Craftsman Flair

One of the things that I disliked when we looked at our new house was our front door.  First of all it was blue, which would have been fine if it went with the rest of the house, but it did not.  Second, the style of the door was very plain and added nothing to our curb appeal.  But the thing I disliked the most was the glass on the transom window and the sidelights.  It was a frosted, textured glass that to John and I just looked cheap.  

The before and then the after of our front door.

So, a new door was definitely in order.  John and I both love the craftsman style and the outside of our house has some of those elements.  We searched for a front door that was wood we could stain and had a craftsman look.  I am very pleased with the door we chose and think it makes the front of the house look prettier and more welcoming.  The benefit I didn't realize when we got the new door was on the inside.  The clear glass really opens up the entryway and looks so much better when you are sitting in the living room. I am pleased with our choice and will enjoy it for years to come. 

Worlds and Worlds of Fun

At the beginning of the summer I had the kids make a list of the things they most wanted to do during their time off from school.  One of those things was a trip to Worlds of Fun. Well, the summer was over and they had no problems reminding us that we had never made it.  Since we also did not ever make it last summer we decided to head there the weekend just after school had started.
We were lucky that even though we gave them very short notice, a lot of our family was able to join us on our trip.  John and I joked that we did not even really need to be there since our kids would rather ride the rides with anyone but us.  It is nice though to have so many adults there to take turns with the kids when we want to ride the roller coasters.  We also loved having Emma and Aiden along to enjoy the fun.  Even though I am not sure Aiden will trust me again since after our ride on the Octopus he told me, "It was the worst thing ever!"

Sam rode the Mamba for the first time this year.  He is starting to like coasters more and more.  John had to talk him into riding it, but at the end of the day it was his favorite ride.  Ella rode her first WOF roller coaster on Saturday.  The only coaster she is tall enough for is The Spinning Dragon.  She smiled and laughed the whole time and said it was, "Awesome!"  Maybe we will have coaster kids after all, which works out well since John and I both love them.  I think John got the award for riding the most roller coasters that day.  His favorite (along with my mom, Laura and I think Becky) was The Patriot.  The Patriot freaks me out a little with no bottom but I still enjoyed the ride.  I still like wooden roller coasters the best though and The Prowler is my favorite ride at Worlds of Fun.  I think everyone had a great day and since Ella has already promised Uncle Jono we would go again next summer when his achilles is healed it looks like Worlds of Fun will make the list next summer for what the kids would like to do.  

Back to the Books

Well, it is that time of year again.  No more carefree summer schedule, no more sleeping in, no more late nights riding bikes with the neighbors it is time for school.  Both of my kids were filled with excitement and a few nerves for their first day.  Sam, who had said I was not allowed to walk him to his room changed his mind when we hit the doorway of the building.  He said it was okay if we walked him to his room.  So, after getting him there and talking him into a picture we let him go into his room alone ready to start the day.  
Then it was time to drop off Ella for her first day of kindergarten.  She did a wonderful job getting into her room and getting settled.  We put her things in her cubby, took a few pictures and she got right to work at a table making a picture.  One quick kiss and she was ready for kindergarten.  I on the other hand started to feel the tears at this point and made a b-line to the parking lot.  I knew I was going to cry so it wasn't any big surprise.  Sending your kids to kindergarten is hard!
Ella's day did get much more dramatic though after her smooth start.  Less than two hours into school I got my first call from the nurses office.  She had bumped her head on the playground.  The nurse said she thought she was fine to return to class but wanted me to know.  Next was lunch, and I was there to help and checked on her.  She seemed to be doing fine and was enjoying school.  Then it was time to throw away her lunch tray.  Well, the styrofoam didn't hold well and her milk spilled all over her pretty dress and the floor.  I kind of stayed away and let the principal handle it since I thought seeing me might make her cry.  She handled it like a champ and I thought we were done with our crises for the day.  
Little did I know the bus ride home would be so traumatic.  They were supposed to be dropped of at four and we had the landscape planner coming at 4:15.  No problem, right?  Wrong.  The bus was running late and the landscape planner was running early.  So I went to meet with him and left John who wanted to get the kids off the bus.  Well, the bus arrives about 4:15 and Sam gets off but there is no Ella.  John asks Sam where Ella is and he starts crying because he doesn't know.  John then starts talking to the bus driver who is calling school to try to locate her.  Sam comes into my meeting crying and I think oh no, his first day was terrible.  He proceeds to tell me he is a bad brother and has lost Ella.  I get my phone and check with Sam to make sure he and his dad are not trying to tease me and begin calling school.  While I'm calling I look out the window and see her.  Sam runs out the door and hugs her.  The poor landscape guy doesn't know what to do and is telling me we can just reschedule.  I apologize and ask for five minutes to sort things out and then we can look at his plan. 
It turns out Ella had gotten off at the first street in our subdivision, about three blocks too early.  The bus stopped, she saw our neighborhood and thought she was supposed to get off the bus.  Luckily, another kindergarten mom was there and could tell Ella was upset.  She thought she needed help across the street so she helped her.  When Ella still looked upset she asked what was wrong.  Ella said, "I don't live here."  Luckily, she did know our street when asked and the nice mom told her she would help her find it.  She walked her up to John and as soon as she saw her Daddy the tears started flowing.  Ella and Sam did calm down eventually and John and I were just glad they were safe and sound.  That woman was a true blessing and I am happy for the kind people in this world.  

As some after notes, Ella now sits in her seat and waits for Sam to tell her where to get off the bus.  I think she has it figured out now and could easily do it on her own.  And, the landscape plan, it looks great.  What a day! 

Meet the Teacher

Sam's Meet the Teacher night was last Tuesday.  It was a bit of a rush since it started at 4:30 and he had to leave by 5 o'clock to get to football practice.  Luckily, we had done most of the paperwork the night before at Ella's kindergarten picnic.  Sam went into his room to meet Mr. McClurg.  He was very excited to have his first male classroom teacher.   Sam did a great job introducing himself and asking great questions about his new classroom and school.  He is really growing up and made me proud!  

Kindergarten Picnic!

 Ready to go!

 Ella, in her new classroom

Hanging out on the playground

Monday all the kindergartners went to school to eat a hot dog dinner, meet their teacher, and get a chance to try out the playground.  Ella was excited by her classroom.  There were things to play and some of the same learning charts she had seen in her preschool class, which made her feel confident.  She met Mrs. Selle and put away her school supplies.  Her favorite part though was the playground.  She could have stayed there for hours.  We had come up once before with Grandma and Grandpa to try it out but I think it was more fun with lots of kids running around and playing too.  Ella wanted to skip the hotdog dinner, no complaints here, so we all headed out to a restaurant and some ice-cream instead.  I would say it was a successful first trip to school. 

No Training Wheels!

Ella is growing up so quickly.  Not only is she starting kindergarten this week but she has learned to ride her bike without training wheels.  There is a group of kids from a block over that comes to our cul-de-sac to practice riding their bikes.  Their street is busy and on a hill and our street makes the perfect practice location.  

Ella and Sam are more than thrilled that kids are playing on our street and as soon as they see them they head out the door.  Well, since the other kids are riding, and learning to ride, without training wheels Ella wanted to give it a try.  I took them off last Wednesday and the first two days were filled with tears and a few, "I just can't do it!" phrases but now she is riding all around our circle and starting by herself.  Give her a few days and I am sure she will have sharper turns and figure out how to go on hills.  One more milestone to be proud of and to make her mom a little sad about how fast her kids are growing.  

Gone Fishin'

So one of the fun perks of our new neighborhood is that it has a pond.  We have seen a few people fishing there and thought we would give it a try.  It turns out it is the perfect place for the kids to fish.  There are a lot of little fish in the pond and the kids were constantly getting bites.  Poor John took his pole and only got to throw it in the water once because he was too busy baiting the kids hooks and taking their fish off to throw back into the pond.  

 John holding Ella's catfish, which she caught with a lot of his help.

 This is my favorite!  John is trying to get Ella to hold her catfish.

 Sam, busy fishing.

Ella says this is her w, for being a winner and catching fish.  

Ella was so excited that she caught and reeled in a fish "all by herself".  I think her total for the night was five blue gill and one catfish.  Sam I think caught another five.  It was a fun way to spend the evening and with it being just a short walk from our house I am sure we will be there more evenings.  

The Track

No trip to Branson would be complete for Sam without a visit to The Track.  The Track is actually the name of four different entertainment areas on the strip where you can ride go carts, mini golf, ride bumper boats, etc.  We headed back to the same track we visited a few years ago because they had a new go cart track called the Heavy Metal High Rise and Sam was really wanting to give it a try.  I don't know what I am going to do with that boy when he turns sixteen with his love of driving things quickly. 
They started off the evening on the older go cart track with Sam driving and John driving Ella.  They had a good time racing but were ready for the new adventure.  While I took Ella to drive her own "kiddie" go cart the boys headed to the high rise.  Sam was barely tall enough but he made it and both boys were excited as they waited in line.  Ella was a little daredevil on her track as well trying to catch and pass the other girl driving.  When she got done we watched the boys speed around their track.  Those things actually go pretty fast and John said on one of the hills you could actually get some air.  

We finished off our track passes with Sam on the older go carts again while Ella and I rode the bumper cars.  Then it was some Andy's custard to finish a good evening.  

Splash Time

With a warm week picked out for our mini vacation a day at the water park seemed like the perfect fit.  White Water is a place we all definitely enjoy.  This year was more fun with everyone able to ride all of the rides.  Sam loves all of the different slides and this year Ella was ready (and barely tall enough) to try them out for herself.  There were a few that she wasn't fond of but she gave them a try.  Her favorite was the mat ride (our name for it) which is above in the pictures.  She was willing to give it a try and I'll admit I was more nervous than she was that she was going on this tall and not enclosed ride.  It was also my first time since I usually sit out with her and it turned out to be my favorite too.  I think my favorite part was the whole family going down together.  Sam also rates that ride as his favorite and John is the only different one with a vote for the lazy river. Everything was enjoyable and it was a great way to spend time together in the heat. 

Perfect Putters

My kids love Branson and all the family friendly activities it offers and since with the move a big vacation wasn't really in the budget, it seemed like a good way to spend a few days.  We headed down to Branson and spent the first evening playing some miniature golf.  Ella got a little upset when her brother was beating her but her mood improved with her first hole in one.  It was a warm evening but a good one.