On This Special Day

Nichole, I am so proud of you.  Thank you for making such good choices and being such a good example to your younger brothers and your parents.  I love you.
Love, Mom

Banana Lovers Day 2013

For Banana Lovers Day, August 27th, I made banana boats for the kids.  Bananas baked with marshmallows and chocolate chips inside.  I hadn't had these in years.  The August 2013 issue of The Friend Magazine had instructions for making them so I thought it would be perfect for the holiday.  I did them in the oven.  They were yummy.

Catch of the Day

National Waffle Day 2013

August 24th is National Waffle Day.  This is the first year we've actually been able to celebrate this holiday since Jeremy didn't get a waffle maker until Christmas last year. 
Before whenever we would see the holiday on the calendar but remark that we couldn't make and eat waffles that day, Jeremy would comment about how we could be wishy washy and not make up our minds about something in order to celebrate (look up other definitions of waffle if you don't know what I'm talking about).  We never got around to it, though.
This year we have a waffle maker so for dinner on National Waffle Day we had...
WAFFLES!

The kids were pleased and got right down to concentrating on eating so there wasn't much conversation until it being National Waffle Day reminded them about other holidays and they remembered that there is Make Up Your Own Holiday Day (March 26th).  They started suggesting a whole bunch of holidays.  I let them know when they came across ones that were actual holidays, such as National Chocolate Day (September 13th).  They were excited to hear that one was coming up.
It feels good to be celebrating again as we kind of got out of it this Summer.

Dance Party!

To celebrate Gene Kelly's birthday, August 23, and to celebrate surviving the first week of school, after school we had a dance party.

Good exercise... and fun.

It was also kind of rainy today, so when Jr. Jr. and I picked up the older kids from school, we got to do a tiny bit of singing in the rain.  It was just sprinkling at the time, but we still had fun.

The KAT's Meow

After putting honey on Jr.'s bread, he said, "Wow.  This is like a maze for my tongue."

First Day of School Excitement!

This was the scene a year ago when Jr. started his first day of kindergarten.

And here was after school for him.

This was the scene this year on the first day of school.

And here are the kids after school.

While the kids were at school, Jr. Jr., Jeremy, and I headed to the library and Costco.  It wore Jr. Jr. out enough that when we got home he was asleep and stayed that way until Jeremy left to pick up the older kids from school.

When they got home, Jeremy told me, "Guess what little boy lost his lunchbox on the first day of school."
"Not Jr.," I replied.
"Yes.  And guess what little boy later found his lunchbox."
Apparently, his lunchbox had fallen down from the top of the lunch crate and hadn't made it out of the cafeteria.  Jeremy and the kids went in and found it right after school.  Jr. was very happy about that since it was a very special lunchbox that Jeremy painted to match the backpack he painted for him last year.

In all the excitement and commotion, however, no one asked Nichole if she had her lunchbox.  She was so excited for the first day of school that she forgot to pick it up and take it home with her.  So, she'll be taking a brown lunch sack to school tomorrow and we've reminded her to pick up her lunchbox immediately when she gets to class and put it in her backpack.

In other after school news, here is something cute Jr. said to us:
"Can we have an after school snack? Can we have an after school snack? We haven't had an after school snack all summer!"

It was a good first day of school.