2nd Grade I'm on My Way!

Today was Noah's last day of 1st grade! He brought home so much stuff that I really wonder where they keep it all! I think he is ready for a few months off, 94 days to be exact! I do think it will be a challenge to keep him busy all summer since he is used to a tight schedule during the day. He is playing baseball, taking golf lessons, going to vacation bible school, and taking many trips to the pool and library so these activities should help.

I know everyone tells you when a baby is born to enjoy them because they grow up way too fast, well, they are right. I still remember driving home from the hospital with baby Noah wondering what we were going to do when we got there! He is a great boy and we are enjoying everyday he is with us. Don't get me wrong, we have our little challenges but everyday is a blessing! Enjoy those babies because someday they will be heading for 2nd grade and you will wonder where the time has gone...

Kindergarten here I come...

Today was Isabella's last day of preschool. She is excited about having what she calls "100 mommy days" ahead but a little nervous about kindergarten this fall. We were invited to "Parent's and Popsicles" last night where they graduated from preschool. It is bittersweet for me knowing she is home for the summer but will be gone all day starting this fall! It will definately be an adjustment for both Isabella and myself!

Happy Memorial Day!

What a great weekend! The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed some quality family time. Friday we moved my sister to her new home in West Mankato. My parents were here for the day to help. We went to dinner after all the unloading and somewhat organizing! Of course my parents had all sorts of gifts for Noah and Isabella, as they always do when they visit!

Saturday we headed to the lake for my nephew Jack's birthday. As a gift to all my godchildren, I make their birthday cakes. This year Jack wanted a Curious George cake, which was a bit of a challenge. Nonetheless, I pulled it off and I think Jack loved it!

Noah caught his first "keepable" fish, a bass, out of the lake Saturday. Uncle Timmy took him fishing while we waited for the birthday party to start. The catch of this fish encouraged lots of the neighbors to put their poles in the water that day!

The rest of the weekend was full of lots of time in the swimming pool, boat rides, playing with the bunnies that Bop Pa brought up for a play date, and taking a 6 mile walk around the lake in the wagon (which was a little more than I bargained for!).

We enjoyed Memorial Day planting flowers and getting ready for the week. Isabella has one more day of preschool, Wednesday, and Noah is done with school on Thursday. We are ready for summer break, and I'm excited to be done ironing Noah's uniforms for the next 3 months!

Our New Tree...

Here are a couple of pictures of our tree we planted for Mother's Day. It's a Prairiefire Crabapple Tree. Noah and Isabella have made a point to water it everyday.

Sunny Day...

Yesterday after church we took the kids to Sibley Park for a picnic. We walked by the river, played in the park, and walked around the petting zoo. It was a fun day, and of course I got some reallly cute pictures!

Happy Mother's Day!

This year for Mother's Day, we bought a tree to plant in the front yard. We do not plan on another move for quite sometime, so we will be able to watch the tree grow. Isabella and Noah bought me a Precious Moments figurine, which was completely Isabella's idea. She picked one out last year and pretty much forced Chris to take her to Hallmark to buy another one. Yes, they are cute but I think the main reason she likes them is because I let her keep them in her room on a shelf! We intended on planting flowers but the weather did not really cooperate. Above are a few pictures from Mexican Village from Saturday night.

Star Reader...

Noah was awarded a glass star for his reading accomplishments in his Accelerated Reading program at school. He read over 100 books this year and took a reading vocabulary test on each one. We are very proud of him. He is now reading chapter books, mostly Pokemon, but nonetheless, they are books and he is enjoying them.

Is It Summer Yet...

For the past week, Isabella has wanted me to take a picture of her in her itty bitty bathing suit to put on the blog. I finally couldn't resist today when she paired it with her rain boots!

Tulips...

Yard work, where do I begin!

Isabella wanted to post some pictures of our flowers. We have been working quite a bit to get the yard looking nice so it only seems appropriate to share some pics with everyone. When we moved to our new home last summer I had no idea we had tulips. Over the past few weeks we had noticed them peeking out of the ground. Isabella and Noah like to walk through the gardens and look at all the new flowers emerging. Flower gardens are a lot of work, but it's really nice that they are all established.

Hula Hooping...

We were outside today enjoying the beautiful weather and Isabella wanted me to take some pictures of her and her hula hoop. Noah had created quite a mess in his loft so he was inside cleaning it up, which is why you will not see any pictures of him! If you look closely, Isabella is wearing an "Isabella original". She has started designing her own clothes. This is actually a really cute idea. She wants to make a bunch of them and sell them on Etsy. I don't think we are to that level yet, but we will keep working at it! Watch for them in the future!

Under the Big Top...

Isabella had her big debut as a "princess" acrobat as Loyola preschool held their annual circus program. Of course we needed a new pink tutu and sparkly shoes. This was the one day that I did not have to encourage Isabella to get up! She popped out of bed and was ready for the day.

When we arrived at school, the circus performers were lined up in the hallway. Isabella was so excited to see us! Auni, Bop Pa, and Nanny all joined us to watch the big performance. Noah also was excited to leave class for awhile so he could watch his sister perform her amazing tricks!

Isabella had been working on her "acrobatic" stunts for the past couple of weeks.

After the circus, Chris and I took Isabella to Perkins for an early lunch. Of course you can have a milkshake at 10:30 in the morning!

Since Grandma & Grandpa couldn't make it to the circus, they sent Isabella a pink geranium and a balloon. Isabella put it outside on the patio so she could see it everyday from the patio door. We agreed that since it was raining she didn't need to water it!

It was a really fun day! You did a great job, Isabella!