back to school

The summer flew by and I can't believe that I'll have kids in 6th and 3rd grade!!  Schedule pick-up was last Thursday for Brooke and she will be on team UCLA.  We've heard great things about the teachers and a few of her best friends are on her team, so I have a feeling that it's going to be a great year. 

I requested the Howell/Evans team for Colby and he was thrilled to get Mrs. Howell for his home room teacher.  Brooke had that team in 4th grade and loved them both so much. 

This isn't the best picture of Colby and Mrs. Howell, but I didn't realize that their eyes were closed until later that night.

Not sure why Colby was struggling to keep his eyes open, but we also took a picture with Mrs. Evans. 

We always go back to see old teachers, and I loved that Brooke and Mrs. Brown (4th grade teacher) were twinning...

Ready or not, the first day of school had arrived...

I am hoping and praying that these two have a fabulous year of learning, growth, and positive experiences!

They grew so much over the summer and I can hardly believe how grown up they are looking. 

Brooke and I both walked Colby into class and snapped another picture (with eyes open) with Mrs. Howell. 

On the way out, we saw Mrs. Blanton and had to document how tall Brookie is getting.  She was Brooke's 2nd grade teacher, so it's fun to look back at old pictures to compare.  

Then it was off to Lillard Intermediate...

Brooke is a great sport and knew that I wanted a picture by the new sign.

Day two and I was already exhausted with the early morning wake-ups and baseball practice two nights in a row!  But the kids were looking cute :)

A week and a half after the kids started school, I went back as well.  I signed another contract at Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington, and thankfully I have a new tiny storage closet to convert into my own space.  I didn't love the classroom I was in last year because it was right next to the cafeteria (SO loud during the lunch rotations) and I also had to switch rooms at the end of the day for my last student, so I was pretty excited about a change.

When I arrived at the school, I was told that the power was out at part of the school.  Luckily, I had power in my space, but about an hour into the day, I lost power as well.

There's only so much you can do in the dark, so I went home early that day.

I went back on Thursday and finished getting my space ready...

I'm excited for what this year holds in store for all of us!

life in july

We started off the month with a cousin trip to Hawaiian Falls.  It started off a little rough with a misunderstanding among cousins and some hurt feelings, followed by a sibling spat (my kids), but we were able to help them work it out and it was such a great day!  They love their time together and I enjoy hanging out with Melanie, so it's a win for everyone. 

The big kids totally shocked us and ALL rode the Torpedo, recently renamed the Lava Launch.  Colby was the only one who had ever ridden it, but he convinced Aubrey to go with him.  He asked me to go wait at the bottom, then asked me to go up and ride it with them.  When it was our turn, we saw Mel and the other kids cheering for us at the bottom.  After all the excitement, Brooke decided to ride it, which was honestly shocking. Aubrey and Colby rode again with her, and then Kinley decided to go as well.  Such brave kiddos and I love that they experienced that thrill and excitement together. 

Oh, and Emery was their #1 cheerleader :)

Prepping for the Fourth of July with some festive nails for Brooke...

The kids had been waiting for Open Gym at Nova since we missed the last one!  Another great day in the books...

We love that friends come as well: Sydney Miller (left), Amelia (the Hawkins' cousin), and Marlie Hawkins.

The Third of July fireworks in Midlothian will forever be one of my favorite traditions.  The show was amazing as usual, but I would've liked more patriotic songs!

The Goettmans joined us again, along with the Hawkins family and the Sturgills.

The kids (and dads) played a game of wiffle ball...

The obligatory group photos, haha.   I love seeing how the kids grow from year to year. 

Setting out our flag on the Fourth...

We went to our ward's pancake breakfast that morning and I tried to get a pic by our flag when we got home.  I was laughing so hard at the boys with their squinty eyes, then Kevin teased me back with "I have an idea, let's take a picture where we all stare directly at the sun."  

I was fine with our failed attempt, but then Colby suggested we try again with sunglasses.  Good idea, buddy!

After the breakfast, we headed out to the lake.  The kids convinced Kevin that we needed slushies on our way, so he agreed. I kind of despise slushies because of all the food coloring, but every once and awhile they are fun.

I don't have a picture of Colby skiing, but he was able to get up and in true Colby fashion, he went straight over the wake. Brooke immediately said, "That's my brother." 

Proof of Mom and Dad...

We loved our lake time as a family.  It was pretty packed due to the holiday, but we enjoyed some peace on the far side of the lake.

Highlights: I had my longest ride (about 3 minutes), the kids had a long tube ride (rare since Kevin kinda hates the tube), doubles, and catching a sweet daddy/daughter moment on the swim step. 

We stayed until dark and saw more fireworks in the distance than we've ever seen!!  We listened to patriotic country all evening, which really allowed me to feel that patriotic spirit.  Home of the free because of the brave. 

The next day, we took the Goettmans out on the boat with us.  We also saw the Smiths (who had brought the Petersens) out on the water and loved floating with them for a while and catching up.  

Sweet girl fell asleep and Brooke kept her head propped up until we pulled into the marina.  The funniest part was that when anyone screamed/cheered for Colby on the wakeboard, she would stir and give a thumbs up towards the back of the boat, all while keeping her eyes mostly closed, haha.  

Kevin and I went for a temple date, which was so peaceful and much needed!

We invited Lily over to play one afternoon and these girls apparently played Nibbled together :)

We lucked out with the most perfect weather for Doug's early birthday celebration at Joe T's in Forth Worth. (It was sadly due to the storms near Houston, but the break in 100 degree weather was much appreciated!)

Our "Arlington Gang."  We've all since moved away, but that's where our friendship began and I think I'll always refer to these friends in that way.  Being friends for 17 years has been such a blessing. We miss having Doug and Tracy in Texas, but we are grateful for the visits they make back to us.

We didn't want to leave the kids home alone for such a long outing, so we brought them along and they did great :)

We had one last hangout with the Myers crew before they traveled back to Colorado.  I have loved watching their friendship grow...

And I especially loved my one-on-one time with Tracy.

Brooke and Nora enjoyed beading when we got home from the pool...

Colby helped me set up my new ring light for my amazon reviews...

We loved watching Maddy play soccer and I loved that Brooke made sure to represent with her purple shirt, earrings, fanny pack, and a custom bracelet for Maddy.

Friday night boat rides continue to be my favorite thing...

When Colby gets a hold of my phone and takes crazy hair photos after his shower...

We had the best boating outing with the Hibbert boys...

Brooke, Colby, Caleb, Eli, Taden, and Edmund

Colby is between Eli and Edmund in age, but definitely gravitates more towards Edmund (the older of the two).  Taden (the oldest) is also super sweet to Colby and they get along great as well. 

Brooke loves Caleb, the youngest, so it was fun to spend a few hours together. 

I brought a snack tray, which was devoured quite quickly, haha.

It's so fun sharing something you love with friends...

Brooke has been super into beading this summer, and I loved teaching her how to make the daisy chains I made as a teenager...

I took some time for myself and went for a hair appointment...

Grandma and Papa joined us on the boat so the kids could show off all their newest boarding tricks :) And you can never go wrong with brownies for dessert.

Brooke pulled out her princess cookbook and made something one afternoon.  I can't quite tell from the ingredients what she was making (maybe cookies with some cinnamon?), but she has really enjoyed baking this summer and it's been fun to see her confidence grow in the kitchen. 

We went boating with the Sturgills, and although we missed Maddy so much, it was the best afternoon together!

Colby requested a picture with "the largest grapes I've ever seen!"

I took the kids to Ninja Kidz in North Richland Hills and they loved playing for 2 hours together...

On one of our recent trips to Flower Mound, Grandma sent us home with a huge box of Kevin's childhood hat collection and a few garment bags of clothes.  So when you try on the hat, you have to try on the vintage jacket as well...

I wasn't joking when I said that Brooke was on a baking kick, haha. She made baguettes one night and didn't look at the time requirement, so was baking until nearly 11 PM.  The next morning, she made a variation of "Abu's Monkey Bread."

We went and saw Despicable Me 4 with cousins, then came back to our house for a playdate.

Nor surprisingly, Brooke wanted to bake something with Emery.  They made sugar cookie bars from the Food Nanny recipe book, but since we didn't have plain cream cheese, they were forced to use blueberry cream cheese for the frosting.

Then they put on some sort of song and dance show :)

A few days later, we went on an evening boat ride with the Peacocks.  We always get a cousin pic, but Mel suggested we get a grown-up pic as well.

Another day, another boat outing with the Goettmans..

Gordon really wanted to surf, so Kevin made his little dreams come true :)

Looking back through all these pics makes me realize just how spoiled we are with amazing friends, opportunities (like the boat), and memories we were able to make!  I'm sure August will pass by too quickly and then it's back to the busyness of school, work, and sports!