First Day of Kindergarten

Mitchell started kindergarten today!

He was enthusiastic about going, knowing his teacher (Lacey Sharp) and having Carter in his class.

Grama Allstot came to help him have a special morning. The two of them got a sweet treat before heading to class.

Once there, Mitch found Carter and

headed off down the hall without so much as a backward glance!

It's lovely to have him so eager to go and to learn, and still a bit of a tug on heartstrings as it means he's getting so much bigger. This year Mitch can't wait to learn to read! When I picked him up 8 hours later, he was exhausted and said he'd tell me about his day later. He has some homework and is in need of an early bedtime!

Russ and Almost Aunt Julie Come to Visit

Booth and Lumen came to visit this weekend!

Bryan and I went to a wedding on Saturday and enjoyed being childfree and visiting with lots of high school friends. While we were away, Russ and "almost aunt" Julie came to play with the littles!

Booth is so patient ( and much loved)!

Shannon now thinks Lumen might be a cat (due to a conversation with Julie about Lumen's independent temperament). She hangs on to Lumen whenever she can catch her!

So great to see Russ and Julie - thanks for making the drive!!

Church Picnic

We had a church picnic last night that the kids thoroughly enjoyed!

There was an inflatable waterslide that was hugely popular.

And, of course, Shannon stayed close to the puppy as much as possible!

Swim Lessons

We did 2 sessions of swim lessons this summer, essentially bookending the season. The kids enjoyed it and both have improved quite a bit from where they started, though there's much more progress to be made!

 In his first session, Mitch continued to overcome his fear of water in his face. He's done much better and no longer tries to avoid getting his face wet at all costs.

He is timid and is in class with younger kids sometimes. This doesn't bother him, though, so it won't bother me. He does listen well to his instructors and tries his hardest to follow their direction.

Shannon has no fear of the water. She goes under with no concerns, plays games enthusiastically, and is part fish.

 She liked her teachers in session one quite a lot: Jericho and Katie.

  Whee!

 In session two for Mitchell there was less play and more early development of basic skills. Unfortunately his habit of keeping his face out of the water still troubled him and the side breathing concept was tricky (though improving).

Working on his freestyle arms while his bum sinks behind him. Like his mother, his back end doesn't like to float making the kicking a challenge. It's funny and tragic to watch him. 

Shan does everything the teacher asks. She can now float on her own (much more buoyant than her brother!) and is great at Superman glides under water! 

It's fun to see them enjoy the water so much and I'm eager for their skills to continue improving.

Mitchell Turns 6!

Mitchell Bryan turned 6 today, which is hard to believe. We had a birthday donut for breakfast, rocked swim lessons, and then enjoyed a birthday party with friends this afternoon.

Mitch wanted a super hero theme.

 We had a party at the splash park and the connecting castle park.
The weather was perfect!

There was a herd of little boys (and a few girls) running from park to park, almost in formation. It was funny to watch!

As the kids are getting older, we are amused with how much more independence they have. For example, the adults got to sit and visit while the littles ran all over. It was awesome!

The oohs and ahhs as MBJ opened the gifts were akin to those at a firework show. These kids were dialed in to the joy of gifts!

Carter and Kiera gave Mitch a rocket, which the kids launched and chased, launched and chased, launched and 

got stuck in the tree. It was quite an ordeal. Finally, Superman (AKA Daddy) rescued the rocket and all was well!

Happy birthday to our fun-loving, sometimes-gentle, big-hearted, and SUPER boy!

Celebration Weekend

We wrapped up our insanely full month of July with a weekend of celebrations in Ephrata. Dave and Vicki celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary on the 16th, but baseball will be occupying the coach beginning on the 6th, so we gathered this weekend.

We enjoyed a BBQ Friday night and then headed to Lake Chelan on Saturday. There was a lot of smoke from an area fire, but the lake was lovely for a picnic and fun in the water.

 
Ol' Blue Eyes

Another swimming success - no one was sunburned!

Fair skinned beauties!

Grandma Vicki built lots of castles in the sand with the grands. Here they worked frantically to protect their remaining towers from incoming waves. After a full day at the lake, we enjoyed a dinner together at Wok About. 40 great years yielded a happy family!

Shannon adores animals. She was with Finley whenever possible. 

On Sunday we did birthday celebrations - Mitch (6) and Dave (67). Gramas and Grampas Allstot and Pobst joined us for lunch and festivities.

The blondies watched presents while Jack helped read the cards.

Mitch declared his watch to be "cool". He was gifted many thoughtful and fun things!

Loving family

Dave loved his "For a Republican you're okay..." card!

A super 6-year-old!

The happy family