Funderland with friends

We were invited to Paolo's birthday party at Funderland and took Avary with us because her parents were out of town.  Most of Kyla's friends from preschool were there so as you may guess, she had a great time.

Best buddies.

Crazy drivers coming.

Kyla and Josh.

Where's Avary?

Love this one.  Aren't they adorable.

That's my girl ... no hands.

I love this one of Kyla.

Looks like trouble to me.

When we got home, the kids jumped on the trampoline in the sprinklers.  :-)

Lemonade Stand

The kids had a lemonade stand last week during the yard sale.  They sold Lemonade and Brownie Bites for 25 cents each.  The brownies were gone in a flash!  They had fun and made a little money. 

2 Randoms

Uh-oh.  Thank goodness it was just doll hair!!  I couldn't be mad at her because she was so proud of herself and thought she did a great job.  It was hysterical.

Seriously, look at Mason's abdominals.  He's in crazy shape ... probably because he never stops moving.  Even his back is well defined.  He loves showing his muscles off!

1st day of school - 2011

Well, the day has finally come ........ the first day of school!  Kyla (and her parents) have been counting down for weeks and weeks.  She couldn't have been more excited about the big day.  Woke up early, quickly got dressed and was ready to go.  Mason, eh ... he's been there done that so I don't think he was much looking forward to school starting up again.  He missed his buddies but definitely enjoyed his summer break.  Brian and I won't know what to do with all this free time we're going to have.  We're thinking we might manage without them.  Swimming pool, lunch dates, movies, SLEEP, hanging out, etc. etc.  Several people have asked me if I cried watching my youngest go off to school.  Just tears of joy.  I'll miss the alone time I get to spend with her.  She's my little buddy, we enjoy a lot of the same things.  Her constant affection warms my heart.  I'm not sad because she is so ready, she's excited about her new adventure and being able to go to the same school as Mason. 

A first day of school picture.

Take 2.

He's starting to look more and more like a young man ... and acting like it too.  Stay this age forever!  How handsome is he?

He chose to use the same backpack and lunch bag that he had last year.  That's Mason, he never wants to get rid or let go of anything!  Saved me some $$$ though.

Of course, she chose a new backpack and lunch box for Kindergarten.  The preschool one simply won't do.  She's a big girl now.  I have to admit, her kitty-cat backpack is cute.

Looks like she's holding a flower but that's in the background.  LOL.

I realize, I took a lot more pictures of her on her first day than I did of Mason.  I took a gazillion pictures of him on his first day of Kindergarten also.  See here.  She's standing in line, ready to go to her classroom.

All eyes on the teacher.

There she goes.  Have a great day sweet girl.

OK, so this picture might make me a little teary eyed.  My kids are growing up ... I hope they always want to hang out with me.  I hope that Kyla and I will remain good friends, even when she's a teenager.  I hope Mason will still want to play catch and Super Mario Brothers on the Wii with me. 

As for my free time ------Woo-Hoo!

Meet the teachers

Mason and Kyla's school does something wonderful each year.  They have a meet and greet the day before school starts so the kids can meet the teachers and find out where their classroom will be.  Both of them were very excited to meet their teachers.  We got so lucky ... both of their teachers are young and enthusiastic about teaching.  Kyla's teacher is new to her school and this is her second year of teaching.

Kyla couldn't wait to meet her.

Sitting at her desk ... she also received a goodie bag from Ms. Adams.

Her classroom.  Such a happy place.

It's official ... I see her name.

She is growing up too quickly.

Mason's teacher has been teaching at his school for a few years.  She is good friends with his teacher from last year (which he loves) so he already knew he was going to like her.  She told him she'd heard all about him from Mrs. Ashby and it put a HUGE smile on his face.

We also found out that Spencer, his best buddy will be in his class also.  Cheesy smile while sitting at this desk.

Big 2nd grader now.

Camping - Santa Cruz

Back in early August we went on one last camping trip before school started.  We went with some friends of ours and their kids.  It was a great time ... the kids loved having other kids to play with.  They had all brought along their scooters and were able to scooter around the campground.

Even camping, the kids still wanted to play with their gaming devides.  Mason and Syndey sat in the same chair and watched each other play.

There was a nice area for a good ol' game of baseball.

While they played baseball, Kyla played in the dirt ... it's what she does.

Hangin' out at the beach.  We were worried that it was going to be cloudy and cold but it burned off just as we got there.

Cutie.

Mason can be so silly.  I think he was doing a silly dance here while playing soccer with Brian.

Wow, does he look grown up or what?

Man, that water was cold.  The girls didn't mind at all.

Mason and Nolan got in as well but didn't stay in long.

We saw this laying on the beach (turned over) and told Mason it was a piece of seaweed.  We had him touch it and everything.  A few minutes later, we took a good look at it and turned it over and realized it was some kind of a ray.  Mason was so mad at us that we had him touch it ... it was a good laugh for the rest of us.

Aaaaaaawww!

Like I said, Kyla loves to play in the dirt ... it's what she does.  She absolutely loves the beach.

A decent pictof all of us.

We took the kids on a little hike through the redwoods.

Buddies.

Down at the swimming hole we found while hiking.  We'll be sure to wear our suits and hang out down there next time.

Mason's favorite ... Bunny Ears!

Nolan and Mason.

Another group photo.