Friends Forever

Pizza, Beer, and Good Friends!  Not sure I could ask for much more.  Loved spending the evening with this wonderful highschool friends and love having these opportunities to be reminded that old friends are the best.

 My best friends!  Love these girls!

Illini Pride!

Its Football Season again and we are so excited to ALL FOUR be going to the home games together!

We checked out the kid zone today

And got to meet up with my friend from HS, Kris

And his wife Emily ( who have helped Brian and me on our Advocare journey)

Love being at the games together!

Also love getting to share this season with my dad- its his 50th as a season ticket holder!!!

Let's Roll into School!

Each year we give a small gift to the classroom teachers, principal, and secretaries.  This year we are at 2 different schools so we have lots more to give!  Let's ROLL into a great school year!  Can't wait to see what it has in store.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Jack!

SO much fun getting young children, gym equipment, large mats, and blow up running pads together!

 And this is what everyone looks like when they eat the most amazing chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting!  He still is the cutest little boy we know though.

 Opening our gift....a firefighter costume and a coupon to go to a real firestation and meet REAL firefighters!!!!

 This was one of my former students, Caroline.  LOVED HER SO MUCH when she was in kindergarten and still love her when she's 16!  She has always been such special girl and I was really excited to not only see her but see her turn into a young lady and leading my nephew's birthday party!

Amara...A Look Back at Firsts

2011-3's class

 2012-Pre-K

 2013- Kindergarten

Alaric....A Look Back at Firsts.....

2008- 2's class

 2009-3's

 2010-Pre-K

 2011-Kindergarten

 2012-1st grade

 2013-2nd grade

1st Day of School!

Is this day already here?  How did this happen?  No, really.  HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?  While other moms are counting the days til their kids get back into the school routine, I am dreading it.  I hate it.  I LOVE being home with my kids.  I love taking them places during the day, exploring camps, going to the pool all afternoon, catching fireflies and having bonfires.  Having 4 hour happy hour parties, staying up late, and starting all over the next day.  This summer was an odd one with the weather but really magical too.  My kids grew up!  Alaric became a young man so freaking smart I can't take it and gaining confidence each day.  Amara went from my "baby mara" to this BIG GIRL who could do more than the rest of us and could communicate effectively too.  What a joy it was having the honor of getting to see them grow up right before my eyes this summer.  So grateful I get to stay home.

Both kids got the red plates today!  Special day for both of these two blessings.

 Look at this gorgeous kindergartener!  Honestly, it brings tears to my eyes posting this picture because its PROOF she's a big girl now.

 And this handsome guy?!  Wow!

 They both look just like their daddy.  

 But I like to think they got something from me too.

 Drop off at a new school!  He was ready to do it all on his own so we left him before the bell ( tears)

 We watched our kindergartener get in line.  Other kids were crying.  Lots of hugging.  Ours just walked right up to her class.  She looked a bit timid here but....

 when we called her name, this is the Mara we got!  So brave and strong.

 Where does the time go?  So grateful they love each other too.

Weekend Getaway to the Gateway!

We decided to surprise the kids with an impromptu weekend getaway two days before school started.  We told them simply to get in the car.  That was it.  We just drove. Brian and I talked uninterrupted.  The kids read.  They watched a movie.  We said nothing about where we were going.  And then finally, Alaric looked up and yelled "THE ARCH!"

We had so much fun once we got to the top and the kids realized how high we really were....do you see that tiny blurb to the left of the barge?  That s a helicopter flying in the air!

Mara just jumped up and enjoyed the view!

St. Louis Selfie

Had dinner and drinks out and headed to bed.  More surprises in store.

Again, we told the kids to simply get in the car.  Then did.  And we drove.  Again, no questions.  It was Mara this time that said "Is that a roller coaster?"  Then Bubba screamed "Thats lots of roller coasters!!!"  Six Flags, here we come!

We spent the whole day riding roller coaster after roller coaster and spent the late part of the afternoon and evening at the water park!  What an incredible end to summer!