kindergarten.

So. The day has come. The day I’ve been dreading for five years. The day Ellie’s been head over heels excited about for the last six months. Today was the first day of kindergarten.

We started it off with Ellie’s favorite breakfast – crepes and smoothies.

Then she got ready – which took all morning. Good thing she is in afternoon kindergarten! Here is a girl ready to take on the world.

Oh little-big girl. So beautiful on your first day of one of the Great Adventures of life. I am full to overflowing with pride (look at this person! this being of grace and intelligence and laughter and spirit!) and wonder (how did you get to be so big all of a sudden? you are so beautiful!) and anxiety (are you ready for this? have I prepared you enough? will this school experience be what it should be?), and I wipe a few tears, because what else does a mother have but a heart has expanded wide as the universe, and can’t be contained, and so it flows out her eyes?

And now, having had you almost literally all to myself for these five years, I feel a rush of hope - tinged with, what is that? sorrow? which sounds like the wind through new leaves as I lift and open my arms, and watch you fly…

Alright, so everyone I have looked at or talked to for a week has given me that consolatory look - that mourning-with-gladness look that EVERY SINGLE MOTHER has who has sent a kid to kindergarten. I think you must learn how to give that look as part of the first day’s rites of passage.)

And here - my last view of her as she went into her new class – the beginning of the next 13 years of her life.

As for her?

She climbed into the bike trailer at 3:30 and I said, “How was your day in kindergarten?”

She sat down with a supremely satisfied look on her face, and said, “It was pretty much great.”

Yeah, sweet girl. I knew you’d love it. It’s ME that we need to fix up. :)

overheard 3.

Funny things the kids have said lately:

Ellie was all dressed up in her favorite new outfit for school to go to kindergarten testing (tear!). As we were driving home, I said, "Ellie, I just love your outfit. Do you feel so cute?" She responded, "Yeah....but I just REALLY like the panties I'm wearing!" (she got new panties too :)).

One night at bedtime I was laying down with the girls and kissed them all goodnight to leave. Addie said, "Mom, you can't leave or I start freaking out!"

Ellie: "Mom, it goes 'January, February, Stansbury', right?"

One day I had gone school clothes shopping for Ellie (without her). I bought her some shoes I thought were super cute and that she would really like. They were on such a good sale, I decided to get Addie some too because she would be sad if Ellie got some and she didn't. When I got home, I pulled Addie's shoes out first. Ellie saw the box and and immediately had tears in her eyes. Trying to not burst into full on crying she said, "those are Twinkle Toes - by Sketchers!" Totally surprised (because that's exactly what it said on the box), I asked her how she knew that. She said "from the commercinal!" (commercial). She was devastatated. Luckily, she got Twinkle Toes too. Those tears of sadness turned to tears of happiness, and luckily both girls ended up happy.

yellowstone.

Man alive have we had a fun, busy summer! One of the best things we did was go to Yellowstone (without Macie who doesn't travel well lately). We camped for 5 days and 4 nights and had so much fun and made so many memories. I think I could live there if it didn't get so cold! :) LOVE that place.

A pretty view driving into the park

Teton Lake

Ellie tickling Grant's back - they did this for hours and both of them loved it. We have a love triangle going on here: Ellie adores Grant and Grant adores Addie. So Ellie got her Grant time and Grant got his back tickled for hours. It worked out pretty good. :)

Tent hair!

Yellowstone River

Mud Volcano

I love this swing! Going to try to sweet talk LJ into making one for the front porch. And the girls are pretty dang cute too. :)

At Mammoth Hot Springs

The colors are amazing!

Waiting for Old Faithful. She is trying...

Mom and Sass goofing around - still waiting...

there she goes!

Grant and Ellie did the Jr. Ranger Program - this is a Ranger Class by Ranger Brad.

Another beautiful view. I swear the sky is bluer and the clouds whiter there!

A family picture (by the dad of a cute family with 7 girls we stopped to talk to then saw again a couple days later at church in the lodge).




Painter's Point. No explanation required.

Dragon's Mouth- this cave lets off steam AND roars like a dragon!

One day it rained really hard for a few minutes, luckily we were in the car. A few minutes later we stopped at this beautiful overlook and saw this view. Does it get ANY better than two rainbows after a rainstorm in Yellowstone? Nope.

My cute boy fishing a beautiful river at sunset. Be still my heart!

Best buds.

The whole cute crew around the campfire. Sure love these guys!

Some bright beautiful ponds.

The one thing LJ really wanted to see this time was a black bear, and...

He got his wish! We actually ended up seeing 4!

A Yellowstone sunset. Heaven.

Time seemed to slow down in Yellowstone. The love in the van as we drove to and around Yellowstone was tangible. I tried to memorize exactly how each of my children looked, how their laughs sounded, how they interacted with each other. I could think of nowhere in the whole world I'd rather be than right there, surrounded by my husband and children with their faces tanned from the summer sun and their hair all messy from camping. I tried to soak it in, every second.

more camping.

We went camping at Vernon Reservior a few weeks a ago. I'll tell you what, this place is a hidden gem (especially for the Tooeleites).

We got to enjoy beauty like this:


There were so many fun 4 wheeler trails and we couldn't get enough of the water between swimming and fishing. This little guy lived in the roof above our table. He was so close, and would just whiz right through us. The kids thought it was pretty cool.

These are some happy campers. :)

Grant got into archery this summer -

(isn't he so cute?)

and these two boys did too. They both bought new bows a few months ago, and can't seem to get enough shooting in. They would do it everyday if they could - oh, wait, they do!

I'll tell you what, this girl knows how to get dirty.




And we ended our day with this view-

And a campfire and smores. Have I mentioned how much I love summer? :)