Ella starts Pre-K at her new school!

My little girl started Pre-K last Monday. She was so cute about it. She couldn't wait to make new friends.
The night before, I told her that she needed to go to bed early because mommy was going to have to wake her up extra early for school. She was not too happy about this...Ella is a night owl just like her mom. The next morning when I woke her up she said, "Boy, you're right mom. This is early. Well, lets get going!" She put on her clothes quickly and grabbed her new backpack and was ready to go. I didn't even have to ask her twice to do anything. She told Luke at the breakfast table, "Sissy's going to school today buddy, but don't worry I will be back to play." It made my heart melt. Then off to school we went!

One week later, she is still very excited to go to school and has made several new "best" friends including one boy that she told me she was very "interested in"...said he was familiar to her and reminded her of her old friend, Nicholas. She makes me laugh all the time!
Oh, and by the way. She did get her hair cut short and although it is very cute, I wish it would grow because she looks way too grown up.

Ella, mommy was so proud of you this day. You were so brave and didn't hesitate to talk to a new friend. It was very hard to leave you in that big class room while you sat in your little red chair. But you were so excited that I knew you would be just fine. I hope your enthusiasm for school and life persists throughout the rest of your life. I love you!

Mini golf

After Jason's Deli, we decided we would play a little golf....mini golf that is and the kids were thrilled.

Daddy started us off showing Ella the right way to stand and swing.



She really got the hang of it.



Even when she had some really tough shots to make.



Luke really didn't care what we did as long as he had a club and ball in his hands at all times!

A Tribute to our Pa

We know how much "you" LOVE Jason's Deli, Pa. So, we thought about you while we were there. Ella remembers fondly the days her Mims and Pa would pick her up from Bible study and take her out to eat lunch....just the three of them. She told me that every time Pa would pick Jason's Deli because it was his favorite. I don't think that is actually how Mims and Pa remember it but it is a special place to her nonetheless.




She got her usual...cheese pizza and chocolate ice cream! She thought you would be jealous, Pa! We love you!! Come visit and we promise to take you there!

Dancing Chipmunks

Couldn't resist posting this. They make me laugh everyday!

You know it's been a good day when....

you didn't even have time to put on clothes! Too much playing to do!!

A good sister taking care of her sick brother

For the past couple of days Luke has been really sick...apparently bronchitis which I don't really agree with but nonetheless he was sick and sissy was very worried about him. So, she decided she would set up a nice relaxing place for him to lay down and watch Baby Einsteins. It was really sweet. She had a blanket, milk and crackers and even gave him a pony to keep him company.



I think it did make him feel better!

You are a very sweet sister, Ella. I hope you continue to protect him even when he gets older and really smelly!!

Camping "In"

So, all summer we have wanted to go camping but it has been such a busy summer that we hadn't found the time not to mention its averaged about 106 everyday. So, I decided that Ella and I would just camp in the house. Poor Luke...he doesn't get to have any fun. We put him down to sleep before we got started. Soon enough Luke I promise you will be able to join us!

What's the most important part of camping out...s'mores of course!! We roasted ours in the oven. They were very yummy. Daddy kept stealing them and Ella got a huge kick out of trying to catch him doing it.



We had daddy set up our tent for us and then we got our campsite ready. Candles served as our fire and we even got to look up at the stars with the help of twilight turtle. We read books and sang songs.





Good night Ella! For those of you wondering, we lasted in the tent until about 1 am. No matter how many blankets you put down the floor is still very hard!

Sprinklers do more than just water the grass.....

they are lots and lots of fun for the little ones! We love our sprinkler system because we don't have to drag hoses around all summer watering the yard but there is one more reason we love it...the kids have a blast playing in it and we don't have to set anything up!

Wrapping up the summer

Unfortunately, our summer is coming to a close. Ella starts her first day at her new school this Monday and Luke and I start next Thursday. I am very nervous about the kids starting new places but in the mean time we are enjoying what time we have left. We went to the national park that is just about 10 minutes outside of the city. It was lots of fun with neat things for the kids to see.

Beautiful views!



One very large alligator!



Played on the playground



Took a hike down one of the kid friendly trails.



It was nice because it was very cool under all those trees



The kids found some very interesting things. It was nice and the kids were wiped by the time we were done.