My little first grader

I've been neglecting my blog this summer, but this is too big a moment to ignore. Mikayla was so very excited to start school and here she is on her first day:

This year she has the greatest teacher--Mrs. Johnson. I am so impressed with her...and the best part?? She doesn't believe in giving 1st graders homework! Just daily reading :) Aubrey and I took her to school for the first day (it's a long story), and it was a challenge for me to get a picture with just Mikayla. Aubrey wanted to be a part of every one. You can see her little elbow in the picture above, 'cause she thought she was in that one too! Here they are together:

I felt a little emotional leaving my daughter in the care of another for the whole day, but it was Aubrey who cried on the way home! Those two are such good friends (most of the time).

Our summer was pretty layed back. We spent a lot of time in the backyard doing the usual: swimming pool, sprinklers, trampoline...and playing with all the neighborhood kids.

But we also took a lot of day trips--and spent nearly every Monday night at The Gardens!

(This was taken the evening of "Christmas is July" at Thanksgiving Point. Mikayla was happy to get cozy with Santa, but Aubrey had a tight grip on me and wouldn't even look at him).

OK, let me explain this clip below. I took the girls to yet another activity at The Gardens--This one was a giant slip-n-slide. The video I have of Mikayla is long and boring--but this guy (that I do not know) gave everyone a great show:

Such a great summer--