Fall is in the air

Although I absolutely adore summer, there is something about fall, right?  

Jacob is at the end of his second week of school and loving 1st grade and everything about it.  His teacher is truly fantastic.  God bless her and all of the teachers out there.  We've eased back into the routine pretty easily.  Nathan knows when it is homework time and he joins in to do his homework as well.  It's pretty darn cute.  

The first weekend of September is our annual block party.  With a giant dog bounce house, a visit from Hasting's finest and their K9 pup, Ozzy, riding in the street and lots of good food and catching up with neighbors...what could be more fun!?

The most interesting news of the fall is Jacob's future with the orthodontist.  He's unfortunately got his mom's ample teeth and small mouth.  He's having three baby teeth extracted in the very near future to make room for his permanent teeth that are trying to come in.  In about a year or so he will start an expander and then eventually have braces when his teeth are in.  He had a great visit and seems to like the idea of getting his teeth straight and together.  He also knows his older cousin Noah had braces so it's kind of cool.

I hope you are enjoying the season.  Thanks for checking in!  

First day + first grade = Success!

Dad helping combat some early morning butterflies.

Nathan offering his support.

"Mom, can I please go to school, too?"

All settled in! 

It was a great day!

Jacob had a great day.  Before bed tonight he told me he was pretty sure he wasn't going to have butterflies tomorrow.  But, just in case, I could meet him at school for 2 more days.  His favorite part of the day was recess although it wasn't long enough.  First grade, here we go.

13

Sitting at the park overlooking the St. Croix River in Hudson, WI after a lovely meal at The Postmark Grille.  Yum!

We're ready to tackle our teen years.  Our future's so bright, we've gotta wear shades.  Because God loves us.  Because we love each other.  Because we understand our purpose.  Because we've learned to communicate better.   Because we've learned to listen better.  Because we laugh a lot.  Because there is no "I" in team.  Because our hearts are changing for the better.  Because we offer each other forgiveness and grace.  Because we look at the big picture.  And sometimes the small picture.  But we always keep things in perspective.  Or, at least one of us does.  Because it is just plain fun.  Yahoo!  Happy Anniversary to us.  

That was August

As I sit here and write  - it is 1:26.  I have 1 hour and 5 minutes before the school bus pulls up in front of the house and who knows how long before Nathan wakes from his nap.  I'm hoping to see a giant smile on Jacob's face and hear about some good things.  He was quite nervous this morning.  Not a huge fan of transitions, it definitely wasn't hit favorite morning.  He was quiet and his normal 2 bowls of Cream of Wheat was a 1/2 bowl this morning.  Oh I feel for him.  I still remember my early days of school (traumatized apparently) but am so thankful for his wonderful teacher and class.  Stay tuned for the update, but before we jump into all things fall let's take one last look at August.  We really did try to pack it all in!

I was able to enjoy some lake time before heading home.  The boys got to stay on at Grandpa and Grandpa Jacobson's and do all things northern Minnesota.  With the boys gone I got in some rest (my back continues to do better but still patiently waiting for it to be 100% again!) and a dinner date (yay!).

When meeting my parents to pick up the boys, we stayed a couple of nights in Brainerd to take in a water park, mini-golf, bunk-beds, air hockey, and a frog rescue.

Then Jacob and Nathan got to head south to Grandma and Grandpa Sinclair's.  They were busy!  They played, fed ducks, swam, went to the tractor pull, delivered meals on wheels (apparently Nathan was in charge of handing the milk to Jacob...he couldn't be trusted with the food), and Grandma Sinclair has set the bar pretty high for sweet corn.  Every time I serve it Jacob responds..."This is good.  But not as good as Grandma's from the farmer's market."  Somehow in the midst of all of this they paved the way for Nathan in his potty training.  He came home with a container of marshmallows, skittles, and M&M's and ready to receive his rewards for doing his duty.  Happy to report he's wearing his Incredibles undies today and knows how to keep his big boy pants clean and dry!  We're also happy to report that with the boys away we finally got Scott's pottery studio up and running!  I guess the next time we send the boys away he can start making some stuff.  ;)

 Mater made an appearance at the Hastings Car show!  

Our Labor Day weekend involved our first trip to Minnehaha Falls.  We had a great time playing at the park, hiking to the falls, letting Dad get a good workout on the bike, splashing in the wading pool, and eating fab lunch at Sea Salt.

I told you we packed a lot in!

Time to shift gears again.  Nathan is up and ready for a snack.  Thanks for checking in and I will give you the school update soon.