1st Day of School

What a morning!  Luckily my back feels better enough that I'm semi mobile again.  The kids were very excited.  Got their new clothes on, lunches packed, bags ready...and the pictures began.  They were actually really good about it.  Here are some shots from the house:

Then it was off to daycare to catch the bus.  Noah is now a "bee" and Kylie is officially a "wolf".  Below are a few shots from Noah's room while the kids were waiting (Kylie doesn't let me stay in her room anymore):

Then it was time for the bus....fighting back the tears!!!

Off to school to see them get off the bus.  I know I'm crazy...but I can't help it.  Love the little monkeys:

Noah getting off the bus and heading for the Kindergarten lines

Standing in line with his teacher

Off to the classroom...after blowing me a kiss and saying "Bye Mommy"  (still fighting tears)

Kylie's class going in (hard to see her...its the gray backpack just left of center)

So now I anxiously wait for the end of the day to see how they made out.  Can't wait!!

Wacky Day for last day of Summer

Today is the kids last day of summer....School starts tomorrow!!  I can't believe how fast the time flies.  So at daycare today they wanted the kids to wear "wacky" outfits for fun and Kylie said they are supposed to be having brownie sundaes too.  Sounds like a day I would rather be a teacher than an accountant/analyst :(

Here are some pics from how these crazy kids left here this morning:

My little Punky Brewster...2 different socks, shoes & earrings...hopefully this doesn't turn into the new look she wants every day...hahaha!

Shirt backwards, shorts over pants, purple socks and 2 different shoes while rocking the Mickey Fantasia hat...NICE!

Last weekend

We had such a hectic time this past weekend I feel like I'm still recouping!  Hence the reason we are behind again.  Friday I had the day off so Kylie & I had a Mommy/Daughter day.  Did some school shopping then home to pack for our quick trip to NY. 

Saturday we had a nice visit up at Matt's house.  Got to see Miss Hailey for the first time in awhile which was awesome.  Here are some pics of the cuties:

Kylie & Daddy sitting on Uncle Matt's Quad

Noah's turn

"Uncle Jason...my turn??"

Cousins hanging out on the step with the new puppy - Bailey

My mom will kill me for posting this, but I love the picture.  Her 2 favorite girls deep in thought chewing on their fingers...hahahaha!

So we left there and headed to Ryan's birthday at Saratoga Park.  It was a nice day and the kids had a blast.  I think as they've gotten older they love having all their cousins around even more....which makes it so hard to go home :o)  Here are some shots from the park:

Obstacle Course Time - Here comes the birthday boy

Noah starting the obstacle course...a field goal kicker he is NOT!

At the finish

Justin & Noah playing trucks in the creek...what is it about water that attracts kids??

Hi Joey!

Cake time - Poor Ryan had a run in with a tree a tthe start of the party...battle wounds visible here

My monkeys!

Headed home right after the party and went to bed to get ready for another jam packed day on Sunday. 

The weather was miserable on Sunday..but we headed for the shore for Jason's work picnic anyway.  Long drive down, but we had a good time.  The kids each went off with the older kids (Kylie with the girls for manicures and Noah with the boys for football & baseball in the rain).  They took some breaks to acknowledge us when the lobster and crab were ready, but then it was right back to the play.  All in all it was a great weekend, but now you can see why I'm still recovering :o) 

Happy 11th Anniversary!!

It was 11 year ago today that I married my best friend.  We've been together more than 1/2 our lives and there's never a dull moment.  Lots of good times with a lifetime more to come.  Happy Anniversary Babe!

Awesome Anniversary in Mystic

 We had such a nice afternoon celebrating our anniversary with the kids down by the shore.  Nice sleep in after the concert last night and then we hit the road.  Got down to the aquarium around noon and started touring for the afternoon.  Check out the pics below:

"It's Nemo....and a black Nemo!!" haha

"Wow, look at him!"

Noah is our little animal lover...not afraid of anything and loves feeding the birds

Hooray!!  She finally held a bird...still a little hesitant as you can see :)

Me & my crazy monkeys laying at the bottom of a submarine

Headed over to Olde Mistick Village afterwards for a quick visit to the shoppes and then off to a yummy dinner.  Now we are home, kids in bed and enjoying some piece & quiet.  Doesn't get much better.  Good Night All!!

Box Tops & Can Tabs

I cannot believe school is starting in less than 2 weeks.  I think the days go by faster and faster each year!!  I was just going through the cabinets trying to consolidate all the can tabs and box tops that everyone has been collecting for the kids and wanted to pass around a big thank you!!  As you know this is something we do for the whole year and we really appreciate all the help from our family and friends.  For those who don't know what I'm talking about these are 2 of the collections our school participates in to help its students and the community. 

First, the can tabs.  These are those aluminum tabs that are on the tops of soda cans, soup cans, etc.  Each year the school has a competition to see which classroom will collect the most.  The one that does wins a pizza party, which is great, but more importantly these can tabs are turned into cash which the school then donates to Shriners Hospital.  Over the past few years they have been able to donate between $700 - $1000!!  It's a great cause and teaches the kids a valuable lesson in the meantime. 

Second are the box tops for education.  I'm sure many of you are familiar with these little rectangles that appear on a lot of the foods and paper products you buy.  If you don't currently collect these for a school and think to set them aside we would love to take them off your hands.  Each one equates to 10 cents that the school receives for their use.  While this doesn't sound like much it can add up quickly and with the shrinking budgets the schools seem to have every year...every little bit helps. 

After tallying up what we have saved so far this summer (with all your help) we already have 2 gallon size bags of can tabs & over $10 in box tops money....Not bad!!  Thanks again for all your help and stay tuned for those 1st day of school pics that will be popping up soon!