Brayden's Birthday

Happy 7th birthday to cousin Brayden.  We had fun at your baseball-themed birthday party!

We then moved outside for a little water fun.  Just relax, girls.

 

A water balloon contest for all ages.

Sorry to my water balloon partner Peyton.  Better you than me - ha!

New Park

Right at the end of summer, we discovered this great park in St. Michael.  We'll have to remember this one for warm fall days.

School Clothes

Reese is very particular about her clothes.  They cannot be too tight or scratchy.  So, back-to-school shopping is a challenge.  You can forget about skinny jeans (or any jeans of that matter), leggings, or really anything that's on-trend.  It's all loose knit pants and shirts for this girl, and even then we have to hold our breath and hope that she likes an outfit.

Grandma Cipra and I bought all the clothes without her this year, then let Reese try them on at home.  I tried to make trying on clothes extra fun this year by inviting Ellie over for a fashion show.  So far, so good.

Lasik

Todd had Lasik eye surgery not long ago,  He was excited and nervous before.  It was great to be at Whiting Clinic where Dr. Whiting is a very talented surgeon and where our friend Troy Loomis works.

It was a little rough the first night.  Todd's eyes were a little sore and just felt strange.  He had to wear these special eye coverings so he would not rub/itch his eyes while sleeping at night.

Happy to report he woke up the next day seeing perfectly and feeling really good.  It was a success!

Softball Tourney

Emmy was Daddy's biggest fan at his softball tournament this weekend.

And the girls had fun getting crazy hair at Corcoran Days.

Emmy's Trick

Here is a picture of the trick Emmy does whenever she's excited -- when someone comes over, when it was her turn to "introduce" herself at ECFE, etc.  And she's so proud of herself when she gets a good reaction from the people watching.

Water Ballet

Reese and Daddy pretended Reese was competing in water ballet competitions in the hot tub.  Todd told me it went something like this...

At the Hawaii Invitational, Princess Reese from Minnesota beats Tara from Texas.

Then at the Monterey Classic, Reese from Minnesota beats Madison from Wisconsin.

The crowd was very pleased with the variety of performances, including a special performance with the jets on.  Reese was quoted as saying, "Reese was the very best water dancer ever."

 

Hanover Parade

We all had fun representing St. John's School in the Hanover parade today.

Evan is such a cool dude and a sweatheart.  I have already decided that one of our girls should marry him in the future.

Win Twins?

We had fun at the Twins game with Bryan and Ashly.  But we all had to leave in the 6th inning to get home to our baby-sitters!  We aren't even sure if the Twins ended up winning or losing.

VBS

We had a fun week at Vacation Bible School.  I taught Reese's Pre-K class again this year, and had a great group of 15 kids.  We sang songs, did crafts, played games, and most importantly learned about God.

My class was full of cuties, many of which loved to snuggle with me.  One even licked me, which I took as a sign of affection.  I only had one 3 year old who caused a bit of trouble, including a sprint through the parking lot one day where I tried various tactics like "come back and help me with this fun game", "I bet you can't run toward the other kids", and even "I'm going to tell your dad!!!!"  None of those tactics worked... I think he just got tired so I finally caught up to him. 

I found out there is a huge difference between 3 year olds and 4 year olds -- the 4 year olds are much more mature. Reese too was a complely different student this year vs. last year. She stood in the front to sing songs, raised her hand to answer questions, and rarely needed special attention from me. Just look at her all dressed up, complete with her purse (full of My Little Ponies)...

I was well-prepared this year and carried around a huge bag (which my teaching assistant, Kaitlyn, called my "Mary Poppins bag") full of things to keep the kids occupied/out of trouble with any spare minute.  Here's a list to remind myself for next year: homemade play dough in individual baggies for each child to keep germs in check, parachute, white boards, action dice, daubers with printed sheets corresponding to the Bible lesson, ball for circle soccer.  Also to remind myself for next year: sing "Where is Thumbkin"; as kids form a line say "I'm standing in a line, I'm standing very tall, my hands are by my side, I'm ready for the hall"; play follow the leader by flying like a bird, flapping like a chicken, etc.  Thanks to Grandma Cipra for all these ideas.

First Trim

Emmy's getting a little more hair, and had some crazy long strands.  I finally decided to trim those strands tonight, and it looks much better.

With all this attention on hair tonight, Reese decided to make her hair look pretty too.

Soccer at 4

When you play soccer when you're 4 years old...

 

All the kids run in a pack.

 

Water breaks include hugs from your daddy.

You get distracted from the game by chickens.

 

You would rather talk and joke with your friends even when they are on the opposing team.

 

Soccer Star

Reese joined a soccer league this summer.  It's her first time playing soccer, and any team sport, and I would say her reaction is just luke warm.  She does really well in drills/warm ups, but has a hard time getting aggressive and going after the ball during the games.  I think she's waiting for it to be her "turn" to kick the ball.  At least she looks adorable in her uniform -- complete with shin guards and cleats.

 

 

 

 

Emmy wants to play too!