First Day of School

It's that time of year again for school to start. So hard to believe that we have a 3rd and 1st grader!

Jackson was excited to start because he is going to a new school at Ramstein Intermediate and finally a Jaguar. A whole new adventure and scenery from what he has had for the past 3 years. 

His teacher is Ms. Huntley. From our first impression we all liked her so we are hoping for a good year.

He had a great first day and made two new friends (but that doesn't surprise me...he's our little socialite).

Being that he was at a new school and it was closer to Jason's, I wasn't able to be there to see him off for his first day. It was a little sad for me, but I knew that he was in good hands with daddy.

I am sure each and every day will be more and more exciting for him!

Grace is in her second year at RES. Her teacher is Ms. Garcia, which came recommended by a few teacher friends. She has 5 friends from kinder in her class, so that was a little comfort for mom when I dropped her off. She did say that she was a little scared when we said our good-byes. I told her that was normal, but to think of it as a new adventure and it will change her outlook.

She had a great first day and had fun playing with her friends. The only thing she said was that Ms. Garcia was reading a book and yelled when it got to a certain part. This girl doesn't like loud voices, so that didn't sit well with her. Praying she get used to the new teacher and doesn't compare her to Mrs. Cortez every time. We told her every teacher is different and to embrace their differences.

Good luck, 1st grader!

Blackberry Pickin'

We couldn't wait to go for our usual blackberry picking adventure around our village so we could stock up for our breakfast smoothies. 

We picked about 10 pounds! The best part was seeing our fingers and hands dyed reddish purple in the end.

Family Portraits

This summer we had pictures taken by my parents neighbor, Jennifer. She has a special gift for photography so I couldn't wait to have her take some portraits of us. The last ones we have in our house are from 3 years ago when Emma was with us. Sad to think, but now it's time to update them without our sweet Emma as part of our family.

I can't wait to get these up in our house!

VBS, Agency D3

The kids have had a wonderful week learning more about God's word. Each day they woke up excited about the days events that were planned. We have the CD of songs, all of which we have memorized from listening to them all...the...time. I love seeing the joy of The Lord in their hearts!

Celebrating 11 Years Married

Today is the day we got married...11 years ago! 

Life with each other is fun, crazy, busy, tough (at times), relaxed, amazing, a learning curve and so worth every minute of it! 

Jason gave me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers from my favorite blumen shop. For each anniversary we don't get each other gifts, but usually buy a nice joint gift of something that we have really wanted but didn't want to fork out the money. We are still in the planning stages.

We had a new sitter come over (who we love by the way) and went out for a night of Indian food.

Coming off of a summer spending nearly every day with this man makes me realize we were truly meant to be together. 

 This picture is what happens when you get a 6 year old to take it. But I like it because it shows us and our sweet kiddos smiling behind us. Funny how she got it all in one shot without meaning to.

Tooth #5 Gone!

After weeks of this tooth hanging on...he finally lost it while playing in Jason's gym today!

He put it under his pillow for the "tooth fairy." Now that he knows me and Jason are the "tooth fairy," he asked to see his other teeth that he lost. I think he likes the thought of knowing the truth now that he is getting older. But I love that he still plays along and puts the tooth under his pillow to see what the tooth fairy brings the next morning!

It's Detox Time Again!

After a summer full of eating, and more eating it took its toll. To get a jump start back to health we are doing our 3 day Dr. Oz smoothie detox. We did it in the past and were happy with the results after.

So here we go...three days of smoothies for our meals. 

                           

                               

Last Few Nights in Texas, Yee-Haw!

The last few nights in Texas we spend in full Texas style. I got boots for a late Mother's Day gift and Grace picked some out when we were in Austin a few days earlier. We took advantage of wearing them and went to the Bastrop County Rodeo. The kids remember going a few years back so they were very excited!

 My handsome men sporting their hats! (Although Jason changed his to a baseball cap soon after.)

 I love the opening ceremonies at the rodeo. Riding around the arena with the Texas and American flags while the Anthem plays. Then shortly after a prayer of safety for the riders.

 The kids took advantage of the calf chasing contest. They run around the arena and try to get the flag off the calf first. It was fun to watch!

 The kids love to drive the Mule around my parents property. 

Grace was in heaven riding Magnum! She talked about doing this for months.

 Even though AJ looked a little uneasy, he really enjoyed it.

 Good 'ol Uncle Brad and Gracie