Can you feel it?

The cool breeze is in the air. The leaves are turning beautiful colors. We are getting to pull on our sweatshirts and jackets. Oh, wait a minute .... this is TEXAS. The temperatures are still hitting the 90s and the trees are still bright green!

My husband states that spring doesn't start until the PGA Masters, so I am declaring that fall begins when hockey starts!!! So to celebrate the start of FALL, we went out to support our team the Dallas Stars. Aunt Crystal and I took Jason and Allison to see the Stars practice on Friday afternoon. They were quite captivated (... all three of them).
Then Saturday night, I took Sophie to her first Stars game down at American Airlines Center. I wasn't sure how this would go since she doesn't usually like loud noises, but she loved it. She liked the crowd, the music, the food, AND the game - she kept tracking the score and the shots on goal! She's definitely growing into a great little sports fan!

Settling right in...

Sophie is really enjoying kindergarten so far. She had a few bumps the first week (left her lunch box at school one day, teachers put her in the walker line instead of the carpool line for pick up, etc.), but overall she seems right at home.

Her class did a unit on colors where they had a different color of the day. The kids were encouraged, but not required, to wear something with the color for that day. Sophie picked out clothes for each day, but we also decided to paint her nails a different color each of the days. Here's a couple of the photos (purple day and pink/orange day):

Then there was the Buddy Bear assignment. This is one of their class mascots. They sent home Buddy Bear for us to cut out and dress up. Sophie could dress her (or him) up any way she wanted and could get help from anyone in the family. At first she was thinking Ballerina. Then Princess (think one of the Disney variety). But when we went to the fabric store, she fell in love with this black/butterfly material. Here is her creation:
Here is Sophie with her Butterfly Buddy Bear...notice Sophie in the matching skirt that mom made her with much help from Nana.

For Angie....

Happy Birthday to ME!

Here's me with my birthday present. I asked John for a sewing machine. I don't really sew yet (except for that home-ec class in 7th grade), so I didn't really know what I wanted. John did all the research, narrowed it down to just a few choices and then let me pick. My mom came over last night to help me with my first project ... a skirt for Sophie.

Check the next, soon-to-be published post for the finished product.

First Day of Kindergarten

We've been practicing for two weeks. Getting up early, eating breakfast, and getting dressed all by 7:25 am. This from a family who used to sleep until a bit after 8am (...mom and kids only, poor daddy had to go to work) .

We had a special delivery from Grandpa and Grandma Pat custom painted to Sophie's wishes. It took her a few days of careful consideration on her part, but Sophie finally decided to relocate this beautifully pink desk out of Mommy's front hall and into the gameroom.
We went to Meet the Teacher and took a picture of Sophie and Mrs. Wirstrom.
Then the day finally arrived. We got up and ready...
drove to school...
Sophie found her own way to her classroom.
Loaded up her locker...
and settled in for the day...
Here's the after school shot just to show that she survived (...and so did mommy).

Hot Springs Vacation

So we headed off for a vacation in Hot Springs, Arkansas last week. Our goals for this vacation... Kids - have fun, Mom - get some rest, Dad - hit some Dairy Queens. John's mom and brother (Oma, as the kids call her, and David) went with us for part of the vacation. As we caravanned there, the kids enjoyed talking to Oma and Uncle David with the walkie-talkies that we brought and our first Dairy Queen pit stop!

The first day in Hot Springs we headed off to Garvan Woodland Gardens where we did some hiking, fish feeding and lunching.

We went up in the Mountain Tower to take in the views.
We took the National Park Duck Tour... Sophie liked the wind blowing through her hair...
Jason liked the water part of the tour....
and Allison .... liked the nap!
Then we went to the National Park Aquarium quoted as being "Arkansas' largest fish and reptile exhibit." Well, the whole aquarium could probably fit in the downstairs part of my house, but the kids did love the turtle that roamed freely.
Oma took a little time to show Sophie how to work Sudoku puzzles.
After touring a bathhouse, which the kids found to be somewhat boring, and then having to say goodbye to Oma and Uncle David, we decided to take the kids somewhere that they could just play. Since it was over 100 degrees outside, we found Little Bitty City, an indoor play area. The big kids had two favorite rooms ... an exercise room with kid-sized exercise equipment (all the pictures came out blurry) and the princess dress up room (poor Jason).
Since we enjoyed the hiking and fish feeding from the first day, we decided to go back. Last time we took the stroller, so Allison and I had to stay on the wider paths while others went on some smaller trails and got to see neater things. This time we ditched the strolling and John carried Allison.
And at last, Mom and Dad's definition of a successful vacation...all three kids asleep!!!
On the way back home, we stopped by to visit Grandpa and Grandma Pat in East Texas and made our last Dairy Queen pit stop. It's good to be home.

Summer '08 First Half

Sophie has decided that she wants to be a ballerina. So, we found her a class (http://www.whitehouseballet.com/)and she is loving it.

She has also spent some time with mommy this summer learning to read. She is doing very well. So, on one trip to the library, Sophie got her own library card. Only one more month until kindergarten starts.

Jason seems to have entered an 'Evel Knievel' phase.
So, after 2 busted lips and a trip to the dentist, we seem to be recovering.

Allison has almost mastered walking and climbing. She spends the day exploring, trying to keep up with her siblings, and napping because she is exhausted from the adventures.