'Twas the Night Before First Grade

Kiera spent her last day of summer vacation with Tyler. They went to the pet store, to visit Valerie and to get her pencil pouch embroidered. Kiera's favorite color is blue....add in a sporty brother taking to you get your name embroidered on your pencil pouch...and you end up with a super sporty looking bag! I took a half day off from work to take Kiera to "Meet and Greet" her teacher. We were excited to meet her teacher and to see her classroom and some classmates from her kindergarten class. 

Kiera's sporty pencil pouch

 In Kindergarten they sat at tables...

but in first grade she gets her very own desk!

 Hopefully she will keep smiling all year long!

 The former K3 girls are now the 1 girls! 

 The school motto this year is "Building our Faith" 

which is appropriate due to the new sanctuary construction. 

Can you spot our little builder?

Mrs. Brennan and Kiera

Thanks to Pinterest, here's Mrs. B's first day gift

 Every special school occasion is celebrated with ice cream! 

Or in today's case, a strawberry lemonade slush...which she did 

not like and got a vanilla cone with sprinkles instead.

 Bed time story..."The Night Before First Grade"

She'll wake up to this treat...pearlized gum balls, 

commanding her to have a {gum}ball in first grade!

I pray my baby will have a great year in first grade! May she...

-continue to love learning and school

-read her first chapter book on her own

-be less nervous (putting her hair/fingers in her mouth) and more gracefully confident

-be a member of the math fact hall of fame

-be a kind and compassionate classmate

-make good friends and be a good friend

-"build her faith" 

-be a model student and a helper to her teacher 

-"Have a ball in first grade!"

Kiera get your Gun!

Kiera finally got to shoot her new BB gun. She didn't hit the can target, but she did hit the tree. You can't tell in the picture, but she did have her safety goggles on. 

 Dave hit the can target five times in a row!

And I was too busy modeling my new muck boots to get in on the shooting...

just kidding, I did shoot, but missed the can by a mile! See band of trees behind me? 

We worked most of the afternoon on cutting down brush and wild rose bushes and 

a few small trees to give the bigger ones more space to grow. And that my friends, 

is where I got poison ivy. Ah, the joys of owning land!

Dave put a new alternator on the the tractor.

 Kiera got her first tractor ride. She "helped" Dave mow the grass.

Family Cemetery Visit

Our family was overdue for a for a visit to the cemetery. We started at the Aurora Cemetery to visit Aunt Bobbie and drank our Rum and Cokes in her honor. Then we caravanned to the Bedford Cemetery to visit Uncle Jer and Grandma Ikie where we snacked on Pinapple Upside Down Cake and  Circus Peanuts. 

 After the cemetery visits, we went to Mimi and Papa's for a cook out. We sampled the new Lay's flavor chips. Our favorites were the Bacon Mac & Cheese and the Wasabi Ginger. 

Birthday Dinner

The birthday fun continues...We soaked up the sun on the patio, enjoyed being 

silly together and ate a delicious meal at the Tremont Tap House. 

Kiera drinking a "Cherry Temple" as she calls it!

 Then off to the new Mitchell's Ice Cream downtown for a night cap! 

It's the flagship store, so we got to see them making ice cream.

 Thanks for a fun birthday! My best gift of all...my loving family! 

Happy Birthday, Becky!

We celebrated my 35th birthday Tribe-Style! It was a beautiful night for a game.  Who needs birthday cake when you can have cotton candy, peanuts, hotdogs and Dippin' Dots (Kiera)?

Peanut where her bottom teeth should be!

Instagram-ized! 

Summer Fun

Trying out a friend's kayak...

I think Kiera will be adding "kayak" to her Christmas list this year!

St. Raphael Church sanctuary is being demolished and rebuilt.
We were able to take a brick from the church.

Kiera's first BB Gun..."You'll shoot your eye out!"

Friend Spa Day

Every week or so, Kiera announces "It's my pet (stuffed animal)_____'s Birthday!" 

and she'll procede to wrap a present and make a card for the pet. On this day, she 

insisted the pet get a candle and cupcake. We even had to sing "Happy Birthday" to it. 

Lunch Date with Tyler, Erica and Mrs. Wagner

It's been almost a year since Erica's terrible car accident/TBI. She has made great progress relearning everything; she's walking much smoother with her walker. We continue to be amazed by her and her determination...We love you, Erica!

God Bless America...and this little cutie too!