Seirra Elise, First Grader

Sierra is tucked away in bed after her first day of first grade. According to her, "IT WAS AWESOME!!!" She has been so excited about being one of the "big kids" this year and staying at school all day. (Wish that I could say the same for myself.) Last night she was so wound up that she couldn't fall asleep. Marc and I finally let her climb in bed with us to help her settle down. She jabbered and giggled for over a half-hour before I finally said, "Maybe we should stop talking now." Seconds later, she was fast asleep.

This morning was downright chilly as we got ready for school. I was the one with the butterflies in my stomach while she kept asking if it was time to get in the car. I have decided that this will be our traditional first day of school pose - leaving the front gate, even though we actually leave through the garage door.



A few days ago we got to meet her new teacher, Mrs. K. I really don't know the teachers at the school, but this is one of the two ladies that I was praying for. (There are 5 first grade classes!) She always seemed like a pleasant and organized person when I saw her in the hallways last year. I am so pleased that Sierra is in her class, and just look at how happy Sierra is:

Back to this morning - I wanted to get a shot of all three girls before school, but Valerie was obviously not interested in holding hands with Ally. Typical Val-Val. That girl has a mind of her own.

Eager beaver was first in line to go inside and didn't even turn around to wave good-bye. It all happened so quickly that I didn't even have time to cry. Good thing.

While I counted the minutes until 3:45, I enjoyed watching these cute little rascals try to get along with each other.

Grandma Phyllis called right after school to ask how the day had gone. We knew that she was praying. Sierra used every superlative in the dictionary while she was on the phone.

Aunt Susie had dropped off a back-to-school gift for Sierra earlier in the day. Thanks, Suze!

I hope that at 7:30 tomorrow morning she will wake up as cheery as she did today!

Country Girls

Say hello to my:

Veggie pickin', barefoot lovin',

grass rollin', dirt movin',

rodeo watchin',

goat feedin', cow milkin'

COUNTRY GIRLS!!!

Cousins

One of the reasons (among many) that I love living in Idaho is that these kiddos are getting to grow up together:

Ally (4), Valerie (1), Annie (2), Sierra (6), Riley (8 months)

There's nothing like...

...holding your baby cousin's sweet cheeks in your hands.
...getting together for 4th of July celebrations.

...chewing on dominoes together.

...and throwing rocks in the river (or at each other) all afternoon.

Family Work Weekend

Last weekend was supposed to be a family work weekend up at the cabin. The goal was to get everyone together for some painting before the weather gets cold. Well - everyone got together and SOME painting did indeed get done.

But the project was not finished because there was too much of this going on:

Family dinners

Swimming in the river

Hot dog roasting

Overnight camping

Berry eating

Maybe we should plan another "work" weekend real soon!!!

Road Trippin'

We hit the road on Friday, July 16th for our long anticipated family vacation to:

Thankfully, we were able to rent a very comfortable Toyota Sienna for the 2000+ mile drive (round trip). Our little CRV would never have made it! The temperature gauge in the van read 108 in central California - we would have baked!!! Marc was a great driver and the girls were wonderful little passengers...well, most of the time.

Our first stop was in northern California to see Marc's family. We stayed with his mom and dad and had a nice BBQ dinner and a fun time swimming at his brother's place. It was a quick stop, but we hope to see them again before long.

Next, it was on to Bakersfield. We spent a night at Marc's Uncle Kirk and Aunt Pamela's beautiful new house and the girls had a good visit with their Great-Grandma Mouser.

Our ultimate destination was the Los Angeles area and The Happiest Place on Earth: Disneyland. We met our very dear friends, the Stimacs, in Valencia and then all drove down to Anaheim for one jam-packed day at the park. Our kids were fast friends! They walked around holding hands all day, which was nice because it was not easy to keep track of 7 small children in the massive crowds. Sierra and Ally surprised us and tried all the "big kid" rides like the Matterhorn and Space Mountain. Their favorite was probably still Small World, but the whole day was one thrill after another. I will never forget walking out of the park and watching Ally try to keep her eyes open for the fireworks as she was draped over Marc's shoulder with a sweet smile on her face.

The day after Disneyland we drove over to Newport Beach for some relaxing in the sun, sand and surf. All three of the girls loved the ocean ... so much so that we planned another beach day in Ventura later on in the week.

We also got to spend a couple of days in our old stomping grounds in Santa Clarita. Some of the high-lights were attending Sunday morning services at Placerita Baptist Church, playing with the Stimac/Redin gang, going to see Toy Story, Mommy's pedicure, and swimming in the Stimac's neighborhood pool.

And, of course, no trip to southern California would be complete without a trip to Dodger Stadium!!!! Marc and Josh took the older kids to a game against the New York Mets. Unfortunately, the Dodgers lost, but the kids and dads had a great time together.

We are so thankful for the special memories that this trip gave us and for the dear family and friends that we got to see at each stop!!!