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In the Parade

It was the last week of summer before school starts!  And it's been a fun one...during the days, Ava got to go see Minions again, went to an indoor theme park, and even got to take a boat ride down the Mississippi as a farewell to summer!  She had a fantastic time this past summer through the Y program, and we're already talking about what fun she'll have next year.

We went to her school's open house on Wednesday night, and put all of Ava's school supplies in her desk, and picked up some info from her new 2nd grade teacher.  We needed to drop off one of her reading logs with her 1st grade teacher, but when we went to the 1st grade wing, she wasn't there!  We finally tracked her down to the Kindergarten wing - she's teaching the newbies this year!  Ava had a great time playing with all of her toys, and I had a nice chat with Mrs M.  She's a very fun, warm lady, and I can see why Ava loved having her last year.  She did warn me that 2nd grade is serious business compared to 1st grade.  I still say, "bring it on!"  We are ready!

The lower front tooth on the right needs to come out...it's hanging by a thread, and the adult one is coming in behind it.  So weird!



G has turned the corner at his new daycare, and now reaches out for the teachers when I drop him off.  Looks like we made it past the crying phase, and now he's having fun with the kids his own age.  I LOVE getting a daily sheet for him where I can see what he has read/learned about, what he's had to eat, how long he's napped, etc.  I love how organized it is, and how consistent they have been with him.  This past week reinforced the fact that moving him to a center was the best decision for our family!

Hanging out on the couch with Mommy and Little Batman



My work had the final concert of the summer season this past Thursday...the Gear Daddies played, and we had a great time!  I had a chance to chat with some co-workers that I didn't know super well, but after our late night talk session, I feel like I know them so much better.  I will count myself lucky to have two new friends (not the two shown below...we were already friends)!

Me and Kara


Me and Em


We went outside super early, so we even caught the warm-up!




We also closed early on Friday, so I treated myself to a massage at a spa close to home to celebrate the start of the long weekend...within 5 min, I was conked out.  The masseuse did an amazing job, and I'm already looking forward to seeing her again in the next few months. 

I had the chance to pick up G from daycare on Friday (I usually do drop-off, and not pick-up) and it was fun to see him playing with his new little buddies when I walked in.  Ava then had a friend come over on Friday night, and after dinner we (minus her friend) spent the rest of the night together as a family.

On Saturday, we headed to west of the cities to spend the afternoon/night with our good friends, Darren and Tiff.  Darren's parents also came up, and our other friends, Megan and Erik, stopped over to visit.  All told, there were 8 adults and 8 kids...good thing there was lots of space and fun things for the kids to do!  Scott grilled a ham, and we ate and ate and ate.  And even did shots.  And drank wine.  It was a fun night, capped off by a forced viewing of Zombieland.  Not as bad as I thought it was going to be. :) 

Scott was yesterday, and I fell asleep for about 45 minutes.  When I woke up, we were in Dassel, and somehow got stuck behind the American Legion parade vehicles.  As we worked our way through the town, we realized we were totally going to the start of the parade - looks like it was going to be a fun one!



Checking out a helmet




Trying out the scooter...


G had so much fun with Darren as they rode around the driveway...and even did a few wheelies!





I'm looking forward to the next 2 days at home, getting caught up on house things, garage things, bill things, and shopping things.  And, maybe some sleep things! :)

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