First Day Of School! First Day Of School!

Today was Payton's first day of Kindergarten! She will now be going to school EVERY morning at Mark Twain Elementary.Payton got up bright and early, got dressed, made her bed, let me comb her hair (without crying!), ate a big breakfast, and we even had time for a quick photo shoot at home! What a big girl!

Payton is now a Twain Tiger!

Mrs. Dissler, Payton's teacher, told everyone that she was bringing a furry friend with her on the first day. Chester the Raccoon said hello to all of the kids before they went inside! Payton told me afterwards that Chester left footprints all over the school. They had to find them as they went on a tour of the building. Chester also made all of the kids a snack. What a great little raccoon!

When the bell rang, Mrs. Dissler asked all of the students to line up before they went inside, hung up their backpacks, and stood on their alphabet letter on the carpet (Payton's letter is P of course!) After a few kisses and hugs, Payton did an awesome job of lining up and marched right inside! We are very proud of our brave little girl!

I picked Payton up at noon and she told me ALL about her day...gym with Mrs. T, playground time with her new friend Audrey, and reading a story about Chester. She also asked if she could stay for lunch! I guess we can chalk it up to a great first day of school...

Sprinkler Fun!

Gwen, Tim, and Rylan came over for dinner last night. The kids had just a little bit of fun running through the sprinklers and playing in the baby pool. Brady had the most fun I think. He grabbed a water spout and sprayed himself and Rylan directly in the face. (see the last pictures) Sorry Rylan.

Saturday Joy (AKA Fun At The Zoo)

This morning we headed out for another family excursion to the zoo. We arrived right when the zoo opened and spent several hours exploring the sites. We had a blast! Here are a few pictures of our day...

The Elephants, Brady's Favorite!

Payton's Camera Skills.

Payton taught her cheetah about real cheetahs!

Fun With Monkeys! (Ours & The Ones At The Zoo)

Zebras & Giraffes & Bears, Oh My!

Oh, & Larakeets & Assassin Bugs Too!

How Far Can You Jump?!

Payton & Wes Playing Their Favorite Game, "I Found It First!"

What A Fun Family Day!

Amazing...

Brady, or the next Kanye?

Brain Boo-Boos & Bikes

This past Saturday, Brady took what I'm sure was his first of many trips to urgent care for stitches. He and I were walking down the stairs when he slipped on the carpet, tumbled backwards down the last two steps, and fell backwards into the corner of the front door. He was pretty tough and didn't cry all that much. So, we debated for a few hours wondering if we should take him in to the doctor or not. After a few doctor responses, I headed over to urgent care where they cleaned out the cut and sewed Brady up with three stitches. Again, he was pretty tough as the doctors burrito wrapped him in a blanket and I basically laid on top of him to keep him from squirming. The numbing shots were awful, but not too bad after that.

As I talked to Brady while they sewed, he told me it was his birthday and that he wanted a bike. Ironically, Uncle Ken and Aunt Peg had been working to fix up one of the twin's old bikes and were planning on giving it to him as a present last night! As you can see from the video and pics, Brady absolutely LOVES his new bike! I think it made his "broken head" (what he calls his injury) well worth it.

Brady's "Broken Head"

Thanks again Ken and Peg for the bike! What a special gift!

More Summer Fun