Corduroy

On one of the first days of school, Mrs. Kropp reads "Corduroy" with the kindergartners then takes them on a hunt through the school to find Corduroy's lost button.  (I suspect this is her way of getting the class familiar with the school building.)  Then for the next few weeks the students take turns taking Corduroy home with them for the night.  They take pictures and write in a journal about what they do.  Hannah is not usually great at smiling for pictures, but she must have been extra happy about Corduroy!  I liked these pictures of her so much I just wanted to share.

First Day of School

 Last year the kids were in two different schools with different pick-up and drop-off times.  That meant that on days that they both had school, Matthew and I would spend at least an hour and a half in the car.  This year, they are in the same school, we live closer, and we have a BUS!

The kids were both a little nervous to ride the bus on the first day, but we pushed them to try it.  Our neighbor Henri was on the bus with them, and they would pick up Ally along the way.  (The bus route is for the public 3rd-5th grade school.  It drops the Tallmadge kids off first before continuing on to Cornerstone.) Plus, Scott and I would meet them at school, walk them to their classes, and stay for the dedication service.  It was the perfect chance to try it out.  The bus arrived earlier than scheduled to pick them up and got them to school later than I expected, making it a 45-50 minute ride.  When they got off the bus, they said, "I didn't know it was going to be so long!"  I said, "Me neither.  I think I'll just drive you in the mornings."  :)

finally made it to school!

I think it was right about here that Hannah started getting nervous.

But when we got down the hall to her class, she calmed down.  She sat right down and seemed comfortable. 

the amazing Mrs. Kropp

Scott took the morning off work and stayed with me and Matthew for the dedication service.  

Scott made her take another picture by the sign at the end of the day.  We sort of got a smile this time.

The kids are dismissed at 11:30, so we got some ice cream while the kids shared about their mornings.

he insists on a cone, even though he ends up wearing a lot of the ice cream

goof ball

his arm was still tender from yesterday's trip the the ER, but he was in good spirits

The next day the kids got to ride the bus home after school.  It went much more smoothly than the morning ride.  They get home almost as quickly as they would if I picked them up.  But now I don't have to wake Matthew from his nap or wait in the carpool line!

The pictures don't quite capture the cuteness of Hannah in uniform.  It's totally worth the cost of tuition.  ;)  It's very different to see her wearing such tame outfits.  Micah has commented several times how weird it is. "It just doesn't look like Hannah!"

And two miscellaneous shots:

me and Gretchen at Marisa's rehearsal dinner

picnic dinner while Micah had soccer practice

Wedding Fun

Yesterday our kids had the honor of participating in a wedding.  Over the past few years we've developed a relationship with Marisa, first as Scott's co-worker, then as a friend and babysitter.  Josh also works with Scott, but we have an extra connection to him because we've been friends with his aunt and uncle for about a decade.  We are just so excited for them as they start their lives together!

Hannah got to be a flower girl with Gwen and Jillian.  Matthew was the ring bearer, and Micah was "ring security"  (a.k.a. making sure Matthew made it down the aisle).  From the rehearsal to the ceremony to pictures and the reception, the kids did everything that was asked of them.  And they were unbelievably cute!!

I had a lot of fun styling Hannah's hair.

[Fun side note: last Saturday, Hannah crashed into her cousin and got a huge knot on her forehead.  Her bangs cover the bruise, but unfortunately as the swelling went down it drained and gave her two black eyes.  I never thought I'd be buying makeup for my five-year-old, but some concealer did the trick!]

Matthew's shirt says "I carry the bling" and Micah's says "I'm in charge of the bling".  The back says "Ring security".

Marisa gave the kids these cute little monogrammed bags with crayons and coloring books.  They were a big hit.  She also gave each of them a disposable camera.  I can't wait to see what pictures they took.  :)

keeping busy while we wait

 These guys were awesome.  Micah has an earpiece and a badge.  He stayed in character the whole time. Matthew carried the case down the aisle, handed it to the best man, and gave him a fist bump.

so proud of Matthew for doing his best with whatever we asked him to do

 

And then....Matthew was a party animal!  That kids LOVES to dance!  This video is just a small sampling of his moves.  He probably danced for an hour straight.  He'd dance with anyone who asked him.  He even chose dancing over cake!!  It was fantastic.

Cousins

Cousin excitement!  Our new cousin, Ainsley Grace is almost 2 weeks old!

And Scott's cousin Tim got married in Pittsburgh last weekend, so our Virginia cousins came for a visit!

Anna and Matthew ready for bed

Hannah, Micah, and Caroline watching Olympics

Thanks to two sets of brave babysitters, Scott, Julie, and I were able to celebrate with the family in Pittsburgh for the day.

with Uncle Bob and Aunt Janet

Tim and Chrisa

New Hampshire

The kids and I flew to New Hampshire last Tuesday.  Scott came late Friday night.  This is how I do nine hours of traveling with three kids.  :)

Hannah was big enough to try kayaking on her own this year

lots of hot, sunny weather for lots of swimming!

blueberry picking

Captain Poppa

chillaxin'

my 68-year-old dad can still show-off on water-skis.  he even dropped a ski and went slalom!

beach day!!

I combined 2 pictures to get one where they were both smiling. :)

lovely ladies

Nat, the mermaid

sand beard

A neighbor lent us kid-sized water skis, so Lucy and Micah got to try it out.  Neither of them got very far, but Lucy stayed up for a few seconds!