Wow cookies!

Colbie and I were making chocolate chip cookies for the first time today and when I turned the oven light on and showed her the cookies inside she turned to me and said "ooo... wow!" It was so unexpected that she knew how to say that I quickly grabbed the camera to catch the moment. Sooo cute!

Kindergarten

Alexis started kindergarten on Aug. 12. The first day was a half day but she has all day kindergarten from 7:55 - 3:05. She has been waking up to her own alarm and loves it. I'm so glad she is excited and happy about going. Today was her 2nd full day of school. I asked her teacher how she was doing when I walked over to pick her up. (It is so nice we can walk to the school within five minutes!) Her teacher said "she's doing good.... she sure likes to talk alot! She also said she is really smart. Alexis tells us each day what they did. She is loving P.E. and learned to skip fast and gallop. She demonstrated both of them for me. She said her favorite part of the day was "choice play" and said she chose to play with the animals. She told me they did math with some plastic bears and 11 take away seven was 4. There is a boy in her class that she tells me about that yells at the teacher and kicks and cries and has to have time outs. It has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster sending her off to school all day. It hits home how fast they are in someone elses care for most the day and how I've hoped to have instilled some core values. On a differen't note.... Colbie is as happy as ever. She gets to play in Alexis's room and hardly cries because Alexis isn't bothering her. I can't believe how easy it seems to just have 1 at home and how quiet it is!

This is Alexis getting brave going down the boat at the B.D. Picnic for Shaun't work. It is a really fun carnival like picnic with lots of prizes to win. I love that everything is free and we get to try as many differen't treats or games we want! Colbie loved the cotten candy. I looked over and her and Shaun both had a drip of pink on their cheeks in the same spot. It was really cute because they already look so much alike!

Here is Alexis's teacher Mrs. Niles

Alexis in front of her Elementary School
Leaving for the first day of school

Colbie loving the water park on our last excursion before school started

She kept climbing through this fountain it was one of her favorite things.

Alexis had a blast playing around on the toys and water playground.

We got to mow our lawn for the first time. We also started to landscape by putting in some foundation gravel. I have loved going out and doing yard work with Shaun and Alexis. Doing house projects has been one of the most enjoyable things about having a house. Which is funny because I didn't think that working would be my favorite thing! It has been really rewarding to see the projects come together. I canned some pizza sauce and some chili base from the tomatoes from our garden. It was fun to do for the first time. Next year I have plans for making our garden better. This year it got overwatered and I think it was a fungus or mold that killed quite a few of the plants. We have had a wet spring and summer.

Yard In

Largest toad we have found this summer. I told Alexis I had let loose a toad next to the stairs in our backyard that I found in our garage. It was just a tiny little one so when she looked under the stairs on our patio and said "there is one look" I was quite shocked when I found this hand sized honker.
I can't believe my "baby" is going off to kindergarten in a couple weeks. Here is one of her darling new outfits. Where did the time go! I feel like I'm sending my little girl off to the dark forest to the wolves. It really makes me realize what a short time I have as a mother to teach my children the core basic values they need to survive in the world.

Alexis's favorite toy: Bug catcher from Dollar Tree. I love these kind of toys. Explorative and cheep! This summer we caught:

Butterflies

Beatles

Spiders (one spider layed eggs that was an unpleasant surprise although Alexis was thrilled that baby spiders were crawling out the vent of the bug catcher into her room!)

Several Toads

Three Caterpillars

A Fly

A dead Cicada

Grasshoppers

Worms

I love these Sandals that Alexis and her cousin Sophia created out of feathers and pipe cleaners. They are so creative!

Back of yard

Yard going inBack Yard Front Yard

Back Sod In

Catch Up

Our Computer is Finally fixed and here is the catch up. My mom and two of my Aunts that came to my sister Lisa's baby shower for her first little boy. We are so excited for her!
I got to see my sister Sarah's darlene little girl Eliza for the first time. I miss her already!

Shaun with Eliza and Colbie after the 4th of July parade. Alexis collected alot of candy!
Barbeque with my family after parade

Fishing at the fish farm

My dad with Tanner (my sister Stacie's baby) and Arienna (my brother Mike's little girl)

Attempting a maching outfit grandkid picture

Colbie loved this swimming pool

Alexis at the Relief Society Potluck in Nebraska

Sister Jones's house Relief Society Potluck

Some of the kids from our branch swimming at the potluck

My new haircut. It is quite a bit shorter than photo I showed her. I was freaking out for a week but am now getting used to it. I haven't had it like this for 13 years!

One of the 4 toads we have caught in our yard this summer. This one I let Alexis keep for a day in our swimming pool. It was fun to watch it swim.

4th of July firworks we set off in our yard for fun

Toad

Colbie our dish helper.

The update on the flowers for family who wants to see them growing

Alexis got excited to see the soybeens being sprayed

Happy Fathers day photos

Finished ceramics we made for Shaun's mom. It took us a few years to finish these completely

Another growing plant picture for the fam to see
We have potatoes, peas, tomatoes, roma tomatoes, corn, zuchini, peppers, cantolope, watermelon, and honey dew melon

Alexis dancing at the lawnchairs on the square in town. She is on the far right

Happy 28th Birthday to me! not the best picture. We had a peanut butter icecream cake.

Eating at the Pizza machine buffet.

The Lauritzen Garden's relaxing in the bird sanctuary

bowling at the pizza machine

Alexis gripping the car around the first turn on the go-karts for her first ride ever

A lady playing the bells at the Lauritzen Garden's in Omaha

Peonies at gardens

Missouri River and Pedestrian Bridge in Omaha

Exploring Old Market shops

Heartland Fountain

Japanese Garden

Qoi pond at the gardens

Listening to bells at gardens

Awesome train display at the gardens

Alexis took our picture in the rose garden

Relaxing in Heartland Park

Alexis at the Lauritzan Gardens

Happy Memorial Day photo on our trip in Omaha

We went to this fun old fashion ice cream place in the Old Market area

Cool garden walkthrough in the old market shopping area

shopping in Old Market

The Coco Key Water Resort in Omaha was a blast and perfect for the kids

So this is a bit of what we have been up to. I will be posting more regularly now that our computer is working. Love you all!