last goodbyes

we are SO sad to see summer go
and are doing our best to hold on to every last moment



it's been fun, summer.
we'll see you soon
or in NINE months ...
ugh.

first day 2013

it's hard to believe
but
the first day of school 2013
is officially HERE!



we have a SEVENTH grader
yikes!

a FIFTH grader
last year of elementary
another YIKES!

and
a SECOND grader!!

once again we have two FABULOUS teachers
that we have had in the past
and we are SO excited!!

 

i forgot how early it REALLY is that the middle school bus comes ...
but we survived and all made it out there on time

we sent drew off ...
finished up the last minute odds and ends for ben and alex
and got everyone on their way

 

 

 

 

 

 

the boys were SO excited to get back ...
and although i'm sad to see them away from me for such a long portion of the day -
getting coffee with stacey
and coming back to a quiet house
wasn't so bad either

a losing tooth machine

because losing just one tooth is not enough ...

alex lost TWO more ...
IN ONE DAY!!



that's THREE teeth in ONE week ...
pretty impressive, alex!

the gorillas debut

this is alex's first year of tackle football



this past sunday
in the 95 degree weather
they had their jamboree -
and their first real scrimmages 

 

alex plays middle line backer

he chose #90 in honor of BJ raji

 

we had a fun time watching them
and
it made me excited for the rest of the season

they seem so little in their pads -
but are picking up on what they are supposed to do really quickly!!

nice job, alex!

minnesota football showdown

drew is on the lions again this year for football

they kicked off their season with a tournament
the minnesota football showdown



our first game was not pretty
we played against a team that made drew look small
and that speaks volumes

drew is on the far left -
check out #77
YIKES!

 

 

 

 they beat us pretty badly
but we bounced back -

and won our next 2 games -
taking 1st in the silver bracket

 

 

way to go, lions!

we're looking forward to another exciting season!

look out globetrotters

 

a second grade smile

just before bed tonight
alex's front tooth was hanging on by a thread



he spent some time pulling and twisting ...

and NOW ...
he is officially ready for 2nd grade

 

AND ...
 his need for a mouthguard is dwindling

a northwoods getaway

this week we took advantage of the fact that we have 2 weeks of summer left
and the weather was absolutely gorgeous

we headed to my dad's cabin in northern wisconsin

it is a boy's paradise
and our 3 can't get enough

they spent HOURS on the 4 wheelers
and
on the water -
boating, tubing, and fishing

i even found a cute little coffee shop
that made the most amazing ghirardelli coffee drinks
and the boys loved it because they had a sharper image massage chair

we were all sad when it was time to come home!

it was a great ending to summer
and i'll let the pictures show you why