August Highlights

If July could be called our month with friends, then August was definitely our month with family.  My mom and dad took the kids at the beginning of the month for ten days--yes, you read that right, ten days!  They swam, rode the gator, and had sleepovers with their cousins.  Oh, and let's not forget the unmonitored levels of soda, candy, and popsicles!  All in all, they had a great break from mom and dad.

And I should also mention that mom and dad had a great break from them!  Besides sleeping well, eating while our food was still hot, and getting to leisurely walk around Pier One, I painted for four days, we cleaned out and reorganized our basement HVAC room, and did house project after house project.  To top it all off, we installed new 6-panel doors throughout the house.  Do we really know how to live it up with the kids gone or what?!?

I was able to spend a couple of nights in OH, too.  I really enjoy going back home to the flat open fields where the kids can run and play ... and I can ride a bike down the road without having to get off and push it up a ginormous hill!  I like living so close to a big city and everything it has to offer, but there is something about the freedom that comes with growing up on a farm that I wish my kiddos could experience.  Thanks, mom and dad, for giving them a week of "country life!"

While home, my Aunt Mary and cousin Madison were in from North Dakota too.  It had been seven years since I had last seen them.

And as a special treat to myself during the OH trip, I was able to hang out with my best friend Brooke for a "birthday brunch."  (Move to StL already, Brooke!)

Near the end of the month, Tyler's mom and stepdad came out for a visit.  Here we are in one of our favorite spots:

Early birthday presents from grandma and grandpa were also enjoyed.

To end the month, we started back to school.  This is P's first year and she was eager to get started!  (Ok, a full disclosure: I didn't take official first day pics because we were in our pj's most of that stormy day.  So let's just pretend that these are from the first day.)

And someone else wanted to join in on the fun.  =)

Other news from this month: it has been confirmed by a second doctor that Z needs to get braces already.  He is missing a couple of baby teeth and one adult tooth.  No biggie except that two of his adult teeth are coming in at a 60 degree angle, aimed right at his top front teeth, and about to cut through the roots.  He will need minor oral surgery and then a couple years of braces.  He can totally blame me for the bad genetics on this one!  And sadly, if I remember correctly, S is missing the same baby teeth so we may be down this road again in a few years.

With no one left in diapers, me trying to get rid of every baby item in the house, and braces on the horizon, it appears that we are officially moving into the next stage of family life.  Is that college I see creeping up around the corner?  Say it isn't so!