First Days

I need to go back and talk about the rest of the summer, but I want to get first days of school up!

We started school last Wednesday!  Everyone was excited!  We were up early and ready to go!

Jane is in 5th grade, and she has Mrs. Anderson.  She is excited because two of her good friends are in her class!  

 Sydney has Mrs. Love for 5th grade!!  She just loves the social aspect of school!

Graham has Miss DeLeon for 2nd grade this year.  We have never had her before, but that is who he wanted!

Clare is starting 7th grade, and she has a million different teachers!!

I walked the younger three to school, and got them all settled.  They were easy this year.  Next, it was time to get Clare to middle school!  We took two of her friends with us...safety in numbers!!

The ride to school was a quiet one.  I think they were all pretty nervous.  I assumed that they didn't want to pose for a picture in front of the school, so I settled for one of them walking in.  Man alive, it's hard to believe she's in middle school.

 All reports from the first day were great!!  Clare seemed especially giddy! I think she loved it...so much more freedom than in elementary school.

Here are a few more pics from the first week of school....just because I think they are cute.  On day two, Graham was back to his "non-collared" shirts. 

Jane just got bangs cut, and they are so cute!!  She is such a little fashionista.  Love the outfits that she puts together!

Clare was ready for day two, with a lot fewer nerves!!!

Sydney and Jane are enjoying 5th grade, and they are super excited about the Sky Ranch field trip that is coming up in November!

Graham has had such a smooth start to second grade.  I am super proud of him!

We've had a great start this year, and I hope our momentum continues! 

Clare's Camps

Clare had her turn at overnight camp in July.  Like the twins, she went to a camp at ACU, but hers was for middle schoolers and it was called MPulse.  She had been to overnight camp a couple of years ago, and she wasn't crazy about it, so she was a bit nervous about this week.  

Casey and I drove her to Abilene to help her get all set up.  She roomed with a girl from church, and we helped them get their room decorated, and then we scooted out.

I picked her up on Friday afternoon, and lo and behold, she had a great time!

Apparently, she had a great hall with awesome counselors!

She came back with lots of great memories...but unfortunately, she also came home with pink eye!  I picked her up on Friday afternoon, and we headed straight to the doctor.  Apparently, her eyes had been bothering her all week, but she told the counselors it was allergies.  We got her some medicine, and got her all fixed up, which was a good thing because on Monday she started Missoula!

Her play this year was King Arthur's Quest, and Clare was cast as Morgan La Fey.  She was the bossy sister of King Arthur.  She had a great part, and she was thrilled because she actually had a script!

The play was great, and Clare nailed her part!  Two busy weeks of camp for Clare....followed by a trip to Colorado!

ACU's Learning to Lead

Jane and Sydney checked off another milestone this summer! They spent a week away at overnight camp! We took them on Sunday and helped them set up their room. They stayed in a college dorm. 

I wasn't able to talk with them all week, but some nice friends sent and posted pictures throughout the week.

They rode the van home with our church group.  They were deliriously tired, but seemed to have so much fun!  They both said that they would go back again.

I enjoyed the week with Clare and Graham while the twins were away,

but I really love when everyone is back under the same roof!!

Barbecue and the Beach!

We spent a long weekend in Galveston, and had a great time.  Casey is on a quest to eat at the Top 50 BBQ spots in Texas.  We knocked off five, in and around Houston on the way there and back.  I am going to let the pictures do the talking!!

Check out the crab we caught.  Graham named him Jimmy!  

We took a dolphin cruise, and spotted a few dolphins.  The kids were also very intrigued by the giant cruise ships!

Clare didn't love this sign!!

Henna tattoos!  They were gone within two weeks...thankfully!

We had a great trip...and lots of good barbecue!