Countdown continued

'Twas the night before the first day of school,
and the kids were a mess.
Tired and cranky--perhaps possessed.
I think they figured out summer vacation will end,
For Bronwyn to school goes all of her friends.
8 hours a day on Minecraft no more,
Jack now has 7 hours of writing and reading galore!
Outfits have been selected, ironed and stored
can we make it to morning without crumbling them on the floor??? please....
Nervous and anxious, common the night before...
will my old friends still like me or now find me a bore?
So what better way to prepare for the first day of class..
then a back to school eve dinner!  We all had a blast!

Ready for a back to school dinner!

Kids filled out their Back to School Interviews

Bronwyn doesn't start pre-school for a few more weeks, but she played along too!  She got a little help from mom and dad...can't really tell a difference in handwriting between the adults and the preschooler.  YIKES!

Jack's interview...will it change much by end of third grade???

I didn't get a picture but the placemats were chalkboard.  The kids played a game during dinner where they create math equations to represent answers to questions...like...

• What grade will you start tomorrow?
• How many more hours until the school bus arrives?
• How many students in your class?

They had a lot of fun with this!  

Bronwyn was so excited the party had party favors!  Inside was a bunch of Starbursts ;)

Jack and Bronwyn then made their own recipe for success!

Jack added 2 cups effort.

2 cups curiosity.  Curiosity?  "That's easy", says Jack.

2 handfuls of listen (looks like both my kids may have skimped on this one a bit...hmmm...)

Fun was popular...seems they both believe success is equal parts fun and effort... :)

Integral Ingredient! 

a pinch of luck...Jack wanted a guarantee this was 'good luck' and not the other kind.  I checked the expiration date...luck hasn't yet run out.  HEE HEE HEE HEE

Jack is already for a successful year of third grade (and all ready for snack time!!!) 

Now, off to bed!  That bus comes AWFUL early...yawn!

Countdown...

'Twas the night before the night before school starts,
And all through the school,
Teachers were preparing all their educational tools.
Jack was running down the halls full of glee,
To check out his class and see who his teacher will be.
His parents trailed behind with arms loaded with stuff--
school supplies and spirit wear...they huffed and they puffed.
Jack and his teacher greet each other at last,
They smile, say "hello" and she says, "welcome to your new class."
Jack spies were he sits and which classmates are nearby.
He searches for the rules and swears to comply.
He leaves with a smile, thinking his new teacher is cool.
This is Open House night at his elementary school!

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Under 50 days until her 5th birthday and this still 4 year old accomplished a major milestone.

Only our Bronwyn would learn to ride a bike in a party dress AND take every fall off the bike like a champ--jumping up declaring "I'm okay!  Let's try it again!"

Proud of you princess!

Butterfly Royalty

Jack and Bronwyn are winding down summer.  A trip to the Nature Museum proved that Jack's hair gel is delicious to butterflies and Bronwyn is a snob...would only touch the Monarch Butterflies...as they most be related to princesses.  BAW!

Camp Minnie and Pop Pop 2015

A summer tradition...Jack spent a few days on his own being spolied, much to the envy of his sister!

Pop Pop and jack getting ready for a hiking excursion.  Jack was not too excited at first.  I coached him to be gracious and knew he'd be a good sport!

Soon as Jack arrived he started gushing over how amazing everything was.  I think we might need to take this boy out into nature more often!

Especially when you consider his highlight was seeing a tree growing sideways which he insisted Pop Pop take a picture of :)

It was a long walk uphill! A few (meaning many) rests made it all the better!  Any excuse to drink out of a canteen ;)

Nature boy!  

After climbing about 100 steps Jack was awarded by an awesome view of the waterfall.  Not quite What he was expecting...

As he thought he'd see this thanks to Pixar!  Can't blame him...Pop Pop does resemble Carl ;) ;) ;)

Not to worry.  After his legs stopped uncontrollably shaking he descended down the mountain and stopped each passerby to say "it's really hard work getting up there but totally worth it!"  If he said it once he said it 100 times that his hiking excursion with Pop Pop was "AWESOME!"

Tea Please!

Minnie and Mom took Bronwyn to the American Girl Cafe for a little tea.  She adopted a friend and together they enjoyed a splendid luncheon complete with a make your own cupcake!

Minnie made it all the more special playing tea party games with Bronwyn! 

Giving my princess some love!

Bronwyn kept asking if it was someone's birthday!  Clearly a special day with two of my favorite ladies :)

Double Trouble

Mike and Max joined us for a weekend of fun in the sun!  Dart gun wars!  Swimming!  Cookouts!  Bowling! Movies!  And Marathon Monopoly.  Twin cousins mean double the fun!

Mike showed Bronwyn a new style for wearing her hairbow collection.  Lookout fashion week :)

Bowling proved that Daddy still has it as he came in number one!  Mom came in last.  Shocking, I know!

Bronwyn almost beat one of the twins.  I'd tell you who but after 12 years I'm still not sure who is who ;)

Twins taught jack to play pool.  He wasn't impressed :)

Max, Jack, and Mike.  Good looking boys!

Every little girl should be so lucky!

My Little Learners

Dinner time yielded to a conversation about things we want to learn...afterall it is important to have goals, right?

Jack: even more about java programming and how to design minecraft mods.

Bronwyn:  how to put my face in a bowl of ice cream to eat it without getting all sticky.

Yep, goal are important :)

Bronwynisms

"A shark is like a T-Rex and a brontosaurus is like a whale...minus the long neck!"

Upon waking: "What's Thursday all about?  Never mind...I'm going back to sleep."

"That happened a long time ago...like the day before yesterday or maybe tomorrow..."

"I keep getting confused on whether God made me or Jesus.  I think mommy's make babies anyway so actually Mary probably made me."

Waking up at 2am "I MISS MY ROCKING CHAIR!" (which has been hiding in the basement for over a year now.)

Waking up at 2am "I WANT TO GET MY EARS PIERCED!" (out of the blue request!)

"Jack, you're the best big brother ever--except when you hit me and yell at me which is like 251 times a day!"

Oreo Cookie Personality Test

Precision

 Efficient