First Day of School!

I'm not sure how it happened, but summer ended and school started!  And even more shockingly, we now have a 1st grader and a kindergartner in the house!!  We started off the morning by Al working from home so he could take the kids to Goddard to catch their bus- so he could take pics of them getting on the bus!  Addie was the first one up- she was giddy with excitement!  She had her traditional 1st Day of School Breakfast- fruit, eggs and the most important part- a Dunkin Donut!!  Right before I needed to leave, Alden woke-up- yay!!  Al snapped a pic of the 3 of us and I headed to my school to start off my school year teaching 7th grade math.  After a bit, Al took the kids to Goddard and was able to see them off.  Alden was so focused about getting on the bus, he refused to look at Al- he was totally in the "Get On The Bus Zone"- so cute!  When I picked both kids up from school at the end of the day, they were all smiles and couldn't wait to go back!  Each morning, they both bounce down the stairs, chatting away about what they are going to do that day and eager to get out of the door so they can go to school!  Here is to a fantastic year!!

Pretty 1st grader!

Kindergartner!!

Those headed off to school!

Can you tell who is the most excited??

Waiting for the bus with their BFF, Lainey

Focused on getting ON the bus!  He begs to ride it home EVERY day!

To celebrate a successful 1st day- each kid picked out a 1/2 gallon of ice cream- and we shared with all the neighbors!

Addie spent time with Jack, reading to him the new American Girl Catalog

These 3 rule our 'hood- aren't they adorable?

Labor Day

Labor Day weekend we had lots of fun things planned- but the weather insisted on keeping us on our toes!!  Despite this, oodles of fun was had!!

The kids enjoying discounted ice cream at the pool!

Swimming with Daddy- it was SO cold!

Monday, the skies opened and it POURED- but they all had a blast!

The sun came out- and we were still able to have a cook out with our dear neighbors!

For the first time EVER, she actually ate the entire S'More!

Still not a fan of marshmallows....

BFF's with matching mouths

In the midst of the cook out, Alden mastered riding his bike all by himself!!  We are SO proud!

1st Lost Tooth

It finallllllly happened!!  Addie lost her first tooth!!  All year in kindergarten, she longingly watched her friends loose teeth- and yet, to her chagrin, hers were all firmly in her mouth!  On her last day of kindergarten, she told me that she had a goal for the summer!  That made my heart just swell with pride!  Then she told me that it was to loose at least one tooth before the start of 1st grade.  That made my heart just sink!  You can imagine how thrilled she was when the dentist told her the beginning of August that her 1 tooth was slightly loose!  She worked on that tooth and worked on that tooth....  Finally, last night, when it was only hanging on by a thread, we tied some dental floss around it and out it came!  She ran around the house screaming and crying- Al and I weren't sure if she was scared, super happy, or what!  After she finally calmed down, she was all smiles!  Her first intelligible words?  "I made my goal!  I lost a tooth before 1st grade started!!"  I love this little girl- and yes, I kept this tooth, it was so incredibly painful for both of us when she GOT this tooth just about to the day 6 years ago!  I thought it was incredibly "nice" of the Tooth Fairy to put her tooth in the sweet little tooth container that I was given at Addie's baby shower!

She is officially a big girl- gulp!  Way to grow, Adeline Rose!!

I love this pic- you can still see the tear in her eye!  She is beyond happy!!

You can see the tooth, still tied to the dental floss! 

She was SO worried about knocking the tooth out from under her pillow that she scooted down her bed and slept with her head on her pillow pet!  The Tooth Fairy came and gave her $5 for the tooth!!

Back to School

Thursday both kids had Orientations!  It was a chance to meet their teachers, drop off their supplies, and fill out approximately twenty million forms....  Both kids were thrilled to see their friends, meet their teachers, and get a glimpse of their future!

These two BFF's saw each other across the parking lot and couldn't be happier!!

Under the school sign!

Addie and her new teacher, Ms. Festa!  Addie is thrilled that they both love Fancy Nancy!

A few hours later, it was Alden's turn!  He was so excited!

Walking into the school

First one on the mat waiting for the teacher!

Addie's artwork was on display- she is so talented- no idea where she got it!

All lined up- Alden the line-leader!

Alden and his teacher, Mrs. LaLiberte- she was Addie's teacher last year and we are SO happy she will be Alden's teacher this year!

As we left the school, Alden told me that he made 1 new friend, Mrs. LaLiberte!  He also told me that he really liked how she had decorated her room- he cracks me up!

Both kids have amazing teachers- we can't wait to see what they learn and how they grown this year!

Final Summer Memories

With summer officially coming to an end, here are some pics from the fun we had!

Enjoying a special treat for being perfect for 2 hours while I had my phone and computer fixed at Apple.

Alden (pretending to be a dog) and Kierke- playing with Addie- who snapped this pic

The neighborhood pool we belong to, is literally at the end of our street.  They advertised a Luau- the kids were SO excited- you could hear the music from our house!

Addie showing off her hula skills- she kept coming in 2nd or 3rd place against teenagers!

Goofy kid- so excited to have a snowcone!

This poor kid- he sure tried to hula!  He thought if he shaked his hips realllly fast, it would work.   He is hilarious!

Oh!  Trying with 6 hula hoops AND a funny hat- THAT's how to hula!!

Aren't we tough?

Ice Cream Sundaes at the pools Back To School Bash!

Take Me Out To the Ball Game...

We are happy to have a minor league team in our town- the Mighty Flying Squirrels (don't laugh...)- the tickets are affordable, the atmosphere is low-key, and lots of games end with fireworks!!  So when there was a chance to score tickets for $1 each, I jumped on it!  We went with several of our dear neighbors- all of whom had never been to a Flying Squirrels game!  It was great seeing the excitement on the kids' faces and I think everyone had a blast!

So excited to see a picture of a mascot they had read about!

This boy was prepared to catch a fly ball- and he almost did, too!

We took up a full row- what fun!!

Being so silly!

Alden specifically saved some birthday money- he wanted popcorn and peanuts- and I almost bought Cracker Jacks, just so we could sing the song!!

The boys analyzing the various players stats....

The evening ended with fireworks- it was late, but the kids loved it, so that makes it worthwhile!!

Fun with Friends

This summer has been chock-full of time spent with friends- just what we all wanted!!  The kids say they had a fantastic time- and that is what counts!!

Lots of time was spent a the pool- and shockingly enough, by the end of August, it was actually chilly so more time was spent snacking outside, all bundled up in towels!

Thumbs up for fun times!

Fun ice cream cones with friends!

Someone's #1 goal for the summer was to loose a tooth- she has most certainly tried her dardest!!  Here she has the plastic price tag on a travel brush, hanging on her loose tooth!  It is extreamly wiggly and looks like it could very well fall out before 1st grade starts!!

These two love the diving board- yay!!