I have big kiddos now 
Beauty is in 2nd grade.
C is in 4th grade.
Yikes they will be in middle school before I know it!
Archive: ‘Indy’
Back to School 2012
Back to School– 1st and 3rd Grade
Oh my I have kids…not babies, not toddlers, not preschoolers but KIDS.
Big lunch packing, bus riding, homework doing, all day school kids.
Willow- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
I am in love…with my new puppy Willow. She is so lovey-dovey and just yearns to be cuddled. She is BEAUTIFUL..seriously every where we go people ohh and ahh all over her. She is sweet with the kids but also really likes to play. She already has great manners and hasn’t even barked once outside in the yard.
I couldn’t help myself and had to do a few formal portraits of her!
And a few more casual
And this is how she sleeps… couldn’t you just die–seriously its hard to keep our hands off of her. Lucky for us the more attention she gets the better – as far as she is concerned!
Betsy Ross–American Flag Cake
Look at those droopy little eyes–we are so not morning people. We get up early but are not functional till after 8:30am …
This photo was taken before school on the morning of C’s big Betsy Ross presentation. They all had to choose a famous American to research and do a speech about. C choose Betsy Ross because well…she must be his great great great great grandmother of course.. after-all we have the same last name. It made him really excited to do the research so I went along with his assumption. He had to bring a prop for his presentation and I suggested that I could help him sew his own flag, but like most boys and men it was only a good prop if it included food C mixed the cake batter himself (spice cake, his pick) I baked it and he rolled out and cut the fondant himself. I did the assembly (icing the cake with cream cheese frosting then applying the fondant).
There were lots of oohs and aahs from his classmates and C had a big proud grin on his face..totally worth it!
Oh yeah his speech was great too. I was very proud of him. The video is hard to hear. All the kids were were stationed around the room and the parents rotated from student to student. All those speeches going on at once made for tough video recording, but the bit at the beginning where he reveals his cake needs no audio …the look on his face was amazing!
iPod picture of C’s Betsy Ross portrait out in the hall on the second grade timeline:
One more cake pic
2nd Grade—First Day Of School
Maybe it is the former school teacher in me, but I LIVE for first day of school pictures.
They are so fun, the kids are excited. I am excited.
The new year is full of promise!
I love to look back at the year before and think how grown up they looked to me then, and how little they look to me now.
C was the only one off today, Beauty doesn’t start Kindergarten till Friday.
I was proud of how independent he seemed, excited but not scared of what was waiting for him in 2nd Grade.
Our Family Through the Eyes of a First Grader
Translation for those of you who don’t read First Grader:
My family it is cool and my dad is awesome. My mom is nice. My sister is sweet. We hang out.
Sums us right up I think
Little Ghouls
Every year my neighborhood starts Booing each-other. It is like a Halloween version of secret Santa.
Neighbors make up little gift baskets/buckets of Halloween treats and leave them on each-others doorsteps.
You leave a little Boo sign for them to post on their door so that others know they have been Booed. And another note asking them to do it for two other neighbors in the next couple of days.
It is fun to see all the signs on your neighbors doors as you go trick or treating on Halloween. It also spreads good will as you are not sure which neighbor went out and did something for you.
My kids squealed with delight as they found our Boo basket this week.
It was full of goodies, but my favorites had to be the wax lips! They were too funny.
I think my little ghouls looked great!
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Soccer Stud
My little soccer stud has been a bit….spacey?….this season.
Watching other teams and girls pass by instead of getting after the ball at the game.
But this Tuesday night he had an awesome practice and was back to his ball attacking self.
He also seemed to really have a good time with the boys and reassured me that he was really into the soccer thing.
I just want him to be involved in something and have fun doing it. I like soccer. I like that he plays with a team and that there is a lot of running involved.
Boys need activity, especially him!