life in general

on a saturday in may

I made plans to get out and get to work on the yard as soon as we were awake, to beat the heat. The kids were reluctant to get started on the job (I had to send someone to fetch Anna when she disappeared into the house a few times), but they were good workers -- weeding, picking up sticks and branches and leaves.

Payton and I worked on the side yard together, pulling weeds from the massive rock bed.  He began complaining about how dirty (un-pretty) our yard was.  Payton is my boy who really takes notice and appreciates when things are nicely done, in order, and are aesthetically pleasing.  He said, "Our yard in Oregon was so much nicer."  I had to remind him that both of our Oregon homes started out with ugly & messy yards and that we had to put in a lot of work to make them pretty.  Remember THIS?

After a few hours of weeding, blowing, sweeping, trimming, and pulling shrubs we were sitting in the gazebo when he looked around and said, "wow, it looks good out here."  I asked him, Can you tell a difference?  "Yep."  See, that's what it takes -- from time to time we'll put in some work and it will keep looking better and better.

Payton then went on to plan all of our backyard landscaping. And boy, he has plans.  It includes a treehouse with stairs that go through the wall in our house into the living room.

Here's where we are at right now.  Clearing out all the shrubs from the left flower bed was the big task of the day

So far we have not planted anything in the yard.  We have spent all of our time clearing out weeds and removing dead, ugly, or randomly placed shrubs.  I still have a few shrubs that are on my kill list.

I have a love/hate relationship with the trees in this corner of the yard.  (Note: all the trees are planted in our neighbor's yard or on the walking path behind our yard.)  I love the shade they provide and I love that they are beautiful, green, mature trees.  I hate the junk that they drop on our yard and pool from November to April.  Right now we're doing good.

Don't you love our lounge set-up?  I bought an outdoor rug and my mom treated us to lounge chairs and a side table.  All I need now are some flowy white curtains (to block the late afternoon sun) and we are total resort mode!

Yes things got cleaned up.  Getting the backyard "summer ready" is high on my list.  And we're just about there.  A full-blown re-landscaping project is also on my list, but that will have to wait.  For now it's a work in progress and we are really enjoying the variety of spaces that the yard provides.  Pool, trampoline, table for eating, gazebo for lounging . . . 

pillows and side table from Target; lounge chairs from Lowe's

Once the work was done, this is how the rest of the day went and I hope that we have many, many summer days just like it.

Step 1 - Slather up with sunscreen.  I have a basket of sunscreen on the porch and the kids know to take care of themselves.  Messages written in sunscreen are also appropriate from time to time.  "I am awesome" and "I fight evil"

Step 2 - Swim!  Creative uses for indoor toys is part of the pool fun.

Step 3 - Warm up on the trampoline.  The pool is only 70 degrees right now.  And the trampoline is hot.

Step 4 - Swim again!  They like to play taxi with the lounge floaty -- they gave Scott a ride and then he returned the favor.

Step 5 - More trampoline!

Step 6 - Swim and repeat the swim/trampoline cycle until mom and dad say it is time to go inside.

We really do have a great set-up.  Scott and I sit on the lounge chairs under the shade of the gazebo (with the ceiling fan blowing).  Music is playing from the ipod docking station (thank you builders for placing outlets on the gazebo).  I have a bag of Twizzlers that I pass out to the kids as they come by.  Oh!  And we finally tested out the misters above the patio.  They work!  It is perfect.  And I'm looking forward to many, many summer days spent doing this exact same thing.

I just have to say that it warmed my heart so much to see this day unfold.  The kids are re-living my childhood summers to a tee.  Growing up in California we had our own pool and we literally lived in that pool.  We wore our swimsuits all day long.  Everyday.  Prune fingers and toes is an understatement.  We would lay on the hot cement to warm up our bodies.  We would swim up to the edge of the pool to eat snacks and otter pops.  We listened to the Beach Boys and 80's pop music through the outdoor speakers scattered in the flower beds.  We had wacky diving contests, we made music videos, one year we invented the Baby Olympics . . . . we were always coming up with something creative to play in the pool.  And I loved it.  Like I said, it warms my heart to see my kids experiencing the same thing.  

I think it's going to be a great summer.

My childhood pool - sometime in the mid-90's.  My family lived in this house in Gustine from 1986 to 1999.

happy weekend

As you can see, we have had a great weekend.  

Scott and I went on a date tonight.  And you'll never guess what we did.  Like, literally -- you. will. never. guess.  Ah, but I'm good sport.  I'll give you a few clues.  It's something from my 101 in 1001 list.  And Scott planned it.

I will send some happy mail to the first person who can correctly guess what we did on our date.  Just leave a comment on this post.  (I'll close the comments right before I post about our date.  This is kind of a random one so you might have 3 days, or you might have 7. Good luck!)

So, coming up this week expect to see:

    *more of our Kauai vacation

    *what we did this weekend

    *lots of girly stuff from my recent annual mother/daughter weekend with my mom

    *the banana cake recipe.  While baking Scott's birthday cake I posted a few pics on instagram and received several requests for the recipe.

    *the reveal of our mystery date

one word wednesday // morning

7:40 am // walking to school

The kids were dragging a little today.  Probably had something to do with their little spat this morning.  Eh.  The mornings are getting warmer.  Today we had a breeze which was nice.  We also had to play hopscotch as we tiptoed around and across the pavement cracks that workers were covering with hot tar this morning.

5:25 am* // kauai

This was the sunrise view from our lanai.  And oh, what a welcome sight it was!  The first 3 mornings of our trip we woke up to rain.  Pouring rain.  On this, the 4th morning, we couldn't help but smile and race to get into our swimsuits.  We staked our spot by the pool at 8am and didn't move for 7 hours.  That's the life.

*Because of the 3 hour time difference we were wide awake at 5 or 6 am every morning (8 and 9 am body time).

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linking up : one word wednesday @ sweet dreams are made of these

next week : pink

this week according to my iphone

Today is my friend Paige's birthday!  Happy Birthday! I sent her an ice cream sundae kit and I hope that she gets to enjoy it this weekend.  B.Y.O.I.C.

Metal tray & ice cream scoop: West Elm

I've been at home most of the week, working on things here and there.  It's pretty quiet, but busy.  Sometimes I find myself taking pictures of myself in front of the mirrors - just so I can see another person, I think?  So weird.  And now that I've just typed that out for blogland to read it sounds even weirder. Obviously, I need to get out more.

Anna is constantly coming to me asking, "Do you have a project I can do?"  The girl loves to craft and draw.  Usually I'm plum out of [quick & easy] ideas.  But . . . . I came across THIS idea on a blog not too long ago and filed it away in my head for a moment just like this.  It's called Roller Coaster Names

I love how she took it literally, and added a roller coaster to the top.  Weeeee!  Or in my case, Ahhhhh!! Get me off this thing!!!

Walking to school, over the "short cut".  It's starting to get hot in the afternoons.  80 to 85-ish.  And the kids are getting hot which equals grumpy.  But I'm trying to push them to keep at it for a few more weeks before we start making the afternoon pick-up in the car.  Because THAT (traffic) makes me crazy.

Trying to decide if I can pull off a top knot.  I think it works.  Which is good, because this will probably become a daily hairstyle during the summer.  A bunch of hair on a sweaty neck = hee-bee-jee-bees.

Took this cutie in for a well-child check this week.  Age 10 -- 61 lbs and 52.25 inches -- both fall in the 10-25th percentile range.  And his sister (age 7) is only like, a half inch shorter than him right now.  Our new pediatrician made Payton a deal.  He said, "You come back here when you are 18 years old and if your sister is taller than you, I'll pay you $100."  Payton liked that deal very much.

AND the big success of the week was finishing up and turning in Payton's science project!  Doesn't he look so proud?  He came up with the idea for the project, executed it, and was excited to create the little touches of art for his presentation board.  It makes it soooo much easier to get through these school projects when the kids are excited about it.  Yay for solar ovens!

this week according to my iPhone

On Monday, Anna lost a tooth at school.  For a 1st grader, losing a tooth at school is like, the coolest thing ever.  Because you get this awesome little tooth necklace to carry your tooth home in.  She was soooo excited about it.  So excited, that she started jumping on the trampoline while wearing the necklace.  You can guess what happened next -- the tooth popped out of it's case and was lost.  Cue: wailing and tears.

We consoled her and told her that if she wrote a note to the tooth fairy it would be okay.  And sure enough, she had a dollar under her pillow when she woke up the next morning.  After school that day she again went outside to jump on the trampoline (her favorite post-homework activity).  Next thing I know Anna comes running into the house screaming, "I found my tooth! I found my tooth!"  What the  . . . .?  How in the world, I'll never know, but she found that stinkin' tooth on the cement underneath the trampoline!

Conner had a piano recital and received a medal for that "Superior with Honors" ranking he snagged at the Junior Festival.  I don't know who was more excited about it . . . . Conner or Payton.  

Speaking of piano lessons . . . . here we are hanging out in the van during Conner's piano lesson.  The kids do their homework.  I read.  And sometimes nap for a few minutes.  (This is a post-nap photo).  Annnnd, I'm loving the Dblcam iphone app -- it simultaneously takes a photo from your front and rear cameras and pieces them together.  Lots of creative potential.

It was Nevada Reading Week.  Payton's teacher called our home to "catch him reading."  While on the phone he read a few paragraphs from The Prisoner of Azkaban for her.

I'm doing a few photography assignments for the company Scott works for.  This particular address sent me way out to the edge of civilization. Hello! hello! hello!

Then I went shopping (40% everything at Gap) and scored these 2 dresses!  Love them both, but the blue one was a stunner.  I can already picture myself wearing it to a sunset dinner . . . . We're just 4 weeks away from Kauai!

After an early morning workout with Kauai in my sights.  I've been at it for a month already -- I love the motivation of an upcoming trip to keep me focused and on track.  While I'd love to lose those holiday pounds that have accumulated in my belly (pants are a little tight), my main goal is to tone and reduce the jiggle. :)  I alternate each day between 20-30 minutes on the elliptical and Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred .

My favorite #thebrownswalktoschool photo so far.  I set my phone on the ground and used the TimerCam self-timer camera app.

An amazing sunset on Friday night as we drove up to the temple.  It had been a windy day so there was a lot of dust in the air, perfect for creating a hazy sunset glow.

And, outside the Las Vegas Temple after our session.  What's so cool is that it looks just like the Portland temple!  Just replace the palm trees with Douglas Fir and Flowering Cherry trees.  And the layout inside is mostly the same (although a little bit smaller).  It felt like we were at home.  :)

I woke up Saturday morning to a little girl at my bedside holding a plate of warm homemade donuts.  Scott is a keeper.

We kicked off Spring Break with a family movie -- The Great and Powerful Oz.  We all really liked it!

After the movie I treated everyone to Dairy Queen.  I had a debt to pay. Two weeks ago we frantically ran through the house getting ready for Conner's piano recital, scarfing down dinner, Scott made it home just in time, and I yelled at everyone to get into the car so we could go.  Scott drove and half-way there I opened the calendar on my phone (to check the address) only to discover that we were one. week. early.  Doh!  We drove straight to McDonald's for ice cream cones on Mom, but their ice cream machine was broken (wha?).  Today I was finally able to pay up.

the weekend lens

FRIDAY NIGHT // Went to the Arts Festival at the kids school.  They got to do a few art projects in the cafeteria.  Notice the tongue?

And more tongue.

Payton was really looking forward to this evening because he wanted to show me his dragon.  He says that he and his art teacher went through his art work from the school year so far and selected his very best piece for display.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON // I finally started work on my 2013 Project Life Album!  I am loving the Seafoam Edition -- it is perfect.  I managed to knock out the whole month of January in one afternoon.

SATURDAY NIGHT // Anna performed in her first show with her Glee group.  

They sang 3 group numbers: Not for The Life of Me (from Thoroughly Modern Millie), For Good (from Wicked), and It's Possible (from Seussical the Musical).  The girls range in age from 6 to 10.  And I love that this program works toward developing talents, but more importantly it's all about building confidence in a safe, supportive, and positive environment.

She had me cracking up after the show as she went on and on about her microphone -- how the tape they had to put on her cheek was SO painful to pull off so they replaced it with a band-aid -- and above, "look what they hid in my pants!"

Each girl got to perform a 2 minute solo.  Anna sang "My Favorite Things" and did a wonderful job!  She was just so sweet.

AFTER CHURCH // Had to snap a photo of this handsome boy.  He went to church without the suit jacket, just the vest and he looked very dapper.

And that arm wrapped around me . . . . love!

SUNDAY NIGHT // Inaugural crepe night at the Browns.

I got this crepe griddle for my birthday and since then we've been using it to cook tortillas.  At last, we tried our hand at crepes and they were amazing!  This griddle cooks them so perfectly, so easily, and fast.  I can see a lot more crepe nights in our future!

of dishwashers and drying towels

Our dishwasher died about 2 weeks ago.  Not completely dead.  But injured.  And we had dealt with this problem several times already, and we knew we wanted to eventually replace the black dishwasher with a stainless steel one, so we decided it was a good enough time to go for it.

We had to wait about 10 days before the new one arrived and was installed.  Which meant washing dishes by hand.  A novelty to the kids, I soon discovered.

One evening, early in the washing-by-hand stretch, we were washing & drying dishes together as a family. . . . Like I said, this was something very different and foreign to our evening dinner routine.  You just rely on a dishwasher, you know?!

Anyways, Scott and I stopped in our tracks when Anna said the following:

"It's like we're poor people and we have to wash the dishes."

Uhhhh . . . 

A moment of a stunned silence.  We weren't sure whether to be embarrassed or amused!  A little of both, for sure.

It made me realize 3 things:

1. These kids have it pretty good
2. You never know what is going to come out of a 7 year old's mouth
3. Maybe we need to make "washing the dishes by hand" a weekly family activity.  As much as it was a pain, it was also a pretty great way to pull the family together and to work together.

4:45pm, in my kitchen

Lately, I have been loving the light that gently streams through my kitchen in the late afternoon.  The sun is shifting it's angle, so this is a somewhat new occurence here.  I picked up my camera (which is something I'm trying to remind myself to do more often) and for a few minutes tried to capture all the details happening around me.

Here's a little peek around my kitchen - our lives - 4:45pm, on a wednesday.

5 stories, 1 photo

1. Conner taught the Family Home Evening lesson last night.  In fact, he has taught the lesson the past 3 weeks, one more to go.  He is working on some of his Duty to God achievements and the family is benefiting as well.  Win - win.  At first he was a little annoyed by the task, the preparation . . . but now he loves it.  He spends time on Sunday studying, and writing out an outline.  Yesterday he told me that he was so excited to give his lesson.  He had us pull out our scriptures, he asked questions, he knew the material.  It was fantastic.  Topic: Prayer & revelation.  Scripture Story: Daniel in the Lion's Den

2.  This is Conner's post-swim practice hair.  That chlorine water does something crazy to his thin blonde hair.  He looks like he's been shocked -- it's crunchy, wiry, bending at right angles . . . .  Just weird.

3.  I looked at the Christmas tree the other day and thought that it was doing a great job as a lamp.  I also considered decorating it for Valentine's Day.

4.  We got these buckets of food storage meals for Christmas (and we're planning to add to it).  You ask, why are they still sitting in the family room?  You could also ask why is the Christmas tree still up? and Why is Conner's birthday Fat-head from 2 months ago rolled up in a tube under our bed?  It takes us a while to get to things.

5.  We played Clue after Conner's lesson (one of his Christmas gifts) and it was so much fun.  It had been so long since either Scott or I played that we had to read the instructions.  The best part was the dramatic acting that the kids put into their accusations . . . "It was Mrs. Scarlett, in the kitchen, with the candlestick!!"

hello monday {christmas baking}

One thing that has been difficult for me this season is getting into the Christmas spirit.  In the desert you just don't have those seasonal cues to let you know it's Christmas time! (Or Thanksgiving -- that was a weird one too.) And although the temps are starting to drop, it still looks like a desert outside.  We'll see if it gets better overtime.  Although, I was talking to a Portland native at church yesterday.  She has lived here for 17 years and she still has a hard time with it.  {sigh}

So, I'm finding that I have to actively think about Christmas-y things or do Christmas-y things on a regular/daily basis to help infuse that spirit into my season.  Yesterday after church we made treats and assembled boxes for our school crossing guards, neighbors (we'll be caroling tonight), and the kids' Primary teachers.

Hello chocolate.  Payton loooves white chocolate peppermint bark so he was right there helping me the whole time.

Hello crushed candy canes.  Also Payton's handiwork.

Hello sleepy heads.  This has to be one of my all-time favorite scenes.  The two of them napping by the Christmas tree.

I love watching this relationship.  On Saturday we were driving to the store in separate cars.  At a stop light I watched Scott and Anna in my rear view mirror, sitting in the truck behind us.  She was talk-talking away, just loving her alone time with dad.

Hello popcorn machine.  It cracks me up to see the wonder and excitement that this machine brings every time we pull it out.

Hello delicious.  White chocolate popcorn with M&M's and red chocolate swooshes.  I need to make this more often.

Hello triply delicious.  Peppermint Bark.  Ginger Snaps (Anna was so excited to learn that this was Grandma Margaret's recipe -- Anna's middle name is Margaret after my grandmother).  And you just can't go wrong with Rolo Turtles.

Hello little helper.  

Hello Christmas stories.  We're a little behind in our Christmas book countdown so we read two books tonight. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey and The Biggest, Best Snowman .

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Linking up with Lisa Leonard's Hello Monday prompt

12.12.12

Twelve photos from our day (taken with my iphone camera)

We are doing a photo a day project on our walk to school.  We were almost there when I realized that I had not taken a photo yet.  "Quick!  Kids, what should we take a picture of?"  This was their answer.

On my morning walk.  4.5 miles today in 1 hour and 6 minutes!  (Keep in mind, the first mile is logged while walking with the kids so our pace isn't as fast.)  And I know from personal experience (multiple years at a girls' camp with bears in/near camp) that bears are always bad news.

I really enjoy my morning walks.  The leaves are falling, the temperature is brisk (45 - 50 degrees), the people I pass by are friendly.  There are so many walking paths I can mix it up pretty regularly.  Jenn set a goal to walk 100 miles, so I'm joining her and trying to fit in my 100 miles between Thanksgiving and New Years. Plug in some good high-energy tunes and I am ready to go!

Back to reality.  Today's chore -- balance the checkbook.

In the middle of my "work" I got a phone call from Scott.  Some of his meetings got cancelled so he asked me to come up for lunch.  Love that he works only 15 minutes away and we can do this from time to time.  Lunch at Quizno's.  And some quick shopping at the outlets for new uniform pants for Anna.  She was down to just one pair after splitting the knees open in her pants on Monday.

Love these cute faces.  And the crossing guards love our kids too.  They tell us all the time how much they love seeing my kids' happy faces in the morning.  It makes me so happy when I hear both Payton & Anna cheerfully say "thank you" to each and every crossing guard (there are 4) as we pass by.

Homework and headgear time for Conner.  I think he's become pretty accustomed to the headgear and doesn't mind wearing it.  Which is a good thing because he has 13 more months to go!

Before I know it, it's time to head out for the evenings activities -- Glee, basketball, and hoping to fit in some grocery shopping somewhere.  In case of downtime we bring along: snacks, Nintendo DS, and the iPad so I can review my Relief Society lesson for Sunday.

My grocery helper.  She insisted on pushing the cart the whole time.

Picking up Payton from basketball practice. He's the one in the striped shirt.  Scott and I decided to jump the fire access gate in our culdesac and walk to pick him up (it's faster than driving).  I haven't jumped a fence in . . . . . forever?  Kinda makes you feel like a teenager.  Or freshman college student.

After jumping the gate on our return trip I had to take a photo of our neighbor's Santa.  The kids love him.

Oh Christmas tree.  And it's the end of another day.  

hello monday {company picnic}

This weekend Scott's company had it's annual picnic / BBQ.  I also attended the picnic last year while I was out here house hunting.  It was a hot, hot day.  This year, not so much.  54 degrees and windy!  For 3 hours spent outside that is pretty chilly!

I'm playing along with Lisa Leonard's "Hello Monday" weekly prompt

Hello company picnic.

Hello snow cone.  Nevermind she's wearing a hat and gloves . . . a snow cone sounds like the perfect treat!

Hello bouncy obstacle course.

The kids were in bouncy house / slide heaven.  When we turned the corner and got a first glimpse of the park . . . . . oh. my. word.  Payton started freaking out, hyper-ventilating, screaming, shrieking.  We had told them there would probably be a bouncy slide.  This, by far, exceeded all his expectations. 

Hello silly faces.

Hello adorable second shooter.  Scott was part of a corporate relay race so I needed coverage from every angle.

Hello egg on a spoon.  As the team captain, Scott made t-shirts and distributed them to his team (the blue team).  They fought a good fight, but came in last.

Hello new felt hat.  30 minutes into the party we realized we were not prepared for the cold so I went to Target for gloves and caps for the kids.  I just happened to come across this hat and grey coat, so they came home with me too.

Hello hot chocolate with whipped cream.  (Not pictured - but it was a welcome treat on the drive home.)

things my kids say

Another gem from that memorabilia organizing project I mentioned in my last post . . . 

This little notepad.  I used it from time to time to record fun little quotes from the kids.

I showed this to Payton tonight and his response was, "I said that?!"  He has never liked mayonnaise.

Here are a few more from that notepad . . . . . 

"Thank thee for Heavenly Father & Jesus that they can have a good time in heaven."  - Payton's dinner prayer, age 5, July 2008

I greeted Conner at school pickup and he wasn't wearing his coat.  I commented, "Without your big green coat on I have a hard time spotting you."  His reply, "Just look for the smile."  May 2009, age 8

Scott was getting ready to leave for a business trip.  Conner says, "I'm three quarters sad, and one quarter happy."  He was happy because Scott's absence meant that both he and Payton could sit by me at dinner every night.  May 2009

"Do you like me hoopy hooping?"  (translation: hula hooping)
        Anna, 3 1/2, May 2009 

"I like to look in the fridge every now and then, just to see what's in there."
        Payton, age 8 1/2, September 2011 

"I seriously faint at the first sight of blood!"
        Payton, October 2011, while watching a caveman show on the History Channel

semi-blurry photos on a Sunday morning

For the first time in weeks I picked up my camera this morning because Scott and Anna looked so cute together.  I couldn't figure out why my photos were so blurry . . . until this afternoon when I noticed that it had been switched from Auto to Manual focus.  Doh.

Sunday mornings go a little something like this . . . 

Scott wakes up super early and the kids emerge soon after

I get up just regular-early and shower

Scott supervises the kids -- making sure they get through breakfast, take their turns in the shower, and get dressed.  Really, with kids 11, 9, and 6 there's not a whole lot of hands-on work.  Just making sure that everyone stays on task.  Crack that whip.

When the kids are at a good point Scott comes in to shower & get dressed.  Want to know one really cute thing he does every Sunday? . . . . he chooses his tie to match whatever I am wearing.  Aww . . .

Eventually Anna comes to me and I dry her hair.

Then it's time for me to finish my hair, make-up, put on my shoes, gather my Primary supplies and finally meet everyone sitting in the family room as they are dressed and ready to go.

Which brings us to this point, 

Redbox in hand, ready to return on the way to church.

She loves her daddy.  Especially on Sundays.  Lots of down time to cuddle and plant endless kisses on his cheek.

In case you were wondering . . . . I wore a grey & black dress to church.  Hence the grey & black tie.

Payton is in the corner lifting weights.

Conner is at the keyboard practicing a few songs.  He is getting good.  (He got new glasses too.)

Checking out dad's iPad games before we head out the door

And I should note that we go out that door 30 minutes before church begins.  It takes us 5 minutes to get to the chapel.  The Browns -- perpetually early since 2000

That's the way we do it on Sunday mornings.

around here

Lockers, dressing out for P.E. . . . . oh yes, we are there

Today was "Get your schedule day" but we already had Conner's schedule because he attended the 6th grade summer institute last week.  Because of that little camp he knows his way around the school and is a pro when it comes to opening his locker.

But still, we walked through his schedule once so we could meet the teachers.  And then he politely asked if I would sit on a bench so he could go through his schedule on his own.  Go for it kid.  I was glad to see that initiative and planning on his part, wanting to be as prepared as possible.

The nerves over first grade are gone . . . 

She met her teacher today, loved her, and seems to be much more comfortable with the idea of going into 1st grade.  Most of her worries centered around the morning line-up (they line-up on the playground, rather than going straight to class) -- she doesn't think she'll be able to remember the number she needs to stand next to.  I told her that we could write the number on her hand and she is counting on it.

This one is an old pro, but still wary of the wolf

Seriously, that thing is so realistic.

Going into 4th grade, Payton is facing the least amount of transition among the kids this year.  He was so excited to find out a that friend from last year is in his class -- they staked their claim on two desks right next to each other.  I think he enjoyed showing Anna around the school and giving her tips.  He got his new agenda book and loves the fact that it is blue this year.  We got home and he said, "I am so excited for school!"

Purple Penguin is a winner

We have heard the great reviews, it was even on our summer fun list . . . . but for some reason it took us this long to finally make a stop.

And oh boy, it was delicious.

Flavor choices . . . . Payton - blue bubblegum, Anna - pink cotton candy, Conner - rootbeer, Me - coconut and vanilla with ice cream.  The shack is only open for one more month and you can bet that we will be back for another visit.

This is the method Payton used to cool down his ramen at lunch today.

What a nut.