Ice Bucket Challenge

Reese was nominated by her friend Ellie to participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness and money for ALS.  Click here for her video.

And, click here for a video of Daddy becoming a human slide in the hot tub.

Saints Game

This is how our evening started out... Reese exhausted in the backseat after her very first week of Kindergarten.  When I tried to wake her, she completely broke down in tears screaming that she just wanted to go home.

There is NO way I would have gone to the St. Paul Saints game tonight, except Todd's small work group had an outing planned.  Luckily, Reese perked up and we ended up having a great time.

Highlights for the girls included all the food/treats, "Madonna" the pig mascot, the funny games they played between innings, and the playground equipment.

It was a special night because it was the last game in the Saints Midway Stadium as they are building a new ball field.  I'm glad we could "Take the Last Train to Midway".

Off to Kindergarten

And just like that, Reese is off to Kindergarten!  I know everyone says it, but it's so true... Where did the time go?  How can she be old enough to be in Kindergarten?

At drop off, there were no tears, just excitement!  Way to go, Reese!

Urgent Care

Well, it's been an interesting 24 hours, which included 4 trips to urgent care.

First, Todd woke up on Thursday with a very inflamed elbow.  He slide in a softball game 2 weeks ago (ok, actually he purposely crashed into the catcher trying (and successfully) to score a run) and cut his elbow open.  It didn't seem like a serious injury - he has had much worse.  He had no side effects until yesterday morning when it was suddenly twice its normal size.  He reluctantly went to urgent care where they gave him a shot, put him on antibiotics, and said it probably wasn't serious.  I got him to go see a doctor when I told him that was the arm he would walk the girls down the aisle at their wedding... assuming he still has an arm.

Fast forward to this morning and his elbow is even bigger and has spread to his entire arm (bicep to wrist).  So he headed back to urgent care for another exam, shot, and another round of antibiotics.  He is now being treated for both staph and strep infections.  I just hope he stays out of the hospital.  Seriously... time to retire from softball... baseball and football?!?

Reese and Emmy also made trips to urgent care today since they both had fevers in recent days and complained of sore throats this morning. I normally would have waited a couple more days to see if they recover on their own, but wanted to get them checked for strep throat since school starts in just a few days.  I was shocked to find out they both have Hand, Foot, Mouth virus which will probably last 7-10 days.  Ugh!  So upset that Reese might miss her first day of Kindergarten - it's such a milestone day!  Good news is they have mild cases and, as long as Reese is not showing any symptoms on Monday, she may go to school.

What a day... I'm exhausted.  We are all resting and drinking lots of fluids.

The Little Mermaid

As a treat before the school year starts, Grandma Cipra treated the girls to "The Little Mermaid" play at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre.  Reese has been SO excited and talking about this for weeks.  Emmy is too young to attend as you have to be 5 years old -- poor girl, she is so sad.

Unfortunately Reese got super sick today.  She tried so hard to be brave and well, but she just couldn't take it and had to leave at intermission.

Home Visit

Mrs. Schutte came today for our home visit.  I love that they do home visits for all grades at our school.  It's a great way to get-to-know the teacher and put the kids at ease in their own environment.

Reese was SO excited.  She has been talking about this for days, calling this her "special day" with Mrs. Schutte.  She even asked if Mrs. Schutte could spend the night.

We had a great visit complete with treats (pretzels dipped in candy coating and topped with sprinkles -- Reese's idea), hearing more about kindergarten, and showing off her room, favorite toys, tricks on the balance beam, and skills on her bike.

Emmy had to get in on the action too.  When Mrs. Schutte would ask Reese a question, Emmy would answer for herself too.

Haag Family Reunion

Haag family reunion fun.

Teddie (the dog) was one of the most popular guests.

Haag "big boys" think they're still kids.

Peyton eating apple pie in the car.

This was not at the reunion, but blog-worthy.  Grandpa Haag recently painted his tractors -- this other pride and joy.

Friends Over

After trying to get together all summer, we finally managed to have a fun night with the Lorenzes and Hedtkes.  We had good food, funny conversations, and naked running in the front yard (I'll let you guess who was running naked).

Back-to-School Night

It was back-to-school night.  This Kindergarten-thing is getting more realistic.

Tumbling

It's been a summer full of tumbling with Coach Tammi -- classes every Mondays and 3 camps.

First, Reese went to Frozen Camp.
 >> pictures coming soon<<

Then, it was Emmy's turn at Mickey Mouse Clubhouse camp with Mommy.  Emmy was a wild woman at this evening camp!  I have to remember not to sign her up for morning activities because she's a completely different child and participates much more in the afternoons and evenings.

Finally, Reese went to American Girl Doll Camp where she got to bring her doll Rainey.

>>pictures coming soon<<

Modeling

A perk of your mom working at General Mills, you get a modeling gig with your friends!  Reese, Ellie, and Logan did a GREAT job modeling for a Pillsbury Pizza Crust photo shoot.  It was a very fun experience for everyone.  Watch for their pictures in banner ads and on Pillsbury.com in October.

First, hair & make-up... and doughnuts.

It's photo time!  The kids had great chemistry together (helps they are all good friends) and listened to all directions.  We had the shots we needed in just a half hour.

Just a little goofing off between shots.

We had some extra time, so we had Reese do some step shots making an entire pizza.  Such concentration.

Finally, a sneak peak at one of the selected shots.

Zanna

Happy 5th birthday to our friend Zanna!  Thanks for inviting us to your fun birthday party.

 Emmy got hot in her princess costume, so she stripped down to her undies.  You can do that when you're 2, right?