Kindergarten!!!!

We have the most excited kindergartner in the world!!!

Miss Elise was up and ready to go for the first day of kindergarten at 7:05am... dressed and as excited as ever! After breakfast, we headed up to the bus stop with Daddy and the twins to catch our bus. Miss Judy arrived promptly at 8:25 and Elise happily skipped up the bus stairs. I'm anxiously awaiting for her to return home so I can hear all about her first day in Mrs. Connor's class.

Ready to Go!

I'm so excited for her... the possibilities of a new school year!!!  Jeff and I both loved school as a children and we wish that she have positive experiences like we did. The whole world is open for her to explore and embrace. This is the beginning of Elise's journey!

Outside Mrs. Connor's room at orientation
A week before all day kindergarten  started

Yesterday we ended the summer with a day of fun. Daddy took Elise out to lunch and ice cream. Then they met me and the twins at the park. It was a warm day and we had a ton of fun. All summers should end on a good note!

Hadley

Cecilia

Hadley, Cecilia (19 mos) and Elise (5.5 years)

Garden Woes

This hasn't been the best year for my garden. I wish I had more free time to devote to tending, weeding and just loving my garden but I don't. But that really only has been half the battle.

The bunnies have found our garden and boy did they love my broccoli and pepper plants. In fact, a mother bunny must have had her nest nearby because the little babies were spotted all the time around the cucumbers and in my melons.

RIP broccoli

The second obstacle I encountered was the lack of rain. It has been such a dry season for us... over 2 weeks without measurable rain. I normally would have watered during this time but we also encountered the Lake Erie algae bloom which made our water undrinkable for over two days. Forget about watering a garden with tainted water!

And finally, the babies (especially Ceci) love helping gather our produce- particularly green tomatoes.I can't fault her since she watches me pick things in the garden.. whether it be weeds or ripe produce.  The one tomato plant that I plant every year only yields only a handful of fruit and little Cecilia happened to pick them all. I'd like to say that if I just redirect them while we are playing outside, all would be well.. but it's not.  The garden is too exciting to ignore. I can't blame them. In fact, we rarely play in the courtyard now as I fear for what remains growing!

But I did make a yummy tomato tart which I passed off as tomato pizza!

Piano Recital

Elise had her first piano recital last weekend at her teacher's house. Carrie Chalfin, opened up her back yard to her students to have an informal 'picnic' music concert. Elise played 'Let it Go' from Frozen. We were so proud of her. She announced when she got out of the car that she was 'scared' since she'd never played in a recital before. But you wouldn't have known it! When it was her turn, she went right up and played her heart out.

Kevin's Secret Visit

My brother just got a job with Marathon and will be moving his family to Bowling Green next month! But before he had gotten the job, he made a secret trip into town with Walden for one of his interviews. It was secret because he hadn't yet told anyone that he was contemplating a move from Baltimore back to Ohio. But because we'd be hosting his visit and helping with babysitting Walden, we were in the 'know'.

Walden is just several months older than the twins and it was a blast to get them together! It's exciting to think that the cousins (including older sister Amelie) will get to grow up together... not just seeing them at Christmas.

Hadley is impressed that Walden gets to sit next to her

Hugging Cousins- Walden and Ceci

Now, with the job and move immnient, it obviously isn't a secret anymore! Kevin and Rachel returned again this past weekend and have secured a house rental for the next year. We are so happy for them and their family! And of course happy for us too!

County Fair 2014

Elise and I picked Jeff up this past week over his lunch hour and went to the Wood County Fair. Even though we go every year, it wasn't something Elise had ever remembered doing.... I love experiencing new things with her! After loading up on every kind of food that is deep friend and/or on a stick, we strolled through the animal barns and eventually ended with some rides.

I have decided that Elise is going to enjoy riding all those crazy roller coasters when she eventually  goes to Cedar Point. But because I'm skeptical as to the safety of fair rides, I kept her grounded to those rides I deemed wouldn't land her in the hospital if they broke. Well, that's not necessarily true... I did break that rule on one ride-

The one ride that I went on with her was the Ferris Wheel. Frankly, I'm surprised I agreed that she could go on it since I realized (after I was on it) that if one bolt broke, we'd be thrown to the ground. While she had such a happy smile on her face, I spent most the ride gripping the bar and begging (in my head) for it to end. I'm sure everyone we passed could see that I was actually fearing for my life. Luckily, we survived and  I promised myself to never again go on such a wild ride!!! Ha!

New Sliding Doors

Jeff and I finally decided to replace the old 1958 sliders in our house. While we will miss the drafts in the winter, as well as the 1/4 inch of frost on the INSIDE of the house, we were happy to see them go. Mind you, we had broken 2 windows with our outdoor heater (the science experiment resulted in us realizing you can't place it next to the glass and have it on... duh!) so just the sheer fact of being able to look outside without having to see duct tape made it worth the price of admission!

But, with over 3 days of including the worker men into our baby proofed family room, we had to get creative as I knew Hadley and Ceci would want to be putting on their work belts to join in. So, we moved the couches to create stadium seating for the big event. For the most part, the girls were entertained with the noise and excitement of event. And of course the guys enjoyed waving continuously to the little 18 month twins who constantly shouted 'Hi'.... although Cecilia would randomly shout 'Dad' to Bruce, the head foreman. Hmmm..... Did she think Jeff looked like the big burly window guy or was she asking for him to take her out of the our house of crazy?!

4th of July

Ok, it's August and I'm finally posting some pictures from our 4th of July party! Yikes! I'm slow!

We had the usual suspects of friends over for swimming, eating and eventually fireworks over a bonfire. As guessed, we had the kids up way past their bedtimes and overfed them on pizza and smores. So, it was a success in their eyes too.

Beware of the Dads!

Elise and Sullie Morrison

Releasing lanterns

Elise was especially excited for two reasons. 1) She turned 5.5 years on July 4th (a major milestone to her) 2) Her friends Libby and Julia Barnett spent the night. The girls were so beat that all 3 of them fell asleep without any peeps for the entire night. It was Elise's first sleepover and probably the best day of her life thus far.... if you asked her.

Morning after... Libby, Julia and Elise

Outdoor Movie Night

I took Elise on a Mommy date to Perrysburg's Outdoor family movie night. We had never been before (Perrysburg does this every summer)  but were excited to snuggle with a blanket and lawn chairs as Perrysburg showed Despicable Me 2 on the side of a building downtown. Beforehand, they had a magician who entertained the crowd as they passed out free popcorn and Popsicles. We had a blast and I know that Daddy will want to take her next year!

World's largest Popsicle!