First Day of School

This was NOT like every other first day of school! This was the first day of public school for Ella (2nd grade) and the first day of middle school (4th grade) for Avery. They were both very excited and a little nervous.

It was fun to wait for the bus with their good pals and neighbors, Meghan and Carter.

Here is the whole neighborhood gang (including preschoolers) waiting for the bus.

Ella's good pal, Anaja, even ventured to try the bus this year. Unfortunately, the bus broke down before it made it to our stop! After 30+ minutes of waiting, we carpooled the whole gang to their respective schools. I heard the bus finally pass by around 9:40 am.

Avery, Ella, Eric & I spent last evening (the last night of summer vacation) talking about God's faithfulness, every day, wherever we go. We had a great time pulling apart these verses (Joshua 1:9 & Psalm 23:6), exclaiming loudly that God is with us wherever we go (including school) and that His goodness and love follows us (chases after us!) all the days of our life. I am so thankful for the confidence that we have in Jesus. He will never leave us or forsake us, even when He calls us out of our comfort zones.

Final Summer Fling

On Monday, the girls and I met my sister, Lori, and her kids, Greg & Amanda, at the NYS Fair. I haven't been in at least 15 years, and this was Avery & Ella's first visit. It was a perfect (not-too-hot, not-too-cold) sunny day and we had a blast!

One type of exhibit that we really enjoyed was the sculptures. Often the artist was in process and we got to watch him work. Below, the cousins are standing in front of a huge sand sculpture.

One of my personal favorites was the butter sculpture. We also saw a sculptor using just a chainsaw to make amazing figures out of logs.

We also got to see (and feed) many animals.

Avery waited all day to feed a baby calf from a bottle :)

One of our favorite buildings was the 4-H building. There we saw the projects of kids from all over the state. There was a big variety, including sewing, photography, art, animals and even a DDR exhibit, just for fun. Greg enjoyed beating the 4-H kids who were there!

After a lot of walking, the kids relaxed with a "Footsie Tootsie" massage for just $.25!

Nothing could be more fun than a day with the "cousies"!

Redwings!

After a summer full of reading, and recording onto entry blanks for the library contest, Avery was ECSTATIC to learn that she won tickets to a Redwings game through her summer reading efforts. The prize included tickets for our whole family, a t-shirt, and time on the field before the game. Here she is before the game, as the winners gathered at the Redwings store.

The grand prize winner won airfare and tickets to a Minnesota Twins game. First prize was a limo ride to this Redwings game and dinner at Dinosaur BBQ. Quite a few kids (including Avery) won the 2nd prize. They were all so excited and cute!

It was really fun to be down on the field before the game. We all got to go down, and Avery's name was announced over the loudspeaker.

Ella was so excited for her sister, and very glad that we could all participate in the festivities :)

We got settled in our seats, but watching the game was just part of the fun...

After the 3rd inning we decided that we needed a little walk to explore. I can't believe this was the girls' first Redwings game! They have never wanted to go. Now they can't wait to go again!

Of course we had to get some snacks!

Cotton candy, ice cream, peanuts -- it was hard to decide!

What a great family night -- one of our funnest times all summer!

Circle C Ranch Family Camp

We had a BLAST at family camp this weekend! It was our second visit to Circle C Ranch, and this time we enjoyed the weekend with many friends from North. We shared our 4-family cabin ("Buffalo Bill") with Kim & Gary, Art & Suzanne and all of our kids and their friends.


Kim & Gary


Art & Suzanne

The whole place is designed to look like a old western town, complete with a sheriff's office.

Ella & her friend, Anna

The weekend is designed to give parents a "preview" of what their kids will experience if they come to a week-long camp. The purpose is to allow families to grow in their relationship with God, relax together and play together. One of the best parts (for moms especially!) is that all meals are provided! Each day we had a chapel service -- separate for kids and adults, followed by a variety of planned and spontaneous fun activities.

During free time, one of the popular hangouts was Miss Kate's place. Ella and her friend, Anna, loved playing checkers.


Eric and Avery especially enjoyed four-square, pool and ping pong.


There was a LOT of candy consumption this weekend!

Drinking water through a candy straw :)

It was a hot weekend, so we really enjoyed the pool!


Another favorite spot was the Wild West Adventure town, which included rock climbing and lasertron. Ella could climb as fast as a monkey!



Avery on the wall

Ella spent a lot of time making arts and crafts.


A highlight for all of us was riding the horses. Kids under 8 years rode in the corral and older kids and adults went on a trail ride.




Poor Ella wasn't her usual self throughout the weekend, and late in the day on Saturday we realized that she had a fever. So she didn't get to participate in a few of the final activities. Here she is in Miss Kate's place, playing checkers with Dad. After we got home, the doctor diagnosed her with strep throat :(


Avery decided not to take a turn on the giant slip 'n' slide, but her friends had a ball!


The last activity of the evening on Saturday was Zorb ball. It's just easier to watch a video than try to explain it...



Avery in the zorb ball

Avery has been asking to go to camp (by herself) at Circle C for the last two years. We told her that she could go when she is 10 -- that's next year! She can't wait to go to Circle C Ranch -- for a whole week -- next summer with a bunch of her friends!

Gettin' Her Wheels

Today Ella got her wheels. Well, actually she lost her wheels -- training wheels, that is! Eric is a great dad! He ran as fast as he could, right along side her, to make sure she didnt' fall off.

BACKYARD CAMPING

Eric & I haven't done much camping since we were kids. But now that the girls are older (i.e. able to stay up later and no naps!) we are thinking about giving it a try again. We'll need to invest in some camping gear and a new tent before we start the "real deal", but for now the backyard is our try-out.

SPA DAY

Maria J.

Avery

Ella

Lovely manicures & pedicures!

101 DALMATIANS

Avery just finished her second year of summer theatre camp. This year she "starred" as Perdita, the mother dalmatian, in 101 Dalmatians. It was an adorable, abridged version of the Disney movie and the kids sang, danced and acted. It was an amazing show, especially considering that they auditioned, rehearsed and performed all within a 2 week period!

Here you see Avery's biggest fans! We were so proud of her performance last night and this morning!

Avery was excited that her friends, Heidi and Erin could come to her show this morning.

Following today's performance, we went to the cast party. It was a perfect day for a picnic, outside games and a big water fight at the end. This is the cute cake, made by one of the moms.

Here is "Bow Wows", the final scene from their show. Enjoy!