All four of my darlings headed back to school after Labor Day. Maggie is in fourth grade, Evie is in second grade and Ben started preschool! Jamie is back at Lakeview teaching and also teaching an evening course at Atlier downtown. So far things are going really well, everyone seems to like their teachers and is making friends. Life has resumed its hectic pace with non-stop scheduling issues!
Ready to go!
Ben's first day of preschool A little scary for him, but he adjusted quickly!
First day of second grade!
First day of fourth grade!
We got to visit Ben's new school the week earlier and he was very into all the toys
Dad got them all Slurpee's to celebrate the start of school
Poor Maggie was very tearful before the bell rang with her best buds in other classes - she's doing great now!
Psyched that her best bud is with her again this year!
Soccer is back in full swing as well, both girls are playing. They have the same coach this year and I'm helping out with Maggie's team.
Unicorns waiting to start the game!
Look who joined the team this year!
Girl Talk getting ready
We had a fun time celebrating Dad's birthday this year. Grammer had all sorts of fun games ready for the kids and they even got a ride on the motorcycle!
Happy Birthday, Pops!
Evie went out on the "real" roads this year, she loved it!
Maggie had a blast!
Second round of tug-of-war: Jamie vs. all the kids (Jamie won)
The things we do...
Egg balancing (Ben just held on to it the whole time, but still continued to walk very slowly and carefully)
Jamie has been promising Evie a laser-tag outing all summer, and they finally had a chance to go this past weekend. The only place still open is Jamie's old stomping grounds, so Evie got to see where Jamie and I met all those fateful years ago. Turns out laser-tag is really intimidating and Evie was not a fan; the arcade was all she needed though!
Winner winner!
Best date ever
Jamie's high school mural is still up (note the holly bush in outer space he painted just for me, ha ha!)
Jamie does a "print exchange" every fall with a large group of artists. Basically you design a small print and mail out 20 copies, and then get 20 copies in return. In a moment of tipsy-ness I've come to regret, I said I would do a print along with him so he could get 20 more prints this year. It turned out ok-ish, but I'll leave the artistry to him! It took way more time and effort than I expected!
My traffic light series
Jamie's highly detailed dinosaur series
Jamie taught the girls how to do their own, which turned out pretty cool too!
Earlier this month I took a week off work and we spent some time meandering up north. The kids had an awesome time hanging with cousins and being outdoors. We didn't let the girls bring their "screens" and they didn't even seem to miss them even when driving - it was a nice break!
Vacation!
We spent a day in Tawas with the Odglens and Uncle Justin. We stayed at Rex's brother's cottage, which has a beautiful lakefront view.
Hanging on the beach
Got over her fear of fish touching her in the lake (I don't even think there were fish nearby)
Cousins!
Trying to keep him entertained at restaurants!
Pizza pals
Twins
Cuties
Got ice cream cones. These are called "singles" So. Much. Ice Cream.
Ben got about this far and then gave up
One of Ben's favorite parts of the entire trip was the train tracks (nope, there wasn't a train, just the tracks)
Deep thoughts at night
Time for marshmallows?
Floating raft thingy for the win!
Me and my guy
Stud
Afterward we headed up to Mackinaw City for a couple days strolling around town, shopping, and playing on the beach. Grandma and Grandpa and Jason were able to meet up with us.
I missed you!
Buds for life
One of her "real" smiles
Took a day trip to see the Sioux Locks, it was sioux-per cool for me, the kids were not into it
Ben lost his mind when he saw the kid train driving around town, so Grandma saved the day!
Not too old for a jaunt through town
Superhero on the beach
So serious
Waiting for the fireworks - Ben was really into them and talked about it for days!
My brood
Playground shenanigans
Trying to teach Evie how to skip rocks... one day she'll get it
Family! Under the Mackinac Bridge
Grandkids!
Jamie, his parents, and Will's fingers
The originals
Eh, one day we'll get a nice family photo
We walked by a tattoo/piercing shop and I jokingly asked Evie if she wanted to get her ears pierced. She has always been terrified by the idea, so I was totally floored when she said she really wanted to do it! So we got the paperwork figured out and our brave little one did it! I think this was my favorite part of the trip, so proud of her.
What have I done?!
They're tiny and hard to see, but she's got pierced ears!
When we got home, Andy and Katie were in town for the week with Henry, so we got to spend some quality time together.
Stopped by the Sandoval cottage on our way home from up north, Henry and Ben are buds
Ugh, not while I'm eating Dad!
Spinning poor Katie... probably not the best feeling in the world...
Concert night
Zoo day
Henry Bear looking for some polar bears
The girls got to feed a giraffe - I love how Maggie is protecting Evie
Continuing to knock out obstacles, Evie and I worked hard for about 30 minutes in a parking lot one day and now she can FINALLY ride a bike without training wheels. Yeah, I know she's a little old, but she's not one to do things until she's ready.
Right before vacation we went to the Tigers game and had front-row seats by first base! Evie got a signed ball during warm-ups and was so thrilled (Dad might have been more excited)!
Ate 'em up, Tigers win!
Big winner!
Obligatory ferris wheel ride
Enjoying the breeze
We had a sleepover for each girls a few weeks ago - it's their most favorite thing ever. I let them have a "spa night" which they were hilariously into.
Soaking their feet in bubble water... they thought this was just sooooo relaxing
Masks and cucs
So funny afterward, "oooh I think my face looks so much fresher!"
