Party in Perrydise!

For Labor Day weekend, we drove down to Perrydise for a family party at Nanna and Pa's house. It was a kid paradise - swimming, water balloons, bouncy house, soccer, trains, and snacks galore. The kids ate popsicles in the pool, Aunt Elaine's famous cookies by the handful, and tortilla chips by the bag. We also celebrated Pa's 70th birthday with his favorite - doughnuts! The kids were pretty happy that Pa was willing to share. At naptime, I walked in the nursery to find Nanna in the crib with Frances while reading books. To say our kids get spoiled in Perrydise is an understatement! We also enjoyed playing at cousin Reagan's house, and decorating cookies with the pro, Aunt Elaine. I think the kids ate more decorations than they used, but anything goes at Nanna's! (and that includes the Michigan t-shirts you see the kids wearing. I blame the brainwashing on their father.)

Goodbye Old House!

A couple of weeks ago, we stopped by the house after church for one last family photo before demo day. I am glad we did!

The Cutest Little Boot

Peter likes to be first - fit to get carsick, first to get stitches, and now first to break a bone. He fell off the monkey bars yesterday, and he fractured his metatarsal. His foot will heal just fine over the next month, but until then he will be rocking the cutest little boot ever.

After another round of x-rays, and a visit to the orthopedic doctor, Peter got a boot upgrade. He is handling it very well. Honestly the hardest part is reminding him not to run or play roughly. Clearly a broken foot is not slowing him down at all. And yes, you get to have ice cream before lunch when you're stuck in a boot for a month!

Peter's Very First Day of School

Peter woke up raring and ready to go on his first day of preschool. He was up at 6AM even though his school day doesn't start until 9:30AM. Excited would be an understatement. He enjoyed his special breakfast and my special singing, of course. And then we drove over to the house for photos, even though there was some demolition going on in the background. Frances had to jump in the pictures too. She and Peter have spent every day together since she's been born. I suspected she would not be happy when he left us for school, and I was right. But since Peter has been staying home with Mama for the past three and a half years, and watching his big brothers go to school every day, he couldn't wait to leave the girls behind. When I picked him up, he talked non-stop about his day - who he played with, what the snack was, what craft they made, who listened and who didn't. And I had cookies waiting for him too, of course. Frances couldn't have been more thrilled that he was back home with us, and that there were cookies involved.  Peter is only going to preschool three mornings a week, but he is already asking why he can't go every day of the week.

Peter's Special Day

Today was my last date with my third born before he starts preschool on Tuesday. I knew it was going to be a great day when I was putting on my earrings and Peter said, "Oh I want to wear pink too so we match on our special day, Mama!" He picked all of his favorite things for our date - toy shopping at Target, fried cheese grits at OK Cafe, and doughnuts at the park. If that's not a dream date, I don't know what is.