summer memory

madelyn brought this drawing and description of her "summer memory" today. i cried. it is just so sweet that of all the things we did with the kids this summer, swimming with her dad was one of the best.

matt said that it just shows how it doesn't take a lot of money to make memories with your kids. love.

lego negotiations

the boys spent close to an hour negotiating who would get to play with which mini figures for each of the lego sets pictured in mason's lego catalog (a catalog that he has had for months, that i have taped back together multiple times and that has been reviewed at length almost daily). it was the way that they were negotiating with each other that was so amusing to matt and me. love.

hitting the trail

matt took today off to prepare for his mom's arrival this afternoon. he went out for a 10 mile run (1/2 marathon training) after breakfast. after the boys and i got madelyn on the bus, we went out for a ride/walk on the trail ourselves. daddy surprised us by running up while we were enjoying a coffee (for me) and a doughnut (for the boys) at starbucks. the boys had both wiped out at some point during our ride to starbucks but were troopers.

we took a longer way home and took a break when we saw something interesting.  first we stopped to watch football practice for the local university.

then we spent some time in an empty little league parking lot. since it was empty and next to no chance of any cars having a reason to pull in, i let the boys ride anywhere they wanted. they did circles around me, we all did some splash-y loops through a big puddle (i would give the stroller a good push through the middle and run around the outside so that my shoes wouldn't get soaked through) and they raced each other a little.

we saw this swan on the baseball field and couldn't figure out the reason. matt explained that it was to keep the geese off!

all in all, i think we went almost 3.5 miles. it has been a long time since the boys and i have done it on our own and i was pretty impressed with their stamina. we will be doing this a few more times before it gets too cold.

daddy beat us home.

love.

day one wrap-up

it seems so backwards, but things are a lot quieter when madelyn is in school. i can only attribute it to the fact that the boys are closer in age and more interested in the same things so their play goes on a little smoother.

we love waiting for the bus to come in the afternoon. which is really good because they don't publish what times the buses arrive in the afternoon until a few weeks into the school year. we just head out when school lets out because madelyn is home fairly soon after that. we just enjoy our afternoon snack, read books and listen to the high school marching band rehearsals.

i am happy to report that she is was all smiles when she got off of the bus!

madelyn was happy to be home though. she just wanted to sit on my lap and hug and kiss me for the first 15 minutes she was home. she even got a little tear-y eyed because she was so happy to be with me. she told me that she got a little nervous when it was time for us to leave this morning but that her day had been great. she said that mr. r is really funny - kind of like daddy! (i would never describe matt as "funny" but madelyn meant it sincerely and it was high praise.) her class was able to discuss and establish the class room rules. her contribution was "the golden rule" - treat others the way you want to be treated. a great addition.

all in all, a wonderful first day.

madelyn doesn't really like to discuss school once she is home, she wants to play! so she wouldn't talk to anyone on the phone about her day (daddy, grandma, nana).

we are excited for her new year at school! love.

first day of school!

this morning madelyn heads off to the second grade! we were all pretty excited about the first day (and very thankful that it wasn't raining). madelyn put out her outfit last night and was dressed (with new earrings) before breakfast. she had requested oatmeal pancakes with chocolate chips so i got up early to make sure i could get myself showered and presentable before making them. and then she put on her backpack! she had packed it up yesterday - lunch and all - and wore it all morning.

when i took madelyn on our 'back to school date' to shop for a special first day of school outfit, she only picked this yellowish t-shirt. i suggested putting it under this dress that we had purchased earlier and she added the leggings herself to finish off the look. she wore new rhinestone cross earrings and a new tiara headband (it is her third identical one - purchased each school year after a brother broke the previous ones).

i didn't realize that we were color coordinated until i looked at the pictures. the boys had dressed themselves and i think they tried to 'match' madelyn's first day outfit.

our 'first day' family picture before heading to the school.

there were a few of these...

we drove her this morning. partly because she wanted us to and partly because they announced that parents were welcome to come in a meet the teachers. madelyn's teacher was on the pto board the past two years so i know him and think he will be a good fit for her.

this is her last first day at this school - next year she moves to the intermediate school. she is pretty excited about being in the top grade. there are a lot of privileges including the opportunity to read morning announcements (like she did at the end of the school year) and a second grade musical at the end of the year.

waiting to go in.

finding her name outside the room. she was excited to see owls like on her backpack and lunch box.

finding her desk

and her locker (her teacher is a huge disney fan and even gave mickey mouse gloved high-fives on the way in)

good-bye, daddy.

good-bye, mommy.

a peak inside her well stocked desk after unloading her backpack.

and then she started to get nervous and tear up. she didn't have any roll down her face, but she didn't want us to leave. lots of kisses in her hands to save for later and seated at her desk, she put on a brave smile and said good-bye.

we can't wait to hear all about her first day when she gets on the bus this afternoon! i told her that the boys might knock her down, running to hug her, because they will be so happy to see her again. here's to a great year, madelyn! love.

the last day of summer vacation

madelyn wanted to stay home, play and "do crafts" for her last day of summer vacation. so we did! there was much painting, cutting and gluing by all.

the kids also chose to spend the day in their pajamas. they had 'camped out' in the living room last night to round out madelyn's summer bucket list. they stayed up late watching the lego movie - again - and then slept on the couch or on the floor in sleeping bags.

while i was baking away (banana and zucchini breads), they worked up some custom manicures.

mason found he could put his scarf 'pockets' on his feet and pull the hat over his face to make him into a monkey.

and then our final act of summer - s'mores after dinner! everyone was quite pleased with this treat. although the boys took hours to go to sleep afterwards!

so tomorrow morning it is off to the second grade for madelyn! love.

manning at the park

we went on a school playdate this morning at a park where we haven't been since very early in the summer. we were happy to see that they had replaced the zip lines which have been missing for our last several trips here. i think manning was the happiest of all and made more rides down the line than any of our kids. i love the joy in the last picture. one more day of summer left for us! love.