Crazy for Kindergarten

Brooke has always been my super social-bug. All summer it's been a constant battle of wanting to play with friends vs. just staying home. I think by August, we were both more than ready for school to start!

Brooke showing off her chalk-art (sun, fairy, rainbow, ladybug, smiley faces and grass) 

 On the first day, it was cold and overcast in the morning, then for a minute the sun came out so we hurried and did some pictures outside.

 Porter sure was going to miss his buddy while Brooke was at school.

 As we were getting ready to head to the bus stop, it started to downpour. I grabbed Brooke's only waterproof jacket with a hood (her winter coat) and put the kids in the car and drove to the bus stop. When the bus pulled up, I hopped out with Brooke and we ran to the bus. When I got back to the car, Porter was in tears because he didn't get to give Brooke a hug before she left. I wasn't emotional about her leaving for school until then. I followed the bus to school to watch Brooke get off and made sure she made it inside okay.

It's been weird thinking about Brooke at school and wondering what she's doing. We've all adjusted to the school schedule and Brooke loves her teacher and going there. I have a tough time getting information out of her about what she did during the day besides recess, but hopefully that will get better.

Brooke had to fill out a booklet that she'll share with the class to introduce herself and here are some of her answers:

Favorite Color: Purple and Pink

Favorite Movie: Despicable Me 2 and Frozen

Favorite Food: Macaroni and Cheese

If I had some wishes, I'd wish for: 1) a wand 2) a baby kitten

I like to: go camping, spend time with my family and friends

When I grow up I want to be: a mommy

I'm special because: I'm such a big helper

 Porter and I have been spending lots of one on one time together and he's been loving that too.

End of Summer?

With all the cooler weather we've been having, I keep thinking it's the end of summer.  We'll go a few days wearing our long pants and shirts then of course it starts to heat up again and out come the shirts and shorts. As much as I look forward to fall (my favorite time of year) I am dreading keeping these two indoors during the long, dark winter months. So, we've been making the best of the heat and going outside to play whenever we can.

Porter loves hats. Blake finally adjusted one of his old hats so Porter could wear it all the time.

 Brooke is getting so good at balancing on her scooter!

 Eating a fresh tomato from our garden

 We've loved our summer harvest. Grilled veggies are our favorite.

Flooding

Thanks to El Nino, our valley has seen its fair share of flooding. Don't get me wrong, I have loved the cooler/rainy days and we definitely need the moisture, but you can't help but feel terrible for people who have flooding problems. This neighborhood is not too far from ours. Actually, we looked at and almost considered buying the house you can see on the left. 

Blake spent an entire afternoon/night helping the people in this neighborhood sandbag and protect their homes. He didn't get home until almost midnight. Unfortunately, with all the rain, the flooding went on for several days. 

Family Photo Shoot

Photos taken by the photographer at Blake's work picnic in early August. It's always amazing to see the equipment they use and know that Blake operates everything up there. He works hard for our family and I'm so proud of all he's accomplished! 

 Porter loved all these big trucks! You can barely see him in this photo sitting in the driver's seat.