Sunday, August 28, 2011

Lunch At The Silver Spoon











Kate and I had a lunch date at the new Silver Spoon Express at the Clayton Center the other day while Noah and Rachel were at school. I had been wanting to go try out the cafe for a while and I was glad we did. While we enjoyed our lunch, Kate had fun playing in the fountains (that are just her size), running back and forth to get get a bite to eat and to splash and play. She was so excited to play in the water, it was hard for her to concentrate on eating. She got completely soaked and was happy to be that way.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

It's That Time Again - Soccer Season!




Noah moved up to the U10 division in AYSO Soccer this fall. He will be playing with 9 and 10 year olds this year and next. Even so, if you look closely, he is still the tallest boy out there at 8 and a half years old.... That's our boy! We've only had one meeting and a skills practice so far. The teams are being divided up and we should hear about starting practice soon. Noah is happy to get back into the swing of it. I hope he and his buddy Riley end up on the same team again this season. It was so much fun watching them play together last spring.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Homework




Rachel had her first homework assignment today - she was absolutely thrilled! Funny how exciting homework can be when you are a 5 year old kindergartner. Noah on the other hand has homework everyday now and no longer gets excited about it. He said to me just the other day - "It's real school now mom, not just coloring anymore...". Bless his heart.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Jump! Jump!










The kids got to have a great time in a giant bounce house that Chris and Christina had rented for Chloe's birthday. They all loved bouncing and turning flips and cartwheels. The looks of joy on these kids faces from just jumping! LOVE it! So good to see them all having fun together.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Love This




I love seeing them take care of each other - they totally do take care of each other. He takes care of her and sometimes she takes care of him. Makes me smile. He leads her to the car every day after school and each day, so far, I've seen them hold hands as they make their way to the car...

Saturday, August 06, 2011

Cuteness Personified

...couldn't leave this one out. I don't think she could get much cuter than this.... :)

Rocking Her Baby...



Lots going on with our big kiddos lately and I haven't posted very many pictures of our baby girl. Had to remedy that. I noticed I didn't see or hear Kate for a few minutes the other morning. When I went hunting for her this is what I found. She was rocking a very old doll of mine, 'Egg Baby', and reading her a book. It was about the cutest thing ever. So, so sweet. ... and then later - 'toot-toot' (tutu) girl with her sister's purple boots on... What a ham! Oh, and yes, she did insist on wearing her 'toot-toot' "all day, Mom, all day, k?".

Thursday, August 04, 2011

Happy 11th Birthday Phoebe!!!



Today is Phoebe's 11th birthday - So happy that she is doing so well after all the scares we went through with her last year. She is such a big part of our family. Love her so much!

Rachel's 1st Day of Kindergarten








Rachel had her very first day of Kindergarten today! She was so excited that it was finally time to go - I really didn't think she was going to sleep at all the night before due to excitement, but she went out like a light and slept all night. It was so cute, we read her book "Look Out Kindergarten, Here I come!" the night before (We've been reading it all week!) and she really wanted to take Mrs. Johnson an apple, just like the little mouse in the book. She was patient while I snapped a couple of quick pictures outside and we were on our way! Doug, Kate and I all walked in with her after seeing Noah on his way toward his class. When we first got there she found her cubby and put her bag and lunch bag in. She gave Mrs. Johnson her apple - who was delighted! :) After we said our goodbyes she quickly found a seat at the table with the other girls and began coloring a picture of a bird. Mrs Johnson handed me a rolled up pink paper tied with a red ribbon as we left the room and by the time we were back in the car, I was crying (of course). The pink paper was a poem from Mrs. Johnson. I have included it in the pictures so that I won't forget it. When we picked the kids up I loved how Noah walked her to the car and held her hand - both of them with huge grins on their faces. I cried again on the way home reading and looking at The Kissing Hand project she made me while at school (also included in the pictures). She said they read the book 'The Kissing Hand' and another about the first day of Kindergarten. She told me they colored a bird picture, played outside, had music and gym, ate lunch (in the lunchroom! She was excited about that!), made my kissing hand picture, that she fell off the swing and scraped her knee and made two new friends - Gracie and Allie. She said she had so much fun and that she couldn't wait to go back. She coudln't believe she wasn't going back until Monday - that it was too long to wait. I'm so glad she had such a good day. It makes my heart feel good to know she feels safe, happy and excited to start school. I also loved how for 20 minutes after they got home and were having a snack she and Noah chattered like crazy about her day. The first day of Kindergarten was definitely a success.

Wednesday, August 03, 2011

'Meet The Teacher' @ Kindergarten







Today was 'Meet the Teacher' day for the Kindergarten students at Foothills Elementary. I met with them last night at Kindergarten Orientation, but today was the first time Rachel had met them. She was so, so excited! She was a touch shy, but was happy to meet both Mrs. Johnson and her aide, Mrs. Simerly. After the initial meeting, Mrs. Johnson showed Rachel and some of her friends around the room while I unpacked her supplies and turned in paper work to Mrs. Simerly. The bottom picture shows Rachel's 'Facts About Me' sheet we had to do last night (homework already?!? =). Rachel says she loves her teachers and her room and that she already misses it! She is so excited to start Kindergarten tomorrow! I can't believe my big girl is starting school!!!