Three Cheers for Grandpa!

I received a few fun pictures from Hannah and Grandpa's fly fishing adventure in Montana last month...CHECK OUT THESE GREAT PICTURES!

What an awesome memory this will make! Here they are before heading down the river! Hannah caught these fish, (with the rod that Grandpa had BUILT JUST FOR HER)

but she wouldn't TOUCH them!! Like Mother, like daughter! Here she is with their guide. GO HANNAH!

THANKS GRANDPA!! YOU ROCK!! WE LOVE YOU!

Something to make you smile!

Yesterday as I was walking Kirk and Ruby to school, Ruby looked at me with a big smile and said, "Mom, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but when are you going to let me walk to school alone?" (school has only been in session since Sept. 2, she hasn't even endured a full week of me yet!!) I laughed out loud and reminded her that she is only SIX!! I can only imagine what she will be like when she is 12! YIKES!!

Family Home Evening at our house

This family is so silly! I planned a "nice" lesson and look what happened... What a CRAZY, GOOFY, GIGGLE FEST!!! (and a fart festival) What a bunch of crazies!! Forced, Family Fun (that is what I call Family Home Evening) is supposed to be exactly that, right? FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! (oh brother!)

Pain=Beauty

Today was picture day at Compass, so of course my girly girls wanted to sleep in curlers...I LOVED IT!! They wanted me to post before and after pictures on our silly blog, so here it goes...

BEFORE

John just has to be in every picture!! (and he wanted curlers in his hair too!!)

AFTER Check out this beautiful Seventh Grader, isn't she adorable? When she left for school this morning, her curls were at her chin! There is a lesson in gravity for you, folks!

Ruby's curls were so tight on her head this morning that we ended up just pulling it all up in ponys...it looked a little TOO CURLY!! (never thought I would hear myself say that!!) She looked darling!

First Day of School...Take Two

Compass Public Charter School, HERE WE COME!!

Compass is an amazing new K-12 Charter school that is less than 2 blocks away from my front door, their doors have been open for three years now. We have had our eyes on it, with our kids on the waiting list, hoping and praying that someday they would get in...well, I am so tickled to announce that they FINALLY got in!! Hannah found out she got into Compass months ago. YA!! Kirk found out he was in about two weeks before school started and then poor Ruby, after being in first grade with fabulous Mrs. McGrordy, at Peregrine Elementary, for a day and a half, also received a call from Compass. I couldn't have been more thrilled! I went right over and politely ripped her out of class! She was very excited as well! Due to some construction delays, Compass didn't start their school year until Sept. 2! So we got two extra weeks of summer vacation!! WAHOO!! If you have any questions about Compass, here is there website, check it out, I know you will be impressed!! http://www.compasscharter.org/

Here is Ruby's (second) First Grade Photo

Here is Kirk, now in FOURTH grade!!

Hannah has been a pill and won't let me take her picture! Can you believe it? She isn't even a "teenager" yet and she is already rolls her eyes and runs every time I break out the camera!

Today, was school picture day however, and we put her hair up in curlers last night, and she PROMISED that I could take her picture when she gets home from school!

And we can't forget about John, he was oh so eager to have his "first day of school" picture taken as well. Maybe he wanted me to document the pure happiness he was experiencing about all the kids going back to school!! hee hee

Last week was an awesome start to what I know will be an amazing school year! I love the feeling at Compass and I am so impressed with the teachers, staff and parents over there. The kids are having a ball and are so happy to go to school each morning! THAT IS A HUGE PLUS FOR THIS MOM! We can even walk to school now, Kirk is thrilled that he is done with the school bus system! It takes us about 10 minutes to walk to and from school, it is wonderful!