Trace's First Day of Preschool

Trace has been waiting for this day to come and when it finally arrived he wasn't disappointed. As soon as we opened the door to the school, Trace sprinted to his class, found his locker and threw his backpack inside. He was off to play when we stopped him to take some pictures, find his name card, and empty his backpack. As soon as those tasks were done it was hard to slow him down long enough to get our goodbye hugs. Trace was one excited preschooler, which made it easier for this mama to leave her baby boy behind.

The highlights of Trace's day were playing outside for recess, eating lunch, and bringing home a folder like his sisters. His teacher, Ms. Myer, reported that Trace had a good day and took a long nap. I was a little nervous about nap time since he isn't used to taking a nap with a room full of kids. He did great though. Keep up the good work Buddy. Mommy and Daddy are proud of you!!! Our baby is growing up...

Kaylee and Kianna's First Day of School

Kaylee- 2nd Grade

Kianna- Kindergarten

Kianna wondering why I was taking so many pictures.

The girls started school today and were beyond excited. They both had a great first day with lots to report. Kianna was excited to have gotten two jobs: the first one was washing tables in the cafeteria and the second one was counting how many kids were buying hot lunch. Kaylee had art class and was excited about the project they are working on. Looks like our school year is off to a good start. Little man starts tomorrow...

End of Summer Celebration

I wasn't able to take each of the kids out to lunch as a part of their school shopping experience, so instead we took the kids on a family date night in Toledo. We went to the movie "The Odd Life of Timothy Green", which was a great movie. It is a tear jerker, but I highly recommend it! After the movie, we went out for italian food. It was actually a bit of an experience in itself. Kaylee had her heart set on eating at the Spaghetti Warehouse in downtown Toledo, which is a bit of a drive from where we watched the movie. We drove to the distance only to discover that the restaurant had quite a wait due to the local AAA baseball team having a game that evening. The stadium is just a block away from the restaurant. Who knew? Next time we will have to check the game schedule! We then drove back to the area of town we had watched the movie in for a better selection of restaurants. Unfortunately, it was prime dinner time and all the restaurants we tried had a long wait. In the end, we settled on a nice italian restaurant and once food was in our bellies all was well again...

It was a fun night out as a family and our house guest, Alexa, joined us. Alexa is a senior at Huntington University in Indiana. She has been living with us all summer and will be with us until the beginning of December. She is here completing an internship for her degree. She spent the summer working as a camp counselor at The Centre and now is assisting the school with chapels and leading several small group bible studies. It was fun having her join us and getting to know her better. Farewell summer, school year here we come...

School Shopping with Trace

I discovered that the dislike for shopping starts at an early age for boys, at least that appears to be the case with Trace. I took Trace school shopping today and unfortunately even though it was supposed to be a special time of shopping with just the two of us my little guy was not into it. He enjoyed picking out a few things, but was ready to be done before we were actually finished. I guess I'm not sure if that is just being 3 years old or being a boy? We did manage to get all of his school supplies and some new shoes, so it was a success in the end. He is especially excited about his new Star Wars Lego backpack. We went to the school's open house tonight and upon seeing pretty much anyone he recognized, he would immediately turn around to show them his new backpack. He is one excited preschooler!

Silly Girls

The girls had a playdate with their two best friends, Callie and Cara today. Kianna and Callie cracked me up, as they switched clothes and tried to pretend they were the other person. It was pretty funny. Kianna was walking around calling me Mrs. Cook. Silly girls!

Kaylee's Fashion Show

I took Kaylee school shopping. She needed some chapel clothes, new shoes, and school supplies.  We had a nice time together. However, I think she had the most fun showing off her new clothes to Daddy. She was really into it. Here's our little fashionista... 

VBS 2012

We made it home from our camping trip with just enough time to make it to church this morning. The kids were excited to sing the songs they had learned in VBS this past week. I had to keep from crying as I watched them sing their songs and do their actions, especially Trace. He was a ham up there on stage and we couldn't believe how well he knew the songs and actions. It was precious!!!! I love to watch my kids praise God!

This year's theme was Tumbleweed Gulch and the kids had a blast. It was fun to hear them talk about it each night. Trevor and I helped out with crafts, which was much more manageable than the decorations last year. Fun times...

Somerset Camping Trip

Girls getting ready to zipline

Kianna upside down

Girls hanging

Katie and Libby getting ready to zipline

Trace

Cook's enjoying the fire

We just returned from a two day camping trip in Somerset, MI. Somerset is just 25 minutes from Adrian, so it was nice and close. We have decided the key to us enjoying camping trips, at this point, is for us to go with other families who also have young kids. We camped with two other families from LCS, The Riordan's and The Shane's. The Riordan's have two boys going into 5th and 7th grade respectively and The Shane's have three girls going into 6th grade, 2nd grade, and pre-K respectively. We all had a great time and we had the most beautiful camping weather!!!

Unlike our camping trip last year, I had time to actually prepare food in advance, which was fun for me. Friday's menu included chicken satay with peanut sauce, sauteed veggies, sauteed potatoes and onions,  with a grilled banana filled with marshmallows, chocolate chips, and cinnamon toast crunch for dessert. Saturday's dinner included grilled pineapple and ham kabobs served with pasta salad, fruit salad and Smore's for dessert.

The kids had a blast playing with their friends and the adults had a great time visiting and relaxing. Additional activities included playing on the playground, playing soccer, playing bocce ball, digging in the sand, tying each other up with their jump ropes, jumping on a pogo stick, hiking, sitting by the campfire, and riding on a zip line for the first time. Trace didn't weigh enough to zip line, but both girls did and they loved it! Kianna even went upside down. She is fearless! We had a great time and are ready to enjoy our last week of summer before school starts on the 27th.

Evelyn's Princess Party

Girls at the Royal Table

Trace with Princess Evelyn

The McGuire's (Merillat) invited us up to Ann Arbor this evening to be a part of their daughter, Evelyn's 5th birthday party. We were asked to arrive in royal attire and so we did. The girls had fun dressing up like princesses. Kaylee even got to wear the tiara I wore on my wedding day. She thought that was pretty cool. I also let the girls wear some of my fancy jewelry. Trace dressed up as a knight and was cute as could be. The girls had fun getting autograph's from Princess Aurora, Cinderella, and Belle. Even Prince Charming was there. It was a fun evening!

Happy Birthday To Me

Today is my 35th birthday. My day began with a pot of coffee, a homemade birthday card from Kaylee and a homemade gift from Kianna. The kids and I spent part of the morning at The Centre's 1/2 mile path working out together. I ran while Kianna rode her scooter, Trace rode his new bike, and Kaylee rollerbladed. Trevor took the afternoon off work and took me out to lunch and to watch the new Bourne movie. It was great getting out of the house for awhile. The kids had the house decorated for me when I got home complete with balloons, streamers, and a birthday banner. It was a fun surprise. We had hot fudge sundaes for dessert and spent the rest of the evening at VBS. It was a nice birthday.

Our Baby Girl is Six

Kianna wearing the shirt Kaylee made her for her b-day. Kaylee made sure it had the fruits of the spirit on it.

Mommy and girls

Boys- Don't Smile

Chuck-E-Cheese

Friend Party

Star Wars Buster Bar Cake

It is hard to believe that Kianna is 6 years old. I think this has been her most anticipated birthday thus far. We have been on the countdown for a number of weeks. Kianna's birthday began with me telling her the story of her birth. She enjoys hearing about she got stuck and had to be cut out of me. After that, just like on Christmas morning,  she opened her gifts first thing in the morning. The main things on her want list were a scooter without training wheels (two wheels vs. three wheels), a unicorn dream light pillow pet, and an electronic light saber. She was excited to receive each of them along with a few other items. Kianna has decided to try jazz dance this Fall and so she also received some jazz shoes, tights, and a fancy "jazz" hat, which she is excited about. She has been asking to take dance lessons since early this year, so it will be interesting to see how she likes it. We are entering unchartered territory for Trevor and I, as neither of us are the least bit musical. The only dance lessons we have taken are the ones preparing for our wedding reception, remember our waltz?

Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. The rest of the day was spent doing whatever Kianna wanted. She had Daddy make scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast. We then went on a family walk/run/bike/scooter ride around the neighborhood several times. She loves her new scooter and didn't want to stop riding it! We headed to the Pizza House in Ann Arbor for some yummy pizza for dinner. Our waitress made Kianna's birthday extra special by giving her a free chocolate shake. She thought that was pretty sweet. The rest of us had a tough time getting a bite! After dinner, we went to Chuck-E-Cheese and had fun playing games. It was a fun day spent together as a family.

Today Kianna had her friend party. She hadn't seen most of her friends all summer, so it was fun for them to reunite. She chose to have this year's theme be a Star Wars Pool Party. Our kids have all gotten hooked on Star Wars ever since Trace received the animated Clone Wars DVDs for his birthday in January. Her cake was decked out with Star Wars figures, which she thought was pretty cool. She chose to have buster bar for her dessert and even helped me make it. We love buster bar! My only complaint was that we only got one piece, although after calculating the calories it ended up being a good thing...

In addition to Star Wars and Jazz dance, some of Kianna's other interests include:

• Playing soccer- She played soccer this season and absolutely loved it. She especially likes scoring goals.  
• Playing with her brother and sister- Being the middle child she gets along great with both of them individually. Kianna is really good with Trace. They have developed a special bond and really enjoy playing together, especially Star Wars and super heroes. They also enjoy aggravating each other, things can go from good to bad quickly with those two! Kaylee and Kianna enjoy more of the girlie things together like dolls, tea parties, and doing crafts. The three of them enjoy playing Star Wars and house together, where Trace is the baby or the dog. Unfortunately, the three of them can only play together for brief encounters before trouble breaks out and man are they loud...
• Coloring and Crafts- She really enjoys to paint and is quite good.
• Singing- Kianna loves to sing and can often be heard singing loudly to herself. She enjoys making up songs, especially ones about how much she loves Jesus. 
• Stuffed animals- She has a lot of them and wants more.
• School- She loves school and is excited to start Kindergarten in a couple of weeks. She loves math and is pretty good at it. She has been learning to read and is quite good at sounding out words. We are currently on lesson 43 out of 100 in our reading book. We have a ways to go, but she is catching on fast. 
• Swimming- Kianna loves to swim and has learned to swim without her swim vest this summer. She has also learned to go down waterslides, dive under water for dive rings, and do somersaults in the water. She is a little fish.
• Climbing- Kianna loves to climb. It doesn't matter if it is a tree, on top of our monkey bars, or a climbing wall. If allowed, she will climb it.
• Snuggles- Kianna loves carrying our dog around the house. Snuggles can often be found cuddled up next to Kianna at bedtime. He is a good snuggler. 
• Dresses- Kianna loves to wear dresses or skirts. She loves to accessorize with jewelry and has recently developed an interest in doing her own hair. She is getting pretty good at ponytails and is learning to braid.
• Jesus- Kianna loves Jesus and enjoys learning about the bible. 
• Being silly- Kianna has the best smile and laugh.
• Snacks- Kianna loves snacks. She is a slow eater and has trouble finishing her meals at times, but this girl sure loves snacks. She especially likes pistachios and apples. 

We love our little Nana Bear! We are proud of the little girl she is becoming; she has a big heart and a kind and sensitive spirit. We love you Kianna! 

Yau's Visit

 

My good friend and college roommate, Jodi, and her family came to visit us for a couple of days this week. They are in the process of moving from St. Louis, MO to Knoxville, TN. We had just missed them by a day or two in St. Louis but thankfully Jodi's from Michigan and they decided to spend a few weeks visiting friends and family in this great state prior to settling down in Knoxville. We were excited to meet their newest addition, Hannah, and to get to know Mila, their two-year-old better. It was fun to hold a newborn baby again. Kaylee and Kianna even took turns holding her, which they enjoyed. I sure don't miss those sleepless nights though. I could tell how exhausted both Paul and Jodi were and don't miss that at all. We had fun with the kids swimming, playing outside, going to the park, and taking a hike in the woods. Jodi and I were able to enjoy a quiet walk just the two of us and the guys got away and played some frisbee golf, which they enjoyed. We had another fun visit with friends. We are truly blessed!

School Shopping with Kianna

Kianna and I snuck out just the two of us today to do a little school shopping. She had fun giving us a little fashion show. She is quite the little diva!!! As you can tell from the pictures, she loves to wear dresses and accessorize...

Issa's Visit

If you look closely you can see me in full sprint mode right after I passed the 1st guy and determined to catch this older guy ahead of me...

Ouch I pulled my hamstring

Racers

Trace right after he found out he was going to get a medal

Kianna running

Kaylee running hard

Girls' Summer Running Club

Our good friends, The Issa's, came to visit us this weekend. They like to come for Community Celebration Day at The Centre. On Saturday morning, the kids all had their races. Kianna and Trace ran the 1/2 mile race. Kianna made it the whole way without stopping or complaining, which made us proud. Trace on the other hand decided he didn't want to run right after he started. We teach our kids to finish what they start, so he did make it around eventually, even it meant being carried across the finish line. Thomas, Kaylee, and Gabriel all ran the mile race this year and did a great job. Thomas got 1st place, Gabriel got 4th place and Kaylee made it the whole way without stopping and ended up getting 11th out of quite a few kids. We were proud of all the kids. They all received medals, which made Trace pretty happy. Unfortunately, Jonathan broke his arm a couple days before coming to MI, so he wasn't able to run this year.

I ran the 5k for the first time and ran it in 27:26. Apparently, I am a little too competitive for my own good, as I ended up injured. I decided to sprint the last 500' and try to catch the middle aged man about 30' ahead of me. After catching him, I decided to try for the older gentleman about 30' ahead of him. I did catch him right at the finish line and that is when I felt a "pop". My leg gave out right at the finish line and I almost took the older man out as I was trying not to fall. I'm sure it was quite the scene. I'm a little embarrassed by just how competitive I am and yet I know that I would do the same thing next year given the chance. I spent the rest of the day in a significant amount of pain with an extremely sore hamstring. In fact, it hurt so bad that I missed the rest of the days events. I felt bad having to miss out on time with our friends, but knew it was necessary.

Everyone else spent the rest of the day getting faces painted, jumping in bouncy houses, swimming, and attending the evening's festivities of "Minute to Win It" games. Unfortunately, the concert and fireworks ended up getting rained out. On Sunday, the adults hired a sitter and had an evening out. We went to the new Batman movie and out for a nice dinner. It was another good weekend with friends!