1st Grade

Corinne had her FIRST day of FIRST grade! She got such a good night of sleep the night before that I had to wake her up around 8am so we could be ready for breakfast and get to the bus on time! We met her teacher the night prior at Open House where we moved in her school supplies and and took a look around her new school and new classroom. That payed off and she went to bed full of energy and nervous excitement. I wasn't sure how the 'morning of' would go, especially since I had to wake her, but to my surprise she woke up excited and not nervous at all. She breezed through breakfast and we had fun walking to the bus stop with neighbors. It was an easy goodbye and away she went! A long 8 hours later she arrived home on the bus and was happy but understandably hungry and tired. Corinne shared her favorite parts of the day at dinner as we always do and hers was 'school' and seeing Mrs. Wasson TWO times at school (her kindergarten teacher from last year who is also now at her new school). I got more details about her day as the afternoon and evening went on, with the biggest chunk at bedtime. All in all, her first day was a big success. We are praying it's a wonderful year with lots more great days ahead! Oh, and I had to take a picture of her lunch box. Not only because eating lunch at school is new for her this year, but also because I'm following in my mom's footsteps and adding a little note to C's lunch box each day. Props to Mimi.

Goodbye Summer Vacation

 With one last day of 'summer' to enjoy before school started for Corinne, we made the most of it. The girls and I went downtown to meet Brett for lunch on Fountain Square and then made a quick visit to his office. After that I gave Corinne the choice of what she wanted to do next and she chose to get ice cream (she comes by it honestly)! Had to share this picture of them as we were finishing up. Oh, and funny that we ran into a neighbor and friend of Corinne's doing exactly the same thing!

Zoo Trip

We've had such mild weather here this summer and recently spent a beautiful Saturday morning at the zoo together. It was such a wonderful morning, however it was not just because of the weather. It struck me how grown up our kids have gotten as we walked the zoo that morning. Walked the zoo. No strollers, no wagon, not even any piggy back rides this time. And it was pleasant, all morning. The top picture kind of says it all. We are in a new season with our kids. It's not smooth sailing, we still have tons of bumps and we're not done with meltdowns. But my. The girls look old to me. They express themselves with words. They do so much on their own. They are fascinating and sometimes still maddening all at the same time. But mostly, I think we are entering an altogether different phase. Here's to three big girls.

MND

We celebrated our friend, Calley, at our most recent Monday Night Dinner. Her family is moving and so we took some time to encourage her in the ways we are thankful for her and we also shared how she has blessed us with her friendship.We will greatly miss her!

Let's Go Fly a Kite...

 

 A brand new park opened near us, with lots of green space and a new concept playground. We went to the grand opening and the girls got to make their own kites! They actually worked really well, too! Only phase 1 of the park is open. We cannot wait to go back and check out the rest very soon.

Brett's Birthday

Brett's birthday was this past weekend and we celebrated with a full day of fun, capped off by dinner at one of our favorite local spots and then birthday cake at home! It was a really good day and we are thankful for Brett. He is awesome at so many things, one of the biggest being loving his family. A true blessing!

Family Camp

Just returned from a week at Family Camp! We played hard and had a blast. Phenomenal teaching, amazing programming for the kids and really fun fellowship with other families! We hosted a quick kick-off at our house the morning we left (group picture above) and then had a great week, complete with theme nights (50's night photo of C, E, S). Corinne loved her counselor (pictured) and we all went to bed exhausted every single night. An exclamation point on our summer!

Surprise!

One of the things we love about our neighborhood is the small community and accessibility to lots of nearby places: church, school, pool, gym, grocery, and our quaint little downtown! This summer we've ridden our bikes to the pool (now that we can all keep up)! But do you seen who we posed for a picture with? Look closely. I feel like this is a daily occurrence.

Aunt Laura Came to Town

Aunt Laura visited us recently and we had a really fun time while she was here! One day we explored a nearby park and stopped for some silly pictures. Corinne showed us her amazing skills on the monkey bars, too! Of course Aunt Laura's visit was too quick...Can't wait until next time!

Summertime Movie

We took advantage of a rainy morning this summer and saw a summer movie! We almost didn't get to meet our friends because it was so packed, but at the last minute they made it and we enjoyed our morning!