1st Grade/PreK

It's that time of year...back to school. We have had a great summer so I am both saddened that it is time to send the kids back to school, yet excited for them to see what this year will bring. They are ready for sure. The last couple of weeks have consisted of a lot of bickering among them.

Brandon started 1st grade and has Mrs. Dreyer. He is riding the bus again this year. He is going all day now and gets to take his lunch which he was looking forward to. His first day was not great, but AWESOME he said. He loves his teacher, eating lunch there, he had two recesses, the list went on and on. He couldn't stop talking about how much he liked first grade. Matt and I are thrilled that he had such a good day and pray that the rest of the year will be a great experience for him.

Anna started prek and will go MWF in the mornings and has Mrs. Crider for a teacher. We already know her as she taught Brandon in preschool. Anna has some friends from last year in her class which made her excited. She also had a great first day. She said they sang songs, colored, played outside, and had a snack. We pray she also has a great learning experience and will be ready for next year (eek!! kindergarten). Sigh, gonna enjoy this year cause it will go fast.

So, Brandon is in school all day and Anna is in school three mornings a week, which leaves me 9 hours a week to myself. My first three hours without kids flew by! I pray that I will be productive with my time.

2010-2011 school year is underway and routines are back. Here's to a great year!!!

The Boys Are Away...

....so the girls will play! Last weekend, Matt was at a BBQ cookoff in Pacific, MO (an overnight cook) and Brandon, along with cousin, Avery, were spending time with Pop and Grandy at their camper. So, that left me and my Anna to have some quality girl time together.

After some tears leaving Brandon, we stopped to get her favorite "slushy". We did some shopping for a new school outfit, met up with some friends to play, and then had a nice evening at home. We enjoyed our movie in bed with popcorn!! Saturday morning, Anna enjoyed a nice bubble bath in the "big bathtub" in our bathroom. We then went to help my friend, Courtney, register for baby stuff. It was a great day! It ended with getting the boys back which we couldn't wait for!!

Time With the Bells

I have been loving our little trips that we have taken this summer. For the second time, we took some extra days to make a long weekend and headed to the Lake of the Ozarks. We have really enjoyed it there this summer. We have had the discussion a few times now of having a condo of our own someday. (This is probably way down the road, but fun to think about). This time we went with our great friends, Scott and Courtney Bell. Courtney found us a great condo with a loft area that had twin beds for the kids. Of course, Brandon and Anna loved that!! The condo was in a great location on the lake so we had a good view from our balcony. We love watching the boats! Matt and Scott rode some waverunners and loved it! We went to Big Surf again and as always had a blast! Putt-Putt golf was fun and funny being it was the first time for the kids to play. We enjoyed lots of relaxing in the pool, and with the pool being right next to the lake, we could enjoy the boats and views even more! Now, Courtney is pregnant and has not been feeling well to say the least. Thankfully, she got on some new meds and they seemed to be working as she felt pretty good for the trip. They just found out they are having a baby girl, so that was exciting news. They love our kids and our kids love them, so Scott and Courtney were getting a good taste of parenthood after being with us for a few days. You have so much to look forward to guys! Until our next trip, we will just keep the fun memories in our minds!

Special Fair Moments

I could not get all my favorite pics on the last blog, so I thought I would add these to this blog.

It's Fair Time!!

Well, it is HOT and the end of July, so that means it is Gasconade County Fair Time!! The kids and I went to Owensville on Thurs. so we could watch the parade and of course get some candy! Sarah had Avery and Deacon with her also. We took in the parade and then let the kids enjoy the rides. Friday night was the pedal tractor pull and the kids were able to do that before we got soaked by the storm that blew in. Saturday, of course, is the BBQ cook-off. Tuxedo BBQ faired well with Kim taking 4th place in ribs and my Dad placing 2nd in ribs. Man were they all good!! The cook-off is such great family fun! Now, I cannot talk about the fair without mentioning the fish. The fish sandwiches were excellent this year! I had three so I got a pretty good taste of 'em. Well, fair rides done, fish eating done, BBQing done, and of course sweating done, we were faired out and headed home. Until next year...

While Daddy is Gone

Matt left Friday night for a trip to Chicago with the guys. They were going to the Cardinals/Cubs game at Wrigley to celebrate Aaron's birthday. Whenever Matt is out of town, the kids and I try and occupy ourselves the best we can. It seems our choice for fun (at least in the evenings) is a movie in mommy and daddy's bed. We watch our movie and snuggle and then the kids head to their beds. Well, I had to blog about this particular time without Matt because Brandon just made my night. When it was time to go to bed, he asked if he could sleep with me since Daddy was gone. He said, "I have to take care of my girls while Daddy is not here." How can I say no to that? Yes, when Matt leaves he does tell Brandon to take care of me and Anna. Brandon did a good job taking care of us (minus the couple hits to the face while sleeping, ha ha)!!

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