Back to School

The girls started school last week. Ashley in 5th grade and Paige in Kindergarten. We have been so busy since then, that the reality of it is just starting to sink in for me.

Ashley started the day before Paige. This year her teacher is Mr. Malmstrom, first time she has had a male teacher. She was also very lucky to have two of her best friends in her class again this year. Looks like she is off to a good start. Here she is already to go:

I am including the picture below, to show you why I don't have anymore pictures of Ashley and to justify the upcoming onslaught of Paige pictures you are about to see. Anyways, I don't ever walk Ashley to her bus stop except for on the first day. It was okay for me to go with her to the bus stop but not cool when I took a picture---although I am pretty sure it had something to do with the boy behind the blue umbrella, he's in 5th grade too :)

Okay, now for the child who is more than happy to pose for a picture:

This is Paige on her first day of school, which is called Kindergarten Round-up. This was new for me, but on the first day, Kindergartners go to class and parents go to an orientation meeting. It was okay, but I thought it weird that I had to go to school for 2 hours too! After our meeting we can go to the classroom, look around, have a snack and then it is time to go home. The good thing was I got to take some pictures.Paige had a good time her first day and we met three other little girls who will be on her soccer team this fall.

Here is Paige on her "real" first day, when she takes the bus and goes to school all by herself.

She was so excited or I should say impatient waiting for the bus to come. Fortunately, it picks her up right in front of our house. She was pretty cute pacing the driveway, wearing her backpack.

In honor of girls' first days back to school, mom had a special treat waiting for them when they got home. For Ashley's first day I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. And because technically Paige's first day was not the same as Ashley's, we got to celebrate again with chocolate fondue, bananas and strawberries.

Notre Dame

Our family took a trip down memory lane this week. GO IRISH!!Dave was doing recruiting interviews at Notre Dame Law School, so the girls and I tagged along for the last getaway of the summer. We just stayed one night, but we looked up all our old hang outs and even dropped in on some old friends.

We got to Notre Dame on Monday evening and checked in at the Morris Inn, the only hotel on campus. It is a fancy, upscale hotel, but in a very old building. The rooms are very small, we slept in a room with two twin beds and two rollaways. The girls thought it was pretty fun for each of us to have our own beds. Once we settled into our room, of course we hit the bookstore to stock-up on our Notre Dame gear and drop a small fortune!

The next day Dave was busy interviewing all day so the girls and I roamed the campus alone. We started at the Law Library. A completely new law school has been built and it is pretty amazing. Dave and I were blown away. In fact, Dave said, "this is so nice I feel a little ripped off." The Law Library is not finished yet, but I did take the girls to meet some of the people I used to work with. As expected, they were amazed by how much Ashley has grown, as the last time they saw her she was only three. We had a good visit and I was glad there were people there who still remember me and have offered to take care of Ashley when she comes to campus as a freshman :)

Then we went to St. Mary's Lake, one of two lakes on campus, so we could feed the ducks. Of course, the ducks, geese and swans are so used to people they are very tame and fearless. This was much too scary for the girls, at first I couldn't even get Ashley to go near the lake. I then suggested they stand on the picnic tables to feed the ducks so they wouldn't have to deal with ducks right at their feet. This worked for a while until the tall swans came over. This pretty much did the girls in, especially Ashley. Let's just say "feeding the ducks" ended with everyone in tears. Ashley and Paige because they were scared and me because I was laughing so hard. They were totally mad at me for laughing, "mom, it is not funny!" I couldn't help it though, you should have seen Ashley throw down the bread bag and run for her life.

So far so good in this picture

This is went things started to go awry


After the trauma at the lake, the girls and I visited all the campus tourist sites---the grotto, the Golden Dome, touchdown Jesus, and the basilica.

the Grotto

outside the Golden Dome (aka adminstration building)

looking up inside the Golden Dome

cooling off in front of the Memorial to War Veterans

Touchdown Jesus at Hesburgh Library

Inside the Basilica of the Sacred Heart

A true reminder of old times...storytime at the campus bookstore.

Ashley still knew all the songs.

In the late afternoon, the girls and I drove around South Bend and then hit the mall for some last minute school shopping and a meal at Chick-fil-A, which we do not have near our home.

At the end of the day, we picked up Dave and drove home, just in time to get ready for school which started the following day.

A Perfect Ten

Ashley turned 10 years old! She is a Perfect Ten, okay maybe not perfect, but she is pretty close in her parents' eyes. In fact, Ashley is the kind of kid that gives parents a good name--nice, sweet, empathetic, smart and fairly obedient. Dave and I joke that because Ashley has been such an easy child, we started to think it must be because we were such good parents, but then something would always bring us back down to earth. I think the truth is that we just got lucky with Ashley! HOPEFULLY, I PRAY, PLEASE LET IT BE I can say these same things in 10 more years.

For her birthday, we skipped the party with friends and just decided to spend the whole day celebrating Ashley. In honor of her 10th birthday, these are the 10 ways we helped Ashley have a HAPPY BIRTHDAY:

1-Streamers on her door. We started from the moment she woke up to a decorated bedroom door.

2-Favorite breakfast. I made Ashley's favorite breakfast--bacon, hashbrowns, and eggs.
3. Laser Tag. Ashley invited a friend over and they played laser tag for the first time. They were very cute even if the vests and gear you have to wear were pretty heavy for them to run around in. (The low quality pictures are from my camera phone-sorry.)

4. Cosmic Bowling. After a laser tag, Ashley, her friend, and Paige played two games of cosmic bowling. No pictures for this one, it was too dark and neon.

5. Presents! After bowling, we took Ash's friend home, dad came home from work and we opened presents. Paige gave Ashley "Blendy Pens" and mom and dad gave Ashley the game "Sorry" and some new earrings.

6. A game of Sorry. We had to try the the new game out! It was very fun and it came down to the wire between Ashley and Paige, but Paige pulled ahead and won in the end. Mom was woefully behind, but I hope to do better next time!

7. Dinner at Boston Blackies. After all the games we played throughout the day, we had worked up a pretty good appetite. So off we went for an early dinner to Ashley's favorite restaurant---Boston Blackies. This places seriously has the best hamburgers, ever! Ashley ordered her fav, a bacon cheeseburger. Yep, bacon twice in one day...only on your birthday.

8. Shopping for a new bike. Following dinner, came the big event of the day. Finding a new bike. This was the big birthday present. We shopped a number of stores but finally found the one.

9. Cupcakes and ice cream. You might be thinking by now, what else could you do on someone's birthday? But a birthday isn't a birthday without cake and candles. This year, we opted for cupcakes--tie-dye cupcakes and I put Ashley and Paige to work the day before making them.

10. Scripture lesson. Just to make sure we ended the day on the right note, Ashley taught the family a church lesson that she had prepared. Her Primary teacher let's the children prepare and teach the lesson for their birthdays. Ashley studied and prepared (with help from mom) a nice lesson on trials and adversity. At the end of the day, she practiced on her family so she could be ready for Sunday. (She has since given her lesson, and I heard she was great.)

This was pretty fun-filled day, but hey you only turn 10 once.

Thank Goodness for Friends!

Perhaps sensing that this is the last week of summer break, the girls have been spending a lot of time with friends. As I have observed them play, I have appreciated the enjoyment kids get out of just being together and having fun. They don't need expensive parent-planned activities just the good ol' summer stand-bys of swimming, playing at the park, dress-up, and board games.

I am so grateful for the wonderful friends my children have and the good families that they come from.

In This Democracy

Just got another, "I'm sorry we don't see eye-to-eye" letter from my Congresswoman. It's not the first, nor is it a suprise. I figure I will just keep writing her, we will continue to disagree, and I will keep voting for her opponent. I won't burn her in effigy, vandalize her office, or scream in her face at a town hall.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/

Lucky Number 13

On August 10th, Dave and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary!

Okay, I can think of a lot of jokes to go along with this event such as each passing year has been"bigger and better" or I could get all sappy and lovey-dovey, or I could also just leave it without going on and on, but anyone who reads my blog knows I have a tendency to be a bit wordy, so why stop now?

Dave and I have been friends since we first met in the 8th grade. That's right 8th grade, which means that we have been friends for most of our lives. Little did either of us know then, that one day we would be BEST FRIENDS and married. Okay maybe Dave knew---he was always a little obsessed with me! Of course, I guess the joke is on me, because now I am a little obsessed with him. Dave and I at our high school graduation in 1993.

Here is our anniversary present to each other: a nice patio set for outdoor dining.

Because Dave's parents were here on this day, they graciously offered to watch the girls while Dave and I went out to celebrate. Dave and I decided on a whim to go to the Melting Pot Restaurant. It's a fondue restaurant and we ate ourselves sick, but it was fun. We enjoyed a cheese course of Wisconsin cheddar and blue cheeses, followed by an entree of meats including lobster, chicken, beef, pork, etc. Then we finished up with a white chocolate amaretto fondue. We cooked and dipped all of it our table. It was a fun experience and we sat at a romantic table-for-two on a balcony overlooking the restaurant. Here's to 13 great years!

A Day in Naperville

On the last day that Jim and Carolyn were with us, we decided to stay a little closer to home and spend the afternoon in downtown Naperville. We started by strolling along the Riverwalk, which is a paved path that follows alongside the DuPage River. Along the path are beautiful gardens, water fountains, outdoor art sculptures, covered bridges, and a playground.

As we walked, we watched the ducks and geese swimming in the river and then headed to the playground so the girls could run around a little.

After the park, the girls made a quick run through the sprinklers to cool off and then we headed over to the paddle boats. This was our first time and it was really nice. The girls decided to take the boat out while the guys took pictures and watched from the side. The boats were suprisingly easy to peddle. Everyone took their turn peddling, except Paige--her legs were too short!

After the paddle boats we were ready for lunch. And of course, why break the record for gluttonus eating we had going for this trip? So we walked over to a nearby restaurant called Heaven on Seven, critically acclaimed for it's Cajun cuisine. Unfortunately, I was so hungry and excited for my food, I pretty much forgot to take pictures until dessert time. For the foodies out there, this is what we ate: Dave ordered red beans and rice--it was probably the best. I had Voodoo chicken enchiladas, Jim had Mardi Gras Ettouffee, and Carolyn had a salad of grilled Gulf Shrimp and asparagus. The fun part was that we all divided up and shared our entrees so we got to eat a little of everything along with our jalapeno corn muffins and honey butter---yummy.

And as if that wasn't enough food, we then moved onto dessert which is half-price during lunch. We all shared a mixed-berry cobbler (it was okay, I've had better,) bread pudding, and Mississippi Mud Pie. The mud pie is the best, richest, most delicious thing ever. Just look at Paige and Carolyn enjoying it. When Paige comes across a good dessert, she tends to get all dreamy with a far-away look in her eye as she savors every morsel. She loves dessert so much, it's worth buying for her, just to see her in complete sugar ecstasy!

After we waddled out of the restaurant, we stopped at a couple of stores for a little shopping, then headed home after a short detour to Trader Joe's.