What an exciting and busy week it’s been! Monday and Friday were the only days that I didn’t have something to attend. Mike was wonderful about seeing to the girls’ needs on the few nights that were for my enjoyment only. On Tuesday and Thursday I had church events. The girls got to go with me on Tuesday and had lots of fun playing in the nursery and then eventually running around the gym (screaming on several occasions).

Wednesday night was a girls’ night out for the wives. Trang and Leah came up with the idea to get together each month for a night out on the town. This month we went to a restaurant called Grapeseed per Trang’s choosing. Six women were able to come. It was great to get out of the house without kids or husband to just gab and eat good food all night. Most of us ordered Filet Mignon–it was delish. Then we shared 3 desserts. Super delish! Trang and I drove together in her car, and I was suprised to find myself getting into my own vehicle at about 11 p.m. Time flies!

Saturday was a day to never forget. Our family was invited to spend a few hours at the Embassy of Japan for a BBQ. Apparently, the entire dental command is invited each year because there are a few Japanese students attending the dental school there. Matt and Trage were the only other people that we really knew. Sushi, shrimp tempura, lots of stuff stir-fried in teriyaki, meat that melts like butter in your mouth were just some of the foods served. The girls were somewhat willing to try much of what was shoved into their mouths. One mishap led to us receiving a free kimono. The girls were “fishing” out water yo-yo’s from a flexible kiddie pool. Not realizing this, Mimi folded part of the edge resulting in an eighth of the pool’s contents dumping onto her. She was soaked but kept on playing like nothing happened. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed our experience at the Japanese Ambassador’s home. You can view pictures of the event on our memories page under “Japanese BBQ”.

Not much different with us or the girls. Mimi is still growing her vocabulary and seems to remember every new word she learns. A cute thing we’ve noticed her doing is when she’s asked where an object is located. She will respond with a long-winded “Ummmm!” So sweet. Annie’s not quite grasping the concept of knock-knock jokes. For example, here’s a recent coversation between Annie and me:

Annie: Knock, knock!
Me: Who’s there?
Annie: A chicken with silly ears (or something like this).
Me: (confused but willing to play along) A chicken with silly ears who?
Annie: Tomatoes are ewww!
Me: Uh, okay.

With much reluctance and research, we decided to enroll Annie into preschool. Mike and I debated (heavily) whether it was necessary and affordable. After several hysterical fits for not wanting to attend the YMCA anymore and the 100th bite to Mimi, I decided that Annie (and Mimi and me) needs a change around here. Annie will only attend two days a week for half a day. She was so ecstatic about it once we told her. The grocery bagger, shoe salesman, clothing retail salesperson, all our local friends, anyone who has seen Annie since last Wednesday is now fully aware of Annie’s enrollment into school. Annie makes sure to tell everyone about her school and the school bus that she’ll get ride. Unfortunately, for Annie, there is no school bus for her to ride. I hope that that doesn’t shatter her vision of what school is supposed to be like. This weekend I bought all of Annie’s school “supplies” including a Dora backpack. That thing has not left her back (well, not literally) since we purchased it. So yesterday was her official first day. I don’t think much ground was covered (unless you count the playground, then yes), but Annie still seemed to love it. She didn’t want to leave when I came to get her at noon. Miss Lynn, Annie’s teacher, said that it would be okay to let Annie and Mimi stay for a bit on the playground. When we finally were on our way to leave Annie asked about her backpack which I intended on just keeping at the school with all her supplies in it. Oh no, this was not going to work for Annie. I guess I’ll have to find an un-cute bag to keep at school in order to avoid that situation again. This evening Annie was already asking when she gets to go to school again. I hope this doesn’t mean that all we’ll hear about is school until next Tuesday. Aaaahhh!

Traditionally, I am not one who rushes to repair items that break in our house. However, how can I not hurry to patch up Mimi’s toy stroller when she hands me the wheel (that always falls off) and demands, “Fix!” Mimi’s vocabulary has exploded in the past few weeks. She pretty much repeats everything we say. At bedtime I usually sing each of the girls a song. For Mimi, it’s “I am a Child of God” and for Annie, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. Mimi has gotten into the habit of saying the last word of each line while I sing the songs. It’s so adorable! She is still showing curiosity about the toilet, so I’ve been sitting her on it as often as I can. However, Mimi’s toilet curiosity made her do something very naughty today; she dunked her dolly into it. Of course, she did this right as we were getting ready to leave for Annie’s first day of school. Nerves were frantic, so I was not happy about the event. “Baby” got placed onto the counter for a later examination. Mimi was relentless about getting her baby back each time she saw her lying up there. As you can see, I jumped on the clogs bandwagon. I couldn’t not get the pink Hello Kitty clogs at Payless for the girls. They are so cheaply made and will probably fall apart within the next few weeks. Glad I got a few snaps of the girls wearing them. Look at that picture of Mimi. This is the best photo I can get of that child. She will not smile, laugh, or do anything that makes her look happy while I’m holding my camera. Mike thinks it’s just the age. I hope so! I swear that I do take as many pictures of her as I do of Annie and that Mimi is a cheerful child. The next chance I get I plan to post the September 2006 album for the girls. I also have another little something that I’ve made for the girls that I want to post about soon.

Life is slowing down around here now that Labor Day is over. Mike got a 3.25-day weekend off for the holiday. On Saturday Mike got to try out his cake decorating skills again for Leah’s birthday party. He put dots along the side of the cake, and Annie kept requesting a piece with a purple dot. The things kids think of. For Labor Day, we went to a BBQ at Mr. Matt and Miss Trang’s house. We got our first taste of fish tacos. Yum!

Have a great weekend!