feels like fall

The days are getting shorter and the temps are once again in the 60's most days, so we are trying to enjoy the great outdoors as much as possible before the mountains of snow return. Here are some pics from the park yesterday. Note the pants and long sleeve shirts on the babies.


I've even gone so far as to hang a fall wreath on the front door. This upset one neighbor terribly; but I have faced the end-of-the-summer music.

Ava's first day of preschool

Today was Ava's first day of preschool. I took her to the orientation/picture day yesterday and felt sick the whole time. I am so sad to see her go to preschool! Then I got a grip. She's going for 2 hours twice a week, and I know she'll love it. Here she is in front of the house for her first day of preschool.

We found a small little backpack, but it still swallows her up.

I will miss her while she's there! Wonder if she could go one day a week...

Steve came with to drop her off on the first day. Ava was very excited about it.

When I picked her up at the end of the morning she was beaming. She talked about the book the teacher read to them, The Kissing Hand, and gave me a kiss on the hand as we walked to the car. I asked her if she learned about a letter of the alphabet, and she reported that "just one of the grown-ups said all the letters." She was super excited to report about snack time (that's my girl): hot dogs, pretzels and milk. Did she really have a hot dog? That would be funny.
Can't believe you're going to preschool! We love you, Ava girl!

Summer Visitors

We've had some fun visits the last month from my parents and some friends. My parents came up for a week at the end of July. It was really fun to see them and the babes LOVED time with grandma and grandpa. Grandparents have a certain gift for playing with little ones. It was very sweet to watch all week.
They loaded up the car to head on on Friday, July 31st, and the next day we welcomed a new batch of guests. Four students from Steve's high school small group back in St. Louis made a road trip together before they headed off to college. We only had Saturday and Sunday with them, but it was great to see them. Steve and the boys went to the County Fair, played ultimate, saw a movie, and ate pizza together on Saturday. On Sunday Coop made pancakes for breakfast before they headed out to drive back to St. Louis. Ava and Owen were in total awe watching these huge teenage boys play in our house. They sat right in among them and joined in on the fray. Owen cried when they left. The guys were all so sweet and well-mannered! Good job, mamas!
After they left, we had 3 days before the Larsons came up from St. Louis. During those 3 days, Ava came down with a fever and sore throat. They doc said it was not strep, which meant that we did not have a magical antibiotic to make her feel better within 24 hours. We were worried that the Larsons not be able to join us, but little Ava perked up by Tuesday afternoon. The Larsons arrived on Thursday with their two sweet little babies and it was so wonderful to see them! Their friendship is a great source of encouragement to us, and we are grateful that they made the stop at our house on their way to family camp! The fellas had to work Friday, so Kim and I stayed at home while the girls played and the babies napped. On Saturday we all went off to the Wisconsin State Fair.
I have to mention that while I never really liked going to the fair or fair-type events in OK or MO, I really love them here. In OK, it's so disgustingly hot. Everything smells gross at the fair--a mix between fried whatevers and the over-heated trash cans placed on every corner. and sunscreen. I hate touching sunscreen in the heat and then it just melts on you all day. I think I have some sensory integration issues on that one. All that to say: I've never been too keen on going to the fair. But in Wisconsin, at least this summer, it's wonderful. It's in the 70's. There are nice little puffy clouds that block the sun. An occasional rain shower to make everything beautiful. It's delightful. So it's like I'm discovering the fun of the fair and outdoor festivals for the first time. And there are tons of them here. Every weekend there's another festival with all the trimmings.
This weekend, it was the State Fair, and we went with the Larsons, and ooh-ed and awed at the cows and the chickens and the bunnies, ate some food on a stick, and got to park our car on the race track, which seems to be such a smart use of space for an event like this.
Once we got home the kids got to splash in the wading pool and then Kim and I fled the scene while the dads put everyone to bed early. It was blissful. We were only gone for an hour and a half to run a few quick errands and pick up dinner, but it was so fun to get to spend time with a girlfriend. and converse. and efficiently run in and out of stores. without children. I forgot what it was like to carry a topic of conversation out to its completion. wow.
Once we got back with dinner we had a serene time of eating, talking, eating, playing some games, and eating some more. It was lovely. We're so glad they came to visit!
We have a few more guests yet to come in our line-up of visitors this summer, and we can't wait to see them!