We Survived ;-)

Today was Emily's first day of Kindergarten. She woke up great & was super excited about finally getting to go to school and see Miss Douglas again. At meet the teacher night last week she was equally excited & actually cried when we left because she did not want to go. She proudly carried her new pink lunchbox with the monkey on it into school & instructed us on which hallway to take to get to her class.

After we dropped her off we must have looked pretty rough as the principal told us not to worry, that they would take care of her & several other parents were passing us telling us it would be OK. Joel kept commenting that he thought he was still in shock & momma, of course, had a good cry (no surprise there).

We'll all head up later today & pick her up from school to get the full report of how the first day went. I think Joel and I both wish we could be a fly on the wall today. Ah, parenting...seriously the hardest & most painful thing any human can do in life...but also so very worth it.
On the way to drop Joel off at work Jonathan got to see a train up close. Something he has been wanting to see for several weeks now. I snapped this picture of his very happy smile. This boy really loves trains.

Summer Fun

I can hardly believe that there is only 1 week left of our summer before Emily starts school. We've had a fun, relaxing one. Most days were spent playing together at the house, but we did get to go swimming a few times, went to some indoor playgrounds (thank you air conditioning!), had some play dates, and, thanks to grandma, the kids got to go to the zoo on several occasions (the heat & my pregnancy did not mix). Emily also had her first swim lessons earlier in the summer. She loved going to see Mrs. Mary & the one-on-one attention she got. Her favorite parts were doing froggy jumps (pushing off the wall), bugs snakes push-down (learning to swim on her back), using the rainbow kick board, and throwing and practicing swimming to get "diver Dan" (he's pictured below too). She loved it so much that any time we visited a pool or even a water park the rest of the summer she had no interest in using any slides. All she wanted to do was to practice her swimming & blowing her bubbles in the water.

A Photographer, A Matron of Honor & A Flower Girl

My sister got married a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful celebration & lots of fun. Joel was the photographer, I was the (very pregnant) matron of honor, and Emily was one of the flower girls. This was the best family shot we got of the 3 of us that day. Emily LOVED being a flower girl. She got her hair curled at a salon, got to wear a little make-up, wore a very girly dress & got to carry a beautiful flower arrangement. Joel did a great job capturing the day and I love all the pictures. I'd post some here but will wait until the bride & groom have had a chance to see them (as I type they are on their way back from a honeymoon in the Greek islands). I enjoyed getting to be matron of honor & tried to not cry too much as my little sister came down the aisle looking absolutely beautiful. Seriously - she looked like she'd walked off the cover of a bridal magazine - totally gorgeous. It was fun to watch she & my new brother-in-law at the reception too. They both looked so very happy & make such a great couple. I can't believe that I'm about to have my 3rd kiddo & my sister is now a married woman. Time flies so fast these days, but I'm thankful for each fleeting year. I've been so blessed with such a fabulous husband, wonderful kiddos, a loving family & group of friends that feel that way.

VBS 2009

We finished VBS at our church about a week ago. The theme this year was Crocodile Dock - so the decorations were "swampy." Emily had a blast again. Her favorite part was by far singing & dancing to the songs twice each day (check out her big smile in the picture).

I got to be a guide this year for her group. It was fun seeing how the different teachers presented their stories. Jonathan got to be in the nursery each day and do some of the crafts too. He felt like he was a big boy going to VBS each day. We were also able to bring home a CD of the music they used each day so the VBS singing fun can continue at home!

"Smell" the Grass

Jonathan LOVES to watch his daddy mow the grass. At first he called it "smell" the grass. He'd ask me frequently: "Can I watch daddy smell the grass mom?" Now he calls it mowing the grass. It's become a bit of a family ritual now. Every time Joel mows the grass the kids & I go out and sit in the driveway and watch. Tonight Jon took out Emily's stroller & mowed the grass with his dad. It was too cute not to catch on film. Enjoy the pics!

Vacation to San Antonio

We wanted to take one more family trip before the summer got crazy hot & before Harrison baby #3 arrived in the fall. We picked San Antonio - mainly for Sea World. On the way back we stopped by Fossil Rim too. We had a great time and really enjoyed spending uninterrupted time as a family together. Below are some of our favorite pictures from our 3 days away.

Family picture at the hotel when we first arrived

Mariachi music at the table on the River Walk. Emily approves.
One of the kid rides at Sea World. They LOVED it!
We walked by the Dolphin Cove exhibit right as they had feeding time. We got to feed & touch them. This was probably my favorite part of the trip.
The kids had a blast at the hotel pool.
They most loved jumping into the pool repeatedly (with Daddy catching).
This animal tried really hard to lick my face more than once. :-)
We got to hand feed zebras too - how often does that happen??

Short Hair Like Mom

For about the last month Emily has been asking to go get her hair cut "at the store." (I usually just trim it up myself at the house.) Then a few nights ago she was messing with my hair & said "I want to have short hair like yours, mom." She still was asking for short hair the next morning, so I made an appointment for her with my awesome hair stylist, Jennifer. When I told Emily we were going to get her hair cut that day she got a huge grin on her face (dimples showing and all) & said enthusiastically "that will be awesome!!" So here's a before, during & after shot. She was so, so proud to show her daddy her new haircut & when she got home she went to our mirror & just started laughing over & over because she liked it so much. Too, too cute!

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER