Elizabeth's First Day of Preschool

Well I can now check off one major parenting milestone... Elizabeth started preschool this past Monday! She heads off Monday through Thursday 8-11:30. The first week has been a big transition for all of us but yesterday on our way home she blew me away by singing her entire ABC's clearly, plus a new song about the days of the week, and a couple more I couldn't understand. She was a little nervous the first day but the rest of the week went great! What blew me away with our first day was how hard it was for me! If you know me at all, I've never had a problem leaving my kids with others or even leaving them for days at a time. So I was shocked by the flood of what I'm assuming are "mommy" emotions I went through! My little baby was at school. What if she didn't know what was going on? What if the teacher couldn't understand her? Do they know she needs help washing her hands? Will the other kids like playing with her? Will she play with the other kids? ... On and on my worries went until I let it go. God is with her and He's with me and I can't let my own worries and doubts overtake my mind and our lives. Whoofta. Way to go Elizabeth!

Camping

My Girlfriends!

HaHa, your jokes are funny. But yes, I love these women from my small group to death! We finished up the summer with Secret Sister revealings, Chinese take-out, and a spa night. Carrie (ie: prego) probably won't be too thrilled with the pics of her but hey, once you hit the 6-month mark relaxation is all that matters! Jannel even made it down from Sioux Falls and all but a few of our girls made it to our night. These women help me make it through my weeks and months!

Alexanders best attempt at chubby thighs...

Walking is just around the corner for my little adventurer! One minute with Alexander and you will quickly learn just how dramatic and determined this little boy is...

A princess' duties never end...

Soak up the summer

Here are pictures from one of our many walks to the park this summer. I am so proud of how good Elizabeth is on her bike. She even figured out braking recently which is of great benefit to her :) ! Even after her crashes, she loves getting back on and going more. Alexander is so much fun at the park in the swings - he rolls with laughter! Its contagious!

Happy 3rd Birthday Elizabeth!

...We're going to PARTY...

Once I heard my entire family was heading to Vermillion to celebrate Elizabeth's 3rd birthday, I decided a big party was in order. We haven't had a good opportunity to give her a real birthday party yet so I kicked things off with a BANG! According to Elizabeth's request, Nemo was the theme. The night before, everyone showed up to help me finalize the food preparations. Pictured are three of my helpers (...for some reason they kept referring to themselves as slaves...?): Grandma teaching Elizabeth to make deviled eggs (a girl after her daddy's heart!), Sam, and Sarah! Mom, Dad, and Mike showed up later.

Kansas City here we come!

Andrew was planning on attending the American Academy of Family Physicians conference in Kansas City but surprised us by asking the school if the kids and I could come. They paid for our entire trip! We had a blast - its difficult to choose between all the great pictures and stories I have! Our room was wonderful; Andrew had a great time visiting with the MANY residency programs to choose from; the kids and I slept, relaxed (and as pictured, Elizabeth chatted it up on the phone for quite some time! :)), shopped, and played tourist; and we were able to spend time together as a family! One day the kids and I checked out downtown Kansas City's Hallmark shopping center where they have a huge water fountain park that local children can jump and play in. Just before we left, they made all the kids get off/out of the fountains and we got to watch an awesome water display to a classical song - totally cool! Then, on to a hands-on kids art gallery/shop where we spent a one-hour session doing anything and everything we could think of in this totally awesome studio for kids! We just hopped station to station trying to take it all in. Then after Andrew finished lectures one day, we headed to the only World War I Memorial which just so happens to be at the top of a ginormous hill... (Did I mention the humidity was 100%+?!) Jenn was at the conference too so we got to spend lots of time with her which was also a huge hit of the trip. Basically the trip was lots of fun packed in to a short time in an awesome city!