FIRST Day of FIRST Grade!

Wow! Sadie's in first grade already! We got to meet her teacher Mrs. Thompson (who is on maternity leave for the first 8 weeks of school) and her substitute, Mrs. Boone. And she found common ground right away with her sub teacher--Mrs. Boone's first name is SADIE!

I had a harder time w/ Sadie away all day than I expected. I guess it's the next of many steps toward independence for my kiddos. Snif, snif.

Doesn't she look SO grown up?!?

At the Fair

We had a great time visiting friends and family in Lynden... and I wanted to share a couple photos from our week long visit/vacation. You'll see kids at the NW Washington Fair, at the Million Smiles Park with their cousins, and eating watermelon at Boulevard Park in Bellingham. What fun!

Mac 'n Cheese!

Mac Powell, lead singer of rockin' christian band THIRD DAY flashed a big cheesy smile for me at the NW Washington fair concert on Thurs., Aug. 16. Couldn't help but share it... pretty CHEESY! Great concert--I've been so blessed by their ministry.

"The Taz" strikes again...

"Waaahhh!!!" (Not a child crying... this time it was MOM.)

Bad day yesterday... involving my sweet son Grant, a red Sharpie marker and my furniture...

Yep. Mom was gone for 5 minutes (blowdrying my hair and rushing through the chore because of the hot weather... ugh) and Grant chose that time to work on his art skills.

Should I just be thankful he chose my accent color of red?

He didn't just throw together a little something. It was a PICASSO. And big. Starting from the kitchen "junk drawer" where he discovered the marker (hint: all of you check your drawers NOW and move those markers!) He began decorating the kitchen cabinets countertop and refrigerator... then all around the kitchen island to the living room wall... over to the coffee tables... mom's favorite chair... the antique chest... window sill and curtains... couch... dining chair... sofa table... antique bible...

And then mom discovered him.

And it was ugly.

Thanks be to God that my tendancies for anger didn't erupt, but tears did flow. Long and hard. After hugging my kids because they cried with me and assuring them it was just STUFF, I called my dear husband who had the presence of mind and sense of humor to say "take pictures for the scrapbook".

So, enjoy. I guess. And learn from my mistakes. And love your kids. Even when you're inches away from locking them into a small room for life.

(P.S. Thanks to the great products Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and Oxy-Clean, my home is restored to a faint shade of Sharpie Red.)