First Day

Well, this is the day I've been excited for and dreading for awhile now. Drew started Kindergarten today. Ever since his meet the teacher night, I have been a little anxious about him starting school. Since he's my first and all, it's just a little unsettling to think about sending him into the world without me. What if he gets picked on, what if he doesn't know where to go, what if he doesn't eat his lunch, what if he gets kidnapped from the playground?! I have thought of all these scenarios and more. Brent thinks I'm a little irrational but it's hard to cut the apron strings sometimes. I thought I would be a wreck this morning when I dropped him off but I surprised myself by staying totally cool, calm and collected. OK, at least calm and collected. I took him to his classroom and got him settled in his little chair and said goodbye. The little boy next to him looked like a deer in the headlights and there was a little girl crying. But Drew had a smile on his face and was ready for the day. That made it easier to leave and I was able to go home and enjoy my day. Avery and I had fun with just the girls and before I knew it, it was time to go back and get him. It's amazing how fast 7 hours flies by sometimes! It's going to be a good year and I'm so glad Drew is a well adjusted, happy little boy. I love him so much and I'm excited for him to start this new adventure. He didn't realize that he has to go to school everyday so once we established that, he asked how long he had to go to school. When I told him for at least 13 years, I think all that went through his head was that by then he would be allowed to watch a PG-13 movie. I know these years are going to fly by in an instant so I'm trying to enjoy them and not worry about things so much. Maybe I will sign him up for a self defense class just in case...

(This is everything that was on his supply list--quite the list for a Kindergartner!)

(Starting his day bright and early!)

(The official first day of school look)

(I have no idea who this little boy is. Even though Drew sat next to him all day, he couldn't remember his name. I'm sure by the end of the year, they will be best friends or hate each other's guts!)

Summer Vacation

We just got back from a great vacation. My brother, Kris, got married on July 31 and we all headed up to Utah for the wedding. Since Boise is only a few hours away, I decided it would be fun to see Brent's family so I went ahead and made the drive all the way up to Idaho. I packed the kids up and we headed out for a 3 day drive on the open road. They did great and we had an uneventful drive through 5 states and back. On our way up, we stopped and saw Zane and Bridget and their kids. Since they moved back to Utah, we don't get to see them very much so it was fun to spend some time with them.
Then it was on to Boise where Ami so graciously hosted 15 people at her house, (20 including her own family). We had 8 adults and 12 kids and we had a blast! The first night we were there, the kids slept on the trampoline under the stars. I was surprised both my kids wanted to and lasted all night but they loved it. Uncle Quinn was a trooper to stay out there with them, especially since Avery talked his ear off most of the night!We did lots of fun things while we were in Boise: the Boise music festival, the bounce house, the sand dunes, shopping, the water park. It was H-O-T but it was fun. The kids love getting to play with their cousins and I love that they are getting to know the family members we don't get to see as often as we like. All in all, we had a great time and I'm so glad everyone was able to make it! I was sad to leave.
Oooh, what I wouldn't give to have one of these velcro walls in my house. The ultimate time out!

But that wasn't the end of our fun. Our next stop was Salt Lake City for my brother's wedding. It was freaking H-O-T once again and I thought I was going to melt right out of my girdle but the celebrations were fun and we are so glad we got to go. Ashley looked beautiful and Kris was just beaming from ear to ear with his new bride. I didn't really take many pictures because there were a million people with cameras so I put mine away and figured I could get copies of pics later. So I don't have any close ups of the happy couple but there are some on their blog with more to come. We are so happy for them and love them so much.
Brent was able to fly up to Utah and drive home with us after the wedding so it was nice to have that time with him. We are all back to the grind today and life is unfortunately back to normal. I loved the time away and the chance to spend time with our family. Looking forward to the next get-together!

These are all the cousins minus one on Brent's side.
These are all the cousins on my side.