Emma's First Day of Kindergarten

 Rise and Shine sweet Emma!  Time to get ready for your first day of school.

 Breakfast of Champions - Timbits!

 I found this sign on Etsy.  I think it will be fun to take pictures with it each year and see how much the kids change from year to year.

 This was a big day for the whole family!  I never anticipated such an emotional day.  Not necessarily "crying" all day, but a plethora of emotions from anxiety, excitement, sadness, fear and parental satisfaction.

 I had to include one of my favorite pics where little sister Kate photo-bombs the picture.  

This is a classic Kate moment! 

Emma was blessed to be joined by her grandparents and Aunt Rebecca for the big day. 

 Emma teared up as the bus entered the neighborhood, but she was all smiles as she got on the bus...whew!  I think when we all saw her smile, we all felt reassured and relieved.

 The bus driver put her right in the front seat.  Apparently the bus driver hands out candy every Friday, what's not to love about that?  And as the bus drove away, we all shared a few tears that yet another milestone has been reached.  Good Luck Emma Jeanne!

Emma attends Deer Run Elementary School AM kindergarten Monday through Friday and she is in Mrs. Nicastro's class.  She gets on the bus at 8:45 and returns at 11:45.  Upon returning home the first day, she was so excited and she wanted to play "school" with Kate.  She started to teach and then disappeared.  She went to the basement, then to our coat closet and returned wearing a pair of high heels and a jean jacket.  She went on to teach Kate about riding the bus.  A few moments later I asked Emma, "What was Mrs. Nicastro wearing today?" Emma replied "Oh Mommy, she looked so pretty.  She had a long dress, high heeled flip flops and a jean jacket."  Even on day one, this teacher has already made such an impact...how awesome is that!

Summer 2013

Where did the summer go?  We had a great summer full of fun activities.  We pulled the kids out of daycare at the beginning of summer, and our neighbor Libby watched the kids.    She did a great job and we wish her a fabulous sophomore year at University of South Carolina.  The kids loved sleeping in, going to the swimming pool, hanging out at home and just being kids!  Here is the Weatherwax's version of Blurred Lines http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Scp41ZADMY

Grandma Weatherwax took the kids and Libby, along with her sisters Maggie and Rachel to the Ohio State Fair.  They rode rides, watched a pig race and had ice cream.

Another Summer tradition is going to a Dayton Dragon's game with Grandma and Grandpa Weatherwax.  The girls also enjoyed special time with Grandpa going to the movies to see Turbo and Despicable Me 2.

Trip to the Zoo

Emma's creativity shines through as she "reads" a book to Kate and Sage...just "precious."  And you have to love the part about Mother and Daddy crying when the little girl went to kindergarten (is that foreshadowing for this week?).

Kate became quite the country music fan this summer with Hunter Hayes being at the top of her list!  Watch out American Idol!

Time to take off the training wheels!  On our second evening out, Emma was able to take off!  As a parent, its quite a workout!  I was glad she caught on quickly. 

Sage playing with John's original Tonka trucks

Another summer favorite with Grandma and Papa is going to Kings Island.  The Nichols family joined them as well.  Bumper Cars, roller coasters, and snoopy ice cream...perfect!

Trip to the Lake - 2013

 Who would have known the temperatures would be in the 60's during the last week of July and for our annual trip to the lake with the Spicer family?  Oh well, a little cold weather doesn't stop college BFFs from having a great time! 

 Rachel and Kate were buddies for the weekend - they even had fun with purple markers and stamps!  I wish you could have seen Kate's tongue...it was purple.

 We went out for a quick and chilly boat ride. It wouldn't have been a trip to the lake without a boat ride.  Sage loved looking at the boats and he took a nice snooze on the way back.

 Emma drove the boat - Go Emma Jeanne!  Luke is her co-captain.

 

 Ahoy Mates!

 Ok, so what to do in Port Clinton when its cold outside?  The African Safari Wildlife Park!  Yes, its essentially a drive through zoo where you roll the windows down and the animals come right up to say hello.  Zebras, bison, giraffes, deer, alpaca...oh my!  A fun outing that concluded with a car wash!

 

The kids enjoyed a dip in the club pool, aka an empty pool on a cold day.  

Sage took advantage of the playground while the big kids swam!

Another fun and memorable weekend - Thank you to the Spicer family!