So this picture of Ellie may seem silly but her expression of grit and determinedness really show the true nature of Ellie. She is a stubborn little sweetheart that likes to do things by herself and in her own way!!

Olivia will now pose for me! I love it! She is wearing one of Lexie or Alysa's prom dresses and had fun getting all dolled up.

Olivia and Ellie at the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery.

So the first three pictures are post surgery and the last three are before the surgery! I knew the the computer would do that! ugh! Well, she was very brave! She kept saying my voice is different. mommy take out my IV.

Well we have one more glorious month of summer left. July was a busy month for us. My sister Anne and her family came to visit for a week of swimming, camping and lazing around watching the Office. We also had fun firework display from our own backyard compliments of the neighbors by the lake and Jaron and Jay. No one was seriously injured although I do believe Sean stepped on some hot sparks. ouch!!

Then, Olivia had her tonsils and adenoids out with a small frenuloplasty. look it up y'all! just kidding. she had a short frenulum and it was clipped and stitched. Everything went very well. I accidentally gave her a little apple juice in the morning despite reading the instructions over and over and getting a Master's degree. unfortunately nothing prevents stupidity and absentmindedness.....so we had a wait a couple of extra hours at the surgery center. Olivia was a little sad after the procedure so I held her in her hospital bed for a few hours....ate some Popsicles....slept some more...ate applesauce and then we were able to go home. She is great now and absolutely SNORE-FREE!! yay! the girl could hardly breathe before her surgery while she was asleep.

Our garden has done very well this year. We harvested a lot of corn, tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, zucchini, a little crookneck squash and finally Cantaloupe!!! yummy. I love gardening. It shows me the bounty and greatness of God in each little seed.

We also gave Annabelle away. We got her a week after we got Maggie and it was just too hard trying to train two puppies at once. A nice lady adopted her yesterday and so far I am very relieved although Olivia and Ellie miss her!!

Nose Crinkle

Okay Emily, here is a picture of Ellie singing "5 Little Ducks go quack, quack, quack!" with her characteristic nose crinkle. The girl is hilarious. We've been swimming outside a lot!

Jaron and Susan took the girls for a hike one day while I rested. Susan apparently carried Ellie the whole way down the mountain like this on her back. Olivia was hitching a ride in the Kelty. I love this pic. of Livvie carrying the water. What a trooper!!

Our newest addition to the family is Maggie Lou. The girls adore her. She is a springer spaniel with a bit of beagle mix added in. She is so sweet! We actually brought her sister Annabelle home a week ago and will post her pictures next!! Also our garden is growing. This is 2 weeks ago and it has pretty much doubled!