The Unofficial End of our Summer

With the unofficial end of summer, Labor Day, coming up this weekend I decided it was a good time to do an end of summer blog. We had a big Summer Bucket List this year and unfortunately we did not get it all done. This was our first summer that was surrounded by 2 school years and it really flew by quicker than any other summer! We were not able to go camping, build a sand castle and sadly we never even made it to our water park this summer!

Thankfully Noah was able to go back to his daycare with Ryan a few days a week and spend a day with his Meme each week too. I think he really made some good memories this summer. We didn't read as much as I had planned to over the summer, but he did finish reading me all of the 1st grade books we got last year for him to work with over the summer.

Another sign that summer is over is the Fair! My kids are at a great age for our Fair too. A lot of kid ride options so they really get their moneys worth out of their armbands. Noah rode a lot of the bigger rides last year, but apparently he forgot that so we had to talk him into riding them this year. He and Ryan both freaked out about going on the Ferris Wheel. Like both crying loudly when we gently forced them on the ride. But, once it started going  both of them started smiling and yelling "weeeee, this is fun!" They kill me!

Noah's face :) He was freaking out :)

We love going to see the animals in the barn at the Fair also. My favorite line from this part was when Noah saw a chicken standing on one foot and said "mom, is that chicken doing yoga?" The kids each won a stuffed animal and an giant inflatable sucker (a must for every household) and Nathan got his Fair concession food and we were out!

Now, on to our Fall Bucket List! Maybe we can check camping off of it instead? I am really wanting to go to a Razorback Football game this year - I have went to one in 5 years! A few other favorites will be going to the pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins, going on a hayride, going to a panther game, going on a drive to see the leaves and maybe Fall Festival at Silver Dollar City? We shall see what all we can squeeze in...

1st Week of 1st Grade!

Well, after the fast most jam-packed summer ever it was time to head to 1st grade! Last year, since it was Kindergarten and our oldest child it was definitely more of an exciting experience than this year. This year was more worry for me - since we had such a great Kindergarten experience, having to leave all that behind and move on to a whole other part of the school and all new rules and teacher was just a lot to me. Noah, of course was fine with it. He was a little nervous, but he usually just goes with the flow and easily adapts to new environments.

I had a bad guilt trip on the first day of school! I was told last year that moms are not allowed to walk 1st graders to class, so on the first day of school I  just drove up to the curb and dropped him off. My first clue should have been that I was the ONLY one in the drop off line, but I didn't think much about it. Then I saw all kind of pictures of moms in Noahs class and other 1st grade classes walking their kids in and taking them to class! I felt SO bad! This is the last time I am a rule follower! :) I did talk to a mom from Noahs class and she said he was all smiles walking in and didn't seem to mind. I didn't say anything to him about it because I felt bad and didn't want him to think I just didn't want to do it, but stuck with that I wasn't supposed to. Before school he kept asking me how many hours school was. I told him 7 and he acted worried. I assured him that is how long he went last year and it will fly by. The first thing he said after school was "Mom, that didn't feel like 7 hours at all!"

All ready with his Avengers backpack :)

Noah got in trouble and had to walk at recess on the second day for talking too much - shocker! But other than that he didn't get in any trouble - that I know of anyway :) He says his teacher is really nice and he is meeting up with his Kindergarten friends on the playground - which made me very happy - love those boys! There were more changes in 1st grade from Kindergarten than I realized - and though they seem small, they take some getting used to (No smiley store, no water bottles on the desks, no bathrooms in the class, no snacks from home, nightly homework) but Noah has took it all in stride. I cannot wait to start the Accelerated Reader program - I am hoping Noah loves to read since me and his father are not big readers!

I think it is going to be a great year for him - and for me too! I got to go back to volunteering on Friday and it was just what I needed! I seriously love getting to help out at the school and love the girls I get to volunteer with! Since it was the first week the teachers didn't have much they needed done so we just did extra work for our childrens teachers - like copying the reading homework for the whole year :)  That school has such a fun and thankful environment - we are always laughing :)

Not to be forgotten is Ryan's first day of daycare as the oldest kid there! I cannot believe my baby is the oldest at daycare already! She had a great first week and was the only kid not to get any timeouts all week - which I am pretty sure is a first! She loves all the little girls at daycare and helping to take care of them and loves playing with Logan too :) Only one more first day of daycare and then she will be in Kindergarten - and I know all too well now that it will be here before I know it!

Summer Lovin', Happened So Fast!

And just like that our summer is over! We have been so busy with bigger moments, I haven't got to document so many important little moments that have happened at the end of our summer. So, I will do that now.

First was a not so pleasant memory. While Noah was in the Little Mister pageant I noticed he was not feeling well so the day after the pageant we went to the doctor. He was diagnosed with a sinus infection and prescribed azithromycin. A few days later his back had a rash all over it so I had to take him to the doctor again and he was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic. Luckily his sinus infection was pretty much gone by then and the rash did not bother him. So, I got to add another medicine to our allergy list!

His poor rash :(

Next was something a lot more fun! We found out who Noah's first grade teacher is going to be - Mrs. Blackard! I have always heard she is a great teacher and she was Nathan's first grade teacher too - so that makes it even more special! We went to open house and got to meet his teacher and check her classroom out. She has a camping theme and it is SO cute! Two girls from Noah's Kindergarten class are in his class this year and a boy from his t-ball team so that will make it easier on him. I have to say, since this is my oldest child's second year in school, it felt weird going to a different classroom with a different teacher (who I keep calling Ms. Damon on accident). I text Ms. Damon (Noah's Kindergarten teacher) and told her it felt like we were cheating on her at open house! I am just so glad to have gotten so close to his Kindergarten teacher to miss her when it was time to move on!

Big 1st grade desk!

Noah and his friend Kadience

Mrs. Blackard

We had some exciting Little Mister Johnson County duties too! First Noah was SO excited to see his picture on the front page of The Graphic! He couldn't believe that everyone that bought one would have his picture! His first ribbon cutting duty will most likely be his favorite since it was our new McDonald's! He got to meet Ronald McDonald and we all got to attend the private grand opening party. It was so cool! Catered with great food and the cutest McDonald's cookies! It made some good memories for sure!

The last week of the summer, the kids daycare was closed so I had to either take them to work with me or take off work. So, I did a little of both. They came to work with me Monday and Thursday, then Tuesday and Wednesday we took a little mini vacation to Branson. I had never taken a vacation without another adult before, so this was a first but it went so smoothly! We have a Branson Bucket List and we got to check off Riding the Ducks, Ripley's Believe it or Not and the Fun Spot! The kids were great and I even got complimented from a stranger about how well-behaved they were. I pretty much felt like super mom for a few minutes ;) We pack in the adventures when we go to Branson! Now for picture overload:

Ryan "working" at my desk :)
(Notice the Olympics on my TV - more on that later)

Riding the Ducks!

Captain Noah

Captain Ryan

We love Pasghetti's!

Ripleys Believe it or Not!

The 

Glow in the Dark 3D Golf!

Hotel Swimming :)

Sweet Babies :)

Silver Dollar City!

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Grandpa's Mansion - we had to go through this 3 times - they loved it!

I was finally dry from the Lost River so I didn't want to ride this ride where you get soaked - luckily in line this little boy and his grandma asked Noah if they wanted to ride with him! She was so nice and even made sure he saw me for a picture! 

We were SO happy Granny Iva came up for the day and met us at Silver Dollar City! She hadn't been to Branson in over 30 years so it had changed quite a bit int hat time!

Noah claimed to love this ride - but his face says otherwise :)

Noah finally lost his first tooth! It has been loose for a while and the permanent tooth actually already grew in behind it. He and Ryan were wrestling and she accidentally hit his mouth so while I was checking out the damage I pulled it - it was barely hanging on. Well, this started the tears for not only Noah but Ryan too. They were both bawling and saying how that was their favorite tooth and they were going to miss it so much! Noah claimed that now he looked "just pathetic" without it! I, on the other hand thought it was very funny! We wrote a note to the tooth fairy asking if he could keep this tooth since it was his first one to lose :) The maternal tooth fairy thought $1 was sufficient but the paternal tooth fairy said due to inflation it needed to be $5! At that rate I may pop a few teeth out too! 

We celebrated my nephew Greyson's birthday at the farm! Such a fun day!

And last but not least - the Olympics! I seriously cannot get enough of the Olympics. My poor family knows I will freak if they turn the channel! I am watching sports I normally do not even care about - cycling, rowing, and water polo?! The kids have really gotten into it with me too. Ryan is trying to decide if she wants to be an Olympic gymnast or runner :) Both kids watched Michael Phelps win his last Olympic gold medal - I tried explaining they were watching history being made and they would remember it forever! Michael Phelps story is definitely my favorite - such an inspiration - from the lowest of lows, to the highest of highs! I will always have a love for gymnastics! Every time I watch Olympic gymnastics I am taken back to my bedroom at my parents house. I was 14 and in gymnastics. I had a beam made out of masking tape on my bedroom floor. Our gymnastics team won the gold and it was such an exciting time! Simone Biles and Aly Raisman's stories were awesome to hear! Especially after Aly Raisman's heartbreaking 4th place all around finish 4 years ago. I am probably the most least competitive person ever. But apparently that all goes out the window when I am watching the Olympics. I yell at the tv - good and bad things. I cry - happy and sad tears. I am so involved. Who is this person?! I am glad I am not this way during my kids sporting events - they would be so embarrassed!  Only a few days of the Olympics left and then the countdown to Tokyo begins!

Ryan doing gymnastics with the TV :)