Today we want to wish Grand Papa and Aunt Michele a very Happy Birthday!  We hope all your dreams come true!  🙂

This is my favorite family photo so far!  🙂

These were my favorite pictures from Papa and Rara’s Saturday visit from two weekends ago.  I thought I had posted them but realized today during naptime that I had forgotten to include them with the others!  Mike has worked full days and stayed up until 3AM, 12AM, and 2AM the past three nights, so we are looking forward to lots of rest for the next couple of days!  Have a great weekend!!!  🙂

Our sweet Noelle on her first day of Pre-K!  She was so excited to head off to school.  I told her I was going to miss her too much and she said, “But Mom, I have to go learn.”

We have to pack a snack, lunch, nap mat/blanket/toy, backpack with change of clothes, and folder with assignments.  I feel like I’m doing a major check-list before school each day!

Noelle is a *drumroll* squirrel this year!  She was so disappointed when we opened up her back to school letter announcing her class mascot but quickly changed her mind when we collected acorns on our family walk that night.  In the second picture I asked, “Who’s a squirrel?”  She raised her hand and said, “I AM!”  🙂

WE LOVE OUR NEW SCHOOL!

We had the neighbors over for an end of summer/back to school party Monday night!

The girls were so excited, and we were all set and ready to splash!

Noelle has been working on her cheerleader moves.  In this picture she is making sure her thumb is in the right spot.  Isn’t this the cutest picture in the world of Anna Kate and Malia!?!  This pic will definitely be in their senior video, for sure!

Come on Anna Kate… just one sister picture, EVER?

Crazy creepy green spider in one of our rose bushes!

Come on over guys, we’re ready to party!

I think we had 10 girls to 1 boy at the party… our neighborhood has the sweetest kids.  Noelle and Anna Kate have already made great friends, and we look forward to many more driveway parties!

We set up lots of sprinklers and had water sprayers and toys to keep the kids busy.  I thought it might be a little babyish for the big kids, but they all had fun just being together.  

Noelle got a black eye tonight.  She literally poked herself in the eye… doesn’t make for a great story.  Her back to school pictures are sad with a black eye and all, but she was a great sport!

Love the expressions in this picture!

We had pizza and popsicles along with a delicious salad and homemade cookies that Kim brought over.  It all came together so well and was super easy and fun!

We had so much fun and wish we could do this every night.  Meeting new neighbors and playing with the kids was the best way to end a great summer!

My favorite thing about having a yard is pulling weeds with a screwdriver after a rain.  Every time it has rained this year, my first thought is, “Yay!  I get to pull weeds tonight!”  The soil is so soft and with the screw driver loosening it even further, they just pop out… the perfect stress reliever, and as a result, our yard looks great!

So, as I was pulling weeds last week, Anna Kate was playing on the driveway with Noelle.  Mike left his tool box open in the garage, which gave Anna Kate a great idea!  She made her first creation in the yard!  I love my screwdriver garden!

* Oh wow, I just noticed we have a paint can opener!  Perfect!  I was going to make a trip to Home Depot to beg for a freebie.  Now I don’t have to… thanks Anna Kate!  🙂

It was a busy day around here!

Mike recorded this for me to see from the parking lot of his office building.  Oh my goodness!

*Mom said she saw our old townhouse on Fox News at lunch!

Noelle catching her first fish!

We even got a little fishing in for Poppa’s birthday.  Thanks for helping us fish and bringing worms from Bass Pro Shop.  We couldn’t have fished without you!

Poppa and Rara took Noelle to get Little Lucy a few accessories.  Noelle takes Little Lucy’s dance outfit off every night for bed so she’ll be more comfortable, so her poor little bunny has been sleeping in her panties.  Well, that didn’t sit well with Rara, so they went to “Build-A-Bear The Workshop” as Noelle calls it and got Little Lucy some pjs and a Halloween costume (Cinderella) with a coupon Rara had.

This girl and her bunny are spoiled rotten!