Happy Birthday, Elise!

I can't believe my oldest child is now 6! She had a rainbow birthday party last week to celebrate, and she was very specific about how the party should be, from the exact cake she wanted to the activities they would do. That is just very Elise - always wanting to be in control and perhaps a little bit on the bossy side :-). She has a ton of energy and is always getting her little brothers riled up. She plays very well with them most of the time, and likes to teach them things. She has a definite idea of how things should be in her mind for any given circumstance, and she sets out to make it that way. She is constantly trying to get her brothers to do things her way. She loves school, and is a social butterfly. She has become quite a good writer, and loves to do it. She also loves art. It made me laugh that for her end of year writing assessment last year she got a 4 out of 5. Her teacher told me that she actually wrote too much because she flipped the paper over and kept on going after the lines ran out on the front. If she had stopped at the end of page one she would have gotten a 5/5, but she had a hard time keeping her writing straight on the back of the page with no lines so she had to downgrade her to a 4/5. Ha ha. I guess that girl is too wordy even on paper. She is very proud that she has finally mastered the art of crossing the monkey bars. She worked on it every single day last year at recess - she is very determined and when she sets her mind to something, she will do it! She seems to like playing with boys more than girls, but gets along with girls as well as long as they want to play her way. She is a funny girl and she keeps us on our toes. We love you Elise!

For your viewing pleasure, here are a few photos from her birthday party last week.

What we will be occupied with this Fall

I know a cute little girl. A cute little girl who has decided that this year she will be leaving these behind.And she will be replacing them with these. I'm not too sure how I feel about that, but her dad is thrilled. All of my Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons in the forseeable future will be occupied with soccer. I am the team mom and have been busy ordering banners, making snack schedules, and handing out game info. I guess that officially makes me a soccer mom. I suppose I'm okay with that, but I sure am going to miss those sweet little ballet shoes.

First Day of First Grade

I can't believe summer is over already! I am ready for the kids to go back to school and get back into a routine, but I feel a tinge of guilt for all the things we planned to do this summer but didn't quite get to. Oh well, there is always next summer. And Elise was way excited to start school again. Steven starts school next week, and after seeing Elise off to her first day yesterday he is definitely ready to go back. All day he kept asking me when he gets to go back to school. He was so bored without Elise that he even took a nap, which he rarely does anymore.

One cute girl ready for her first day of school, sporting her new lunchbox and backpack.

Wait Mom, make sure you get a really good picture of my new backpack!Ready to walk to school with her brothers. Notice the sock change? We decided since it has been over 100 degrees and very humid outside, it might be too hot for knee socks, even if they are way cuter.With her first day of First Grade sign. We forgot to take this picture in the morning so we had to do it after school. Can you tell by her messy hair? Oh well.

Look Who's Driving!

Steven's favorite part about going on Papa's boat was definitely helping him drive and eating cookies. The other kiddos enjoyed that part too.

Swimming in the Lake

Cameron was definitely not a fan of going on the boat - I don't think he liked having to wear a life jacket. But he did love getting out of the boat for a quick swim in the lake. The other kids were big fans of swimming in the lake as well.

Big Kid Fun

While the little kids had fun on the boat by riding the tube, eating treats, swimming in the lake, and helping Papa drive the boat, the big kids got a chance to wakeboard and waterski. It had been a while since I had wake boarded, and even longer since I had skied. I had forgotten how fun it is! I'd also forgotten how much it leaves you hurting afterwards though.
Chris skiing:

Kara wakeboarding:

Chris wakeboarding:

Kathryn wakeboarding: Kara skiing:

Adam wakeboarding:

Tubing

We visited my parents in Redding for about a week in July, and of course we had to go out on the Lake a few times while we were there. Elise was brave enough to go on the tube, but Steven wanted nothing to do with it. It was funny because last summer Steven was the one who was such a dare devil on the tube. He kept wanting to go faster and faster. I guess all things come and go in phases when you are only two or three.

Bike Riding

You always hear it said that once you know how to ride a bike, you never forget how even if it has been a long time. Well, I think it must be true because I am fairly certain I hadn't ridden on a bike since I was a teenager, but while we were visiting my family we decided to ride bikes along the Sacramento River Trail and luckily, it came back to me. We had a lot of fun. The kids rode in trailers pulled by Chris and my Dad and they weren't so sure about having to ride in trailers, but we let them get out and play at the park right by the river so that made up for it.

Elise and Steven in a trailer:Chris getting ready to leave the park pulling Elise and Steven: Hannah in her trailer.

Cameron fell asleep on Steven in the trailer, and that was the only part of the ride he didn't scream. When we stopped at the park we called my mom and had her come pick him up in the car and take him home so we could finish our ride in peace. All the cousins by the river.A terrible family picture by the river. This is really close to where Chris and I took our engagement photos so I thought it would be fun to snap a quick family photo here. Since Chris and I were both wearing out bike attire and the kiddos wouldn't look at the camera, and we stupidly sat behind a bunch of reeds, it didn't turn out so well. Oh well, nice thought.

Swinging at the park. Thanks Dad and Uncle Adam for pushing us for such a LONG time.

Summer Fun

Wow - school starts in a week and a half! Where has the summer gone? These kiddos have been having a ton of fun and I have a lot of things to catch up on posting. They have spent a ton of time in their little pool in our backyard this summer keeping cool. Elise and Steven have contests to see who can jump in and make the biggest splash, and Cameron loves to watch. He thinks the whole thing is hillarious.