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--

The things we do for our kids...

Last night we went to the Thanksgiving Point annual summer jello fight. Mikayla has been looking forward to it since school got out, so we packed some sandwiches and headed off. I had no idea what to expect and as it turns out, we were very unprepared. It was one of the funniest/strangest things I have ever seen: Boys and girls, men and women all digging into buckets of jello and throwing it at eachother. It was hilarious! Mikayla and Aubrey were a bit timid, but they got in there and got a little messy:

Aubrey decided that she did not like it, after all. You can't really hear her, but she's crying "No like it!!" and I am backing up from her to keep her from putting her sticky little hands on me :)

The best part is that afterwards, they turn on the sprinklers and everyone runs around and rinses off. Too funny.

I, of course, stayed a safe distance from all the craziness and just used the zoom on my camera. Wouldn't you?

I Heart Spring!!

It feels sooo good to spend time outside everyday--Here's what we've been up to lately:

Thanksgiving Point :) We just got a membership for the year and I'm loving it! The gardens are so beautiful and relaxing...and the kids both burn off a lot of energy. Hey--anyone else out there with a membership?? Let's go together...

Mikayla had her dance recital a couple weeks ago, and she did such a great job. I wish I had better video, but this is all I got with my little camera. She is in the back row and is the first to stand up:

We're so proud of you, Mikayla. Great job!

(Mikayla with her best friend, Paige)

Playing Catch-up

I just realized that in all the chaos, I never posted any pictures of Easter. Kale was in bad shape this day, so he didn't get to join in for the easter egg hunt, but the kids had such a great time with Uncle Shane, Aunt Shea, Bryce and Brittnie...and of course, Mom and Grandma. Pictures of the girls in their Easter best are to the right.

Update

Kale has been home for a week now and seems to be progressing normally. He had his staples taken out on Monday and he has a nice long scar (about 7 or 8 inches) down his lower back. He is following doctor's orders and staying in bed much of the day...only getting up for 20 minutes at a time. It's making both of us a little bit bonkers, but it's for the best. We have high hopes for a full recovery and years of no more back pain!
That's all for now. I took the girls to the tulip festival at Thanksgiving Point tonight, so I'll post pictures of that later. It was so much fun!