rocker chic

i pulled summer's bangs back in a mini-pompadour today, and bryan thought she looked a bit like gwen stefani. summer has no idea who that is (though she will after we've shown her i'm just a girl a bazillion times), but she was raring for a chance to channel her inner rockstar anyway.

chunky monkey

i think if someone asked me right now, today, what my favorite thing in the whole wide world is, i would not even hesitate to say, "fat babies in high pants."

in love.

career day

today was career day at school for the girls.

guesses?

summer, who had three younger siblings by the time she was six years old, wants to be an obstetrician. certain family members hope she changes her specialty by the time she's in medical school, but i find that once summer has decided something, she can be pretty difficult to sway. if i have another baby (*cough* years down the road *cough*), summer is desperate to come to the delivery. so we'll see how she feels after that awesome bonding experience.

afton hemmed and hawed, but finally decided on kindergarten teacher (see that ruler? it's how she keeps those kindies in line. get it? in LINE!?) though, generally when she talks about her future, it involves moving to paris and making ice cream for a living. and with our afty bay, really, she could go either way.

trapped

they've been plotting their escape for days:

big wheels

whenever the house is quiet.

you know, that eerie kind of quiet it should really never be with a toddler around.

and i can't seem to find the caleb anywhere.

he's usually escaped out to the garage, having swiped his sister's shoes (cause those are the only ones he can put on by himself), and is casually cruising around on his radio flyer.

little stinker.

baby fangs

a little photo shoot of bryan and i trying to capture on camera dallin's wicked lateral incisors.

he's such a good sport :)

k is for kindie

that's right, folks: another wheeler bites the dust!

kindergarten starts a week later here, so today was officially afton's first day of school:

at the bus stop with her big sis:

and there they go, arm in arm:

the great return:

honestly, i was holding my breath for afton today. when we went to orientation last friday, she did not seem very excited about school or friends or recess or any of it. but lo and behold, she hopped off the bus, big smile on her face, and totally rocked the big K today!

way to go, aft!

twas the night before school starts

so monday night was our annual back to school devotional where we celebrated these two crazies and their impending new school year:

this year's family theme is "let your light so shine." we talked about contributing to classroom discussions, sharing good ideas, and adding to the positivity around them. we also discussed bullying and peer pressure, being kind and being an example to others.

we then gifted the girls a lightbulb zipper pull to help them remember to shine bright throughout the school year:

bryan gave the girls and caleb each a father's blessing, we enjoyed sprinkled rice krispie treats, and it was off to bed, while visions of skool dayz danced in their heads.

lift off

i'm going to go ahead and call it:

today was the day dallin first crawled. toward a plastic bag he wanted to chew on, no less.

at seven months old, that's about two months earlier than any of my others. let's hope he uses his new-found abilities responsibly.

(but if experience and the plastic bag are any indication, i'm not holding my breath...)

also of note, he can sit unassisted and is growing out of clothing like it's nobody's business: 12-18 months old already!

first things first

she's the realest.

i have to say, i was feeling much more emotional packing this girl's lunch up this morning than i was sending her off to kindergarten last year. half day kindergarten turned out to be nbd. i mean, i felt like she had just gotten on the bus to go to school by the time i had to turn around and pick her up.

but now, my little is gone until almost four!!

we all were a bit lonely today without her (afton, her forever partner in crime, especially). but, boy, is summer excited for a great year (and two recesses)!

she sells sea shells

by the seashore.

hood canal

our kids have never met a beach they didn't love.

one last hurrah

before school starts on tuesday, and we say our official goodbye to summertime, here's a little preview of our last weekend getaway to hood canal.

first, the ferry ride. honest to goodness, i don't think i've ever seen caleb so excited. like, ever.

summer and afton loved it, too. see summer's first ferry ride here, when she was a couple months older than dallin.

beep beep

now he's seven months old and a rarin' to go!