Back to School

We made it!

Fought through coughs and sniffles,

Woke up early each morning,

Climbed in and out of car seats,

Played with old friends,

Got to know new friends,

Struggled with nap time,

Reviewed letter sounds,

Counted with Elmo,

Gave crushing hugs and wet kisses

When Mama and Daddy walked through the door,

 Squealed with delight to see brother,

Tackled, tickled, cried, and laughed,

and

Survived the week...barely!

Little Dancing Queens

My dreams are coming true.  As soon as "Dancing Queen" came on the karaoke machine at Lego Land, my girls hit the stage and were ready to go for ABBA gold.  For those of you who don't know, my absolute, hands-down, forever favorite band in the entire world is ABBA, and apparently my little ladies also inherited my awesome taste in music.  :)

You can dance,
You can jive...

Having the time of your life.

See that girl,
Watch that scene...

Diggin' the Dancing Queen!

A Wild Day

Yesterday Jon had to work in his room to get it ready and set for student to filter through his doors tomorrow, so I decided to take the kids to Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch in Pilot Point.  Everyone had fun, interacted with lots of animals, including a z-donk (zebra-donkey mix!), ate some delicious tacos, and loved riding the little and big trains. It was kind of like a Texas-style We Bought a Zoo.

Rick's Totally Rad 80s Birthday Bash

Our friends, the Smiths, are totally cool to the max.  They have gym flooring covering their living room, kitchen, and laundry room, for goodness' sake!  We love hanging out with them.  Anyway, tonight we celebrated Rick's birthday party in true 80s fashion, complete with rolled up jeans, fingerless knit gloves, and Pop Rocks.  Holly made a delicious meal, and the chocolate-covered cherry birthday cake was yam-o-rama.  Sutton and Saylor gave an awesome singing and dancing performance for their Dad, and the kids had a gnarly time playing outside with bubbles.  Rick's birthday party tonight was totally tubular, and we all had a blast.  Happy Birthday, Rick!

These kids look totally hip.

 

All tucked and rolled...

Marin could be a child of the 80s.  It kind of works for her.

Side ponytails are a must.

"Sweep the leg, Johnny!"

Sutton and Liam digging through their goody bags.

"Let's Hear it for the Boy!"

Saylor sporting a sweet look!

Cold Front

Did anyone else notice the cooler weather in the Dallas area today?!?

First Day Back

It was a great first day back for our three littles.  Liam was so excited to see his friends and meet his new teacher, Ms. Katie.

The girls had no problems returning to Brenda and ran right in, gave Brenda hugs and started playing.  If you're on Pinterest, here's my version of the pose little kids all over the web are striking this year...

So, after hug and kisses galore, Liam began his Pre-K year at Sloan School.

After we dropped Liam off, Marin couldn't quite figure out what was going on, but she was pretty sure that we should probably turn around and go back and get him.  The three have pretty much been inseparable this summer, so that was the hardest part for them.

And then, Jon and I spent our last day of summer break together.  We went to breakfast, a movie, and the mall--all stroller-free.  When we picked up the kiddos afterwards, they were all happy, excited, and seemed to have easily transitioned back into the routine.  Time will tell, but we're thankful for a smooth first day!

Summer Lovin'

It's a love fest!  

Let's Rodeo!

Yesterday we returned home from our time in San Antonio, and after dropping our bags at the door, Liam and I went to the Mesquite Rodeo with our friends, the Daultons.  We had a great time cheering on the cowboys and cowgirls and watching the stuggle between man versus beast.  (Or little kid versus beast as the case may be in mutton busting.  Does anybody else wonder how in an age where spanking a child has become so taboo, it's still okay to put your child on a bucking sheep and hope that he or she doesn't get knocked out or broken bones while the crowd cheers wildly?).  Anyway, our little guys attentively watched all the events, laughed at the silly circus clowns, and returned home with Texas-sized dreams of lassos, bulls, barrels, and calves.

Final Stop, Gruene

On our way home today, we stopped at a tiny German town just beside New Brauenfels, called Gruene (but pronounced Green).  It's a great place to shop, eat, and sight see...Totally worth stopping when passing by on I-35, and a perfect conclusion to our fabulous San Antonio getaway!