Oh, how I love to go camping!

After reading the King's blog, I'm thankful we attempted camping in a much safer(those raccoons could have been rabid!) environment...a friend's backyard. We've wanted to go camping with the kiddos for quite a while, but weren't sure how they would handle the great outdoors. We decided to try it out in the Marshal's backyard. We set up three tents and hoped for the best. After a great grilled out supper and birthday dessert for Charis, we sat around the most wonderful campfire a subdivision could have! We all decided s'mores were out of the question due to the rich dessert and sent the kids to bed...in one tent! We hoped they would settle down and go to sleep. Fat chance! We let them giggle, wrestle, and get really sweaty before we sent each kid to their own tent. They each had a parent with whom to spend the night. I'm not sure how Andy fit into the child's two-man pup tent, but it actually went surprisingly well! I think we're ready to try the real thing!

Get on the Bus!

Brooklyn had her first official bus ride last Friday. She was more excited to ride the bus than go to school! It was an uneventful trip that seemed like a dream come true for her. She talked about the ride for days and can't wait until she has to ride again. Oh, and in case anyone was wondering. Her kindergarten class is reviewing colors for the first three weeks and they are asked to wear a specific color every day. It's been nice to know exactly what she is going to be wearing every day. I'm almost an advocate for school uniforms! I've been dressing Xavier in the appropriate color hoping my almost 3 year old will finally learn his colors. We're close, if only he would stop calling red, green.

Maybe if I don't post this, it didn't really happen...

It's official. Brooklyn started kindergarten on Wednesday. It was much more difficult that I expected. I had no problem sending her to preschool, but this seems much more permanent! We decided to send her to Trinity Lutheran School because of their kindergarten reputation and Christian basis for teaching. She will attend school for half days for the first nine weeks, then go all day for the rest of the year.


This sticker was sitting at her desk when she arrived on Wednesday.

During the "meet the teacher" event on Tuesday.

Posing with the class guinea pig, Brown Sugar.

Brooklyn's locker. Is she really old enough to have a locker?

Outside Mrs. Wolfe's classrooom.

Best bud Avery is just down the hall.

Brooklyn already has two friends in her class...Her friend from preschool, Taylor and our neighbor, Lucy. Good luck to Mrs. Wolfe trying to keep those three quiet!

The wannabe kindergarteners, Xavier and Ella

The day got off to a rough start with huge thunderstorms beginning at 3:00am. We were all awake through the continuous thunder and lightning until 6:30 when we finally gave up trying to sleep and got up for the day. Andy took a half day to see Brooklyn off to school. I'm not sure if Brooklyn or I needed him more! We dropped her off at school(in the pouring rain, of course) and headed toward the exit. She was fine! I made it to the stairs before I started crying. Three more years until I get to do this again. We're all adjusting well, but I know Xavier misses her bunches. Tomorrow is the first day she'll ride the bus. It's always something new!

Ohio Balloon Fest II

We went back to the balloon fest on Saturday and the sky was filled with balloons! We asked some poor man to take our picture and I think it took him a half hour to figure out how to push the button! We had a good time and it was nice that we could bring Ellie along. She was quite the popular dog! I can't say we'll be rushing back to the fest next year, but it was a fun family evening out.

Ohio Balloon Fest

We decided to take Xavier to the Ohio Balloon Fest last Friday night so he didn't have to feel left out that Brooklyn was invited to a High School Musical 2 party. Unfortunately, it was too windy so there were zero balloons. We made the best of it by allowing him to jump in the bounce houses and sit in the fire engine. Eventually, we did spot a pretty neat octopus kite in the sky. Most importantly, Xavier got some alone time with Mom and Dad.

Brooklyn's Fashion Palace

Brooklyn wanted a hair and makeup party for her friend party this year. I recruited my friend Julie to do makeup and begged Andy to do nails.


We started the party by creating personalized hand mirrors. Each girl worked really hard to make their mirror look beautiful. I was horribly frustrated because 30 minutes before the party started I discovered that glitter glue does not stick to plastic and all their names fell off. Andy spent the next 10 minutes supergluing all the letters back on. What a lifesaver!

After the craft, we sent everyone outside for some pinata fun. Big swinger Katie knocked it to pieces on the second try. So, we taped it all back up and let everyone have a try. It's all about the candy anyway, right?

Brooklyn wanted a pink castle for her birthday cake. I had all sorts of grand ideas until I tried to put it together. The towers kept falling off even when secured by skewers! Arg! Thankfully it held together for photos and the Happy Birthday song. All the girls loved it!

Finally! It was time for the all the glitz and glamour! The girls were getting anxious! My poor husband is such a trooper! Here is his blackmail shot for all the world to see!

This is the group of 8 girls(plus one Mr. GQ) post-makeover. Don't they look lovely? I started with one hairdo and they all wanted the same one. So much for my creativity!

The 5 year old birthday girl.

The girls all seemed to enjoy the party. Even those who were a little nervous in the beginning really warmed up. I can't wait to hear Brooklyn's ideas for next year.

Xavier wanted so desperately to join in, but what can you do for a boy at a makeup party? I LOVE the mohawk!

Presents and THE DRESS!

Present time at the family party was a sight to be seen. Brooklyn was thrilled to receive clothes for her doll, Marie, High School Musical, all sorts of girly stuff, and a musical jewelry box. The one that stole the show, though, was a creation by my mom. She spent hours sewing the most gorgeous Sleeping Beauty costume for Brooklyn. She even had a matching one for Marie! Brooklyn held the dress up, ran across the room, and hugged my mom so tightly I'm not sure she could breathe! Sleeping Beauty is Brooklyn's favorite princess because she wears pink. She spent most of the rest of the evening twirling and modeling her costume.

Fiesta!

As most of you know, Brooklyn wanted to go to a Mexican restaurant for her birthday, stand on a chair, and wear a sombrero. I had the most horrible time finding a sombrero! Thankfully, we were able to borrow two from the Samms! We each had to have a turn taking a photo with Brooklyn while wearing the sombreros. Even the dogs weren't immune! After the wonderful photo op, we headed to Fiesta Grande for supper. We had a marvelous time and Brooklyn was able to stand on the chair. However, she did NOT want to be sung to. We saved that for the candles and sombrero cake afterward.

Dance Camp Finale

Brooklyn's week of Princess Dance Camp at InStep ended on her birthday. She wore a special, pink, sash that said "Birthday Girl." It was so much fun to see her face when she arrived at camp and her best buddy Avery gave her the most gigantic, mylar, Cinderella's Carriage balloon I've ever seen! She jumped up and down and hugged Avery so tightly! After performing a Cheetah Girls song and a Bratz song, she handed out cupcakes to all her friends.

The Twin Birthday at CEC

The Kings came down for a long awaited visit on Wednesday. We celebrated Brooklyn and Jonathan's birthday at Chuck E Cheese's on Thursday. They enjoy sharing that they have a birthday on the same day. The kids were all tired and grouchy but managed to pull it all together for a fun few hours at CEC. Xavier really enjoyed having some boys to play with.