Cousins!

We ended summer with a bang! We had lots of cousins to play with. Daxton and Bodie live nearby, and Emrie, Ty, and Ava came home from the summer in North Carolina. It was a happy reunion!

Needed a quiet moment after a crazy dinner so we put the kids in the outdoor playpen and locked the door. :)

Maddie lost her tooth the night before school started! Her sixth tooth for the big six year old.

The girls had a fashion show to decide what to wear on the big first day of school.

Noelle snuck out with the kids when they woke up early and played duck duck goose in the early morning light.

She is so good with them! Later in the afternoon she had them all doing gymnastics.

Another night we had a fun smores roast at Auntie Dana's.
 

We had a fun last summer swim with all the kids. I think it was the last hot day we had!

These three girls are inseparable. They sure love each other!

Grandma bought Tyler a new Mickey Mouse buddy since he borrowed Ty's while they visited. He loves it!

1st Grade!!!

Back to Meadow Elementary we go! School started on Tuesday the 20th, and Maddie got the best teacher in the world, Mrs. Terry! She is also my visiting teacher and just about the sweetest lady on the planet.

After the open house the night before, Maddie was super excited about going back to school. She has her own desk, a lady bug lunchbox, and fun new school clothes. Could life get any better?

Maddie thinks it's pretty great that her classroom has it's own door outside! They line up here to meet Mrs. Terry in the morning. It really pulled at my heart strings to see her being so brave, going to line up with the class even though she didn't know many people and was a little nervous.

Picking her up the first day was the best. She ran at me full throttle and gave me the biggest bear hug ever, and wouldn't let go. She was half excited and proud, and half relieved to see me after a long day. Her grin said it all--it was FUN! Her favorite part was eating lunch with her best friend like the big kids.
 

Little Ella Bella has missed her sister, but we've been pretty distracted by cousins coming to visit. In any case, it's always fun to see Maddie again at the end of the day!

Maddie is also in the 1st grade soccer league for girls this fall. Last year it was co-ed, but this year they divided them up.

 She has gotten some good kicks and likes playing with her friends.

When did this girl grow up? I blinked and she was big.

Before School

We had a few last things to cross off our bucket list before school started. 

We made it to the Tracy Aviary with some friends from our ward. It was so beautiful and entertaining... definitely worth the dollar with our Pass of all Passes.

Maddie's favorite part was the baby owl.

Ella's favorite part were the pink flamingos.

The next item on the list was camping. Since we have a new baby, that is not happening away from home, so we talked Daddy into putting up the tent in the back yard!

They were so excited!

I just have to note how refreshing and rewarding it is to have the yard finished. I mean, it's never really finished, but to be able to use it is amazing!

Well.... let's just say it's a good thing they were close to home because they were in and out of the house all night long.  Maddie went potty around 1 a.m., Ella woke Ty up and he ended up in his crib at about 2 a.m., where he cried for 20 minutes. The girls were in their beds briefly at 5:30 a.m., until Mike caved to their disappointment and tried the tent one more time. Finally, they slept until after 8 a.m. when I woke them up for pancakes.

Do they look plastered? You should have seen Daddy. :) We all took afternoon naps that day.

After naps, we attacked another item on the bucket list and took the kids to Trafalga for the climbing wall. Ella didn't have the right shoes, so she backed out, but Maddie made it to the top many times!
 

I am in denial that summer is over... waah.

Hodge Podge

I am behind on posting the daily happenings of life, which is what I most love to remember... the silly things that the kids think up to entertain themselves, and the little moments I grab on camera so I can savor them later.

Ella is working on reading 50 books during the summer! She loves Bob books from her preschool teacher. She only has 10 more to go!

The same teacher/neighbor also lends Maddie books. She read the whole Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series, and is now getting into American Girls.

Jake continues to be my sweet spot in the craziness of life. Even when everyone else is being naughty or wild or ornery, he is so sweet and yummy! I love having a baby in the house.
  

He is starting to sit up... it is just the cutest!

He is such a fun buddy to have while I'm folding laundry.

Shifting gears a little... I have some fun photos from the past few weeks of having family around.

When my parents were here for the surgery, we roped them into playing Twister with us for FHE.
 

Last weekend we babysat my cute little nephews while their parents went to youth conference. For two days straight these kid just wanted to wear capes and be superheros!

Everyone had a cape and a buddy.

Tyler and Bodie are starting to be friends. Up until now, Tyler has pretty much scared Bodie away with his personal space issues (scratching) but now they are mellowing a little and having fun together.
 

One of our favorite ways to entertain gaggles of children is to play Fox and the Pie. It's always a hit.

We have some cute neighbor kids who my girls usually play with every afternoon. Nothing says summer like sprinklers.

Changing subjects again, I love when my kids use their imaginations to entertain themselves. This doesn't always happen when we are keeping tight schedules, so long summer days are precious around here. My favorite day of the week though is Sunday... it's different than any other day. Because we have late church, don't have anywhere to go (so refreshing!) and don't watch cartoons (I love having a break from tv), the kids just get creative and play with each other!
 

A few weeks ago they were Jake and the Neverland Pirates, with treasure, ships, and blue yarn waves.

Yesterday they decided to be husband and wife and get married. Maddie asked for a mohawk hairdo so she could look like a boy.

You may kiss the bride!

Then they went through my closet and dressed up like "teenagers."

Sunday evenings are relaxing too.  Mike had a meeting but the rest of us just chilled outside. 

Cute kiddos! Mmmm, these pictures just capture their yumminess.

 

I can't believe summer is over in 7 days. I am going to miss this weirdo when she is gone all day long at 1st grade.

These girls are sure silly!