Go Knights!

Lauren just finished a fun season on the first grade cheerleading team.  She wasn't always sure that she liked it (and frankly, either were we) but in the end, she really started enjoying herself and made some great friends.  

"All for the Knights, stand up and lean!"

Posing with the spirit stick (tucked under her pom-poms.)  Lauren showed the most spirit during this game!

First Days

Sami is a preschooler!  She is so excited to be a Tiny Tiger in Mrs. McQueen's class.  The first day, I gave her a push on the swings as she said, "Bye Mom."  I definitely shed a tear or two in the car, but was glad she had such an easy transition.  Unfortunately, the rest of the week didn't go as smoothy.  There were more than a few times when I had to pry her arms from my neck for the quick pass-off to Mrs. McQueen.  Thankfully, she started loving preschool again the next week.    

Ready to go!

Kicking up her heels!

Lauren started first grade about a week later.  She has Mrs. Smith this year who has already become a huge hit in our house.  Mrs. Smith sings and plays the guitar! 

Lauren is riding the bus for the first time this year.  Other than Mrs. Smith, I think that's been her favorite part!

A Big Day for Lauren!

Lauren has been asking to get her ears pierced, but definitely felt conflicted about the pain involved. "I want to do it, but I don't want it to hurt!" These words are familiar to me. I said the very same thing when getting my ears pierced as a kid. Lucky for us, Lauren was much braver than I was. I carried on for 30 minutes, determined to get my ears pierced without actually letting anyone touch my ears, but Lauren hopped right into the chair to do it. She didn't cry a bit!

Just a few hours later, she lost her very first tooth. As you can see, it happens to be the same one her little sister accidentally lost last year. They were thrilled to take this side by side picture to show off their missing teeth!

Grand Haven Vacation

We had a wonderful time on our first official family vacation! We packed our little Civic to the roof and drove 6 and 1/2 hours to Grand Haven, Michigan.  

We went straight to the beach when we arrived.  A storm had just passed through, so the waves were really rolling in.  We even saw surfers!  Who needs the ocean? 

Sami learned to jump over the waves with her Daddy.

She is all smiles in this picture, but she didn't care to get more than her legs wet. The water was cold!

This was Sami's favorite beach activity!

Lauren loved playing in the sand too. She even got her first bee sting trying to remove a bumblebee from her castle. Don't worry, that didn't stop her!
And Mommy and Daddy sat on their blanket, eating lots of snacks, enjoying the kids, and staring at beautiful Lake Michigan.

One of our favorite restaurants was Snug Harbor overlooking the river. From this deck, we could also watch Grand Haven's musical fountain.

We visited P.J. Hoffmaster State Park, famous for its sand dunes. The dunes have formed over hundreds of years. Most of them are tree covered.

One of the dunes had stairs so that visitors can climb to the top without disturbing the delicate environment. The girls climbed all 117 steps themselves!

Brandon spent most of his trip with Sami on his shoulders. "Uppy Dad. I'm super tired."

The girls loved being buried in the sand. I think Lauren could have taken a nap here.

The next best thing to rolling in the sand is the bubble bath afterwards!

Grand Haven has an adorable lighthouse next to the beach.  We spent many evenings walking the pier during sunset.

This was our giant kite's maiden voyage.  It took some work to get it into the air, but it was a lot of fun.

Both girls took a turn flying the kite. We stuck close to Sami, as this one could have pulled her off the ground!

A long day of kite flying and castle building! Oh so sleepy.

Mommy and her little buddy.

Our precious girls.

Look how much I've grown!



First Day of Kindergarten
August 27, 2010



Last Day of Kindergarten
June 6, 2011



Lauren's 6th Birthday

Lauren had a magical birthday party!  It took place at The Enchanted Village, a toy store and popular party spot for little girls. 

Every room in the Enchanted Village has a theme.  This is the jungle room.  It is the gathering place as everyone arrives.

The Narnia Room was next.  It was a winter wonderland, decorated in snowy white. 

Each of Lauren's guests took turns posing with her in the sleigh.





In the next room, Lauren was given a magic key from the fairies.  Tapping the key on every door six times would allow her to enter a new room.



The fairies also gave her some gifts:  a frame, ceramic box, and ring.



Next, the girls entered the Dress Up Room, where they decorated a bag for their goodies and applied their new lip gloss.



In the kitchen, the girls decorated cookies with fairy dust.  Yummy!



The Dress Up Room was a little girl's dream come true!  Everyone got to pick an outfit and accessories.

Princess Kaitlyn



Lauren, showing off her shoes.



Satisfied with the complete outfit.



In the tea room, the girls played follow the leader.



Even the stuffed animal and doll friends had a good time.



The friends enjoyed their cookies and tea.



Then it was time to blow out the candles.  When asked what her favorite part of her birthday was, she said, "At the very end, everyone sang to me, and I was so proud."

The girls' final activity was to hunt for a treasure chest hidden somewhere in the village.  Six magic taps revealed gifts for everyone inside.



Princess Lauren outside of the Enchanted Village.

After the birthday party, we headed to Nana and Papa's house for more fun.  Lauren is all smiles in front of her specially requested flower cake (which should not have taken me 6 hours to decorate.)



Another wish made, and another year prouder of our little girl.  Happy birthday Lauren Paige.