little star.

our little ryan,

who now loves going to school,

and no longer cries,

(since we bribed him with buying a new skateboard)

was pictured on the front page of the church bulletin.

he was so proud at church on saturday night when he discovered himself

after Father gave him the bulletin.

he was showing everyone.

"look at me.that's me at my school.i love school.i got a new skateboard because i didn't cry."

was a phrase we heard over and over.

click here to see our little school-lover.

http://www.stpaulstpete.com/bulletins/0829127.pdf

ps. Monday morning, as we're on our way to school,

Ryan says to me,

"mommy, if i don't cry at school this week, can i get a motorcycle?"

what have we done? haha

fun.

hope your weekend was as much fun

as crawling around

in half of your birthday suit!

love in a box.

yesterday ella got a package.

it was from nana-boops.

we opened it up,

only to find her sunflower!

she had planted it at nana's house during the summer.

so, nana packaged it up and sent her a little love in box.

thanks nana and boops!

what little brothers do.

this is the best sandcastle on the beach.

built today by ella herself.

she put so much time and effort into this creation.

ryan, in all his curiosity,

came over to see her wonderful masterpiece.

and i,

watching from the shore,

could see it coming...

"i'm a monster." i hear ryan yelling.

and in one quick stomp of his foot...

he demolished her sandcastle.

ella's first lesson in 'what little brothers do'

speaking from experience,

this one is a difficult lesson to comprehend.

but one she will look back on someday

and hopefully be able to share with her daughter.

happy birthday.

happy birthday grandma jinx!

friday night family date.

after a rush.rush.rush. week of back to school,

we thought we needed a rrreeelllaaaxxx. friday night;

with our friends, the burkets.

we took a little road trip.

all 9 of us.

to anna maria island.

for dinner.

on the beach.

great friends.

great food.

great view.

great entertainment for the kids.

(what kid doesn't love a giant sandbox to play in during dinner?)

it was the way a friday night should be.

back to school.

today was our first official day back to school.

well, official for ella that is.

the other 2 have been going all summer.

anyway,

she was awake at 6 am asking,

"do i get to go to school today?"

she has put her uniform on at least once a day

since they came in the mail last week.

she had her backpack packed,

her lunch requests in,

(to the cafeteria a-la-mom)

and her pencils sharpenend.

now if we could just pass this enthusiasm on to her brother!

such a grown up little lady.

school-eve.

twas the night before school,

all lined in a row:

the kindergartener

the monster

& the baby,

all ready to go!

sweet dreams.

last day of summer vacation.

we are enjoying our last day of summer vacation!

happy birthday.

happy first birthday

to my dear sweet samantha.

oh how we love you.

you bring us such joy.

my, how the year has flown by.

xoxo

project complete.

finally, our landscape project is complete.

we only started it 3 months ago.

i guess that's what happens when you have kids.

haha.

not too bad for our first time.

Friday Night Date.

a perfect pair.

look closer.

the perfect size beer.

7 oz bud light.

cheers!

Tuesday.

yes, we are still on vacation.

now down at papa's house.

this is our last day of fun.

as you can see...

we are making the most of it!

what a perfect end to a perfectly wonderful vacation.

Monday...afternoon.

well, the rain went away,

and we went out to play....

at Grand Lake.

Uncle Matt took the kids tubing.

judging by their smiles,

they had a great time.

samantha got her first blood sucker stuck on her.

like a true northern gal,

she didn't panic.

she just pulled it off and threw it in the grass.

the kids played on the dock.

or the "bridge", as ryan calls it.

samantha did what so many babies before her have done,

(including her mother and grandmother)

she took a nap under the shade tree by the boathouse.

the rain did go away,

and we did have a great day!

Monday.

rain, rain, go away,

come back another day.

Sunday.

what a day!

started off with Mass on the Deck,

a festival tradition.

then, we celebrated samantha's first birthday.

next it was off to the parade

at the usual corner,

with the usual family.

after the parade,

it was down to the ball field to watch the final game.

then back to grandma's for naps.

then down to the beach for sand castle-making.

back to grandma's for a bonfire and the big fireworks show.

we survived the Nautical Festival 2010.

are you exhausted yet??