Preschool for Mr. Davis

This is Davis' first year of formal preschool. His teachers are Ms. LaVonne and Ms. Brenda. He was so happy to go. Didn't even get upset when I left. He was like, "Bye mom!" 

First Day of First Grade

We have a First Grader in the house! She was ready to start back. Her teacher's name is Mrs. McCleary. Elliot asked me to walk her into her classroom on the first day. 

Back to School Feast

We started a new tradition in our home. Every year before school starts we'll have a special dinner and reveal our family motto for the year. This motto is something I want the kids to remember and really internalize. We tried to pick something really simple this year that the kids would understand. This will also be the time when Lane gives the kids a father's blessing for school. I wanted to make the table look extra special, so I got this pretty new table cloth. Each of the kids got a crown to wear. Elliot requested chicken on a bone...aka...fried chicken leg. Since I wasn't going to try and make that at home, we just ordered out and brought everything home. The kids really enjoyed it and hopefully this will make a big impact on our family.

"Have Courage and Be Kind"- taken from the new Cinderella movie. 

Elliot is 6

Elliot Reese is 6! My sweet girl is so kind hearted. She's always excited and wants to have "plans" all the time. She's really into Taylor Swift right now. Every time we're in the car, she asks me to find one of her songs on the radio. She's already asking to go to her concert! Sorry little one, it's not happening. We celebrated with my parents the Sunday before her birthday. She requested a blue cake. We had her party on her actual birthday. She chose to have an Alice in Wonderland tea party. So we set everything up outside under the shade of 2 trees in the front yard. It turned out really cute. I just wish there wasn't so much wind. It made it hard for decorations to stay in place. At the party we had 2 crafts: paint your own tea cups and make your own Mad Hatter hats. Everyone had a great time.

Her Mad Hatter Hat

 Realizing she just got a Taylor Swift cd.

The new Cinderella dress

Height--45.4"--50.7%
Weight--39 lbs--14%

She has grown 2 inches in the past year and has gained 4 pounds.

Birthday Questionnaire

1. What is your favorite color?   pink
2. What is your favorite toy?   Leap pad

3. What is your favorite fruit?   oranges
4. What is your favorite tv show?  Sofia the 1st

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  Ramen noodles
6. What is your favorite outfit?  Elsa shirt
7. What is your favorite game?  Nick Jr Computer games
8. What is your favorite snack?  Chocolate pudding
9. What is your favorite animal?   Panda Bear
10. What is your favorite song?  Taylor Swift songs
11. What is your favorite book?   Sofia the 1st
12. Who is your best friend?   Eleanor
13. What is your favorite cereal?  Lucky Charms

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Hang upside down on Tarzan rope

15. What is your favorite drink?  Dr Pepper

16. What is your favorite holiday?  Birthday

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?   Stuffed animals

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  toast

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday?  Chicken on a bone w/ mashed potatoes

20. What do you want to be when you grow up?  A mom

Summer Shenanigans

The summer flew by so fast! We were able to take 2 trips at the end of summer to Houston and Colorado. The beginning of summer was mostly spent swimming, going to a few movies and going to Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor. Elliot rode the Shock Wave for the first time. Her first BIG roller coaster. Now she can't get enough.

The girls got to attend Arden's birthday party. They were able to pick out their dresses and then they had a tea party.

Houston Jaunt

We thought it would be fun to go back to our old stomping grounds...Houston. This was a super quick trip. Like a 2 day trip. My parents came along with us. I basically wanted to go back to our favorite parks and restaurants. 

We drove up in the morning and stopped for lunch at Tiny Boxwoods. I wish I had taken pictures there. It's the cutest place. It has a french country ambiance. I had to get the buffalo burger. It is amazing. Next, we headed over to Discovery Green park. It's right in the middle of downtown. It's pretty cool to look around and see all the tall buildings. We took the kids kayaking there. As you can tell by the woman standing next to the boat, it's like 2 feet deep. Right up my alley. It was a lot of fun. 

 I wanted to make a note that Elliot has now mastered the monkey bars.

 Next we headed over to Hermann Park. It's in the arts district. This park is about 5 minutes from where we used to live. 

 Shortly after this, we headed to the ER. Yep, you read that right. My dad lost his balance and cracked his head open. It was a really deep cut. Like to the skull. Luckily there's a hospital 2 minutes away. They were able to get to him quickly and sew him up, which was a blessing. Unfortunately we ended up eating at Wendy's, instead of Mi Luna. 

The next morning we ate breakfast at Katz Deli and then headed down to Galveston. The kids were dying to go to a beach this summer and that was the best we could do. They enjoyed it just the same. We only stayed for a few hours before heading to my Aunt Donna and Uncle Alan's house. We spent the remainder of the day/night there visiting with them and my cousin Allison and her husband Jason. Our kids had a blast playing with their kids, Landon and Emerson. Although our trip was short, it was packed with fun and family and for that we are grateful.