Weekend Getaway

This past weekend Dave and I took the kids and went to Prescott for the weekend. With Brynn in school, our vacation schedule is not as flexible as it has been, so we only went for the weekend. It started off pretty rough, since all the kids had some tummy bug and they had FIVE nasty diapers/accidents within 3 hours of getting there. Then no one slept well the first night, since we were all in one room and everyone was keeping each other up. Luckily the rest of the weekend went really well, and we ended up having a really good time.

On our second day there, we drove over to Jerome. It is an old mining town someone recommended we check out. To get there, we had to drive on small two-lane roads that wound all over the mountains. With the road right up against the edge of the mountains. With drop-offs so high you couldn't see the bottom of the mountains. And there were no guard rails. Not a good combo for me, but it was a gorgeous drive. When we got there, we drove around the town for awhile and then spent the rest of our time at the Gold King Mine and Ghost Town. Basically, we paid an admission fee to explore a huge dump. Seriously, most of it looked like some guy came in and bought up a junkyard and threw in a few animals and called it a tourist attraction. Dave wasn't too into it, but the kids definitely were. Collin loved running after the chickens, Brynn wanted to go inside every old building, and Eden was content going along for the ride in the Baby Bjorn with Dave. Me? Well, it was basically a photographer's dream. All that texture, rusty cars, old buildings--I could have stayed there even longer! Get ready for some serious picture overload!

Can you tell just how much Dave likes having his picture taken?
Luckily, I have this little girl, who is always my willing model...
Just before we left, one of the men who work there offered to let the kids feed the donkey. Brynn and Collin were pretty hesitant at first, so they watched the man feed it for awhile first. Then, they each took a few turns. Brynn later declared that to be one of her favorite parts of the weekend.
After leaving Jerome, we headed back to Prescott where we spent a few hours downtown. We had a yummy lunch and gelato at a fun little spot and then the kids had fun running around in the grass by the court house.

We also got to visit my Uncle Ferrell and Aunt Kim and their kids, who live in Prescott. We also met up with Kim and Ferrell for dinner. It was fun to be able to see their house again, and hang out with them.

I think Eden's favorite part of the trip was entertaining herself in the mirrored closet doors in our hotel room. Can't blame her though--watching her entertains us too!
As we drove home on Sunday, Dave and I decided that we needed to make sure to plan more fun little trips like that. So, now we have it in writing!

Collin Starts Preschool

After 2 years of watching his big sister get dropped off and picked up from preschool, it was finally Collin's turn. He was so excited to go to Miss Rhonda's preschool and do all the fun things he had heard his sister talk about for so long. He was more cooperative than usual in getting ready that morning. He was also unusually agreeable when it came time to take the traditional 1st day of school pictures. I might have taken advantage of that and gone a little overboard on the amount of pictures I took. He's so cute though, I couldn't resist. Can you blame me though?
This kid was so excited to wear a backpack! He was wearing it for an extra hour before we even left the house that morning! It is almost as big as he is, but he only has to carry a thin folder in it, so it is OK.
Brynn, who is used to being my little model, wanted to get in on a few shots. I know they miss each other now that they are away from each other for so much of the day. I'm so glad that they are best friends (most of the time).
Brynn directed the pose on this one:


Collin did really well on his 1st day of preschool. I helped him out of the car, and he walked by himself up Miss Rhonda's driveway and to the gate. I was so proud of him! When I picked him up a few hours later, he acted very laid back about it all, but I could tell he was proud to be a "big kid" though. When I asked about his favorite part of the day, he responded, "playing with Spiderman and the Choo-Choo train."

Brynn's 1st Day of Kindergarten

I can't believe how fast time has gone that my little girl is old enough to start kindergarten! The new clothes have been purchased, school supplies ready, and her lunch is packed. I think I am just as nervous and excited as she is! Brynn willingly got up early enough to have plenty of time to get ready for her 1st day of school. She rushed through her checklist of morning chores, and after a few minutes to snap some pictures, we were out the door. I drove her to school, and then helped her find her class line. Just as I anticipated, she became nervous and extremely clingy as the bell rang to signal all the kids to get in line. She started to cry a bit, and then her teacher took her hand and she willingly walked with the rest of her class into the building.
It was weird standing around with some of the other moms on the playground and listening to their different feelings about sending their child off to kindergarten (for most of them it is their last child starting school), and hearing about their plans for the day. A few moms were crying, and many were asking me how I was doing, since Brynn is my oldest. Funny, I think I was so distracted with the stress of getting Brynn pried off my leg that I didn't feel like crying. I am happy for her and all the experiences I know she will have. I will miss her, but I know it will be good for her, and I will be so excited for the time I get to spend with her when she comes home. I think/hope I will be able to better balance parts of my life with her in school. That probably sounds selfish, but I think I get so busy taking care of 3 kids who are at needy stages of their lives for different reasons, on top of all the other things going on that I end up not being able to give what I want to to any area. Maybe now I will be able to give a little more of myself to each area of my life, including to Brynn.
Any way, I am so proud of Brynn and how brave she is to take on things that are not always easy for her. She is such a beautiful girl, and teaches me so much on a daily basis. She is a smart kid, and so curious. I am interested to see what this school year brings for her!She was especially excited when she heard that all-day kindergarten means that you get to bring your lunch to school.


I think this shot shows the 1st day of school jitters that were also hiding behind her smiles. I couldn't resist giving her a big hug of reassurance after seeing that face.

Another Sign of Summer

Homemade Strawberry Jam--Yum!

Cousins

My kids LOVE playing with their cousins. Unfortunately, they don't get the opportunity very often, since 4 of the 6 live out of state, and the other 2 are in school most of the time. Today, however, their cousin MaJesta got to come over. They had so much fun with her. She is a few years older than Brynn, so Brynn loves having a "big-sister" type around. I don't think MaJesta minds that role either. At one point during the day, I saw them gathering up a bunch of pillows and blankets, and went to see what they were up to. I found them in a corner behind a couch. They had made a "tent", had their flashlights on, and were telling ghost stories. So cute! I hope my kids can have lots of fun cousin memories like I have from my childhood.

Up North

During the last week of July, we went with my parents up to their cabin. As always, we enjoyed the cooler weather and spending so much time with my parents. The kids spent alot of time in the hammock with my dad (one of their favorite parts of being at their cabin). We enjoyed being outdoors in general!




One day while we were there, the kids were getting a little restless, so I made up a little scavenger hunt for them. They thought it was the coolest thing ever. They wondered around with grocery bags searching for the items on the list, and proudly showing off each thing they found.






Brynn posed herself with the scavenger hunt list and asked that I take a picture. OK!


My girls!

Another favorite thing for them to do is play games with my mom. She is so patient and sweet with them!

One of my dad's favorite things?..

Eden got to enjoy the outdoors in her own way

Rain? Better grab the umbrellas!

Yummy treats (smores in this case) are usually part of our cabin trip as well.


Then Collin entertained us with his various faces during the car ride back home.