First Day of School

Yesterday, as many of you know, was Gracie's first day of 1st Grade so Sunday we girls left the boys at home and went out for a back to school manicure and pedicure. This was to be her very first nail spa experience and I must say, she behaved just like a little lady until they started scrubbing her feet ......she couldn't stop giggling. "It tickles, Mommy!" She had all the ladies next to us laughing hysterically. She LOVED that she got to pick out her polish, sit in a big cushy massage chair, have someone bring her bottled water and pamper her like a princess for the next 45 minutes. The girlfriend had NO trouble acclimating, let me tell you! It was truly a sight to see. : )

She wanted all of you to see her toes so, without further ado, here they are:




The center of the flower is actually a rhinestone!

The remainder of Sunday evening was spent preparing lunches, doing laundry, laying out clothes, loading the backpacks.....all the many preparations that go into getting ready for that first day of school. Thankfully, we knew what to expect this year and were, emotionally, ready for the send-off. It helped that she has REALLY been looking forward to seeing all her friends again so she was totally excited about going back. She's so grown up!!! : (

I know, I know, she has tennis shoes on! Trust me, it was a big disappointment when we discovered that she has P.E. on Mondays (no flip-flops allowed on gym days). She didn't let it get her down too much though.

When I picked her up from school she told me all about her teacher, Miss Buckles. "She has 3 sisters and 2 brothers. She has a REALLY big family, just like Daddy's! Her favorite color is blue. I know that's a boy color but that's okay, I still like her. She is 23 years old! How old are you, Mommy? (....moving right along.) She was born in Sugarland. I want to move to Sugarland because they make sugar there. She likes cheese, cheese on hamburgers, cheese on crackers, cheese sandwiches, cheese on chips, cheese dip, cheese, cheese, cheese and, you know what, she is VERY smart! She is going to teach us how to spell things!"

That about sums up Gracie's first day! I'm so proud of her for being so brave and I have no doubt that she'll have a wonderful year. Well, I'm off to fill-out the mountains of paperwork that came home in her backpack yesterday. Apparently, this "homework" is due Friday! Does it ever end?

PS - Good news about Adam! Remember, I told you that he was moving up to Miss Barbara's class and she is an expert at potty-training? Well, Miss B said he tee-tee'd in the potty yesterday!! Woooohooooo!

Way to go lil buddy!!!!

The Countdown Begins

I can't believe I'm actually posting twice in one week! I really enjoy sharing these stories, photos and family activities with everyone, it's just finding the time to sit down at the computer and actually type it all out that is tough but, hey, so far so good, right?

We're all gearing up for school to start on the 25th. We'll be attending Gracie's "Back to School Night" Thursday evening where we'll get to meet her teacher and tour her classroom. She is so excited about going into the 1st grade. Ask her, she'll tell you ALL about it! : ) Adam will be going to the same daycare/school but will be moving up to Ms. Barbara's class (I love her!), where they'll begin potty-training boot camp baby!! Can't wait for the day when diapers no longer appear on my weekly grocery list.

August is also the time when we register for all the "extras" in our weekly schedule, i.e. piano, tae kwondo, dance, little gym and, possibly, soccer tots....whew, I'm worn out just thinking about it. These are the many activities we "consider" in the Fall. Gracie has been pretty adamant this year that she does NOT want to take piano (boo) so we're thinking about letting her take a little break from it. Instead she wants to try a Musical Theater class, which she says "if I don't like then I'll just switch to a Hip Hop or Jazz dance class." She told me that she might be too shy to take the theater class.....riiiight, that child doesn't have a shy bone in her body! Oh, and how could I forget Girl Scouts! Did I mention that I volunteered to be an Assistant Troop Leader? Ugh, what was I thinking? Now, I'll be attending the Kick-Off Training Seminar for Girl Scouts this weekend. By the way, I'm putting the word out early......Gracie is happy to be your GS Cookie Connection this year so get ready to place your order for Thin Mints, Somoas, Tag-alongs or whatever tickles your taste buds. Cookies go on sale in January (I think). : )

As for Adam, he has been in Little Gym all summer and LOVES it! He's a maniac on the uneven bars! The only "issue" we have is when they bring out the bouncy BALLS. While other kids are innocently trying to learn how to throw and catch with their parents, our son is PUNTING the balls into the rafters! It's a parent participation class so we spend most of "ball time" running interference between the ball and some poor unsuspecting victim's face. When the new fall semester begins, he'll be moved up to the older class and, guess what, no parents are allowed. We have to sit and watch the fun from the designated "waiting area". Oh, I can already see it now.........one of us (either me or David) is going to get chewed out by another parent when their child is smacked in the face by a 90-mile per hour ball flying across the gym. Hence the need to sign him up for Soccer Tots. Hopefully, this activity will provide the "sports" outlet he craves.
Gracie will test at the end of September for her Junior Black Belt!! We're so so so proud of her! Once she earns that belt, she'll no longer be a "Little Ninja". She'll earn her "whites" (white uniform) and join the older class. A Junior Black Belt is the same as a Senior Yellow Belt.

Well, that about wraps up the latest news. Here are a few pictures we've taken over the past couple of months.


Thanks for hangin' in on this lengthy post.


Our trip to the museum:









What IS this thing?











I want to be a fireman.....














....no, maybe an astronaut




















Bobbi the Builder









Rubber ducky you're the one!













Okay, first you go like this and,
Voila!, you've got your bottle of milk!







The Dinosaur Dig!!!








Look what I found!








She does all the work, I take all the credit!!










Trip home from the museum! : )







A few more of my favorites!


The Build-Up....





Okay, there's a stick of gum.....









I don't know, why DID the stick of gum cross the road?










because it was stuck to the chicken's foot.....ha ha ha ha, now
that's funny!!!




Just goofin' around:




Dadda Montana!

The Lesser-Known Marx Twins

Monsters Under the Bed

Well, thanks to Uncle Brian, the kids now have bunk beds! Yea!!! Since we do not yet have sheets or a bedspread for Adams bunk beds, they are both sleeping in one room. Gracie is sleeping on the top bunk and Adam, who is finally in a "big boy bed", is on the bottom bunk.

Of course, as fun as the new sleeping arrangements are, they still offer NO protection from whatever imaginary monster lurks in the darkness of the night. Therefore, our typical evening routine consists of conducting a thorough "monster sweep" of the room, turning on the two night-lights and the closet light, tucking in and giving kisses, prayers and......I'm ashamed to say it......turning on the TV. Yes, we choked under the pressure of our precious 6-year old. "But Mommy, it will make me not scared if I watch a movie before bed!" (Insert the sad puppy look here.) No one is safe from "the look" I tell you, no one!! Of course, the TV doesn't stay on all night but for the first week or so I must admit, we did find ourselves trekking up and down the stairs in the wee hours of the morning to appease the frightened cries of our child by turning the TV back on. Oui, that was a looooooong week.

Thankfully, we have moved past THAT phase and will soon be able to, hopefully, inch the TV out of her room altogether. Wish us luck!

I love this video.....rest assured, we recite a newer version of this "oldie but goodie".