Miss-matched

Curly started taking the big kid bus to school - which is really scary for me (I cried the first day). She looks so tiny next to those 3rd graders, 6th graders, and 8th graders. But, we have a posse of neighborhood girls around her age and that little army with the 11 year old sister of her friend as commander fights the bus battle together :) Having a bus is very convenient, getting to the bus stop is a challenge - especially with Lou in tow. This was her ensemble the other morning as I tried to hurry her out the door to catch the bus at 7:30: Several layers of pajamas, different colored socks, and a mismatched pair shoes. It made me laugh.


This weekend we completed one of our baby arrival preparations - bunking the beds. The playroom is becoming the nursey, so to make room for toys and floor space to play with them, the beds are bunked. Curly is cozied up in the reading nook we are creating in front of the window.

August = back to school, our anniversary, and a campout

Sweet moment - I woke up from my nap last Sunday to discover Curly washing dishes.

Well, that fateful day has finally come... my firstborn has officially entered the public school system. Curly started Kindergarten this week. She was very excited for this new adventure and it did not disappoint. She loves her teacher, recess, and riding the bus home... hopefully she will like learning too :) To initiate this great beginning we held a "Back to School Banquet" or "fancy dinner" as Lou and Curly named it, complete with candlelight and a new school outfit fashion show. The dinner was a hit and I think it is a tradition that we will continue.

Ready for Kindergarten

Curly with her teacher and student teacher. We lucked out to be in a great classroom!

This week also marked our eighth year of marriage. As with every year, we can't believe how fast the time has flown. It marked the first full year that we are not students and have an official job. That is something to celebrate!And finally, no summer would be complete without a camping trip. Our ward provided the opportunity and we jumped at the chance to be with friends and escape the heat. We drove 90 minutes northwest to the Prescott area and enjoyed a pleasant evening and morning at Granite Basin. Fortunately, Fisher gave into my pleas to bring the air mattress (I used the pregnant woman ploy) and we all slept relatively well.

Lou with two buddies.

And we are back!

Curly, Lou and I returned from our three week visit to Idaho and Utah. What did we do for three weeks you ask? Well...

We went to Artic Circle (a lot)

We hung out with nice Aunts (a first day of kindergarten necklace from Ba)

We rowed on Daybreak Lake with cousins

and aunts

We floated the river with Grandpa and Grandma

We went to a fair

We slept (some of us, like me, a lot)

We fed the ducks at the nature park

I went to a Brighton Girls Camp staff reunion (many of my sisters, cousins, and aunts worked there also - so it doubled as a family reunion)

We went to the aquarium with Oma

We got to see Aunt K-Rae when she came home from DC

We had our yearly photo shoot

We rode the carousel

and a whole lot more... K-Rae was volunteered (by my mom) to make the long drive home with us (and she more than graciously agreed). We were very happy to have her visit and sad when she left. We had enough fun to last until Christmas! but as Curly put it, "It's fun to be home, mom!" I agree, it is nice to be home.