A few major events happened in our lives within the past few months. And many not-so-major ones. Here are a few items that haven’t made it to the blog yet…

First grade ended in a whirlwind. Ugh, this rips my heart right out to realize that Second Grade is starting next week and I never posted about First Grade!
I hope, at some point in the future, when KB looks at my blog for the first time and realizes that I have 172,456 posts about Annie and 12 about her, that its NOT BECAUSE I LOVE HER MORE! Its just been the Summer of the Brain Tumor and very little else….what can I say? I’m sorry KB. 🙁 One of these days SOON I’ll do a whole week of posts about NOTHING BUT KB. She’s an awesome kid and I can’t wait to catch you all up on what’s been going on with her.

Anyway, First Grade? Piece of cake. KB mastered the First Grade. And took home the Best Reader award at the Awards Ceremony. Way to go, my sweet girl! 😉 All this and brains too…. It was a great year with a great teacher.

Another major event? At age 3, Annie had her first ‘real’ haircut. My poor blonde children have slow-growing hair. Contrast that with cousin Baby Micah, who has had three or four haircuts already.

We went with a very chic bob for a very trend-setting girl. Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, eat your heart out.

We visited Discovery Science Place. With all there is to do there, these are the pictures I got:

We had a few play dates with friends. Please excuse the dark grainy picture; I snapped this with my cell phone mere moments after I had run shrieking through the Thedford’s house looking for some certain three-and-four-year-olds who were not answering me when I called their names. For a moment, we thought they had escaped out the back door, down the driveway, and were headed for Mexico when I finally spotted them behind the ficus tree. Hiding from bears. Hence, the not answering when we called. It makes perfect sense when you think about it.

Hubs and I went to the Cattle Barons Gala for the first time ever with our friends Shanequa and DTJR. Shanequa and I got new tank tops to commemorate the occasion.
Of course, we didn’t really ride the bull.

Or did we?

Guess you had to be there to know for sure…

Day Camp at our church. Best week ever. And KB made things right with the Lord for all eternity. This picture makes my heart melt.

Then Day Camp at Green Acres Baptist. Fun, but not as fun as Friendly’s.

Spent a lot of time at Lake Fork. But somehow not ever enough time. One of those things we wonder why we don’t take advantage of more often. Almost as good as Hawaii without the price tag. Don’t laugh til you’ve sat on that pier with the breeze in your hair….

Camped at Tyler State Park. Ate watermelon. Got filthy. Fun, fun times. Another of those things we wonder WHY we don’t take advantage of more often? I’m still working on stained clothes from that weekend. Stained clothes: Always the indicator of a really good time.

More play dates. This one, at Jumpin’ Jacks where I paid $6 so that Annie could sulk under the bounce house instead of jumping in it because I made her drink water instead of Capri Sun. Age three is a magical time.

Mastered the “I Love You” sign. Sign language is nothing new to Annie; I taught her as a wee infant to tell me she was ‘thirsty’ or wanted ‘down,’ among others. It makes for whine-less kids when they can communicate, but still, “I love you” is a hard one to do when your little fingers don’t want to bend that way.

Made some ladybug friends. Who died tragic deaths in the bottom of a Dixie cup. We never even got to know them….

Made lots and lots of tents in the living room. I folded many-a-quilt this summer. And put the pillows back on the couch 172,456 times.
*Pay no attention to the dirt on the couch. In 15 years I’ll replace it with a clean, new couch. Thank you.

Spent lots and lots of time with Mia. We have American Girl fever here, in spite of my best efforts to not be swept up in American Girl’s quest to separate American Moms from their money. I can’t help it, I love Mia as much as KB does. She has freckles. And freckles are always a good thing.

And speaking of freckles, we sprouted a few fabulous freckles this summer:

Too rich, too thin, too many freckles….there’s no such thing.

This summer, I did a few things I never in a zillion years thought I would or could do, and I learned I’m stronger than I thought I was. Or crazier. This summer, I…

*have dealt with a brain tumor in one of my children.

*Dug a grave, myself, and buried a family pet in the back yard.

*Went to a homeschooling seminar.

*Then withdrew KB from public school.

There, I said it.

And on that note, I think I’m going to have to stop there and finish this up when I can weed through approximately half a million more pictures, most of which are on my cell phone.

I just can’t believe summer is over so soon.

Time flies when you’re having fun.

But at our house, the fun is just beginning…