First day...

The first day of school went well, as reported. A bit chaotic in the morning, but they settled into their routine. They both said they had a good day. I have to keep reminding Will that the cost of a few uniforms is far cheaper than tuition!

Aidan finished the final Harry Potter book Saturday night. He began the series two weeks before school let out at the end of May. He was thrilled with the whole series and wants to read it again! And we were worried he wouldn't find books he liked! Will introduced him to White Fang last night, so we'll see if he takes to it.

Summer comes to an end...

Another very busy week. The kids had orientation Weds. and got to meet their teachers. They both got haircuts, new shoes, uniforms, etc. Thursday Aidan took a math test to determine which math class he will be placed in. School starts tomorrow. Amy is a bit excited about being in first grade. They both got to meet a few kinds in their classes, one of which we know from gymnastics. We are hopeful that they both settle into this new school.Amy finished gymnastics camp on Friday. This last week was Cheer camp, and she was the youngest camper, along with Victoria (in the photo) who is 9. The fun part about being the smallest, as she discovered, was that she got to be the one tossed in the air! She really loved gym camp this summer and gained so much confidence in her new skills.

Here are some clips of her performance.

After Aidan's test Thursday morning, he and I drove up to Clear Springs (about 45 min. from our house) to look at a pop-up camper. We have been looking for one for a while, but were finally ready to purchase one now that we got a hitch put on the van. We just wanted something simple and lightweight, and we found it! We bought a used 1995 Coleman Cedar pop-up camper. It has been garage kept for most of its "life" and is in very good condition. We are planning to take it to Pop for inspection in early Sept. (get ready Pop!). The kids are ecstatic- they helped us clean most of Sat. morning then had the neighborhood kids over to play in it for a few hours. They even eat lunch in it daily. It's a big hit, and amazingly, fits fully opened in our garage!

Here is a clip of Aidan explaining his latest project, Paper Making, which he initiated all on his own, without help from anyone else. It's fun to watch his projects become more sophistocated and "real".

So this week has been one of replace, repair, and improve: our shredder lost its teeth (ever have one of those dreams?), the toaster stopped operating, my sink faucet became a sprinkler, and the van's battery died at the grocery store (yes, it's still 100+ outside; hotter inside the van).

The trim work in the kitchen is finally painted and looks nice. We have ordered solar screens for the back of the house (better late than never). School orientation is Wednesday. We have made our fall and spring camping reservations and are currently planning a long camping trip for next June up to Colorado (we may not come home...).

Aidan's follow-up with the orthodontist went very well, as did his dental appointment. He was proud of himself, especially since he is doing his own adjustments. He has gotten used to it enough that he forgets and got gum stuck in it literally an hour after he got his teeth cleaned at the dentist! Argh! Let's hope that was an isolated incident...

Amy finished acrobatic camp. She loved it. Here is the "performance".

Amy shows off her M&M striped socks from Vegas.

Aidan and Jonah keep score at the bowling alley.

Vacation, vacation, vacation!

Aidan got his expander put in at the orthodontist's office a few weeks ago, and his reward for being so brave and cooperative was a Harry Potter robe! He was thrilled--about the robe, not the oral appliance affixed to his teeth! But he is getting used to it, learning how to eat and talk and even adjusting it himself.

This past week, Will and I took some time off and went to Vegas for our 10th anniversary. We stayed at the Rio, which is not on the strip, but was a very nice, comfy hotel. They had a free shuttle daily to the strip. While there, we saw Cirque Du Soleil's Mystere and Blue Man Group. It was a lot of fun, but a LOT of walking! Even our room was at the END of a loooooong hallway. The M&M store was fun, but would have been better with free samples! It was a great anniversary getaway!

The ceiling at the Venetian Hotel.

The only photo of us together in Vegas.

Strip view from our room.

Paris Hotel at night.

Hallway view from our room to the center of the 3 towers ("Y" formation of buildings), where the elevators were. There's actually a man at the other end walking towards us. See him? I didn't think so!

While we were in Vegas, the kids stayed with their grandparents. The first 2.5 days they were in Kerrville with my mom, then they spent the rest of the week with Granny and Pop. Aidan talked Pop into building a treehouse, so they worked on that project, among others (like fixing the power cord of Aidan's 8mm film projector, installing a new water filtration system in their kitchen, etc.). They stayed busy. Amy and Granny filled their time with movies, artsy fun, and other girly activities. Wonderful memories were made that week!

On our drive back home, we stopped at my mom's to pick up 2 of our 3 dogs. A family friend, Kay, was staying at the house while mom was in NC with friends. Kay breeds and shows shelties and had brought with her 2 pups from a recent litter and 2 adult shelties. The pups are 9 weeks old, and the kids got to cuddle and hold them while the grown ups chatted. A-DORable pups! Of course getting the kids back in the van was not easy, but we finally made our way home!

Summer break ends in just two more weeks... The heat, however, will not.