Our last summer hurrah!

On Friday of Labor Day weekend, we spent the day at Sea Breeze.  Abby, Michael, and Emma had a GREAT time at the picnic, on the carousel, and in the water.  It was a fun way to officially end our summer vacation!

Michael and Emma just chillin'. 

Abby shows her toothless grin on the carousel. 

Michael holds on tight.  The purple lips are from his grape popsicle at lunch.  Michael is always excited when he is able to eat the same treats as everyone else!  He didn't want his face washed! :) 

Michael and Abby are just about ready to brave the water!  They had a blast!

Our vacation- Thousand Islands

During our last full week of summer, we drove to the Thousand Islands for a few days.  What a beautiful place!  It is on the St. Lawrence River on the border of NY and Canada.  There are over 1800 islands... some big and some VERY small!  In the early 1900's it was the "summer playground" for the wealthy.  We had heard a lot about it and were determined to see it.

After our long day of packing and driving, Abby and Michael were ready to sleep! 

The next day we took a boat tour of the river.  At the end of the tour, we were able to visit Boldt Castle. 

Abby had a great time on the boat!

Abby and Michael hang out inside the boat for awhile.

The whole crew at Boldt Castle.

Just hanging out at the castle....

Michael and Emma are just chillin' in the stroller.  (Emma even fell asleep in that position!)

Abby got to drive the boat on the way back to Boldt Castle from the Yacht House.

I guess it was good practice for driving the boat on the playground at the hotel.

This was the view from our window! :)

Michael (and Emma... see below) were wiped out after our adventures of the day!

Here's another view of the castle from our room.  It was really incredible at night!

And there is Abby, not quite ready to say good bye to the water!  We had a great time!

Dinosaur Fun!

In mid-August, a dinosaur exhibit came to our convention center.  There were life size replicas of dinosaurs and several animatronic dinosaurs.  There were also lots of activities for the children such as digging for dinosaur bones, bounce houses, and "riding" dinosaurs.  Michael and Abby had a GREAT time!

I had a little trouble scanning this first picture (we were given permission to do so), but I wanted to include it because I love everyone's expression.  What a fun night!                              

                            

Abby and Michael check out the exhibit.

Michael got right on the dinosaur with absolutely no fear and had a great time riding the dino.

Abby was a little more cautious, but once Michael rode the dinosaur and survived, she was ready to give it a try.

Abby and Michael dig for dinosaur bones.

Abby and Michael found some tamer dinosaurs to climb.

It was a busy, fun-filled night.  It was no surprise to Mom and Dad that they both fell asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows that night!

First Day of School

It's the first day of school already!  Abby is now a first grader.  She was very excited to go to school this morning even though she was a little concerned about not having a lot of time to play anymore.

Abby is ready to go! 

 Abby was concerned that Michael might not wake up in time to say goodbye.  Luckily, he came downstairs just as Abby was getting ready to walk out the door.  She ran over to him and gave him a big hug.  It was really sweet.

 Abby (First Grade) and Madison (Kindergarten) wait at the end of the driveway for the bus.

The send off....  Guess how many children were waiting at this stop to get on the bus?  

TWO!  Just two!  A couple of neighbors stopped during their morning walk to visit with us while we were waiting, but the rest were family of Abby and Madison!  (Madison not only had Mom and Dad with her, but both set of grandparents and an aunt and some cousins.)

 Michael anxiously awaits Abby's return from school.  I'm not even sure how many time he asked about Abby during the day.  He's going to miss her so much!

 When Abby finally stepped off the bus, she ran right over to Michael, gave him a great big hug and said, "Michael, I missed you!"  (Talk about melting my heart!)

 Just talking about their day.....

 We are ready for a great year!

Toothless Grin

Here is Abby with her toothless smile.  She did have a little help from the dentist because her permanent teeth were coming in faster than her baby teeth wanted to fall out.  One tooth was loose, but the permanent tooth was just about ready to cut through the gum.  We had to race home from our family vacation to see her dentist before he left on vacation.  Instead of just pulling one, he ended up pulling both of them.  She certainly looks like a first grader now! :)