First Day of School

Today marks the first day of 2nd grade for Spencer and 3rd grade for Gemma. Where does the time go???
Here are the kids before leaving for school - notice the head next to Gemma? That's Gianna - I couldn't get a decent picture of all three together, so this will have to do.

My little girl has a locker!

And here is my littlest princess after school. She decided to "drive" to pick up the kids!

And here we are - reunited! Gemma and Spencer had a great day. It looks like we're off to a good start for the new school year!

Last Days of Summer

The weather was beautiful this weekend and with school just around the corner, we decided to take advantage of Mother Nature.

On Sunday, we decided to head to the beach for the last time this summer with mom and Evelyn.

Gemma was very happy to be at the beach - can't you tell from the fake smile!! ;)
Gianna loves for me or Evelyn to build sand castles for her to destroy. However, I can never stay ahead of her. Just as I dump the sand out of the bucket, she is there to smash it. This time, I decided I was going to build a gigantic castle for her to mess up - however, she actually helped! This kept me and the kids busy for at least 30 minutes!

Gemma decided we needed more wet sand!

Gianna took a break from our mountain and decided to play in the moat Spencer had built earlier in the afternoon.

And for the finishing touch - more water.

We really had a nice time, but after 3 hours we decided to call it a day. We've had a lot of fun at the beach this summer and great memories. I can't wait until next year!

Here are a few pictures of the kids outside today. Again - we enjoyed the beautiful weather. I'm not sure what they were doing, but Spencer and Gemma were busy at the table for quite a while.

Gianna decided she wanted to try driving Spencer's remote control car. Her coordination isn't quite what it needs to be in order to do this. She was getting very frustrated, so I suggested going to the playground (our swing set).

From this expression - it must have been a good suggestion!

Gianna decided she wanted to swing with her big brother. I took a ton of photos of them swinging together - these are two of my favorites.

And here is evidence that fall is knocking at our door. As I was enjoying the beautiful afternoon, I noticed these leaves on my neighbor's tree. :(

Finders Keepers

Gemma has the ability to find "treasures" wherever we go. Buttons, change, hair clips, pins, jewelry... She gets so excited about the new discovery and always shares her latest find.

We weren't on the actual fairgrounds for more than 15 minutes when Gemma found this -

At first, I told her to leave the bracelet on the ground - but she was so excited and my mom and sister were both telling me to let her have it - so I caved it. After washing it in the water fountain, Gemma was wearing her latest find.
I'm sorry to whoever lost it, but this little girl loves it!

The Great Minnesota Get-together!

Gemma's Soccer Game

Gemma had her first soccer game of the season this evening. The weather was perfect and the kids and I had a great time.

Here is Gianna before the game even started. The fields are across the street from a railroad track (the train yard is about a mile from the fields) and shortly after we arrived, she heard something.... It wasn't Thomas the Tank Engine, but she enjoyed watching it and announcing it's presence to anyone who would listen. She loves trains!

Spencer even had to stop and enjoy the view!

Here are my girls before the game enjoying a snack. We arrived 30 minutes early because I wasn't sure where the fields were and if I would be able to find a parking spot. Anyway, because of this, we ended up eating our snacks BEFORE the game even started!! Oh well, at least I know where it is for the next game!

Here is Gemma warming up in the goal. I love this action shot! She isn't very aggressive (she gets that from me), but she is definitely stepping out of her comfort zone. I'm so proud of her!!

While Gemma was warming up, Gianna decided to get ready too. Just in case they needed an extra player!

Gemma started the game (she wasn't goalie for this game) - and did really well. She got a little confused and left her defense position for offense. I told her that was OK - I'm 34 and I always get those confused! (maybe not something I should be admitting!) Overall she did great! It's so fun to watch her develop as a player.

Notice Gemma in this picture - she is one of the smaller girls one her team. But she doesn't let that stop her!

While Gemma was playing, Spencer and Gianna played in the dirt at the baseball diamond. Gotta love dirt - it's a guaranteed way to keep the kids happy!

On a side note - after the girls were done with their game and going back to their parents, Gemma was behind two of the girls from the other team. Even though they all had just given high-fives minutes before, Gemma had to stop them and tell them they played a good game. They thanked her and returned the sentiment.

It was unnecessary, but completely sweet. And that's just one of Gemma's many qualities.

Our Last Beach Day...

I think today was our last outing to our favorite swimming hole. :(

The end of summer always makes me a little sad - the carefree days of doing whatever whenever are quickly coming to an end. Soon our days will be filled with school and the evenings with the kids doing homework and working on school projects. The sun will be setting earlier and "fun" stuff will have to wait for weekends. We're trying to savor these last two weeks before.....reality hits!!!

We had a great time and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Oh - and to make the day even better, Baby Abe came too! His first time swimming!

Baby Abe

Baby Abe in action!

Gianna falling into the water - and loving it!
Gemma wanted to be buried in the sand - the little ones obliged!
Baby Abe and Gianna covering Gemma with sand.
Spencer working on something.

The little guy couldn't take it any longer...he was wiped out!

Gianna wants to play too!

This is just a short video of Gianna "playing" soccer. The audio isn't the best since it was pretty breezy that night, but it's still cute!

Let's Play Soccer!

It's official - soccer season has begun!

This is the first year the kids won't be on the same team. Spencer is on the U8 team - which is co-ed. Gemma is on the U10 team - which is all girls. Gemma seems OK with the new arrangement, Spencer on the other hand - not so much. What can I say, he really likes his sister!

Here are a few pics from Gemma's practice.

Look at her hustle!

My little goalie!

And here are a few from Spencer's practice.

Spencer working on some drills.

Waiting his turn.

I just thought he looked exceptionally cute in this one and had to post it!

The picture says it all.....