The Smartest Kids Ever

Here are a couple videos of the kids' reading progress. I'm so proud of them! Sam is doing really well sounding out his words and putting things together. Evie can't seem to squish the words together yet but she is sounding out all her letters. At this rate she will be reading at a much younger age than Sam did. It is amazing how much she absorbs when I'm working with Sam.

Anniversary and Evie's Birthday

Our 14th anniversary was September 21st. I can hardly believe it has been that long. Dwayne took the day off and we enjoyed the day as a family. We decided to drive out to a mall in Denver that I knew had a Build-A-Bear workshop and let the kids build their own new teddy bears. They both had a great time and the new bears are quite treasured in the house. On our way home we decided to drive by the shelter and see what was available for kitties. I've been itching for a new cat since my Bubba died a year ago. The kittens we had in Washington didn't work out and since we had them such a short period of time, I kind of feel like they didn't count. LOL. So, of course, we found a cat that seemed to tolerate the antics of my two small children well and she has the most unusual coloring I have every seen. Dwayne let me take her home as his anniversary present to me. She looks like an orange tabby that has been sitting under dripping oil or ink. The shelter had called her Leopard but we decided that Cheetah fit her looks and coloring better. She has adapted to our home well and we haven't had any behavioral issues with her. Whoever had lost her is really missing out on a wonderful animal. But their loss is our gain.

These pictured just don't do her coloring justice but you get the idea. She also has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. They aren't the typical gold or green that most cats have. They are an actual copper/orange color. Sooo pretty.

Later that week, Dwayne's aunt and uncle were in the area visiting some relatives and they decided to drop by for a couple of hours and have lunch with us.

Evie's 3rd birthday was on the 28th. I can hardly believe she is 3 already. We still haven't made good friends with many people yet so we just had a small party at home. We have gotten to know our neighbor really well and she has two kids right about the same age so they came over to help us celebrate. It was a Disney princess theme.

Grandma Mary sent some money for her so we took her to the store to pick out her presents herself. She wanted a Tiara and wore it for 3 days straight. I think it is her new favorite item to wear. She also picked out a Tinkerbell doll from money Auntie Melody sent.

Dwayne and I bought her a doll stoller which she loves to push all her stuffed animals around in. I'm glad she still finds a use for it considering she voluntarily gave up all her dolls to Goodwill a few days earlier. LOL. We also recieved some money from Grandma Dianne and a couple of days later let her pick out another present. This time she wanted a buzz lightyear action figure and we used the rest to get her a few clothes. Even though it was small and sweet, she had a wonderful birthday and we want to say thanks to everyone who sent her a little something or sent us birthday wishes. We really appreciate it and miss you!