Goodbye

That's all, folks! It's done. Adios, Verano. Goodbye, Summer...

Today is the first day of school for Samuel and Avery. And despite the fact that we did not take any vacations, we had a wonderful summer and were all a little sad to see it come to an end. And since I have not posted very many pictures on here of our summer, here's a run down for you of the things that kept us busy...

Avery Bridged in Girl Scouts. She is no longer a Daisy. She is now a Brownie!

Upon receiving her Brownie Sash, Avery said, "This is going to be great. I love brownies!" :-)

Samuel earned his patches and is no longer a Wolf in Cub Scouts. He is now a Bear Cub! Rock on, Big Guy!

Avery celebrated her 7th birthday.

I made a garden cake and birthday pancakes, all for the birthday princess...

And Samuel celebrated his 9th birthday, complete with a cake that looked like a pepperoni pizza, made by yours truly.

I think Samuel liked the game that Hector picked out for his birthday, but it's so hard to tell from his expression... :-)

Avery got her ears pierced, and they looked SO cute! But they got infected and closed up a few months later. :-( Boo!

Hector got a new job!!!!!!!!!!!!! A new job with lots of great perks... Go Colgate-Palmolive!

We celebrated the 4th of July with Hector's family. Look at all those kids!

We welcomed a new member into our family.

Did a little gardening...

Went to the free local water park, A LOT!

Went to the zoo with my sister and nephew. Fed a few giraffes. Rode a camel named Isaac.

Went to Six Flags. Met Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman and The Green Lantern. Played a few games. Rode a few rides. Picked the hottest day of the summer to go. Sweated like fools but still managed to have a blast.

My car said it was 109 degrees, and I was inclined to believe my car...

Did a Pringles taste test, then Avery and I made some Pringles Purses.

Celebrated my 16th wedding anniversary. Went to a resort/spa while Grandpa and Grandma watched the kids (Thanks G&G!). Sat on the balcony and enjoyed the view of the lake. Had a couple's massage. Ate some really good food. Enjoyed every single minute!

Celebrated Hector's 39th Birthday with my mom and step-father. I bought him a new car.

Paid all of 97 cents for it!

Went to the Meet the Teacher night last week. Got a good feeling this is going to be a really great school year! And today, Samuel and Avery started school!

Come on, guys! Loosen up just a bit. Act like you love each other...

That's better!

This morning, dropping the kids off at school went just about as good as I hoped it would. Avery was very excited but a little nervous too. She held my hand so tight on the walk to her classroom, my hand was all red and sweaty. But she held herself together, and really did seem happy about getting back to school. Before we left the house, we said a prayer that God would help us all to not cry, to stay calm, and to be happy. After I dropped Avery off in her classroom, I took Samuel to his classroom. He was fine until I saw on the clock that it was time for me to go. I very calmly told him that it was time for me to leave. And Samuel said, "I know we prayed that God would help me to not cry, but I don't think the prayer is working." And he started crying... I had SO hoped for no tears this morning. So I knelt down beside him and told him what could have only been words given to me straight from God. "You know, Samuel, sometimes we ask God to help us not be sad and to not cry. But sometimes, God allows us to cry so that we can get rid of the sadness in our hearts and make room for the happiness that He has waiting to give us. Let go of the sadness and grab on to happiness." And with that, I said goodbye to my big 3rd grader...