Abby goes to kindergarten

That's her seat with the pink and purple backpack on top. This photo is taken from the loft, which houses the writing center. Anyone who knows Abby knows she goes nowhere without a notebook and pen or pencil. She'll spend lots of time here honing her "craft."

Here's Abby playing with dolls and dressup clothes. Kindergarten looks like a lot of fun! I'm hoping to volunteer one morning every week!

Here's Abby trying out her seat during orientation. We all got to experience kindergarten and a bus ride on Wednesday.

Here's my grownup girl in her "back-to-school" outfit. Tie shoes for recess and the shirt from grandma. She had a huge fit when the skirt didn't fit (too big!), but we still managed to make it to school on time -- miraculously -- after our late start.
Abby stopped to wave when she got off the bus a couple hours after school started. First full day is tomorrow...lunch at school???? Where did my baby go? I can still remember my own first day of kindergarten, butterflies in my stomach, pigtails in my hair. It's hard to believe Abby has been in my life nearly six years. The time has simply flown! I'm excited for her new adventure, but yes, I was misty-eyed when I watched her file out of the gymnasium into her classroom this morning. Her chin turned down, a sheepish grin widening in part elation, part embarrassment (there weren't many moms there!) as she passed by me on her way to kindergarten class. She certainly has grown up a lot, but as long as she still snuggles, hugs and loves on her mom, I'll be OK with that!

Abby's debut modeling job

Check it out!
http://www.shopshoetopia.com/

A year of Ryker

I found my pregnancy journal while we were making this slideshow for Ryker's birthday, so we combined it with the images for this fun little presentation!

Fishing on the Fourth

Here's my little tomboy, all dressed in pink, catching her first fish with Papa on July 5. She is not afraid of worms or fish. In fact, she will hold them without the slightest hint of squirming. Her brother? Not so much!

Catching up

Photos from Fourth of July...Ryker really got to know and bond with Jack Morino, the son of one of my college girlfriends. They had a blast together, swimming, playing and collecting candy at the parade in Towanda. The photo of Abby is a cute story. She just crawled up on Jill's aunt's lap and started singing to her. I guess they really bonded, too! How cute is Baby Ben??

This year's MEIM video

As promised, here's a video. This is from our trip to Mexico this year, to offer a little glimpse of what we do. I'm going to try to make a video of the people who live there, so you can get an idea of the poverty and living conditions. This is the one we played for our church service, to try to let our congregation know what we do and recruit more supporters and people who could come with us.

The Beach

Needless to say, the kids LOVED this. Abby had been talking about seeing a beach for a very long time. She even donated all of her piggy bank money for a "beach fund" (did I mention she so graciously donated Ryker's piggy bank money, too?) She wanted to see a "real beach" at the ocean, but after Lake Michigan, she seems content! Whew! 'Cause according to Dave Ramsey, that won't be happening for awhile. Haha! But this beach was relatively free, save for the gas money, which cost nearly $200. I love this photo of Ryker throwing sand...he's actually making a sandcastle. Thanks to him, we got a nice spot on the beach and weren't overcrowded. ;-) There's also a lovely photo of him making sand angels. Can you tell which photos I played with in Photoshop? I know, I know...I should have given myself a tan!!

Baby Beluga

During our mini-vacation to Chicago, we were very lucky to stay with two girlfriends of mine -- thank you SO much! -- and save on hotel expenses. We basically visited with them (they each have a boy Ryker's age and baby boys) and then toured the aquarium and swam in Lake Michigan. We also went to Chucky Cheese for lunch, which was a hit naturally! And enjoyed delicious bacon and cheddar burgers, which apparently cannot be duplicated! :-)

This is the kids in front of the aquarium, just after our visit. To show them where we were going, we got on the Shedd Web site and watched the live video birth of a beluga whale. They loved watching the babies swimming close to the moms. The top photo, if you can tell, is a baby nursing. It was very amazing to watch! We also saw the giant komoto dragon, a "Nemo" fish and experienced a very cool 4-D Sponge Bob show. The kids were very good and really enjoyed it, especially all the amazing views of the lake from the windows. Abby was drooling about the beach all day!!

Yikes!!

Sorry...I've fallen so far behind. We have so much to update, I'm not sure where to begin. I have some great photos to post from our weekend trip to Chicago in July, and some fun shots of the kids playing with their great-Grandma this past week. I'll try to get through them and get them posted. My entire summer schedule has been a bit hectic. Not long after we returned from Mexico, I had a nasty case of heartburn that turned out to be...my appendix! Dan insisted on an ER visit, and we're all so glad he did. I needed surgery that night...no rupture, but we caught it just in time! Easy surgery and recovery. And man is my minister glad this didn't happen in Mexico...so are we! After hearing all the horror stories and then being in a foreign country with a foreign language, I would have been throwing a little temper tantrum if I had to face a hospital there! :-)
Photos soon...I promise. By then, I'll have a birthday party post, too. My "baby" is turning 4. Holy Cow! How on earth did that happen??? I'm going to try posting a couple videos, too, so bear with me!

Mexico update

What a trip! This year was so awesome in Mexico, and we didn't come back sick. :-) I got to see and help in the delivery of a baby, watch Garnet work and see her impact on people firsthand, help her get ready for hundreds who come to her VBS, watch her daughter Lisa lead kids in hymns and crafts in an amazing program she started 9 years ago and watch my group put a concrete roof on a church addition in one day. Garnet is so amazing and very humble, an awesome Christian woman. Her stories are so moving and powerful, her effect on people so broad. I watched her work in the midst of severe asthma problems, skipping lunch (despite being diabetic) and never complain once. She is such a rock....she saw more than 100 patients during our day trip to a very poor desert town, Charco Cercado. It meant so much to these people to see a doctor, and boy, we all got to see some interesting stuff: a man with a horrible infection after having surgery on his foot from a cactus injury. A woman whose neck was bulging with a thyroid problem, wounds, severe stomach problems, painful headaches. Most of these people do not have the money nor the means to buy simple pain killers or vitamins that we take for granted. She handed out something for every single person she saw. I feel so priveleged to be able to go with Garnet and Lisa when they do their mission work.

Our trip ended with no word about our missing bag. The people at the San Lois airport are so rude! The security is insane. It took this little gal 15 minutes to search our luggage by hand in front of everyone. They must touch everything in your suitcase.

When we landed in Dallas, I called my mom only to find out my grandpa had suffered a massive heart attack. We hugged the kids and visited with them briefly, and then Dan's parents were nice enough to take them Monday evening so we could be at the hospital. When I arrived Monday afternoon, they unhooked the IV with fluids. Grandpa was in kidney failure, so it would just be a matter of time. He passed away on Thursday, but first all of his children, siblings and most of his grandkids got to come and say good-bye. It was so hard on Grandma, but I personally found a lot of peace in knowing that my awesome Christian grandfather has a special place in heaven. Having that knowledge made it a lot easier to let go, and I know it was a source of strength for Grandma, too. He will be missed, but he created an unbelievable legacy for his kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. He won't be forgotten!