Neighborhood Park

We have a great neighborhood park only 3 blocks from our house. It sits up on a grassy hill with a beautiful view of the west side of El Paso on one side and the Franklin Mountains on the other. It has nice playground equipment, but the kid's favorite part is playing in the sand. Many evenings after dinner we walk there where it is full of families. Friday night when we went, it was so cool that I had to go back home to get Lillie a jacket. It was hard to believe that we were needing long sleeves in August!

Pigtails

This is the first time Lillie let me put her hair up and left it alone. She has never liked anything in her hair before. I know I need a little practice, but at least it is out of her eyes and face!

Uno, Dos, Tres, Vamanos! (One, Two, Three, Let's Go!)

Here is a video of Lillie counting in Spanish. What's funny is that she can pronounce the numbers better in Spanish than in English!

Future Artist?

Lillie's new love is painting. When I first got them out, I was skeptical of how long she would actually sit and paint because Lillie does not do anything longer than about 30 seconds! To my great surprise, she painted for almost 30 mintues. Now if I could only find other activities that she enjoys so much!

Sometimes using a brush is fun, but...

fingers work much better!

Outside With Lillie

We spend most of our mornings and evenings in our backyard. This is great for me, because there is not a lot to clean up, and great for Lillie. Some of her favorite things are swinging and climbing up the slide, especially when no one is watching! I have a feeling we will be making many ER visits with her!

Say cheese!

There's always room for friends!

First Day of 3rd Grade

On August 11, Connor began third grade at St. Matthew Catholic School. Usually the first day of school makes for a memorable event, especially when starting a new school in a new town, but this year was even more memorable. We arrived back in El Paso from our trip to Corsicana the day before school started. Unfortunately, our air conditioner had gone out while we were out of town. Being a Sunday, it was impossible to get a hold of a repair man. So we packed up, oh wait we were already packed, so we loaded back up in the car and spent the night at an Embassy Suite. Nothing like spending the night in a hotel before the first day of school!

Life-Long Friends

During our trip to Corsicana, Paige and Lauren-Gray drove up to visit. Connor and Lauren-Gray have been friends since before they were one, and they always have so much fun together. Of course it doesn't hurt that they both share a passion for Pokemon!

First Visitors

Only four weeks after arriving in El Paso, my parents flew out for a visit. While they were here, we drove up to La Mesilla, close to Las Cruces, NM. It is a beautiful drive lined with wineries and pecan farms. For all you history buffs, La Mesilla is where Billy the Kid was tried, imprisoned, and then escaped. It has a great town square with neat shops and wonderful food!

Home Sweet Home (Or should I say, "Casa Dulce Casa")

We are finally all settled in to our new home in El Paso and loving it! If you are anything like me, it's nice to be able to picture the place that someone lives. That is why I posted a picture of the front of our house and part of our backyard, where we spend most of our time. The weather is great, which makes for lots of trips to the park and lots of meals outside. It couldn't be any better for Lillie who would live outside if given the opportunity! We love to have company, so anytime you feel the urge to head out west we'll be here!