Week 35: Let's party

Our week at a glance:

A play date on Sunday with Gabe's friend from Pre-K

Waiting for the bus on one of the chilly mornings

The exciting release of the newest Captain Underpants book, completed in a matter of hours that evening

Zach on a slip n slide at a cub scout party

A portrait of Blue Monkey, drawn on vacation, I believe, but just now photographed

A gift for Charlotte

Pizza and cake with our friends/neighbors, and we had a great little party.

And Gabe has started his Christmas list already. That's a Kirby crochet kit, a Kirby puzzle, a Wii U, and anything Angry Birds.

Week 34: Kindergarten

This week I had two lunches to pack and two crazy boys to get on the bus. The look on Charlotte's face says it all: "Just go already!" Gabe seemed a little nervous at first, but he was really excited to ride the bus. On the walk home the first day he told me he was happy he made a friend (name still unknown) who played tag with him at recess. He also surprised us by how much (he says) he ate of his hot lunch the other day. So far so good; he seems to be settling in just fine.

Weeks 32 & 33: August so far

Ah, back to our routine. I think the last month of traveling and seeing friends and family was exciting, but it made me appreciate settling back into our routines even more. Lots happened the last couple of weeks!

* Zach enjoyed a few more yoga classes before school and cub scouts start.
* Lisa's visit brought Cardinal games on the MLB app, Disney movies on the tablet, new pajamas, coloring books for kids and adults, draw-your-own comic books, and selfies.
*We fed our neighbors' turtle.
*We neglected the plants while we were gone, but now we have two bell peppers growing.
* Chocolate fondue!
* A movie and lunch out for me and Frank.
* Eye patches for all, courtesy of Emily.
* Gaming with Kevin, and Gabe is in love with Kirby's Epic Yarn again.
* We welcomed another two year old to play with Charlotte's toys. There were ups and downs but overall Charlotte and Nathan were very cute together.
* We went to Chili's and Barnes & Noble, and Zach finished his Wimpy Kid book in about a day.
* More coloring in the adult coloring books :)
* Going to our favorite Italian restaurant, the park, and then the pool!
* Monday was all about cooking a fried chicken dinner, and Zach was a big helper. Kevin always helps entertain the kids too.
* Many hours of Curious George were watched.
* We sang "Happy Birthday" to the babies who are not really babies anymore, and we also sang to Emily, whose actual birthday it was.
* We introduced Lisa to "OK, Google!" and the boys enjoyed asking it questions. There were a lot of questions about outer space and who invented stuff.
* Lisa and Zach saw Minions and brought me flowers.
* A few more selfies before Lisa leaves!
* Zach started second grade. We went to Gabe's kindergarten orientation and his first day is next week!