Mary Kate Goes to the Dentist

Do not let the pictures fool you. Mary Kate did NOT have fun at the dentist. This was her first trip and I thought I had prepared her well. Apparently not. She screamed a lot and very loudly. The hygenist was only able to count her teeth and brush them with a toothbrush. Mary Kate was not about to let any dental equipment in her mouth. I can't wait to repeat the experience in 6 months...

First Day of School

Yesterday was Micah's first day of school. He is in the first grade this year. He was not looking forward to school starting, but ended up having a great time. In fact, when I picked him up from school today, he said, "I love, love, LOVE the first grade!!" So, I think he's adjusting well. Here's a picture of him from his first day of school:



Samuel started kindergarten today. He was so excited. He has been counting down the days since the beginning of August. I had originally signed him up for the section of kindergarten that meets every morning. However, once Hope arrived home, we realized that she naps everyday from 11 - 1, which would have made it impossible for me to pick up Samuel from school. So, I ended up switching him to all day M-W-F. He was exhausted when I picked him up from school today. He said he really liked kindergarten, but it lasted too long. Bless his heart. Good thing he can rest and relax on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Here is a picture of him on his first day of school:



Today also marked Samuel's first time riding a school bus. He was so excited. Here is a picture of Micah, Samuel and our neighbor, Esther, waiting for the bus:



And here are Micah and Samuel sitting on the bus together:



The boy's school has smart boards in the classroom. When Samuel arrives at school, he is supposed to find his name and drag it into position to let his teacher know he has arrived. Here is a picture of him practicing with his teacher:



I think we are off to a great year!!

Last Hurrah

We were able to head to Lake Michigan for a week before school started. We had beautiful weather the first four days out there. It was hot and sunny... perfect for the beach. The boys had so much fun playing in the water with Mike. Mary Kate mostly dug in the sand and Hope was a combination. We had such a nice time.

A family picture of the 6 of us


Hope is proudly sporting her American pride


The boys are posing with our new kite in the background. We bought the kite in China, but I don't think we realized how scary the face looked.


Mary Kate pretending to surf


Micah and Hope playing together


The four kids enjoying popsicles


Mike took the boys fishing one morning while I took the girls to the Social Security office to officially change Hope's name.


The boys caught snapping turtles and we have even kept one for a pet


Overall, it was a great week!

Car Show

Tonight we took the kids to a local car show. We basically walked around a parking lot and looked at all the classic cars. The boys, particularly Micah, thought it was great. I told them each they could pick out their favorite cars and I would take their picture with them. Here they are:

Micah's picks:




Samuel's Picks:



Mary Kate's pick:


Poor Hope just had to sit in a stroller and never got to pick her favorite car. Maybe next year.

Peek-A-Boo

The other night, Hope started playing peek-a-boo with her washcloth. She was so cute and it was obvious that she felt proud of herself. She did it over and over again. I'm sure it helped that she had a captive audience who encouraged her with lots of giggling and clapping!

Meijer Gardens

This past Thursday, I felt adventurous enough to take all of the kids to Meijer Gardens by myself. I had sworn that I wouldn't do it this summer, but we needed to get out of the house for a couple of hours, so that's where we headed. In some respects it went well and in other respects it was challenging. I definitely love going there, but we may save our next trip for a weekend when Daddy can come with us. Each kid got to pick one thing for all of us to do. Micah chose to do the nature walk out to the farm. Samuel chose to go to the boat area. Mary Kate chose the tree house and Hope "chose" the splash fountain. Here are some pictures:

Micah on the nature trail


Samuel climbing a ladder inside the barn


Micah pumping water at the farm


Hope enjoying her time at the boats


Samuel and Micah "boating" around the Great Lakes


Mary Kate in the splash fountain


Hope was in her element. She LOVED the splash fountain!!

A Day at the Beach

Micah and Samuel floating away

Mary Kate and Hope playing in the sand

Micah

Samuel

Hope


Today after Hope's nap, we headed to the beach. It was Hope's first time to the beach and I cannot believe how much she loved it. She was so comfortable in the sand and water. She had no fear, which meant I was on her the whole time. It was really fun to watch. We had a nice day as a family.