Look out world...

Doesn't she look like she has all the confidence in the world?  I love this shot!

Balancing act...

I always have to try this shot.  You wouldn't believe how many times she dropped the apple.  Ha ha! 

Sweetness...

All ready with some of her favorite books.

Recreation...

We tried to recreate this shot from last year.  I like it, but not nearly as much as last year's...probably because the colors aren't as bright.  Oh well....still a sweet memory. 

For the joy of it...

She is thrilled to return to school!  She told me at the beginning of summer that she never never wanted to miss a day of school (except for Fridays).  When I asked her why she wouldn't mind missing a Friday, she said..."Grammy Day!"  I miss her on Grammy Days too, but at least I will see her once a week on piano lesson days now! And I'm HAPPY that she loves school so much!

Another first...

As usual, we "cheated" and went to the school one day early for these pics.  It's too hectic on the actual first day of school!  This is so the way to go!

Canonball!!!!

 

 

So her new trick this year was to learn to do a canonball.   She went to a couple of swim parties and watched the other kids, which helped her get up the courage.  And by summer's end (after watching Thomas and Jonathan) she was running off the board.  Some peer pressure is actually good, right?

Next up...first day of school pictures...

A for Effort...

This girl is trying SO hard to swim independently.  She does really well for a few strides, but as soon as she needs to take a breath she stops moving and sinks like a rock.  Lol.  NEXT year will be her year to take off!  We are going to make sure she gets enough swim lessons to really swim on her own.

Finally....

Finally having a great time in the pool!  She made great strides this summer!  Too bad our swimming days are coming to an end.  We've had more rain than normal this summer and every time it rains, the pool gets kind of cold.  Our girls don't love swimming in cold water.  lol. 

Toothless...

Well, she lost her other top tooth just in time for first grade.  She was actually at the dentist getting her teeth cleaned and the next thing she knew, she was toothless.  Wow...I always thought the dentist was there to help us SAVE our teeth!  lol

More headshots of H...

Once again, the bottom shot is my favorite...so sweet and very H.  These girls are the light of our lives. Can you tell???

Headshots of H...

I particularly love the bottom shot.  It captures her quiet way so well.  And I so love that missing tooth!

Headshots of A...

On that same super hot day, we also visited our favorite stair well for some headshots.  Love how each shot shows a different facet of her personality.

One final look...

We were fascinated by the very LARGE group of ducks that were all swimming together.  All female mallards.  There were at least 25 (seen to the left of the girls in the distance).  Wonder what that was about.

JUMP!

I stink at action photography, but this was still fun for H.  I really like the joy in this photo, but it looks like she only has one leg.  Ha ha!

And this was her "star jump".  You almost can't tell she's off the ground.  I think I should have crouched down on the ground and shot upward so she would look higher, or so the background behind her feet would have been the creek.  It's hard to tell how far off the ground she is with the dirt/leafy background.  A friend saw this and her immediate response was "The hills are alive with the sound of music!".  HA HA.  I guess it does look a little like that scene. 

Modeling 101...

She looks so grown up here!  (sniff)   Kara thinks this looks like a catalog add for the dress.  lol

Shall we dance?

Neither one of them have had dance lessons, but they love to "dance" anyway. 

Twirl...

Clearly, the best thing about this dress is its twirly skirt!!

Joy...

No words necessary...

Measuring up...

A thinks she is nearly as tall as H...

Sister sequence...

A tells H a secret...

One that made her giggle...

 

 

Or maybe one that embarrassed her...

 

Nope....it was just plain FUNNY!

Sometimes you have to pose...

We took the littles down to the creek at the college a couple of weeks ago.  It was SO HOT!!!  We went in the middle of the day and were dripping with sweat by the time we got home.  But the girls were really cooperative and we got some cute shots.  Jenny bought these coordinating outfits and wanted pics in them.  First, we did a posed shot.  We have to do at least one.  But after that, we let them do their own thing.

WET 2...

And finally, Miss "A" after her swim...looking happy and proud of herself.