First Day of Fall

Today is the official first day of fall, and it was 92 degrees outside! It sure didn't feel like fall, but I guess we will enjoy a little more heat before all the cold comes. I am totally ready for some sweatshirt weather though!!

These past couple weeks have been pretty busy. We had Reese's Birthday party a couple of Saturdays ago. The kids had an absolute blast playing with everyone, and there was a piñata with plenty of candy so everyone was feeling pretty sugared up. And Emma got to help open presents, so that was an added bonus.

Emma also started Gymnastics, and she absolutely loves it. She actually wishes it was more than one day a week, so I guess that is a good sign. It's pretty cute to watch the class doing gymnastics as well. Emma has been working on summersaults and cartwheels, and it's adorable. I'm glad she is enjoying her class, and we may have to sign her up for another one this spring.

Last weekend, we babysat Reese while Dyllan and Lizz went to the Garth Brooks Concert. Everyone had a really good afternoon. The kids loved playing with Reese and showing her all our toys, and Reese had a pretty good time as well. We also got a power wheels truck, and Emma had a great time giving Reese rides in that over and over again.

Speaking of the power wheels truck, I bought it from a coworker, and the kids really enjoy it. They have been taking it around the block and really enjoying it. Elliott is a pretty crazy driver and he stresses me out, but Emma is really getting it down and does a really good job.

Last Sunday evening, John and I went to a Garth Brooks Concert. It. Was. Amazing! He put on such a good show, and is such a great entertainer. It was our first concert at the Premier Center, and it was totally worth it. He blew us away. He played until a little after 11 pm, so it was a super late night, and Monday morning was not very fun, but I would definitely do it all over again if I could!

This past week has been crazy. Between gymnastics, working late, and Ladies Guild at church, we have had something going on literally every night this week. Overall, it was a good week, but we are all pretty tired and ready to call it a week! John heads to Boston on Monday morning and is gone for 4 days, so that will make for an interesting week. I'm going to try and relax and just enjoy the weekend before that crazy week starts up all over again.

Reese's First Birthday 

The Hannahs and Emma 

Breakfast time 

Ready for Gymnastics 

Painting Pumpkins at Landscape Garden Centers

Showing off the power wheels 

Babysitting Reese 

Garth Brooks Concert 

Routines.

We are entering out 4th week of school tomorrow, and I would say we are finally getting some sort of a routine down. Usually, I pick out Emma's outfit the night before, and also pack her lunch the night before. When we do as much as we can the night before, it makes the mornings a little easier on John. Emma is still loving school, and we are still trying to squeeze in at least 15 minutes of reading a night, which is actually kind of tricky some nights, but we are getting it done!

Elliott also started his first week at his new daycare, and he did such a good job!! He just walked in the first day and started playing with the toys and his new friends. There were no tears, he just calmly adapted to his new environment. It was great. The teachers say he is doing great there, and he seems to really enjoy it. So, it was a successful transition.

The weather continues to be nice around here, we have had some perfect 70 degree days lately, and beautiful evenings. We have been trying to fit in as many trips to the parks as we can, before the weather starts to get colder. So, between that, and our evening routines, our weeks tend to just fly by around here.

Yesterday was the Sidewalk Arts Festival downtown, and for some reason we thought it would be fun to go and bring the kids along. It wasn't so bad, but there were a TON of people there, about 10 city blocks worth of booths, and by the end the kids were getting pretty crabby. It was fun to look around at all the arts and crafts, and we all enjoyed the wonderful food. After looking at most of the booths, we brought the kids to the Kirby Science Center to play and burn off some of their energy. They had a blast, and both kids were crying when it was time to leave.

After some good naps, we headed out to Jim and Barb's to help move some of their furniture into the new house. The kids had a blast playing in a huge cardboard box, and running around on the farm.

Today, we did the church thing in the morning, and now it's time to pick up the house a little, do a little laundry, and just basically catch up before another week begins. In a little while, we are heading back to church for Reese's first birthday party. That year sure went fast!!

This next week is shaping up to be another busy one. Emma starts gymnastics on Monday evening, I have softball on Tuesday, and then throw in a couple late shifts at work, and just like that the week is over. And next weekend, we may go to Mankato to visit Rachel and Elena. Whew, it's going to be crazy!!

Daycare Fun

Park dates 

Lunch at the new daycare 

Dressed up like a Taco 

Emma is a cookie 

Enjoying some corn dogs at the Festival 

Labor Day Weekend.

Almost two weeks has flown by since the last time I blogged! School is in full swing around here, and Emma is still really enjoying it. We are working on handwriting and learning memory work. We also spent about 15 minutes each evening reading to her, so we can get up to 400 minutes per month for school. Emma loves school, and likes to help pack her lunches and pick out her clothes for the next day. She actually can't wait to get back to school after a 4 day holiday weekend this past week.

Elliott starts his new daycare this week. He says that he is excited, but it will be interesting to see how he does in a new environment. I think he will do ok, but he may need a few days to adjust to everything.

Other than adjusting to a new school schedule, things have been pretty calm around here. I played softball last week, and have two more games tomorrow, which should be fun.

Our holiday weekend was pretty low key. On Thursday night, we brought the kids out to Jim and Barb's to spend the night since Emma didn't have school and Eli's last day of daycare was on Thursday and both John and I had to work. So, the grandparents agreed to watch the kids. The kids had an absolute blast on the farm. John and I enjoyed an adult evening, and hit up a Canaries Game since it was such a beautiful night. It was also Thirsty Thursday, so we enjoyed some beer as well.

We went out and picked up the kids on Friday night after work. Barb fed us some fresh fish for supper, and then we checked out their new house. It is officially done and ready to be moved into once they have their new appliances. It was pretty exciting to see the finished project.

Saturday, we just mostly spent the day at home. We had some weird 24 hour bug that hit every member of our household, so our weekend wasn't a ton of fun. In between crabby kids and tummy aches, we did go to some parks around town, have a bike ride, went swimming at the Midco Aquatic Center, and even had a picnic in the park. So, the weekend wasn't a total bust. Emma and I also went to see Despicable Me 3 in the cheap theatre, and she loved it.

Today was a little bit of a catch up day. I did a lot of laundry and vacuuming, odds and ends, and played a lot of games, puzzles, and crafting with the kids. I'm not too sad the kids are sleeping right now, because I am gamed out!! Emma also had some homework to do, and we did 25 minutes of reading with her today, so I would say it was a good day!!

This coming week is pretty steady with activity as we have something going on all week, and Elliott has a nasty cough right now, which hopefully starts getting better. If only we could teach the kid to stop licking his hands all the time! Boys!!

Cuddles with dad

One last swim of the summer 

Summer walks 

Feeding chickens 

Canaries Game