First Day, First Grade...

Yesterday was Mason's first day of first grade!  I have to admit that I did get a little teary yesterday, but it was nothing like the flood of emotions I experienced last year when he started kindergarten.  But I sure did miss him during the day, and I couldn't wait to make that afternoon walk down the street with the girls to go get him and hear all about his day.  (Over the summer we talked about how in first grade he will start being graded on his work with actual grades and not just smiley faces and check marks.  The idea of this is very exciting to him, as he is a perfectionist and a high-achiever when it comes to his school work.  And a good grade from the teacher is just the kind of pat-on-the-back that this kid is looking for!) So when I asked him how his day was, I was a little confused when his response was: "First grade is boring. We didn't even do any real work on the first day."  Hmmm, I guess he was hoping for a cumulative exam to start off the year.  He definitely inherited this attitude from his dad.  His mother, on the other hand, loved the laid back first days of class because no overly-challenging work was done.  Anyway, I'm glad he is anxious to get started, and I'm looking forward to sharing in his excitement when he brings home that first good grade!  In keeping with tradition, here are his first day of school photos as we're about to leave the house, and standing outside the school.

Ready for first grade:

Lipstick Lady...

I caught Ellie putting on my lipstick today...

...and I've gotta admit she looked a wee bit scary--kinda like one of those clowns who is a little more creepy than he is fun.  But on the bright side--I was impressed that she did at least get most of it in the general mouth region.

At The Park...

Yesterday we met up with my good friend Kelly and her boys at the park.  It's been so hot outside, so we've been avoiding anything other than swimming that is done outdoors.  But with school starting up again in less than two weeks, I decided to suck it up and brave the heat to give the kids a chance to enjoy some outdoor time together.  This family has become very special friends to us, as they've been a part of our lives for three years now.  We have 7 children between the two of us, so there is never a dull moment when we are all together! 

We started out doing some exploring in a rocky ravine behind the park.  I think the kids loved this even more than playing on the playground:

Mason found a baby dragonfly in the water (it was so tiny, you can barely see it on his finger). 

We did some swinging:

And some jumping out of swings: 

Luckily this park had a swingset big enough for our crew.  :)

The morning started out overcast and a little breezy, so it was actually quite nice for a little while.  We played for more than 2 and a half hours though, so by the time we left it was sweltering.  I can't wait until the weather turns cooler so we can enjoy more playdates at the park like this with our friends!

Mollie's Mischief...

Mollie is 9 months old now, and she's starting to get into plenty of mischief.  She is still my most laid back baby, but her little personality is really beginning to emerge and we're starting to see another side of her.

She is cruising around on our furniture, and has even begun climbing.  Her favorite no-no place to climb is up into the fireplace (just like Ellie did at her age).

She is starting to eat a little bit of table food, but just this week she started getting really bad about putting everything into her mouth at one time--especially while eating Chick-fil-A nuggets (who can blame her?) or goldfish.

She likes to try to keep up with Mason and Ellie and she is fascinated by most things they do--especially the loud stuff.  Although she likes to play by herself for short periods of time, her favorite place continues to be riding around on Mommy's hip, and she gets really upset when I leave the room without her.

She likes to swat at my face and pull my hair, and when I say "Ow!", she laughs and does it even more. 

She won't lay still for more than two seconds, so changing her diaper right now is like wrestling a small bull.

My silly girl!

Baby It's Cold Outside??...

Ellie must not have gotten the memo that it's 108 degrees outside, because a few mornings ago she emerged from her room dressed for the day in this "get up":

Trying to hide so I couldn't take her picture: 

Trained!...

Ellie is officially potty trained!  I hadn't thought much about training her, but a few weeks ago, I started randomly catching her trying to use the potty.  I kind of ignored it for a while--maybe I'm lazy, but there is something to be said about the convenience of a diaper when you're at the grocery store with 3 children in tow.  :)  But I figured we'd give it a try, since she will be 3 in a few months anyway.  My expectations might have been a little low, so she really surprised me with how well she did (with the exception of day 2, which resulted in more accidents than I care to mention.)  But other than that, she got it down in only a few days--so far, no accidents since last Wednesday!  She even wore underwear to church today (something I was not brave enough to try last Sunday), and the teacher said she even initiated taking herself to the potty there too!  Way to go, Ellie--We are very proud of you!!

My Little Fish...

Ellie has done remarkably well this summer in the pool.  At the beginning of the summer, we were thrilled that she was just a little more independent in the water with her Puddle Jumper floaty.  But last week, she wanted to take it off and try swimming by herself.  We were doubtful, but we let her try anyway.  Surprisingly she was able to move herself in the water pretty well for her age.  She paddled and kicked, and even pulled her head up out of the water when she needed to breathe!  This girl has very little fear in the water, which is a little frightening.  She has even taken it upon herself to jump into the water and try to swim...even when there is no one there to catch her.  Constantly reminding her not to do this is what we are working on right now.  Here she is swimming from the steps to Daddy:

Fearless girl: