Happy Halloween... Happy Thanksgiving... Merry Christmas...Happy New Year... Happy Valentine's Day... and Now Happy St. Patricks Day

Wow! It has been a while since I posted some pics. The girls have definitely kept us busy between school, soccer, piano... Mommy with stuff at church, EdMoms, helping in the girls school, and Daddy with work and his many duties, weekend and weeknight responsibilities - we have not been able to post like we want to. But it is a new year - 2011! We will start to post pics again and keep you updated on the lives of our angels. For those who are reading this, thank you for your patience and check back. New pics are coming!!

Our last Big Girl

It is finally over - the days of diapers!!! Caitlin is officially out of diapers. It took two days of constant reminding to go potty - and the girls had it down. I must say, it was the easiest potty training I have ever dealt with (not that I have dealt with much). She does number one and two in the potty and is staying dry throughout the night so when her last pullup has been used, the waterproof mattress covers go on, and she is all underwear!! I love this girl - she is so independent. Now she wants to go to school but thanks to California, the cut off date for kindergarten is moving back from December 5 to September 1 so it will be a whole nother 3 years!!! (Yeah - I know her birthday falls after December 5 but only by a month - I was really hoping to push her in as she will be so ready. If it wasn't for writing and knowing all her letters and numbers, she is ready now - mainly socially!) For her reward for being diaper free - we went to the zoo and as she continues to do good (for a whole month), we will be going to Great America at the end of September. She is so excited for that!!

So babies are done in the McDaniel household but we do have a little baby niece on the way - congratulations Auntie Melissa!! February will be here before we know it and another little beautiful girl will be in the family.

US Soccer - Watch Out!!

Delilah decided she wanted to do soccer this year. Although not the most coordinated, she has proven herself with determination. The first two games, she has played goalie (as well as out on the field). The first game, she stopped a couple of attempts. The first time she stopped one, she got so excited that she turned into rugby gear and took the ball and kept running. :-) The next game, she learned her lesson with that and did a good job throwing the ball out and not leaving the box but when she wasn't playing goalie - she forgot that she wasn't. There was a chance for her to have possibly scored a goal, but instead of kicking it - she picked up the ball. I can definitely say, she keeps it lively for us!! We are proud of our lil' soccer player and her dedication and determination to learn a new sport. Maybe next year we will get Mikayla out there - but for right now, she is enjoying learning to play piano and cheering Delilah on from the sidelines.

Our 1st Graders

I can't believe our oldest daughters are finally first graders. Wow!!! They had a good first day of school... had the same teacher... and 8 of the same classmates as they moved into first and got a whole new 10 kindergarteners. They are loving being the older kids in class and being able to help out the younger ones. We haven't decided yet, and won't do it for some time, but this may be their last year together - or maybe not. As of right now, it doesn't cause a problem with them being together. They each have their own friends and do their own thing and don't talk much in class so we will see.

Delilah Bungee Jumping

During our trip to Six Flags, Delilah wanted to do the skycoaster.... Michael videotaped us doing it and Delilah laughed the entire time and afterwards said she wanted to do it again! What do we have in store for us??? An adrenaline junkie. It was a blast though however, I must say it is not as much fun doing it with my 6 1/2 year old daughter just thinking if something happens - it will happen to her too.

Our Summer Trip to Colorado

We made a trip out to visit my aunt and uncle in Palmer Lake, Colorado. It was a long drive but the girls did wonderful. On the way out there, we stopped in Utah for two nights. During the full day that we were there, we went to the dinosaur museum. The girls loved it and really enjoyed seeing the dinosaurs they did reports on this past year at school. The next day, we drove through Wyoming and down to Colorado. We stayed at Aunt Dee Dee and Uncle Hugh's house and they showed us a wonderful time in Colorado. We went to the Garden of Gods and hiked there (as much hiking as one can do with a 2 1/2 year old); the next day we met Aunt Dee Dee and Uncle Hugh's grandsons and went with them to the Cheyenne Mountain zoo and the girls got to feed the giraffes and we took a ski lift ride to the top of the hill; girls got a treat going to American Girl store - very overwhelming with so many dolls and accessories but the girls loved it; went to Focus On The Family that has a huge 75 foot slide and a whole area for the girls to play in that had Adventures of Odyssey stuff to dress up in (as well as the Narnia wardrobe); drove around the campus of the Air Force Academy. We had a lot of fun spending time with them and Colorado is as beautiful as I remember. Now lets see if we can get Michael out during the winter!!

Our drive back was a quick one - only one night stay in Utah and then off we went to get back home as soon as possible. It is always nice to go on vacation but so nice to be back home!!

One thing we were reminded about during this trip that we want to share the three key ingredients to a wonderful life: First - God; Second - Family; and Third - Friends.