Kaitlin offered to keep the girls so Brent and I could go on Date Night for January. I didn't tell them until just before we went, so they would be surprised. They were definitely excited to go see Kay Kay, Mrs. Debbie and Mr. Tom for a visit. Rachel wanted to get a picture with us before we left to go eat.
We headed to eat at Foothill Mama's, where we always share the BBQ plate. I left the camera with Kay Kay, who got pictures of all the fun for me.

 They played "Buggies" as they call this game and had some relaxing time too.

 Rachel and Mrs. Debbie took turns reading books also.

 

I know our kids say funny things and Rachel and Bekah both had something funny for me on this day.

Rachel: "Mom, what will you and Dad go do on your date"

Me: " I think we will go get something to eat"

Rachel (very seriously): "Mom, it is going to be Very quiet when you and Dad are sitting there by yourselves

Me: Yes, Rachel, I am sure it will be!!

It was very quiet compared to our usual meals, but Brent and I had a great time talking to each other, planning for the spring and of course, talking about the girls a bit too.

Bekah's one liner was quite funny too! We had given all the girls hugs and said we would be back soon. We turned to go out the door at the Dorey's house and Bekah yells out "They are going on a field trip"

SO funny!

Thanks Dorey Family for taking such good care of our girls and giving their parents a much enjoyed Date Night. The girls had a great time,as always!

First Foods

 Over the past weeks, Bethany has moved beyond just cereal and we have begun adding some first foods. So far, she has tried green beans, carrots and sweet potatoes. We have started all the girls with baby food vegetables first and so far, they have all been very good eaters. They will try most food (at least a bite or two) and generally like most things.
 A few things we have learned about Bethany's tastes already. Sweet potatoes seem to be her favorite so far. Yay, I finally got my little one who likes sweet potatoes. Rachel, Bekah and their Daddy are not the biggest fans of them.

 Some foods she likes more than others, as you can see here...

 and she definitely likes to hold her own spoon

 Her sisters wanted to try feeding her with help from Mom also

 She gave them the biggest smiles when they gave her a few bites. It was just precious!

                                          Here is our big girl enjoying some of her yummy first foods, carrots in this case.                                                       

Dentist Day

 I wasn't planning to post about our 6 month dental checkups but two things happened that were so cute that I decided I would. Last Tuesday, I got the phone call reminder that we had dental checkups the next afternoon (good thing too because I had completely forgotten!). I told Rachel, who goes running into the next room to tell Bekah "Hey Bekah, we have to go to the dentist tomorrow." To which Bekah comes running back into the next room to me saying "Mommy, will you sit in the (dentist) chair with me?"
We arrive at the dentist the next afternoon and they call us back and ask who wants to go first. Yep...Rachel stands up and says "I will go first." Then I said "Do you want Mommy or Daddy to go back with you? She replies "No, Mommy, I am fine" and off she goes (They did leave the door open so we could see her).  She enjoyed every minute of getting her teeth cleaned as usual and again no cavities! Maybe she is going to take after her Aunt Brittany and go into dentistry!

 So Rachel finishes and we decide Bekah will go next. I am getting Bethany settled with Brent so I can go back with Bekah and I hear "I will sit with you, Bekah." Sure enough, I make it into the cleaning area and this is what I find: Little sister sitting on Big sister's lap. I sat in the chair nearby and this is how Bekah got her teeth cleaned!!

I love this picture where you can see both of their little heads. Bekah actually opened her mouth to get her teeth brushed, and not just counted this time, with Rachel's encouragement too. Again no cavities!
Though there are times they may fuss or disagree, we are so blessed by how much these sisters love and help each other. I was so proud of Rachel for helping Bekah like she did and proud of Bekah for being brave and letting Rachel show her everything would be fine. I pray they all three will continue to always be each other's best friends and encourage each other!

Birthday Bowling

                                     

 On Saturday, we celebrated Rachel's birthday up in Staunton. Usually we do her party on Sunday afternoon but this year Saturday worked better. Then, we started talking about what kind of party, especially in January with it being as cold as it has been here recently. We kept talking, and one day she said,  "I really like bowling!" We called the bowling alley in Staunton and got everything set up. She was SO excited!

 We started with pizza and cake at the beginning of the party. Then the bowling began!

 

             Here are a few pictures of some of her friends bowling too. I missed a picture of it but the car video games were a big hit too, Most of the kids would go pretend to "drive" the cars and then run back to bowl when it was their turn.             

 Here we are with the birthday girl.

 
 Here is most of the group. A few hadn't arrived yet and a few didn't make it in the picture.
Thank you so much to everyone who came to celebrate Rachel's birthday with us!  She had so much fun!

Bethany's Milestones

                                               
 Today Bethany turns 6 months old!!! We can't believe she is already halfway to turning ONE! We have had such fun celebrating her and her "Half-Birthday" today!
 She is precious and grows more interactive with all of us every day. She has grown so much in what she is doing between 5 and 6 months. She has had several new milestones over the past couple of weeks.One of the biggest has been her move up to the big girl room and her crib. This past week, her daddy got the crib all adjusted and she has moved from the baby bed to the crib.

 Here she is trying out the crib before bed. Then we snuck back up after she went to sleep the first night and got a picture of her in the big girl crib. Her sisters are loving having her in with them now. I can hear them talking to her at night after they are all tucked in.

 

She has been trying out the exersaucer some and is looking forward to the new jumper she got for Christmas.

 

 

 The other big milestone was her first cereal. She wasn't sure what she thought of it at first but she warmed up to it pretty well. She is a very neat eater too!

 Here is the birthday girl from yesterday holding a candle for her sister, so we could sing "Happy Half-Birthday" to her. Rachel loves it that her birthday and Bethany's half-birthday are only one day apart. She and Bekah have been singing Happy Half-Birthday to her all day!

Happy 6 Month Birthday, Bethany Joy! You are our joyful blessing and we love you so very much!

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

It doesn't seem possible that Rachel is 6 years old today!! We are blessed to have her as our precious first born! Brent and I have been reminiscing all week about how quickly she arrived (one hour at the hospital) and how exciting her arrival was. She has been a bundle of fun and excitement ever since too!

Reading the Bible for the children's message at church the day before her birthday

 After work tonight, we had her birthday family supper. She got to pick the menu (cheese ravioli, garlic cheese bread and CAKE!) She and Bekah also dressed up and she got to pick their outfits, which she loved doing.

 Happy Birthday to our amazing,beautiful, charming, dramatic, exciting, fun, giggly, happy, interesting, joyful, kind, loving,, marvelous, (sometimes) noisy, original, peppy, quality, racing, smiling, tenacious, uplifting, vivacious, wonderful, eXcellent, young, zany SIX year old!!

We love You So Much and we are very proud of you! Happy Birthday!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

 We started our time with Brent's family with lunch at Jason and Brittany's house. 

The big girls fed the ducks in the lake behind Jason and Brittany's house and played with Nana and Papa

 Bethany was fascinated by Uncle Jason and Aunt Brittany's Christmas tree

 Later in the afternoon, all the guys and Rachel and Bekah headed outside for some basketball

 and chalk fun, while Nana, the aunts, Bethany and I did a little shopping.

 Once we arrived at Nana's house, the big girls spent a lot of time in their favorite spot in front of the nativity.

,

 We had official McGuirt Christmas lasagna.

 
 The big girls were ready to ring in the New Year all evening as we opened our Christmas presents.

 Here it is: the first picture we took in 2015!! All three girls were awake at midnight as we rang in the New Year!

Happy First New Year, Bethany Joy!

 Happy and Blessed New Year from our family to yours!

 The next day we had a family get-together with both sides of the family to celebrate Rachel's birthday since we were visiting in NC very close to her actual birthday this year. Thank you to all the extended family who came by to see us while we were in NC and to celebrate Rachel's birthday with us. We love you all!

It was a blessing to be able to share time with all our family in North Carolina this past week. We love each of you and are thankful for your support, prayers, and love!