Merry Christmas to you all!!

What is Christmas?? "It is the tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with the blessings rich and eternal, and that every path lead to peace." Anges M. Pharo.

Hope you all have a great holiday filled with lots of laughter and love!!

The True Meaning of Christmas!

Here we are just a week until Christmas and still so much to do. I started really early this year but it always seems to sneak up on me and I was still shopping this morning. We have been busy still baking and attending holiday functions. Last night we went to Fanny Hill Dinner Theater for dinner with Santa and friends, we had a great time. If you live in EC or near here I suggest you check it our next year. It is a wonderful event and the kids really enjoyed it.

I have to share what Carter said last night, he is 5 years old (almost 6) he said, "I know the true meaning of Christmas, it is not the lights and the presents, it is about the birth of Jesus and what he did for us." My eyes got misty and I smiled in such delight. We continued to have a conversation about what is was that Jesus did for us and what that means to us today. I feel so blessed to live in a Country where 5 year olds feel free to talk about their spiritual beliefs and where there are schools that celebrate the "true meaning of Christmas." It is so much fun that my kindergartner is inspiring me!!

Attached are a couple of photos of what we have been up to and a picture of that Elf that I was talking about earlier. Carter is still so into it, the first thing he has to do when he gets up is find Kit Frisbee (that is what he named him).

Enjoy this last week and try to relax and remember the true meaning of Christmas!!

These are a couple of simple holiday decoratins I put together, I am
trying to be more creative.

This picture is great because Griffin is Obsessed with Hello Kitty!

Sweet Delight!!

My Boys!!

Since my last post my computer nearly crashed (luckily we caught it in time), Christmas is in full swing, we have a strange little elf visiting our house daily, and God revealed some really important things to me.

First off being without a computer for a few days was strange. I am sure most of you can relate to this, I have no idea what we did before them. I know that I made more phone calls during those days than I usually do. So now my goal is to try and connect with people in ways other than e-mail, at least once in a while. I am thankful that I did not lose anything and it was fixed quickly.

We are getting more and more ready for Christmas each day. The house is decorated, most of the gifts are bought and wrapped, the cards are ready to be mailed and the boys and I are baking almost daily. I decided this year I was going to bake some different things than my usual and it has been fun. We have already enjoyed a couple of Christmas celebrations with a couple others coming up. For me, Christmas and summer are a lot alike; I try to get it all in because it goes by WAY too fast! The best part about this year is that this strange looking elf appeared on our door step on Saturday and watches us all the time. If you have not heard about the "Elf on the Shelf" check into it. Carter is having so much fun with him. The story is that he is sent by Santa to watch over the good little boys and girls and every night he flies to the North Pole to report to Santa and flies back to your house. In the morning he is in a different location in the house. Carter is so into the "Christmas Magic" this year that it has been a blast. I will take a picture of the Elf and post it tomorrow.

Now for the most important thing that is going on in my life, God is really working on me. He has me doing some things that I have always feared, like really listening to him and obeying. I struggle with this all day, every day (obeying that is) but I am becoming more aware of what he wants from me and am trying to obey. Last week I met with my pastor. This may sound like no big deal to some of you but to me it was the most intimidating thing I have done in years. See I have gone to my church for 12 years ( I love it there so much) and I have never met the pastor. We got a new pastor 3 years ago and I never met him but I had never met that past one either. I never gave it much thought until a few weeks ago when I realized that I avoid him at all costs and get very nervous when I am close to him. This feeling made me so uncomfortable and felt wrong to me. Well a few days later, I was in my Bible study revealing this to the women I had just met a couple of months ago. The next thing you know I tell them I am going to set up a meeting with him. Where did that come from?? Not me, I did not have the courage for that. After re-writing the e-mail several times I pushed send and had a meeting set up for the next week. I was so nervous going there and when I got into his office I could not even form a sentence. He was patient with me and within 15 minutes I was weeping and we were discussing why I was REALLY there. God has given me so much to think about and I am so excited to see how he continues to work to change my heart and my life!! He is so good!! I finally understand that He wants to have a personal relationship with me, little ol me!! This is going to be the best relationship I have ever had and I cannot wait!!

Attached are a few photos of what we have been up to this past week, hope you enjoy!

Tis The Season!!

Everywhere I look it is all of the sudden Christmas! I think this season goes way too fast so I like to see things sooner rather than later! Griffin is LOVING all of the decorations that he sees all around. This past weekend I went on an annual scrapbooking retreat to White's Wildwood Retreat in Chippewa Falls, check it out at www.wwretreat.com. It is such a beautiful and peaceful place. I have to say this was most most successful retreat so far, I got more done than any other time. I suppose that had something to do with the fact that I could not sleep. It is such a great time to just forget about other responsibilities and just work on your hobby, enjoy a little wine, good friends and food and a lot of laughter. The best part is that it is so close to home.

Today I am all about making lists; the Christmas card list, the gift list, the baking list, the holiday activities list. I am thankful that I have the time to truly enjoy the season and not get too stressed out!! Tonight we are going on a horse-drawn wagon ride through the Christmas Village in Irvine Park! Should be a great night for it.
Happy Holiday Season to you All!!

So much to be Thankful for!

There is so much to be thankful for. I am so blessed to have married the man that God created for me. It is such a blessing to have a good, solid marriage. My boys are my most prized possession and my love for them is indescribable. I am truly blessed to have many wonderful friends, each one a special gift inm y life. Although my parents have both passed I still feel that my family is blessed because we made it through those hard times and have still managed to stay a family and truly love one another. I am so lucky to have married into such a great family. I am blessed that God gave me some unique qualities and even if I do not realize what they all are today, someday he will reveal them to me when the time is right.

On a different note, we had our first lost tooth this week. And I mean LOST, Carter has been waiting for his tooth to fall out for a couple of weeks and Monday at recess it fell out and was lost. He did not seem to care that he did not have his tooth, he simply used his brain and decided we should take a picture of him and put it under his pillow for the tooth fairy, and it worked, she came!! He woke up in the middle of the night and ran into our room all excited and said the tooth fairy had left him a dollar. If the tooth fairy would have known he could not tell a $1 bill from a $5 dollar bill she may have only left him a $1 bill! Oh well, she will learn for next time!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Unpredictable!

Children are so unpredictable. That is difficult for somebody like me who really likes to know what is coming next. Parenting has taught me so many things, but the one that I need a lot more work on is going with the flow. Here is why I am writing this today... On Sunday I would have given Griffin to ANYBODY who asked, the problem was with his behavior nobody would dream of asking! I had no idea what I was going to do with him but I was SURE I was failing as a parent. His behavior even brought me to tears, that was the first time with Griffin. Not that he is overall better behaved that Carter was but because I have mellowed out a lot over the past 5 years. Between swearing underneath my breath and praying, I, we got through that day. I turned to God several times to help me in those moments that I was losing it! As always because He is so good, God walked with me. I also love my husband during these times because he always wants to talk about our parenting and how we can make it better. It is very helpful to have somebody who really understands to talk with. So this brings me to today....Today I wouldn't give Griffin up for even a minute!! He has been the most wonderful little boy anybody could ask for. He was so well behaved that I even took him to a little cafe for lunch and he was the best date ever!! I gave him so many praises throughout the morning and he kept responding, "you welcome mommy" man is he sweet! I also spent some time praising God for this miracle in my life and for always being there just as he promised!!

Go enjoy your little darlings or your little s----'s which ever they are today because they are a Gift and we are very blessed that God has entrusted them to us for their time on this earth.

Relaxing mornings

I love the mornings that we do not have to be abywhere before 10:00. Today was my day to pick Carter up from school which means he gets a ride to school. I enjoy not having to get going right away, especially when it is cold. Lately I ave had a cooking buddy. Every time I am making something, Griffin shows up by the counter with a chair and his kitty cookie cutter that he HAS to have with him at ALL times. Today we made pancakes in the shapes of kitties, snowman and gingerbread man, he ate 4 of them. Griffin is also very into his warm footie jammies! I love those jammies, they make the children look so warm and cozy. Do they come in adult sizes?? Carter is too big now, he prefers to just wear underwear to bed. Carter must have liked them a lot at 3 as well because we have several pairs.

This week has been pretty mellow for us which is nice because I see business in the future with the holidays approaching!

Is it really November already??

I cannot believe it is November already and the stores are full of Christmas items. I decided I am going to do more baking this year than I usually do and give those items as some gifts. Both of the boys enjoy helping in the kitchen so it should be fun!

Halloween was really fun this year because both if the boys were into it. Of course the gorgeous weather made it even better. We had a week full of Halloween celebrations, 5 to be exact so we got a lot of use out of our costumes. I made a decision that Halloween was going to be over when they woke up the next morning so we would not have the "I want candy" struggle constantly for days or weeks. It has worked very well, they have not once asked about their Halloween candy. Not that we deprive them of it, we just added it to our normal snack shelf and they can choose a piece for a snack just like any other snack. I also put a lot of it out of site and will use it for stocking stuffers at Christmas!! Hey in these economic times you have to be creative.

On a different and way more important topic, we have a new President, what a ride the past few months have been! Although my vote for President did not make it, I will fully support our next President as I think all Americans should do. All I can do is continue to pray for this great country of ours and all of it's leaders. It was fun to have a child in school during the elections, even though he is only in kindergarten, they spent a lot of time discussing it and learning bout the election process. Of course I learned some things too, I love kindergarten!!

Have a great Wednesday!

36 Today

Today I turn 36 years old, I am no longer in my early 30's and I am closer to 40 than 30, YIKES!! I Love my birthday but am not enjoying this getting older business. So I decided that my favorite age is 25 and that is how I will act, like I am 25! Not like I did when I was 25 because I was single and still a little wild and do not wish to relive those days, I just do not feel much older than that. I know I am more active now than I was at 25 and much happier!! The boys were so sweet this morning, the first thing Carter did when he woke up was tell me it was OK for me to go into his closet where I found a balloon, a gift and a card that he wrote in all by himself. I wont' tell him this but I knew about the balloon because Griffin told me last night, got to love a 3 year old!! I love my boys so much, all 3 of them!!

This past weekend I spent in the Dells with 4 of my dear friends and we were kid free! We have not all be together for years so we had so much fun just hanging out together. We spent some time at a spa and stayed in a very relaxing cabin. Saturday we went out on the town but midnight was all a few of us could handle! I feel so blessed to have so many girlfriends, I love spending time with other women.

This week has already been full of Halloween celebrations with a few left to come. Carter does not have school on Friday and I am really looking forward to having him home, I still miss him a lot!!

Happy Spook Day to you all!!

What a Week!!

Last week was a busy week for us. Ty and I spent Thursday and Friday in St. Paul at our Pre-adoption classes. We got a ton of information an many questions answered. Here is what we know so far: We are planning on adopting a little girl from Korea. We picked Korea for several reasons but most importantly was because the babies are in foster homes until they are adopted and the foster homes in Korea are very well regarded. We have been warned that she will be spoiled when she comes home as in Korea the foster mothers sleep cheek to cheek with the babies. For us that is very different than how we have always been with they boys. We have never had them sleep with us so that will take some getting used to. It is very important so that we can bond with her and she feels secure. Also, they wear their babies all the time in Korea. The agency recommends getting a special carrier like they use in Korea and wear your baby on your back for a while when she comes home. She will be somewhere between 5 months and 18 months; most babies come home between 6-9 months. The process will still take the better part of another year or more but we are moving along which is all we want. We have a lot of homework to do then have to get a home study then it is just waiting! It would be so nice if we had a daughter by Christmas next year. It is all in God's hands!! Ty and I have no doubt that this is what we want to do and that this is what we have been called to do. We will keep you posted.

Griffin turned 3 on Sunday. Three is a big one because the baby is pretty much all gone. Although he is still a baby when it comes to his mommy. On Saturday we took the boys on the Pumpkin Train in Spooner. It was a nice day and we really enjoyed ourselves. It was perfect for Griffin being that he is obsessed with any type of locomotive. On Sunday we had a small b-day party for him with none other than a Thomas cake which was a hit!!

I am heading out to dinner tonight with several of my girlfriends and looking very forward to it. The only bummer is that we are getting together because one of them is moving and that makes me sad-we will all miss her but the move is great for her family!

Enjoy your week!!

Colors of Fall

What a gorgeous time of year and the weather is making it even more wonderful!! The attached picture of the trees I took at the top of the Big hill in Elk Mound, what a peaceful site!! If you want to enlarge the photo just click on it.

We had a busy weekend starting with a 4-hour trip to the Pumpkin Patch, 2 b-day parties and a couple of room overhauls at our house. Griffin moved to his "Big Boy" bed which meant we had to get Carter's new (from a garage sale, but new to him) bunk beds fixed up and moved into his room. First we had to take down the crib and move Carter's old bed into Griffin's room. Ty worked really hard and got it all done in just a couple of short hours. Both of the boys were to excited for their new beds. Griffin had no trouble going to sleep in his new bed. I was a bit nervous about Carter up so high but he did just fine. The plan is for the boys to share Carter's room when we have to get Griffin's room ready to bring our daughter home. Wow, does that sound strange, our daughter! It is still going to be a while so we thought we would leave them in their own rooms for now. Notice the font color change, representative of the Fall colors. Dorky, I know but that's me. Our weekend ended with a visit from our dear friends the Woodman's on their way home from visiting family and a delicious turkey dinner at Grandma's last night, Yummy!! We have a very busy week ahead of us so check back next week for an update!

By the way check out my friend Karrin's new blog; http://www.beadedblog.blogspot.com/, she makes and sells some of the most beautiful items, perfect for the holidays!!

Happy Monday!!

Nap Time!!

I love naptime!! Not for me, I am not a napper but naptime for little kids and mom's of little kids is priceless. I love it even more this week because last week napping was nonexistent and I was afraid it was over. As you can see from the attached photo, naptime is in full swing at our house!! I really enjoy this quite time in the house all by myself, I am sipping on a warm cup of coffee with the smell of cookies baking and downey coming from the laundary room; life's simple pleasures!! Again. I am so thankful that I do not have to worry about work anymore and can take some time just for me.

The other picture is of Griffin and his new obession, his airplanes. Now we have countless cars, trains and airplanes taking over our house, HELP!!!

The Price of Groceries--UGGG!!!

Those if you who know me well will find this strange but I am actually going to try and bargain shop for groceries!! We do something interesting at our house every week to pay for "normal weekly expenses", we have separate envelops of cash for things such as groceries, sam's club, target, church, and fun! We put about the same amount in each week and it has worked very well for a couple of years now. We have had to make adjustments along the way but nothing like we have had to lately. It is a great system because we rarely spend more than the cash we have and we all know how a $50 trip to Target can get out of hand! I owe this budget strategy to Ty (his mom while raising him, she has envelops for her car payment and mortgage). It took me some time to get used to it but now it empowers me! Anyway, back to the point at hand; over the past month or so there has not been enough cash for groceries, by a long shot. It is true we eat at home a lot. Carter has to take a lunch to school every day and Griffin, Ty and I are home for lunch daily but that is not new. We eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies and I buy several organic products but again, that is not new. The point of this rambling is that I am going to try and buy some items at discount stores which I am not opposed to it just adds another trip to make every week. I know those of you that know me cannot believe I am saying this but the grocery bill is getting out of hand!! When Ty reads this he will be proud, he has been working on me with budgeting for years!!
If you feel my pain, know that you are not alone!!

Besides that problem, things are good. We are into a good school routine now and Carter is loving it. We have conferences this week so that should be interesting. I am happy to be back to my regular work out routine, I have even been able to fit in an extra work out of two a week. That always makes me feel good, I cannot believe I went for so long thinking about working out but not doing it because it is wonderful!! Griffin and I are having fun together and Ty is liking his new office.

Have a beautiful Fall Monday!!

Peaceful Morning

I am loving the mornings that I do not have to bring Carter to school. He does not ride the bus (he could, but I am not ready for that) so we carpool with our dear friends the Stabenow's because their son is in Carter's class. It is so nice not to have to go to school twice a day. Two mornings a week they bring the boys to school and one morning Ty brings them. Griffin is still a late sleeper if we let him so I usually get some time to myself after Ty and Carter leave and before Griffy gets up. I get a lot done in that time. I feel so fortunate that we are able to drive him to school so he does not have to ride the bus if that is what we choose. I LOVE being home every day when Carter gets home from school and spending time with Griffin alone has been so nice. I know I have said this many times but it still holds so true, I am so happy that we made the decision that I would stay home at least while the kids are little, although going back to work at any time does not appeal to me. I am sure as life changes my desire will change as well but for right now, God is really blessing our family every day!

Last week a friend and I brought our little kids to this beautiful place called the Gem Gardens. It is referred to as "Eau Claire's best kept secret" and it is. It is 25 acres of beautiful landscaping with tons of flowers and greenery and water and rock formations. Very peaceful and it is free. The kids spent 2 1/2 hours just exploring. They have raspberries and veggies to pick and everything is on an "honor system" there is just a box for the money, nobody working. Now that is not something you see. I recommend everybody checking it out, the website is http://www.gemgardens.com/. Attached is a picture from there, the picture does not do it justice at all. Also attached is a picture of Carter playing soccer. This is the second time he has played and the difference this season versus last is amazing. At least now they know which goal to try and get the ball in. I like sports so much when they are little because it is all about the fun and no competition. I know competition is good but for 5-year-old this works just fine. (Not sure what happened with the font but I am liking it).

Enjoy this summer weather!

Relaxing Weekend

This past weekend was very nice for me. I spent Friday night and Saturday scrapbooking with my sister-in-law, Julie. I am so happy that Ty's brother married such a wonderful women and I am very grateful for her friendship. We did not get as much done as we wanted (never do) but it was so nice to sit down for hours and do something that I enjoy with no interruptions. Ty planned on taking the boys to the air show on Saturday while I was gone but since the weather was so bad they did not go. He decided to take the on Sunday so surprisingly I had Sunday to myself as well. It was nice to run my errands and get things ready for the week. I have always known how important it is as a mother to take time for yourself and I am very fortunate that my husband agrees. Attached are a couple of layouts that I completed over the weekend.

Thomas School

Today Griffin started "Thomas School." He started a program called Camp Come and Play at Trinity Church. It is Wednesday mornings from 9:15-11:15 and no parents aloud!! He was so excited to go, last week when we started talking about him going to school he kept saying "Giffy go to Thomas School." Well today he went to Thomas School, he went back and forth between calling it that and "Percy School" (wonder what is always on his mind?) He did great, he had no problem when I left and talked all about it when I picked him up. It is amazing how fast 2 hours can go and how nice two hours can be spent alone!!

I am still amazed at how mellow he has become over the past week since Carter went to school, there are times when I hardly even know he is here. From one of the attached photos you can see what he spends much of his time doing.

Carter is still seeming to like school a lot, still coming home with lots of energy but so ready for bed by 7:30.

Ty has settled into his new office space downtown so he is now out of the house as well. It will be good for him to separate home and work a little but it is strange not having him here all the time.

As for me, I am back on track with my workouts at the Y, reading a lot and trying to catch up on some scrapbooking. It is really nice to be home and not have the stress of work on top of all of the home stuff!!

We also went to Como Zoo last weekend, the first time all year. When we left I told Ty that there will come a time when our kids will be too old for Como and his response was "When??!!"

Big Day!!

Today was a very big day at the Ellis household for two reasons:

Today was Carter's first day of "Big School." Of course he was very excited and he did very well. He could have cared less that I was leaving him for the ENTIRE day. What happened to half day kindergarten?? I am having a bit of a difficult time coming to terms with the idea of him being gone so much. The morning started out with a short time of worship for the students, staff and parents and I am usually a cryer during worship songs so that did not help the cause. I managed to hold myself together pretty well. The day seemed to go very fast and it was 3:00 before I knew it. When I saw Carter come bopping out of school with a huge smile and a backpack the size of him, I just smiled in delight!! It was nice to spend the day alone with Griffin, it is amazing how much more well behaved a child is when there is no brother to compete with or fight with. He is growing up fast as well, almost three years old already and he is a sponge, learning something new everyday.

The second reason why today was a big day is that we sent out our big packet for our adoption process (this is the picture posted of the envelop and papers). We have been working on the packet for the better part of 2 months now and today it was signed, sealed and delivered. It feels so good to finally have the process in full swing. I will keep posting as things progress.

The first picture is one of the boys at the river this weekend, we had a really nice weekend staying close to home.

Hope all of you parents out there are adjusting to the school year which is now in full swing!!

Family Time

Earlier this week my two sisters and their 5 children came to visit us. They were here for 2 days and we had a great time. My one sister had 3 girls and my other sister has a daughter and a son. It was so much fun having them here and having girls around was nice. It was the first experience our house has had to Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus (which ever she goes by now). Two of the girls are the same age as my boys so they had lots of fun playing together. Our family has been through a lot of tough times over the years, especially my two sisters. Those times have made strains our our relationships as everybody finds there own way to "get through it." I hope these two days has helped to strengthen our relationships so we can continue to grow closer. I love my sisters so much an only want the best for them!
The unfortunate thing is that I don't have any pictures. I kept talking about getting pictures of all of the kids together but then they were gone and the camera had never come out. The next time we are together I have to get pictures.
Enjoy your long and gorgeous weekend!

Proud wife

I know just posted but I have to share this. I just got off the phone with Ty's doctor and got some really good news. Ty has been working really hard this summer to change his eating habits and get into a regular exercise routine and his hard work has paid off. He has lost about 15 pounds but the best news is that his cholesterol which was high 2 years ago is perfect now!! For all of you who need a motivator to get active or drop a few pounds for your heath, here it is!!

Back to reality

I am back to reality! It is hard to get back into mommy duty when you have been kid and responsibility free for a few days. Ty and I had such a good time together, despite the fact that I had strep throat. The weather was great, not a cloud in the sky and it was only 115, very HOT. It is a very different hot then here, no humidity so it is bearable, believe it or not. We spent our days from 9:30am-4:00pm by the pool just relaxing, talking and reading. You could only take the sun for about 45 min before you had to get in the pool which felt so good. My friend Jill asked me what it was like to be in a pool without children, all I can say is it was fabulous!! We went to a very fancy dinner on Saturday night which was such a fun experience and the food was remarkable. Then we saw the funniest thing I think I have ever seen. We went to a hypnotist show, it was hysterical!! I love spending time with my husband, he is still my best friend and he is romantic so he makes me feel special! Ty is still in Vegas working until Wednesday and I miss him.

Back to reality... It is always nice to get away but coming home is wonderful, I missed my babies!! We are so blessed to have such a great grandma and grandpa, they took such great care of the boys while we were gone, both of the boys had bad tummys. We love and appreciate them so much.

Today my 2 sisters and their 5 children are coming to visit, they are staying overnight. They have never all stayed her so I am very excited, We do not get to spend much time together and I am not sure why. I would really like to be closer to them so maybe this weekend will help that along.

I am looking forward to getting some good pics of the kids all together!

Vegas Baby!!

I made it through the girl's weekend with only minor injuries, actually I came out just fine. I did come close to getting beat up but that is a story to tell in person. We had a blast as always. The best part about weekends like that is the pure relaxation of it. There was nobody to feed and nobody needing anything from me. I feel very blessed to have such wonderful friendships that just pick up where they left off from year to year. I also feel very lucky to have a wonderful husband who is such a fantastic father! I am already looking forward to next year. But first comes a short trip to Vegas for Ty and I. We will be going there this weekend so check back next week for that update.

Attached are a couple of photos from the weekend and a couple that I took of the boys today. It is funny how a few days away make you a better parent, we had a fabulous day today!!

Girl's Weekend

It is that time again, time for the annual Girl's weekend at my friend Erin's parent's cabin. Actually it is their house now that they retired but they graciously let us use it one weekend a month! It is a beautiful home on a fabulous lake in Northern Minnesota. There are 7 of us that go and we have all been friends since Junior High (or Middle School). It is always so good to spend time with them as we only all get together one time a year. We have some traditions that we do yearly and some things that we change up from year to year. I will update that information when I get home. All I know is there will be a lot of relaxation and a lot of laughs. And NO children!!!

Attached are a couple pics from last years weekend. Hope you all enjoy your weekend too.

School Shopping

Well, we did it, we went school shopping! I decided just to conquer my fears head on and get excited about school. Grandma ("Honey" the boys special name for her) brought Carter shopping for school clothes and shoes yesterday. What a wonderful Grandma she is, we are all very lucky to have her in our lives! It was interested shopping for specific items as Carter will be wearing a uniform at school. I found it way easier to find the pieces we needed than I thought it would be. Finding gym shoes that are Logo free was a little challenging but we did it. It was nice to only have so many choices. I think we will really like the uniform idea as the kids get older and there is so much emphasis and competition around apparel.

Today was the fun day, Carter and I bought his school supplies! Over half of the things on the list were household items such as; tissues, paper towels, baggies, antibacterial wipes, etc... I suppose a kindergarten classroom gets pretty messy. There are still a couple of items we have left to get but for the most part we are ready.

The picture of Griffin shows what he has been up to lately, lining EVERYTHING up! That line of cars was every matchbox car that we have, and any of you who have boys know they have a TON of them. He is also very into being clean, strange??

Happy Sunday to you all and God Bless you!!

Kindergarten anxiety

I cannot believe how fast this summer is going. I did not think sending Carter to kindergarten would be that big of a deal for me but I am already starting to have some anxiety about it. I feel like I only have a few weeks left with him then he will be out of the house. He is VERY excited and ready to go. I sure wish we had the option of half-day kindergarten, they will be in school for so long at such a young age.

Carter just finished with T-ball which he seemed to enjoy. What a fun thing to watch; a bunch of uncoordinated 5-year-olds who all hit the ball and stand there. Once they realize they have to run to first base they just stay there and first base gets quite congested. What a wonderful thing to watch, they were clueless. By the end they were getting the hang of it.

This past weekend we went camping in the Dells. We had a great time, the boys do really good camping as long as there is enough to do to keep them busy. We went to Riverview Park and Griffin rode his first min-roller coaster. In the attached picture he is sitting beside me but you cannot see him. We also went on a great Diesel train ride and rode the WI Dells Ducks. We are very happy with our camper just not so much pulling it with our minivan.

Since we do not have any scheduled activities this week we were able to plan several things to do around town that we haven't had the chance to do as much as we would have like this summer so it will be a fun week for us! Hope you all enjoy your week as well.