Summer Girls

Our summer was a total whirlwind.  I feel like I worked most of it, and found myself especially exhausted this past week as we finally were able to move back into our building.  The unpacking and continued construction work has been stressful, but I work with the most amazing staff that has totally rolled with the punches.  It's not completely finished, and won't be for a while, but our building is ready to welcome kids tomorrow.  Anyway, as I've been wrapped up in learning more than I cared to know about architecture and construction, the girls have had a great summer!

A couple of weekends ago we had a fun family day at Hurricane Harbor ... this was the only picture I got.  We spent all day on water slides and had a blast! The girls were daredevils and rode everything they were tall enough to ride!

Over the past week, the girls had a second summer trip to MN for Camp G&G Round II.  Emma was so thrilled to be included, and it came at the right time for me as I could put in some long hours without feeling guilty!  Steve and I also managed to try a couple new restaurants and enjoy patio Coronaritas!

The girls loved Corn Days and dancing to Grandpa's band.

 Auntie and Adam hosted an early birthday party for Emma.  She was so excited, and it made me so happy to see lots of family members show up to celebrate our almost-five-year-old!

The girls got to ride Big Mabel on Prior Lake!  She didn't make an appearance when we were in MN in July since Grandpa was dealing with his shoulder issues/hospital stay, so they were really excited to ride this time.  Everyone loves a lake girl!

 And if you look closely here, you can see the crazy boat hair happening!

What a great way for the girls to end the summer.  And now, just like that, it's time for school.  Tomorrow morning, bright and early, Sara's off to 3rd grade and Emma to pre-k ... we're looking forward to a great year!

The Thing I Said I'd Never Do

I should know by now to stop saying I'll never do something.  People often ask me whether I have my girls come to my school, and I always say no.  We are good in our own places, we can see our neighborhood school from our front yard, we are happy with our arrangement.  That's all still true. 

However, in an unexpected twist a few days ago, the district opened up just a few spots in my school's pre-k program to staff kids.  I debated, weighed the pros and cons, and then - potentially against my better judgment - decided to add Emma's name to the list.  It was hard to tell Primrose that she wouldn't be returning, but I felt better when one of her teachers told me that she is ready for a bigger school.  Emma misses the kinder cut-off by only two days this year, and in many ways she is ready to move on, so I think this different setting with bigger kids will be good for her.  I have an amazing pre-k staff, and a handful of other teachers who are also bringing their kids to the program, which is now a mix of staff kids and kids who qualify based on financial need.  It's an exciting opportunity that I just couldn't pass up!

Sara will stay at Daffron, and next year Emma will join her there.  For this year, though, we are going to be daily carpool buddies.  Here she is with some new friends at Meet the Teacher!  Having a bunch of four-year-old kids on campus promises to be eventful for everyone!

Soccer Season

A couple of Saturdays ago, while Sara was still in MN, Steve, Emma, and I got to see the US Men play in the Gold Cup semi-final (they went on to win the cup a few days later in a game versus Jamaica).  It was such a fun event.  I love that soccer fans literally come from all over the world.

Emma was super proud of her sign, and held it high as she cheered loudly throughout the game.  She definitely earned Super Fan status.

After the game, we waited on traffic to clear out and hung around with a friend of Steve's.  We happened across Kellyn Acosta's mom, who was carrying his still-sweaty jersey.  Emma and Steve were both thrilled to pose with it!  Kellyn scored that night, which was exciting because he is a local kid who also plays for FC Dallas.

 This past Saturday, we all went to see FC Dallas play.  Unfortunately, they got pounded, but we had a great time anyway.  I took this selfie and put it on Twitter ... the girls were super excited to see themselves on the big screen when the Twitter pics were displayed throughout the game.

Not long now before fall soccer season starts again for both girls!