First Day of 5th and 7th.

Wow, I cannot believe how fast these girls are growing up.  Kendall started her 2nd year in Middle School.  She is a big 'sevie' this year.  

Sidney started 5th grade this year.  She is attending Gem Prep Online this year.  This is a big change for us.  It has proven to be very academically challenging, but she seems up for the task.  The WIN is that she has not had a migraine in six weeks.  I will check in at the end of the first semester to see whether this move was a success or not.  For now, we will keep plugging.

Honoring a Hero.

One of our shipmates from VXE-6, Ronny, made a beautiful shadow box with Kevin's medals and ribbons as a gift to our family. 

The Hummingbirds Have Arrived.

I have been faithfully refreshing the hummingbird food and waiting with bated breath for them to return.  FINALLY they came back.  The girls find it fascinating that such a little flying creature can bring such great joy.  It is awesome to watch them fly in for a bit of nectar!

Avery had Kendall, Sid and Paige over for a Descendant's 3 premier party.  I decided to crash the party as well.  Good times!

Sidney is still hard at work making and selling her bandanas.  Alfred looks pretty dapper in his navy blue bandana!

This game is pure silliness.  Why...would...you?

I took Avery and the girls to CATS the Musical.  It was absolutely awesome.  I was not sure how well the girls would like it.  I do not think they were sure either.  In the end, they could not stop talking about it.  I would count that as a win.

I love my job.  We had a meeting in San Diego earlier this month.  The guy on the left, Jaime, always finds the coolest places to eat.  Here we are at Trailer Park After Dark.  It literally felt as if I had stepped back in time to high school.  

I managed to sneak away one of the evenings to do yoga by the roof top pool.  It was a beautiful 70 degree evening with the sun setting.  I was definitely in my happy place!

It is an HONOR to be their Mother.

The girls asked me to jump into some of their school pictures this year.  No brainer, of course!  It was a lot of fun spending time with each of them.

Sid the Kid: 5th Grade

Sidney has grown in spirit so much this summer.  It is good to see her letting herself shine!

The Middle School Years: 7th Grade

This girl is truly something.  She has a larger than life personality and I love every ounce of her.  These pictures capture her spirit. 

Though I may not like this yellow shirt, I LOVE the young lady wearing it.  It says "I'm not shy" on the front, and "I just don't like you" on the back.  I followed the philosophy of 'pick your battles' on this one.  If this is the worst thing I have to worry about, I am doing pretty good!

How did she do that?

4H, Funnel Cakes and Fair.

The girls have finished their first year of 4H.  It was a ton of work and a ton of reward.  They experienced their first fair.  The girls met with the other club members to decorate their booth the week of the fair.  Sidney was in charge of making the banner.  Kendall was in charge of putting the historian book together.  All of the girls did a fantastic job.

The girls dressed up and participated in 4H judges interviews.  They prepared and did an outstanding job.  Sidney even won the junior division overall record book award.

Three of the 'City Stitchers' decided to participate in the fashion revue.  It was such an awesome confidence building event.  The lady that ran the event was amazing and helped all of the girls feel at ease during their practice.  The day of the show, they rocked it!

The girls earned a blue ribbon for their fashion narrative and runway style.

We spent a long full day at the fair.  When it was time for dinner, Sidney chose a steak quesadilla from Basilios.  Her first words were 'it is huge'.  She managed to put it all away and looked like she was sleep eating.

We rode the sky ride, which is a gondola that goes over the fairgrounds end to end.  I loved watching all the activity down below.  It was also great for scoping out our next food stop.

Grandma Karen is absolutely afraid of heights, but somehow Grandma Terrell talked her into riding.  The girls and I were shocked to see them as we were on our way back.  

We managed to devour a funnel cake in about 30 seconds flat.  I was embarrassed when Bill stopped by with his family to say hello.  I was sure he had witnessed the funnel cake massacre!