First Day of Preschool

Jason and his buddies did great today--no tears, and they were so excited to tell us about their day on the way home. Highlights from the day included play-dough, apples and rice krispie treats, and trading silly bandz with his mentor, Jacob.

Memories...

Our family was looking at old videos tonight and my heart was so full, yet sad when I watched my babies. Can't believe how big they're getting. My youngest, Jason--now 4--is having his first day of preschool tomorrow morning. This is hitting me harder than most transitions. I am NOT ready for him to grow up yet! Thought I'd post a video of him a couple years ago so you could remember how incredibly cute his was (and still is)!

Apples, nephew and puppy love

My sweet 2 year-old nephew James came with grandma (my mom) this week to spend a few days at our house. His mommy is about to have her 2nd baby and was a little worn out from chasing her busy boy, so we jumped at the chance to spend some quality time with him. My immediate family--dad, mom, siblings, and their kids is 27, going on 28 people, so pretty much whenever we spend time with family it's chaos (really fun chaos), and hardly any alone time with any one child. We had a BLAST with this little guy! Jason and James became best buddies and followed each other all around the house. The weather was perfect, so we spent lots of time out in the backyard. And...our neighbor gave us tons and tons of bruised but deliciously sweet apples that needed to be used up--3 boxes in all. My mama brought her nifty applesauce press, and we were in business! We had tons of help from James and Jason--I couldn't count how many apples had bites out of them by the time they were washed and ready to quarter! And, of course, water was all over the floor, but it sure kept them entertained! Every once in a while, I have the thought that I should've been a pioneer woman.
We washed and cut and cooked apples for hours, but the end result was delicious! Just like I remember from my childhood. I knew there was a reason I don't like store-bought, jarred applesauce. It really doesn't compare! Not sure it was worth all the work for how much applesauce we ended up with, but it was great fun to work with my sweet Mom and let the kids be a part of it!






Love this one of James and our puppy Jake playing tug-of-war! I think he needs a puppy! Isn't Jake the cutest thing ever? Wish I could get him completely potty trained so I could trust him in the house!

Like father, like son

We spent the weekend at Rob's parents' house, and my mother-in-law showed me this picture of little Robbie. I took a double take--doesn't he look so much like Jason?
Speaking of Jason, my baby turned 4 yesterday! He is such a delight--seriously, my heart melts every time I look at him. We're having a blast spending our days together while the big kids are at school--and I'm soo glad he has a September birthday so we still have 2 years till kindergarten! There's no way I could part with him in just one more year.

Here's Sarah with her grandpa--he and my mom were such a big help at the party, and the kids all warmed up to them like they were their own grandparents!

My budding artist

Sarah's latest drawing...she worked on this for at least an hour today, and I think it's adorable! I did help her a little bit, but it's mostly her creation. You can't see the cute little flower tattoo on the bottom of her leg. I guess this is a Clifford-size dog--quite a bit bigger than the trees--love it!

School time

Sarah had some fun times the few days before school started. One of her classmates had a spa birthday party--the 6 year olds each got a manicure, pedicure, and an updo. Here she is with her good friend Emma playing princesses after the party!
The day before school started, we decided to let Sarah get her ears pierced. She almost had us convinced around Christmas time, but when she heard how they did it, she decided that she'd NEVER get them pierced. Well, last weekend our good friend Heather came to visit with her not even 2 year old girl who had her ears pierced. Sarah decided that she could sure be brave if KJ could! Not a single tear--and lots of smiles! She's so proud of them, and is doing a great job cleaning them 3 times a day!
First day of school--3rd and 1st grades--super excited faces!
And Jas and I have had lots of QUIET and fun times together since the big kids left. I'm loving having some preschool times at home with him the past couple mornings. Here is his adorable cat that he drew today--he's incredibly proud of it!
...and look how his cute little tongue sticks out when he's concentrating!
And last, but not least--you gotta see how excited Jake and his sister get every time they see us! They go nuts! Love these puppies!

Summer fun

I took the kids to the county fair with some college friends..they loved being so close to all the animals--so sad that these outdoorsy kids don't have a farm to regularly go to!
Here they are staring at the llama while he's getting a bath. He was a filthy thing, but very sweet!
...our growing Jake--he has added so much to our family! I'm convinced we have the best dog on the planet, and find myself wanting to brag about him like I want to about my kids. Who would have thought that I would be a dog lover??? Crazy!

Isn't he the cutest thing EVER, though?

Mr. Bug Lover in bug paradise-outside of my sister's wedding rehearsal dinner--he was beside himself with excitement!
My sister got married last weekend to a great guy! I wish I had more pictures of how gorgeous she looked--but alas, I didn't take a single one--stole this one from your blog, Em! Sooo happy for the 2 of them!
Jas and his 2 neighborhood friends had a craft time and made these crowns...adorable!

Sarah had a fun playdate with her best friend Noah this week--they had it all planned out--made sure he brought his cup with his name on it. They're counting down the years till they can get married--we told them they need to wait till they're at least 21, and no kissing till their wedding day! :)