1st Day of Preschool

Here's the school girl, up early, and very excited!  She wore her backpack around the house for almost an hour before we had to leave.

 She looks so little walking away.  No, we didn't have to walk to school.  But the car is parked down the street because our road is being repaved.

 Posing in front of her cubby.

 Then she went straight to circle time.  She couldn't care less about the newness of it all or leaving me.  I had to ask her for a kiss then run out the door before I got too teary eyed.  She is absolutely going to love school!

Labor Day weekend fun

This past weekend we went to St. Joseph and Wathena to spend time with Jeremy's family.  Friday night we went to Savannah's football game, which of course they won and Maddox was enthralled by the marching band as usual.  My kids loved Aunt Shelby's aviator sunglasses in the car on the way up there.

 Saturday morning Jeremy ran a 5k for Wathena's Fall Festival.  He finished 3rd overall and won his age with 18:11.

 Saturday afternoon we spent at the festival.  Maddox rode 3 or 4 rides over and over again.  There really weren't anymore for her age. 

 Maddox also got some fairy wings from the clowns.  A grimacing smile from her... maybe because it was raining on us?  Just a drizzle so it wasn't bad, but we got a little wet.

 Sunday afternoon James and Angie, Gabbie and Hayden came over to cookout at Grandma Barb's.  Here all her grandkids together.  A rarity that will hopefully happen a little more often now that we live in Iowa.  Sunday evening we went to the parade in Wathen and got a ton MORE candy. (5 parades in 2 months... I will NOT be buying Halloween candy.)

 Monday morning we went to the Patee House Museum where the only thing Maddox liked was the old carousel.  It is very pretty.  This might be the first time I've let Hadlee ride one.

Then we spent Monday afternoon at Krug Park where Maddox wanted to explore ALL the castle stairs.  The park itself she wasn't so impressed with.  It is a little cruddy nowadays.  But it was still pretty cool to take her to places I grew up and had so many memories there.  Then the afternoon went downhill from there with Hadlee having diarrhea and no diapers and Jessi rolling in very smelly poo.  It was definitely time to go back home!

Growing Up

Tomorrow Maddox starts her first day of preschool.  She'll be going to Westview Church Preschool, about 2 miles from our house.  It's only 2 hours on Monday and Wednesday morning.  She's growing up so fast!  It just doesn't seem like 3 1/2 years ago she was a tiny baby that refused to come out therefore making her mama have surgery.  She's still stubborn.  Here she is on her first horse ride at the Iowa State Fair.  She loved it.  I wish she could ride more.

 And here she's hanging out with Cinderella at Waukee Fest.

 And this is the first thing she did at school.  We went to orientation last week and she was checking out the chalkboard and wrote her name!  We'd been practicing but the evidence at home had shown that she wasn't that great at it.  All I did was point to where to write each letter since she started right in the midle of the board and doesn't get the left to right thing.  I was impressed!

She is VERY excited about going to school.  I hope after a few days of it she's still excited and doesn't come home thinking "I don't know what the big deal was, it's not THAT cool."  I know she's ready to get out and meet new friends here and it will certainly be good for her.  I'm excited that she's so excited!