It's been too Long

Abby and Daddy on the 30 ft. hay tower

Rory showing off how big she is this Fall

Headed into the corn maze

Rory searching for the perfect pumpkin

Headed back on the hay ride

Abby loved the hay ride

The girls are so proud of their pumpkins

Our Pumpkin Family

Rory was so proud of the sun that she made in Puggles

Abby painting her picture with an apple

Rory getting ready to paint. It's her favorite thing to do at church!!

"Puggles sit so very still,

When they bow their head to pray.

Amen"

(That's the girls' Puggles song that they sing in class each week)

The girls being silly in class

Abby showing off her carrot

Happy Rory

Big Abby smiles

The Puggles class

Miss Amber helping the kiddos make peanut butter bird feeders

We have been busy here lately at the Hanna house. Michael and I joke that we see each other as he runs out the door to work in the morning and as we fall in bed at night (both of us usually asleep before our heads can hit the pillow). The girls keep us busy, busy, busy. Between gymnastics and church, I feel like we never slow down, but it's been great!!

The girls are still super enthusiastic about gymnastics. They start asking about 4 days before gymnastics day if it's time to go or not. They absolutely love it!! One of their teachers came to me a few weeks ago and discussed with me the possibility of splitting the girls into two separate classes. She was concerned that Rory's "larger than life" personality might be overshadowing Abby just a little. I agreed to try it out for a few weeks to see how things went. Michael and I have been amazed at the changes in Abby. She usually relies so much on Rory to take the lead, but this has forced her into a situation where she has to make her own decisions and be her own person, not just Rory's shadow. She has become more outgoing in gymnastics, at home and at church. The teacher spoke to me again here recently and told me that she is so pleased with Abby's progress. She has started taking the lead on some activities and is one of the first to volunteer in new situations. Rory, of course, just wants to be the center of attention no matter who is in the class with her. LOL. I guess this solved the question that Michael and I had about whether or not to put them in the same class once they get to school. Both girls are flourishing in their gymnastics class. It makes me nervous when I see them doing flips, walking on the balance beam and swinging on bars hanging from the ceiling, but the instructors are always there and the girls love every single minute of it. Of course, every piece of furniture in our house has become a gymnastics station, but that's alright. At least they know how to properly fall now. LOL.

The girls are also doing wonderful at church. They go to their Sunday School class on Sunday mornings and to their Puggles class on Wednesday nights. Puggles is a group through the AWANA program at our church that helps kids learn about the Bible and memorize verses. They are both doing so well in both classes. Their teachers compliment them on how much they are able to retain from the lessons and stories. Michael and I love when they come home and teach us the newest songs that they have learned in class. It's amazing to us what vibrant little girls they are becoming. (One of their teachers took the pictures of them in class).

Last weekend, we took the girls to the local Pumpkin Patch with a group from our church. We went last year and the girls loved it so much. They had an even better time this year because they were big enough to participate in more of the activities. While we were there, a local new crew was doing a story on how to pick the perfect pumpkin. They thought the girls were too cute and followed them around for a bit to get some good shots of them picking out pumpkins. They were actually on the news that evening and were so excited to see themselves on tv. LOL. We had such a good time. Both girls loved the cow barrel train, the jumping pillow, the ducky derby races, the "Texas Sized" volleyball, the 75 ft. slides, the hayride, and the pumpkin patch. Abby even took a stab at climbing the 30 ft. hay tower. She took off and Michael had to climb as fast as he could to catch up with her. There's that confidence... LOL. The highlight of the day, however, was picking the pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. Michael and I were so tickled watching Rory and Abby go from pumpkin to pumpkin trying to find the very best one. We were in the patch for a good 30-45 minutes while they made their selections. It was a fun day, but we were all exhausted when we got home that afternoon. The next evening, we sat in the front yard and carved our pumpkins. Michael and I thought that they were too young last year to carve their pumpkins, but we decided to try it this year. We let them pick out the face that they wanted and draw the hair on the pumpkins and then Michael and I did the actual carving. The girls were so excited to have their very own pumpkins!! They go to our front porch every day and say hello to our "punkin family." We plan to take them trick-or-treating on Sunday. They are so much fun this year!!

Michael and I are starting to make some room for baby #3. This last summer, we converted our extra room (which had been used for Michael's office) into a playroom for the girls. Now, we are working to turn that room into a nursery. Nothing like redoing a room twice in the span of a year. LOL. The girls are a little nervous about what is happening to their toy room, but they have really taken the changes so far in stride. We are trying to do a little at a time so that they don't feel like we are just pushing them aside for the new baby. We have also enlisted their help in some things, so they can feel like they are part of the excitement of getting ready for baby, too. There are days that they seem very excited about having a baby brother or sister and then some days not so much. They have a ton of questions, but it's fun to watch them try to figure this whole thing out. One of my favorite questions so far has to be when Abby and I were talking about the baby one night. She said, "Mama, is that baby in your tummy?" I told her, "yes." She got a very confused look on her face and said, "Mama, why'd you eat that baby?" I just about couldn't keep a straight face as we discussed that God put the baby in Mommy's tummy. I didn't eat the baby. I think they are going to love being big sisters!! We will be able to find out in a little less than a month if we are expecting a boy or a girl. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy seems to be flying by. It's amazing!!

Well, I think that's all that's going on right now. Like I said before, we've been so busy here lately that it feels like we are running in circles sometimes. I'll try to do better on my blog posts, but I make no promises.