1st Day of 1st grade

YAH!!! He's back!!!!
1st day of drop-off went flawlessly! YAH!!!
Good luck Mrs. Matteson!!! There's alot of excitement to see the friends again!!!

Nolan asked to pack his own lunch this AM, but didn't wake when I started. 15 minutes later, he appeared & shared that I had not packed the food he'd "hidden from JJ"!!! Round 2 meant that I remade his lunch & packed it the way he'd envisioned! LOL!

Vacation - Branson MO

Well - our vacation plans to NC and DC, with the Hipsky's came crashing down around us... but, we were able to squeek out a week at Branson instead.

BRANSON?? Really?? Isn't that just for old folks?? LOL!
No!

We were worn out after all our fun activities, which kept us hopping daily: Titanic exhibit, Butterfly Palace, Hollywood Wax Museum, Wine Tasting 101 class, Silver Dollar City, a ride on the Duck, putt-putt and fishing on Lake Tannycomo!
We needed to come home, just to rest from our vacation!!

The temps were a bit of a nightmare, with 100 degrees daily and heat index's well above 110... but, it was the escape we pulled together for 4th of July week!

Grants Farm

The kids and I traveled to the Lou for 2 Tastefully Simple parties & spent 3 days as tourists!

One of our adventures was to Grants Farm, with Aunt Carol, Cousins CJ, Sheri and Bob. (Little do the kids know that Sheri and Bob are the real cousins!! LOL!) The kids also met cousin-by-marriage Crystal - whom Nolan warmed to... well, not easily... BUT... in the Nolan way!

I don't remember Grants Farm being so tiny! All I remembered was the beer!
Jillian hated being in the goats pen.... Mom got to feed them, while she held all portions of her body high! Nolan loved the carousel ride & of course, was mad that he couldn't do it again!
Nolan loved feeding the talking parrot. Both loved the kettle corn and snow cones!

And of course, Mom, Aunt Carol, Sheri, Bob and Crystal - loved the free beer!

New Family Member

Because I thought that 2 kids, 3 and 6, was not crazy enough for me.... I agreed to a puppy.
YES - I am insane!
Jet Domino is our new family member.
He is pure-bred Miniature Australian Shepherd. Supposedly, he will only get to 20 -40 lbs, but he is already 13+ lbs at 12 weeks.
Born April 2nd... does that make him 12 weeks still????

He is a very dominant dog, trying to herd the kids - instinct.
He's proving a difficult potty trainer, BUT we had a great day yesterday - so maybe we mastered it! I am not counting my chickens!

Jillian cracks me up, as she yells "No. I in charge!" When the dog attempts to get her! Nolan... well, he's the motivator for the puppy... and he shy's away, when Jet starts nipping and jumping. Not in charge!!!

We're Back!

Hello friends! Sorry for the long delay!
We have a new camera, so I can return to keeping you updated on our chaos!
Instead of back-tracking, I will just update the most recent!

Last Mass of the School Year

Yes - the camera is still broken. I "thought" I would get a new camera for Mothers Day. Well - that didn't happen!! So, the recording feature is all we have...
My apologies that I can't keep you updated on the details of life! I will break down and buy a new camera soon.

As for the last day of school, Kindergarten led the mass. Nolan opened the service & rocked it!! The rest of the day was followed with awards, field day, and a picnic (indoor) lunch. Nolan received awards for Outstanding Art, Outstanding Music, and perfect 4th quarter attendance.

Third NWEA tests are complete and results returned. The boy also was in the 98th for mathematics and 99th percentile for reading. With the DRE testing, he finished his Kindergarten year with the reading comprehension of a high 1st grader! Seriously - this kid rocketed through his first year! We are blessed to have found SSFC and their fabulous program.

Enjoy the attached song, which the combined Kindergarten classes sang at end of mass, as well as Nolan's reading. The song was a "surprise", so I was not ready with the camera for the beginning... oops! (Our desktop too is broken... so I can not hear him read, so can only hope the upload does have it!)

PLEASE EXCUSE THE INTERUPTION.... BEEP.

Sorry there have been no pictures or posts of late.
Both the desktop and the camera have gone ka-put. One is being repaired... the other needs to be replaced.

The quick overview...

Spring break took us to Alpena, as well as St Louis. Then, there were 3 play dates. BUSY week!

Nolan lost his first tooth on St Patty's Day & another in April.
Nolan read the responsorial at the last Kindergarten led mass... and did great, as usual!

Easter we had the Noom's and G'ma Judy for a visit! What a fun weekend!
This was the 1st Easter where JJ understood the Easter egg hunt theory! I believe there were 150 eggs in our back yard!

I started my own business & am now an independent sales consultant for Tastefully Simple. Lots of fun in my 1st month!! Not sure why I didn't try this sooner!

That's it for now. Once we get "techy" again... I hope to get us back up to date on the blog.