good morning six year old

we woke up early, as usual (thanks to ryder, of coarse), and let quinn enjoy her day! she got her own sketch book, pencils, and pencil case from jesse (which both kids LOVE!!), and i put together a box of dress up stuff (like old school style, from a thrift shop), gloves, clip on earrings,  and a super fancy hat. ryder made quinn her own pokemon book and gave her some trading cards (which he then took back...he's still working on the whole "it's your birthday today and i will let have a wonderful day because i love you, and i will not sabotage this day due to this silly thing called jealousy"). ha....siblings! regardless, quinn still found everything wonderful in her day, and was so sweet and loving to us all. i love taking a moment or two, to be reminded about the day she was born, what a miracle it was! i love this girl so much.....she gives my life so much joy! i can't believe she's six!!

four day weekend/birthday celebration

every october, right around quinn's birthday, the schools take a long weekend break (th/f), and we get to have a fun filled weekend together, which is usually filled with birthday fun for our little quinn! this year, for her birthday bash, we decided to invite some friends to a local park for a bonfire, scones, and warm apple cider. so, for the invite we put together some leaf bouquets and wrapped them up with a scroll (the kids called this "the hidden message") and tied with a bow. quinn hand delivered each one to her special friends. it was so fun!

soccer has begun

the fall session of soccer has begun, and ryder sure is happy about that! jesse has tweaked his work schedule so now he is able to attend the practices and also the games, soccer has become a super fun way for them to connect:)

quinn still packs along her toys and just sits and plays for the entire hour. i just love her world:) and i just noticed her outfit here: super fancy headband and soccer shorts, yep her world is fantastic!

friends forever!

we're still trying to get into our school year grove, but one thing that is for certain is that after school, we all love to see each other! these kids love to come home and just play. they actually ask to stay home most of the afternoons, because they just miss being home! i find that to be the best request ever:) i love these kiddos so much and i just adore their love for one another! siblings make the best friends.

first day of school....just a little late on this

as im sitting here in my quiet house crossing off the last few tasks that i would like to get done before i go collect my children, i am now just realizing that an entire month has already gone by. where did all that time go? wow! and here i am remembering the first day of school.....oh, what a day:)
both kids started new schools this year. ryder heading to 3rd grade and quinn heading to kindergarten. they were both super excited and super anxious all morning....and so were we (the parents).
ryder made pancakes for us, this is his specialty, and then we had a dance party (like last year), dancin to our favorite tunes on the summer mix!
jesse drove ryder to his school, and quinn and i walked to hers. the first day was not the easiest, we actually had a few "seriously" moments with the schools, but we managed to get through the day!
our new routine is still a work in progress, but every day gets better.
it's so hard to let go of summer, and transition into the school year, where we all feel the burden and stress of being disconnected. so we are finding our new grove, finding ways to stay connected, finding ways to be with each other, having quieter afternoons, family time, lots of hugs and snuggles, and lots and lots of stories of "what happened today at school".