Rain!

It rained today....almost all day! It was a delightful soaking rain which we need so very badly. Lauren wanted to put on her rain coat and boots and play in it. I checked on her and was able to take some  photos!

What do you do in the rain....collect water from the gutter and pour it in your rain coat pockets, of course!  And what are boots for....collecting yet more water from the gutter!!! Yea for the rain....we are thankful for it, and hope it saves our trees, prevents fires, fills up the lakes and helps the economy! Rain, rain, come again soon!

Back to School. Kindergarten & 3rd Grade

Lauren started Kindergarten and Ryan started 3rd Grade! It's one of those moments that really stops you and makes you think about the last five and a half years. It seems so short, and yet I can hardly remember life without Lauren, like she's been here forever! Lauren is so very ready for Kindergarten and so excited that I can only feel excitement for her. I think it helps that she has watched Ryan go to school for 3 years and she's comfortable with the school. Then we were so fortunate for Lauren to have the same Kindergarten teacher that Ryan had. She is amazing, loving, enthusiastic and very nice, and Lauren is familiar with her. Lauren is very excited about having her.

We went to "meet the teacher" Friday night and she asked me why it was so short...she wanted to stay longer. Then she came downstairs Saturday morning announcing..."Only 1 more day until school!"

Ryan is in 3rd Grade, and also seems very relaxed and a little excited about school! He was very positive after "meet the teacher" Friday night! He has 2 teachers...one for math and science and another for reading and social studies.


Here's a picture of Lauren going to the "meet the teacher" night. She wore her new soccer uniform (she starts soccer in 2 weeks) and her new "light up" Kindergarten shoes!

Kindergarten at David Elementary

Yesterday my mom and I had a girl's lunch while Mark took Ryan to a Cub Scout Astros game. We went to a tea house and made a big deal out of celebrating her going to Kindergarten. Last night she picked out her clothes for the whole week.

Ryan enjoyed an Astros game with friends and even got to run the bases! He had such a great time and it helped make him excited for seeing his friends at school. I think we learned a good lesson....to do something really fun with the kids the day before school starts. It really helped Ryan to be excited and not to have all day to worry about the first day of school!

Here the kids and Mark are before we rode bikes to school.

1st day of Kindergarten and 3rd grade

From a practical standpoint, it will be nice to have both kids at the same school! I think we've only had that one time....when Lauren was 2 and Ryan 4-5, they were at the same preschool. They'll be together for 2 years in elementary school, and then not again until high school when Ryan is a Senior and Lauren a Freshman. That makes me a little sad, but what can you do.

So, we've had a fun start to the year!

Happy 4th Birthday Lauren

It's hard to believe that our baby is turning 4!

Lauren's favorite things:

- Baby dolls and all related accessories...doll strollers, bottles, etc.

- Painting

- Music class at preschool

- Brynne, Lauren's best friend. They've been in school together since 18 months, and will be very sad to learn that they won't be attending kindergarten together. But, we still have a year and a half before that happens!

- Pink, pink, pink

One of my favorite words she pronounces is "balloon". She says her "l"s as "w"s.  So, Ballon is "kabwoon".

She has been taking gymnastics since August, and it was a perfect place to have her party. She had a great time, along with about 20 kids--either preschool classmates or family friends. She enjoyed being the leader, with Ryan by her side the entire time, and wasn't as bashful about getting attention as she has been in past years.

Happy Birthday Lauren!

Brynne, Lauren, Ella

The Group, with Lauren and Ryan in the middle

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Lauren, Ryan, TJ

No training wheels

It's official. Lauren can ride her bike without training wheels! She's practiced a few times over the last few months, but last week she really got it. Here's a video of her.

You can see how proud of herself she is. This video is on the cul-de-sac across the street from our house. This is where the kids ride their bikes the most when we are just hanging out. Lauren did ride her bike to the park without training wheels, with Mark running alongside her. She only had one crash! That's pretty good for a 3 3/4 year old! (Only one crash is pretty good for my 30 something self too!)