Charlie's First Day of Kindergarten

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Charlie had his first day of kindergarten today. He woke up early (6:10), ate breakfast, read books and was ready to go down to catch his bus that comes at 6:51! Chris said he was quiet as he got on the bus and started to go down the aisle towards the back...he was redirected to the front luckily! I went to school to meet him and he was already in his room, back pack hung and looking for his name tag. He gave me a quick smile, allowed me to give him a quick kiss, and he was off to join the group of kindergarteners surrounding his teacher.

He came off the bus with a smile and told me about snack, science class, and sitting with a friend from preschool on the bus home. He's excited to play puzzles when he gets to school tomorrow. "They have a fire truck puzzle I can play with tomorrow."

Charlie, way to go! You are such a big boy. Found your first loose tooth yesterday, off to kindergarten today. You are growing so quickly and I love the boy you are...keep your big smile and enjoy kindergarten!

Our Big Little Guy

Ben is getting big too fast lately! He's tries to stand all of the time and is beginning to figure out how to get back down. This part can't come too fast, he has had a bruised head for over a week. Today he was trying to climb into Sam's bed! He is such a busy little boy, crawling all over the house trying to find new things to put in his mouth.

Ben has discovered the sand box and has figured out how to get inside!

Brushing the sand out of your mouth before bed is always important.

Camping at Tettagouche

We had a great time camping at Tettagouche State Park last week. We were about 200 yards from a beautiful beach on Lake Superior and hours of rock fun. We hiked to the highest waterfall in Minnesota and had fun relaxing on the beach watching the boys play. The boys love all parts of camping...hiking, roasting marshmallows, playing in the dirt, and exploring around the campsite. We usually camp in September to avoid bugs and the crowd, but with Charlie starting school this week we went in August. The weather was perfect and the bugs were minimal. We had a wonderful time....and even have made plans to camp in October. We're thinking of trying a camper cabin!

Charlie's favorite part of North shore camping is the "Banging Wall". He's been asking all summer about camping at the banging wall. He can bang the rocks for hours!

Sam's favorite part of camping on the North shore is the rocks! He loves throwing rocks into Lake Superior and even into the woods. If there is room to throw a rock, he will do it. If he's not throwing rocks, he's probably hunting for rocks to throw. He did take some time out from throwing to talk on his "rock phone" and eat marshmellows. "Hi, Pa."

" Really Mom...I won't put any rocks in my mouth."

Ben was either in the backpack or eating rocks the entire camping trip. He has been a good sport about camping all summer. He really seems to enjoy being outside. We're hopeful next year will bring a little self control when it comes to rocks....we'll see.

Geocaching at Split Rock

We had fun geacaching at Split Rock on the north shore. It was our first time using a GPS to try and find coordinates hidden around the park. The final "cache" was in a special box and contained animal cards and trinkets left by other geocachers.

Charlie found the second coordinate. He was very excited and ready to continue on the adventure!

Looking for the final treasure box.

Found!

Charlie, Sam, and Chris enjoyed geocaching so much they went again already to Fort Snelling State Park.

Rain Drops are Falling....and Falling...

Sam and "the mower".

We have had a week of rain and storms. The boys have done lots of lego building and I've tried to do lots of organizing. It was fun to take time out to go for puddle walks.

The Fire Station

We visited the fire station near our house with friends yesterday. The boys loved seeing the inside of the station and the fire engine. Fireman Matt did a wonderful job teaching us all and making our visit fun.

Teaching the kids to yell, "HERE I AM" if they ever see a fireman during a fire.

No trip is complete without sirens and lights!

The Fair

We went the Dakota County Fair last week. The boys loved the John Deere area...even Ben had to try out a Deere! The cotton candy was also a big hit! The only animals we saw were cows...all the boys wanted to do was see all of the equipment and tractors. It was a fun day!