"I just can't wait!"

The kids have been saying this a lot, especially since meeting their teachers two days ago. They are very excited about the new school year! They popped right out of bed this morning and got ready in record time...even had a few minutes to spare for this First Day of School photo!

in case you were wondering....

...this is where we were all summer, whenever we had nothing else going on. I am going to miss those fun days in the pool with my two girls. Luckily, summer weather will be around for a while, so we'll still have our weekend swims to look forward to!

CAMP GRANDMA

The kids really look forward to going to "Grandmaland" to see family. A summer highlight is going camping together. They love swimming, fishing, making s'mores, and sleeping in the tent with their cousins. This year, there was even a local 4-H fair to enjoy. Yeah, Camp Grandma!

Eight is Great!

Haley has always said she would like to have a sleep-over party for her 8th birthday, and that she did! She invited some close friends and planned lots of fun "spa" activities. Her favorite, by far, was making soap. The dinner menu featured her favorite foods: ribeye steak, "mayonaise noodles" and even artichoke. The girls had so much fun crashing out in the toy room. Happy Birthday, my not-so-little girl!

The Outer Banks

The kids loved the Atlantic! Bigger waves than the Gulf and warmer water than the Pacific. Haley caught some waves on her boogie board that carried her into shore, all the while she was laughing her head off! Jenna's getting so grown up, she loved the adventure of the waves, too! What a great few days we had at the beach. The Outer Banks are beautiful...we drove quite a bit south and the dunes, vegetation, and beach views were something else. Not to mention the lighthouses. We all learned a bit about the Wright Brothers...Kitty Hawk offered good winds for take-offs and soft sand for crashes. :) We were on dunes so big, you would think you were in the middle of a desert, not along the seashore. Yet another place to consider when we are ready to buy our own beach house!