Valley.fest

Every year we go to Valley.fest. It starts with a parade then the next day there are booths and tons of activities for kids. Here are some highlights.

 We watched a presentation on animals. I know, how fitting, right? They LOVE information regarding animals! Then, afterwards, got in line to pet the alligator. The boys also convinced the handler to open the alligator's mouth so the boys could look inside. :)

The Newest Dancers

With September starting, the fall classes also began. The girls are finally in tap and ballet combination class. This is something they have waited for forever! And their class is full of their best friends: neighbor, Camden; cousin, Natalie; friend, Carmen. So cute!

September Happenings

Gone are the lazy days of summer. Here are the fun-filled days of fall. No complaints here. I love to relax during the summer, visit parks, go hiking, and play at the river. But I also love all the activities that come with school starting.

We went to a community Renaissance Fair. Actually, Thomas, Joshua, Molly, and I went. (Katie stayed home sick with Dan). And we took neighbor kid Rowan since we had an extra seat. It was really fun. The kids got to climb in a fire truck, they made cool hats, and did fun games.

Uncle Adam took all the cousins on a four-wheeler ride. This is Thomas & Joshua's favorite thing to do. They could do it all day long.

Then we did bike race #1 and #2 (on different weekends). The kids did a great job. And it's always so much fun!

First Day of First Grade

Can it be? I have first graders? NNNNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! They are so big!

The boys were super excited for their first day of school. Their teacher use to teach with grandma Nancy so the connection is really neat!

Molly didn't think the first day was anything to get excited about. And maybe was a little sad that her buddies were leaving her all day long.

The boys, however, were really ready to go. And perhaps did not enjoy that we were stopping the departure process to take pictures! :)

Here's to a great year of first grade!!!!

Crashing A Vacation

Luckily we didn't crash grandma and grandpa's vacation, we were actually invited up. BUT, inviting up our family (4 kids), plus my brother's family (4 kids), seems a little nuts, so it felt a bit like crashing a vacation!

My parents enjoy a timeshare (or something like it) at Stone.ridge. It's beautiful. And the kids had an absolute blast!

They did crafts!

They played mini-golf!

Thomas and Grandpa Bob played Chess!

And then we did another craft. AND went swimming! The kids were pooped but had a great time. Thanks for inviting us grandma and grandpa!

Haircuts

Just before school started it was decided that all four kids needed a trim. The boys decided to get it all shaved off. So much cheaper as I can do that at home! But afterwards I realized how much I loved their shaggy hair. :( We'll see if they grow it out again or keep it short! Here's the before and afters!

Allergic Reaction

We've always known that Joshua reacted to cats. He's clearly allergic. But we weren't for sure on the dog part yet. Now we know for sure. Joshua is also allergic to dogs. The reaction was really slow moving, and we had it well under control, and then it just went downhill fast.

It started off with just a small swollen eye (and yet enough that I took a picture of it)

Then it got splotchy and became clear we were working with an allergy. Benadryl was given.

As the Benadryl kicked in and the allergy got worse we moved to other measures, including a shower...

It then became clear that we needed to go get checked out (at 11:00 PM). Mommy instinct said it was time to go, so Joshua and I took off for the ER. It was only 5 minutes in the ER and Joshua started wheezing and having trouble breathing. We were taken back quickly where Joshua received a massive dose of Benadryl, some steroids, and a breathing treatment.

Much improvement was shown after that and we were released with instructions to do more benadryl once home and another breathing treatment. Phew! However, we are limited as to which houses we can go to. If you have a dog/cat/pet you'll only see us for short periods of time!