One loved little boy!

Just in case Cal ever wonders how much his sisters love him, I had to post these sweet letters I found.

The girls have been so thoughtful to make books for Calvin of some of the adventure stories Spencer tells Cal at night. 

Things from August . . .

August was a whirlwind of a month and I can barely remember what we did. Thank goodness for pictures to help me remember. August 5th was the first day of the Ventura County Fair and dollar days, so we paid a total of $3 (Cal was free) and had a full day of fun! 

We loved having the Terry cousins there to hang out with. 

Madi was excited to see her favorite animals and it took her awhile to find the perfect little lambies to take her picture with!

Elle was excited about the bunnies and choose this beautiful white one to take her photo with. 

The Alaskan pig races were my favorite! SO entertaining! 

Right next to the race track was an area full of fun hands on games for all the kids. . . 

tic tac toe. . . 

checkers . . .

building blocks . . .

As much fun as we were having seeing all the animals, visiting the exhibits, and all the hands on activities, my kids were anxious to get on some rides! The girls did some book reports at the beginning of the summer and earned 6 free rides each. 

They were kind enough to share their tickets with Cal and I so we could all go on the Ferris Wheel together . . .

and the swings . . . 

The girls choose an airplane ride for just the 2 of them. . . 

Then Madi went on this little roller coaster with another little girl in line because Elle didn't want to go on it. Sadly, we actually went home with an unused ticket because there wasn't another ride that Elle wanted to do all by herself and I didn't want to pay a bunch of money on tickets. 

I was very surprised with how much fun I had at the fair - it helps to go with with totally low expectations! 

Other things from August that my phone documented for me . . . McDonalds ice cream cones on a hot summer afternoon. 

Splash park to cool off . . .

Strengthening friendships . . . 

library arts and crafts . . .

and lots and lots of beach days! 

Madi went to a birthday party for her 10 year old friend Maddie and had  a blast making a tie dyed 

t-shirt and swimming with friends!

We also started soccer in August. Elle was not excited about it and I contemplated taking her out, but after her first practice on the 13th, she got totally motivated and now is excited for her season as an Orange Poppy! 

Madi and Cal have fun hanging with the Nelson girls during Thursday evening practices.

So happy that Elle and Ella got on the same team! 

One of my favorite things is watching my kids play well together. I love that Elle will still rides trikes in circles around our house with her brother. It makes my heart so happy to hear their laughter coming through the windows of our house as they ride by. 

I also love all the sweet notes these kids leave for me on a daily basis. 

Sure love these 3 and how well they all play together! But as good of friends as they are, it sure has been nice to start back at school and have some peace and quiet around here! Summer was great and all, but come August, I was tired of planning activity after activity to keep our days full and kids busy. I'm loving the structure that school brings! 

Back to School 2015-2016

Tuesday, August 25th was Madi's first day of 3rd grade. A couple of weeks before school started she got into Cape Charter school and after an hour of crying and praying, I knew it was where she needed to be. It was a huge decision for me, mostly because I love Tierra Linda - I love being down the street from school. I love that we can ride our bikes/run/walk to and from school. I love that I'm comfortable with how everything runs there, but I also felt strongly that Cape would be a good move long term for our family. Since only Madi got in this year, I was sad thinking about my girls not being be at the same school this year (siblings have priority at Cape so I'm pretty sure Elle will get in next year). Madi didn't blink twice about her move to a new school though! She was super excited!! 

I made special pancakes for breakfast and then we were on our way!

I have to admit, I was pretty nervous dropping her off. A new school, new teachers, new kids . . . this whole decision was a really big deal and it's going to take a lot of sacrifice for our family. I did pretty well with the drop off until we got into her classroom and had to say goodbye. I was so glad Uncle Bobby had come along for moral support on this big day for Madi.

Madi got a little emotional as we were saying goodbye, which made me all emotional, and I totally lost it outside her classroom, Thank goodness for Alexis who was there saying goodbye to Austin (who's in Madi's class this year). She's such a dear friend who helped me get through it and let me cry on her shoulder. I was fine by the time we got home but then Elle went and checked the mailbox and found the sweetest note from her new 1st grade teacher.

These sweet letters made me cry all over again! I feel so blessed that Elle got the BEST 1st grade teacher this year. Makes me feel better about having Elle stay at Tierra Linda and I think it's gonna help make this year, with the girls at different schools, more bearable for me. 

Wednesday, the 26th, was Elle's first day of school so she got her 1st grade pancake! 

My attempts to take a picture of my two school girls started out really rough and they couldn't stop laughing

 Finally they settled down for a second.

Cal and I had a super fun day full of shopping - Costco just the 2 of us was heavenly, TJ Max, Bed Bath, Beyond, Nordstrom Rack and then lunch with dad:

I sure enjoyed the peace and quiet the first day of school brought, but boy were we excited to go pick up the sisters after school!! 

Back to school was a total success!!