papa's birthday

This year, Papa decided to throw his own birthday party, complete with invitations and food assignments, haha.  We were in charge of bringing all of Papa's favorite treats: red vines, orange slices (the gummy ones covered in sugar), and vanilla wafers.

Three cute cousins, ready for the fun to begin. 

 Before we pulled out of the slip, we wanted Papa to open his birthday gift from us.  This pictures is my favorite...

He loved his new Captain Hat :)

We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon splashing in the water, riding the tube, and having a picnic on the boat. I think Papa was pretty pleased with his birthday party and I have a feeling we may repeat it again this year.

preschool girl

On August 31st, we attended the Preschool Meet & Greet at Little Hearts. We asked a friend to watch Colby so that we could really focus on Brooke and the information being presented.  She was really excited about meeting her teacher and checking out her classroom.

A few days before school started, when Kevin was preparing to give back-to-school blessing to a family of girls in the ward (parents are divorced and Dad isn't active anymore), we realized that Brooke would get her first back-to-school blessing as well.  It amazes me that although my kids are little, they understand that the Priesthood is something special.  Brooke obviously understands more than Colby, but Colby sat quietly with his arms folded for the entire blessing (which NEVER happens).  When Kevin finished, Colby put his own hands on his head and asked "My turn?".  Kevin scooped Colby up and gave him his own Father's blessing, which was adorable. Six of my young women don't have the Priesthood in their homes, as well as two of the leaders.  It really just makes me grateful to have a husband who honors his!

First day of school pictures!!  Although I was a little sad to leave her at school, I know that she will love it and I feel confident in the school that we chose.

She especially loved her space backpack, which looks gigantic on her.

First picture with her teacher, Mrs. Angela.  I'm excited to compare this picture to one I'll take on the last day because you'll see how much Brooke loves her teacher.  Every morning, she rushes over to give Mrs. Angela a huge hug, and the love is definitely reciprocated.

Celebrated the first day with shakes from Chick-fil-A!

This was taken the following week, but I loved her "All About Me" poster.  I asked her all about her favorite things, we printed and cut out pictures, and then she organized them the way that she liked.  We only had one fit, and it was after the whole poster was complete. She changed her mind about the dance picture (it was her ballet costume), and was adamant about changing it.  Well, the paper tore when we tried to get it off, but in the end we fixed it, so yeah for that, haha. Normally, I would make her stick to her initial choice, but I also wanted her to be proud of her poster since it was her first big school project.

labor day weekend

Poor Jerry has had a rough year with multiple foot surgeries, but he was finally up for getting out on his boat!  He has been nice enough to let us use it all Spring and Summer, which we were so grateful for.

Brooke had a blast floating with Grandma, and was constantly giggling as she tried to stay on top of that noodle.

These kids love their Grandma and Papa so much!

I love this family picture so much.  In fact, I framed it in our office.  We love being on the boat together, and cherish the memories we make at the lake.