Kindergartening

Here's our Noodle on her first day of kindergarten. She spent this evening studying for her first spelling test! She is a rock star!

She and I took our third ever "girls trip" to California. Our first one was when she was 6 weeks old and we went to visit my grandmother in L.A. Our second one was when she was 3 and we went to visit my cousin's new baby in San Francisco. This one was to San Diego for my cousin's (different one!) wedding. She has toured the state with her mama!

We had a great time and her flower girl debut was fantastic. Unfortunately, I left my camera sitting on my cousin's (different one! Again!) kitchen table so the pictures will take awhile. But when they come, they will be fabulous.

But for now, here's our kindergartener:

Back to school

My oldest has started third grade. He loves math, baseball and Pokemon.

My middle one starts kindergarten after Labor Day. She loves playing soccer and hates it when I brush her hair.

The baby is teething. He is alternately fussy and lovable.

That's life right now!

Tony Soprano, Jr.

Someone's about to move on out of his 2Ts...

This Weekend, I

...taught my son to make microwave popcorn.

...went to the Trader Joe's grand opening in Leawood (first TJ's in the state of Kansas!).

...watched Noodle perform at the last day of Circus Camp.

...took the kids in swimsuits to run around in the fountains at Crown Center for the first time (which the 8-year-old declared was one of his best "water activities" ever).

...cleaned out the 'fridge for dinner on Saturday.

...ate ribs and corn on the cob for dinner on Sunday.

...drank two Mango Pineapple smoothies from McDonalds (and contemplated getting a third).

...cheered the Kangaroos on at their last t-ball game of the season.

...hung out at an 8-year-old pool party at the Shawnee Country Club and avoided burning my feet.

...then came home and took the three kiddos to the neighborhood pool to expend the very last of their (and my) energy.

...took the three kiddos for a walk to the park in 100 degrees so the husband could mow the lawn in peace.

...cleaned out the last of my outgrown little girl clothes (and found homes for them all).

...bowled for Big Brothers Big Sisters' "Kegs and Eggs" event on Saturday morning.

...did NOT watch Big Brother because my DVR failed me on Thursday night.

...uploaded all the vacation pictures to Shutterfly.

* * * * *

It was a BUSY and very productive weekend. But man, I could use a day off!

Down the Shore

We're back from a week on the Jersey Shore. We were in Cape May, at the southern tip of New Jersey. The beach was a little rockier than the last time we went (ouch ouch ouch) but still great. The kids all loved it. We might have the only kids in America who sit home pining to move to New Jersey.

Ernie Miller

A couple weeks ago, it was 95 degrees and humid, so obviously, a perfect day for a hike. We took the kids to Ernie Miller Nature Center, which is great for hiking, because it is (1) shady and (2) paved. Also, there is a pond and an amphitheater where kids can play on the stage. Unfortunately, when we were there, a small group of kids a bit older had already commandeered the stage, and when Noodle was up on it, dancing around, they got all indignant. Whatever, we were hot anyway.

Rocking and Rolling

Summer is rolling right along! Baseball, t-ball, hanging in the driveways til dusk, figuring out how to monitor 3 kids at the pool: in a nutshell, fun times.

Last summer, our anthem was "Love Story" by Taylor Swift, followed closely by "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus. Yeah, that's right. At least it's not the Dora theme song anymore! Those were the two songs that Squash and Noodle demanded every time we got in the car.

This summer..."Firework" by Katy Perry. It was the song they played at Squash's last-day-of-2nd-grade Powerpoint picture presentation and he loved it. So now we hear it a lot. Followed closely by the Maccabeats' Purim song, to the tune of "Raise Your Glass" by Pink. Oh, the wild times at our house!