Kate the Kindergartener!!!!

It's official...... WE HAVE A KINDERGARTENER IN THE HOUSE!!! And boy do Brett and I feel old now! Kate had her first day of school on Aug. 24th. She was so excited to start, as you can see by the ear to ear smile all over her face!

We were up bright & early that first morning, all full of energy and a few butterflies in the tummies. Will really didn't get it at all, but totally played along with all the excitement including a huge awesome breakfast to start the day. The tears stayed away until 5 minutes before the bus pulled up. I looked over at Kate on the steps & her little eyes were blinking away a few tears. I had to pull it together myself & assure her that she would have an awesome day and there wasn't anything to worry about.

Kate is very fortunate that she gets to ride the bus with her best friend Parker each day. And even better, they are actually in the same classroom as well! They remind me of the "My Girl" couple from the movie. Always having fun together.



Hugs and Kisses before the bus pulled up. I really had to hold back the tears when I saw this! By now, Brett's in the background wondering if he needs to go get me some valume to calm my nerves!

And she's off! Ms. Patty the bus driver is the sweetest lady ever and greets Kate every morning. If you asked Kate what her favorite part of school was for the first 3 weeks, she always replied with "Riding the Bus!" My favorite part is greeting her when she gets off the bus each afternoon because she is full of energy and always ready to tell me all about her day! I need to cherish this now as I don't think this excitement about school, let alone sharing all the details with her mother characteristic is going to be around until she's 18 yrs. old.

Kate sits with all the other kindergarteners in the front of the bus. We are very fortunate that her bus picks up 7 kindergarteners in our little neighborhood who have been friends for a long time. They just love the social time together before & after school!

"Mom, quit taking pictures!" is the look we have going on here. Kate is putting away her backpack in her cubby, while Will on the other hand is in the background making new friends with all the "Big Kids", showing off his Lightning McQueen sunglasses which he refused to take off when we got into the school.

"Goodbye Sissy, I love you!" was what came out of Will's little mouth. Will & I followed the bus the 1st day to walk Kate into her classroom, but once she sat in her seat she turned to me and said "Mom, you can go now. " I am so proud of how much this little "perimeter girl" as we called her has grown up in the past year! She may be the youngest in her class, but she sure doesn't show it! She absolutely loves school & has started reading more & more each day!

We love you Kate Jane & couldn't be more proud of who you are!!

15th Annual Von Ahsen Lake Adventure

Off to the Lake we went again the first week of August. Johnny & Josh flew in from Phoenix for the annual event. It' s hard to believe that I have been going to the lake with my fam every summer since my junior year of high school. Brett & I were just starting to take notice of each other back then, and look at us now!!

Each of us has to take charge of cooking 1 evening meal during the week. Here's Brett trying to work his magic with the charcoal grill. I think we all gained 5-10 lbs. by the time the trip was over. Back to running I go!!!



My Aunt Cindy has been joining us for the last few years. She is such a spark plug and full of fun! We love having her!!

The Lake water was wonderful! Will has finally reached a whopping 27 lbs.....enough to keep his life jacket from tipping him over. He had a blast swimming with his uncles.

We decided to do a little putt putt golfing one night. It was SO HOT AND MUGGY that night that my camera was fogged over the whole time. Brett was really trying to teach the kids to NOT swing the club like a baseball bat, but had little success. Practice, practice, practice.....

Kate was in the water every second she could. She is bound and determined to get on the swim team at the YMCA within the next yr. Brett worked with her every day and she made HUGE gains by the end of the week. She dropped the lifejacket and can swim the width of the pool by herself. Go Kate!!!

Will & Papa played a lot of cars during the trip. VROOM VROOM!!! was all we heard out of this little boy's mouth. He prefers to be called "Lightning McQueen" rather than Will and was always assigning various character names to all of us. Papa made him some wooden race tracks that he brought along. That and the lake was all he needed to make the trip great!

Brett and I both agree that this year was easier than last. The kiddos are a year older and a little bit more independent, thus a little less work for us! It was a great time together, and we admit there were a few tears on the way home after it was all over. Until next year!!