Identity Crisis

Daddy to Keian: 
What's your name?

Keian to Daddy:  

My first name is Bubs, my second name is Keian!

Let's Brown-Bag It!

For Kirra's first 3rd grade homework assignment she had to put items that could fit in paper lunch bag and pertained to these categories. . .

*A hobby or something you like to do -  

a blue swimming ribbon

*One of your favorite colors -  

a turquoise hair flower

*A place you have been to visit -  

a family picture with Mickey Mouse

*Something special about your family - 

a family picture of us all dressed up as Egyptians for Halloween

*Something you really dislike -  

the label off the peanut butter jar (she's allergic to peanuts)

*Something you really like -  

Lanie's bunny to represent American Girl dolls

First Day of 3rd Grade

Kirra was so excited and so nervous today!  3rd grade is a BIG deal, especially starting in a new school.  We have a purchase agreement on our new house so we were able to enroll her in the new school.  We were both a little melancholy because the school she has attended for three years has been a great one.  I also was a little sad this would be the last "first day" we'd be taking pictures in the same places we have for years. 

Love that toothless look in the front!  We waited for a long time for them to start poking through.

Finally!  A new backpack!  The one we got her for kindergarten still isn't worn out, but I figured since she wore it for three years and it is quite small that she could upgrade.  This wasn't the first backpack we brought home, but for sure the favorite!

So much cuter as a smiler, but she had to do a couple serious ones.

Walking hand-in-hand with Daddy on the way into school.  This was the FIRST time Daddy was even in town for the first day of school and we were grateful for that.  These have always been hard days - the first day of school -  for Kirra and Scott provides calm, quiet reassurance for her.

Ah, wonderful Brynn!  I can't even express how grateful I was for this sweet friend for Kirra and to be in the same class - what a blessing!  New school, first day - and a great friend!  When Kirra saw Brynn outside the school I could literally see her nervousness melt away.

And then I cried . . . can you see how Brynn grabbed Kirra's hand as they strode into the building.  My heart over flowed with the love and tender mercies Heavenly Father pours out upon us.  There are many 3rd grade classes and the fact Brynn and Kirra are together makes me so happy.

Brothers counting down the days until they are BIG and can go to school, too!

Kirra came home from school so excited about her new teacher - one that doesn't yell!  She's never had one of those before and it was like a whole new world for her.  What a contrast from last year when she was bugged that they had to show the new kids around the school because she already knew where everything was at.  This year she was so grateful for a tour of the school with her class.  We went around and looked at everything the day before school started, but its much different during a real school day.  Everything about the new school is so much bigger than the old one!  It was a great first day - and here's to many more good days!

8/16/11

Alone

Is not what I like to be!  I am so GRATEFUL for a husband and children that constantly surround me!

Today after I took Scott to meet his co-workers at 7:00 a.m. in hotel about 20 minutes away I went down to our hotel breakfast area and had a made-to-order omelet, bacon, hash browns, pancakes and cantaloupe.  Wow!  I love this kind of traveling.  We are staying at a Embassy Suites that is literally across the street from the ocean - a beautiful white sandy beach on the ocean.  Perfect!

I thought it would be fun to take a little snorkeling trip so I drove down to the Waterfront quite a ways from our hotel.  I paid my $30 and kept telling myself that it was fine I was alone - I could handle it!  I got on a shuttle boat that took me out to the main snorkeling boat/area in time to discover everyone who was already out there was piling back on the boat because of an infestation of jelly fish.  Almost everyone that climbed back on the boat had been stung and some pretty badly.  So we hung out at the jetties for awhile waiting for the whole group to board the boat and then we headed to another spot to snorkel.  As we were getting close the pilot got a call that the new spot was also full of jelly fish - yikes!  So we headed for what is called the "grasslands" and rightly so.  There was so much grass floating in the water it felt like I was at a reservoir in Idaho - not in the ocean where I was supposed to be snorkeling to see fish and other ocean life.  I snorkeled for awhile seeing a total of seven fish - my hair and swimming suit filling up with grass - and then I hopped on one of the kayaks and tooled around for a bit.  Without anyone to talk to I got bored fast and decided that snorkeling by myself left a lot to be desired.  I hitched a ride back on one of the shuttle boats and went back to our hotel to have a hot shower, lunched at Panera and then headed to the outlet mall.  Now that's somewhere that doesn't feel weird to be by yourself!

8/10/11