First day of 1st and 3rd!

Happy first day of school Timothy and Teresa!  Although feelings were a little mixed, the feeling was mostly one of excitement.  Teresa was a little more nervous about starting a grade this year.  She thought she might have to take a test on the first day.

Both kids were up early and we enjoyed a fun breakfast and special first day notes and then the long wait for the bus began.  They were both ready about a half hour early.  In the wait for the bus, it seemed liked Teresa was almost ready to cry, which made me tear up, but we both made it.  Troy went on ahead to school and met Teresa to help her find her line up at the back of the school.  I shed a few tears after the bus was gone.  But I know both Timothy and Teresa are ready for the challenges that are ahead.  I am so proud of who they are!

 Here are the classic back to school pics.  I should have moved them out of the sun so they did not have to squint, but they are still cute!

 The first grader ready to go in her rainbow dress and tennis shoes in case she had gym class today!

 The third grader with his Star Wars shirt and new tie shoes ready to take on the world!

 The bus stop picture with a whole lot of kids this year.

 And here are the photos taken by Teresa and Timothy of each other before breakfast.

Looking forward to a great year!!

Last days of summer!

Well the last days of summer went zooming by.  We spent part of the last week visiting Grandma Rebecca and Grandpa Ken.  We had a lot of fun and were lucky to get to see cousins a lot during the trip.  We also spent much time playing in water and at playgrounds--the makings of a great trip!

 On Sunday afternoon we took Fiona home form church with us.  After several hours at the ropes playground they cooled off in the backyard pool some.

 With Grandma we ventured over to St. Paul to the science museum.  This was the first time for the kids and we had a great time.

 Family dinners are always a highlight!

 Dan, Krista and Cal were able to make it over for an afternoon and dinner.  Cal did not like the big pool, but he loved Timothy's shark float filled with warm water.  And he did not mind being sprinkled with water by his cousin!

 Cousin snack time and sharing of the favorite blue chair!

 Now here are a few of the pictures Teresa took of the week....family dinner.

 A pile of the boy cousins!

 The little girls and Mattias all dressed up.

 And when we got back home we found more fun things to do like take all the clothes out of the dresser and bury each other in them!  This began with Teresa trying on fall clothes and it became a huge pile and what else to do with a huge pile, but hide in it!

 A new game was swinging and watching Teresa's hair go flying and dragging on the ground.

And finally we went to the river museum and spent a good deal of time touching the sting rays in the new touch tank.  This picture is of the kids watching an Apatosaurus roar and move.

It was a great summer!

New Camera

One of Teresa's gifts this year was a camera.  Here is a look at the weekend through Teresa's pics!

6th Birthday!

Teresa celebrated her 6th birthday this past weekend.  She had a puppy themed party and was lucky to have her cousin Fiona come down for the party along with Grandma Rebecca and Grandpa Ken.  It was fun for her to wake up and start the celebration right away.  Grandma Rebecca gave the girls matching shirts, so the twin cousins got to dress like twins for the day.

 The party began with a little puppy play.  Everyone brought their favorite stuffed dog, or animal.  We took some time to introduce the animals before we got going.  Then we did the craft project...dog collars decorated with jewels!

 We played some games outside like dog trainer says and chase the big kitty.  Both games were a big hit, esspecially dog trainer says because the kids got some scooby snack treats during the game.

 Teresa's friends that came were Timothy, Fiona, Kinslee, Anna, and Sophie.

 After a hot dog lunch it was time for chocolate cake.  Teresa chose Everest from Paw Patrol to decorate her cake.

 After the party, Fiona, Anna, Timothy and Teresa had fun playing together.  And dinner was Teresa choice at Culver's.  The best part of course was the ice cream after dinner!

It was a great time to celebrate a wonderful girl!  Teresa is full of smiles and joy.  She has a huge heart and loves to spread her joy to others.  Her love of animals is as strong as ever and the current passion is dogs.  She continues to be a great reader and likes to keep up with her big brother.  We are blessed with our special daughter!