squirt

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Shoe

After we got Tyler off the bus today, I took off Aubrey's socks and shoes. She succeeded in putting a shoe back on.

She is still quite the independent, silly love. :)

First Grade

It has felt like a bit of a whirlwind around here. Between getting ready for and presenting in-services at my school, changing offices, etc, and getting Tyler ready to start school, his open house, etc, both kids have been sick. Things have just been a little "off."

Monday was Tyler's first day of first grade. He had been sick all weekend, but he was well enough to go to school. I was nervous about the change from 1/2 day kindergarten to all-day school. But, other than stomach aches - he had a "great" day! (And he quickly learned - it took only the first day - that he needs to eat when he has the chance). :)

We were all ready to greet Tyler off the bus that afternoon. Aubrey was cracking herself up while we waited.

Welcome home, Tyler!

Every day, Tyler has good things to say about school, which helps me not to worry. And, thankfully, as of today, both kids are healthy...at least for now. ;)

Indiana Visit

We packed a lot into our 9-day visit to Northern Indiana. We loved spending time with friends and family - which was the whole reason for going. We also fit in a trip to the Elkhart County 4H Fair, a trip to the Indiana Dunes, the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, flying and a whole lot of other fun activities close to Mom and Dad's.

At the fair, I got to enjoy an Elephant Ear for the first time in ??? years. It was just like I remembered...I just felt a little more guilt this time. :) Tyler "won" these super sweeeeeet shades. 

Dad took us on a ride in the Cessna.

And Tyler got his first power parachute ride. He loved it.

After Tyler's ride, Wayne and I got to participate in a candy drop for a big family reunion. That was a lot of fun. Seeing the kids get so excited to catch candy falling from the sky was so fun!!

We were glad that both Wayne and I got to visit our Grandparents.

We visited Grandpa Stuckey in the hospital. I wish we would have taken more pictures - can't believe we didn't get Grandma Billie or Uncle Max in a picture! :(

Grandpa Henry and Grandma Polly came over for dinner on our last evening there.

Our trip to the Dunes was fun. The sand was hot, and climbing the hill was hard work, but the water felt terrific!

Tyler loved the chance to play with Brennan. They are such good buds. I wish they could see each other more often!

Tyler and Aubrey "helping" Grandpa with chores.

Giving Aubrey a scooter ride, Wayne suggested riding this way as it seemed safer for Aubrey. Mom said this is how they rode in Cambodia, so we thought Lynette and Rusty might appreciate it. Mostly, Wayne made me laugh with the silly song he sang while we tooled around...something about me holding onto his love handles.

On our last night, we took a long Gator ride and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

Ending with the Essenhaus "quilt."

We had such a great time. It's always hard to leave once I'm home. We felt loved and so very well taken care of!

Click here if you'd like to see more pictures from our visit.

H & R Visit

A couple weekends ago, Hollins, Rachel and Jillian came for a weekend visit.

It was fun to watch the girls negotiate playing together...and gave each other lots of hugs and kisses!

It has been a scorching summer, and this weekend was no exception. We enjoyed a trip to a hotel pool, the YMCA water park, and the splash park in Hesston.

The girls enjoying a bedtime snack at Grandpa and Grandma's.



You can check out more pictures by following this link (though I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked) or you can click here to see Rachel's blog post.