Alex's First Week of Preschool

Alex was beyond excited for his first day in the Green class at Overbrook Preschool. He was dressed and ready in no time. As we were driving there he said in disgust, "When are we there?"
Well this brave and excited 4 year old also decided to leave Stinky Bear behind. You know, at home. Wow! We were shocked at the decision.












So leaving Stinky Bear behind was a really bad decision. I made it worse for all of us because in the parking lot I said to Alex, "Wow bud, I'm so proud of you for leaving Stinky Bear at home!"
DUH!!! What a DUMB move!!! Why do I tug at emotional heart strings right before a huge moment like walking into the first day of school.

I had to hold him at the door way of the room and carry him into his class. He wouldn't let go or even lift his head from my shoulder. Oh boy!
We tried different tactics like playing with Legos, but even his all-time favorite toy didn't matter.
His teacher was amazing at trying to get him to stay. Eventually she had to hold him crying while we quickly left. Later she told me he calmed down probably by the time we got to our car.

 Well on day 2 we were smart and brought Stinky Bear with us. It helped a lot! He had a bit of a hard time saying goodbye, but nothing at all like the first day.



Again, his teacher Miss Lexie is amazing. I love her! She loved on Alex so much. She was so great with him in the beginning. She brought him over to check in. The kids have to move their name from the "out" slot to the "in" slot. (pictured below)

By the end of the week Alex confidently walked into the room. Hugged me goodbye and checked himself in. It was amazing to see the transition! Now we are into the second week. Some days he doesn't even say goodbye. He just dives right into his day. It's beautiful, and I am so thankful!

1st Day of 2nd Grade

My 7 year old is now in 2nd grade!
We had a really fun summer, but by the end of August we were all ready for school to start. The two best friends (Lilia and Alex) were now annoying each other very often and we were having trouble just enjoying our days.
Dave took her to school on the trailer bike. It puts her in the best mood! She's so happy on the bike with him, and she very willingly runs off to school.
Her teach is amazing, and all the kids have returned, except one new kid.
In fact, when we arrived on the first day, 3 saw Lilia, shouted her name, and they all embraced. (pictured below) I was one happy mama and I could easily kiss her goodbye.

New Hampshire Nature

This is a gorge near Woodstock, VT. If you ever have a chance to stay in Woodstock or visit there, do it. It's an adorable little town with lots to do in the surrounding areas.

Simon Pierce Glass Blowing place has a waterfall behind their store/factory

Reflections

Moss & fungi

River rocks

The Cabin

Katherine catching tadpoles

 If you've never been to the White Mountains in New Hampshire, plan a trip there one day. It's so lush and green, with tons of crystal clear stream running over the most beautiful river rocks you ever saw. (I brought home quite the rock collection.)
It's even better if you're a Dartmouth Alumni. Dartmouth owns about 100 cabins in the White Mountains that are available to rent for a very cheap price. Drew rented a one-room cabin for the night and we had the best time. It was the worst nights sleep ever - but totally worth it!

The older kids sitting on the bridge

 My favorite part was playing in the river. The water was very cold, but it felt nice. The river bed is nothing but rocks of all sizes. We made our way upstream, either through the river or climbing on the huge boulders that hugged the river. It was so much fun. We hung out in this one spot for a while, just throwing rocks as high as we could and laughing at the huge "kerplop" sound they made as they landed back in the water.

 The cabin is very rustic, with no running water and an outhouse. But if you put on your best elaborated camping hat it's no big deal! The cabin itself was so cool. There are bunks on the first floor along with a wood stove and oven. This cabin had a ladder that led to a loft. There were 6 mats, 3 on each side for sleeping and a bridge that connected the two loft sleeping areas.
We had the kids (ages 7, 6, 4, 4, and 2) sleep on the bottom bunks and John slept in a pack-n-play. The adults took the loft. We didn't want them falling out of the top bunk or falling from the loft. None of us slept that well, but that's camping right?
We had plenty of coffee and tea to go around and we woke up to such beauty that it really didn't matter.

A Visit with the Matters

 Our dear, dear friends Drew, Susie, and their three kids moved to Hanover, NH last summer. Drew was one of the pastors at City Church, and Susie oversaw the children's ministry. They were our closest friends at church. It was hard to say goodbye when they left for Drew to pursue a masters degree in engineering at Dartmouth. He had felt the Lord calling him out of the church and to have a ministry in the work place. God has blessed them abundantly for their obedience. They have a fantastic church, great community, good public schools, and beautiful scenery.
We drove north to spend a long weekend with them and had a fantastic time! Drew took us for a full tour of Dartmouth's campus. The history, and architecture are astounding. Then we went canoeing on the Connecticut River through the Dartmouth Outdoor Club.

 We went under a small bridge and came to this little cove that led to a beautiful waterfall. We hung out there for a while just enjoying the peace, stillness and beauty around us.

Behind their condos is a fun little trail with a small creek. In the mornings the older kids (Mary 6, Katherine 4) would get on their backpacks, and grab their supplies and head out as explorers. (pictured above the kids in their bathing suits)

They all had so much fun together. Their youngest, John (2) is hilarious! He wakes up and does a happy dance. He is so full of life, and joy. He loved chasing the big kids, especially Lilia. He even learned her name by the end of our time.

Lewes, DE

 One of the nights at the beach we always go out to dinner, all six of us, and take photos. We had an amazing dinner at Agave, an upscale Mexican restaurant with really flavorful food. Then we took photos down by the water and at the bay.

 So we were taking pictures down at the bay, enjoying putting our toes in, and collecting rocks when someone spotted sharks! They weren't very big, maybe 3 feet, but still...they were sharks!
They were about 6-8 feet out from shore, where the water would be about to your hips. They were circling and feeding, slowly working their way down the shore line. It was really cool to watch, but a scary reminder that we aren't alone in the big blue ocean, or in this case, bay.

Shark fins 

Sunset

Assateague Island

 Assateague is home to wild ponies and it's only 45 minutes from Bethany Beach. Last summer Lilia and I read Misty of Chincoteague. This past spring we read, Stormy, Misty's Foal so we had to experience these wild ponies for ourselves!
We were so fortunate - we saw a mare and her foal right away!

We also got about 3 feet away from this horse, pictured below. He was just chillin as we stood there taking lots of pictures.

Perfect ombre mane

Dragonfly

They loved the ocean and didn't want to leave.

Ponies in the bay

Close and personal

We stopped in OCMD for a boardwalk experience and cotton candy.

I was panning for shells for a good hour. It's still my favorite thing to do.