Back to School!!

Four of us will be heading back to school on Tuesday.  Jim will be full time at Eagan High School and he is looking forward to all his choirs and AP Theory.  I will be half time at Black Hawk Middle School teaching 6-8th grade choir.  I lost a few FTEs so money will be different, but I am hoping this decision will be better for the future.  Ashlyn will be heading into 3rd grade.  We went into school the other day for orientation and to meet her teacher and we were amazed at how old the kids look in 3rd grade compared to the past couple years.  It is fun to watch all the same kids grow up year after year.  Aubrie will be starting Kindergarten.  It is hard to believe we have another child in school.  Aubrie will be going all day and she is looking forward to it.  Her teacher seems very nice.  Aubrie has said "I am going to be a little shy"...she is a little worried, but she will figure it out quickly.  Sabrina and Kadence will head back to daycare and they have one more year before we enroll them in preschool.

Since getting back from Leech Lake we have been busy.  Ashlyn was in zoo camp for the first time.  She spent 4 hours every day (Monday-Friday) taking pictures of animals and learning about the countries they all come from.  She had a blast and looks at the zoo differently now.  We will definitely sign her up next summer for another zoo camp experience.

Aubrie, Sabrina and Kadence finished their summer gymnastics and can't wait to continue later this winter.  Aubrie really got better at her handstands and cartwheels, Kadence is a little monkey, and Sabrina is beginning to strengthen her core...she still has muscles to grow, but she improved her balance for sure.

                                                              Last day of gymnastics

                                               Sabrina crossing the beam (with some help)

                                                    Kadence hanging from the bars.

                                                             Aubrie on the beam

Throughout the summer we have been able to spend some "big girl" time with Ashlyn and Aubrie.  Our last outing this summer was a short trip on the light-rail to Minnehaha Park.  We took the girls to see the falls and the gardens.  They enjoyed their time and always like being with mom and dad.

On August 17, Sabrina had her routine scans and oncology appointment.  She did really well for being 3.  Getting an IV is never fun, but for a 3 year old it really stinks.  After one try, they asked us if we were okay using some Nitrous Oxide...we said that was fine and we are glad we did.  What a difference.  Sabrina was relaxed and they were able to get an IV in without her pulling away or grabbing at it.  Her scans looked great and her blood work came back the best they have ever been...great news!!  We knew if this appointment went well that Sabrina would be moving to yearly appointments, but we got better news, not only are her appointments now once a year, there are NO MORE SCANS!!!  She will still have to have blood drawn, but no sedation.  Every big step like this makes us feel better about the cancer never returning.  We are now 3 years out, which moves her to the next step of being a "survivor".  I think 5 years will be the next big milestone.

                                                                   Blood pressure check

                                     Waiting for the EMLA cream (numbing) to take affect.

                                               That was quite a nap...well a sedated nap.

                          Yay!!!  Celebrating her scan graduation with a toy from the shop.

Jim celebrated his 34th birthday on the 19th.  The girls chose his birthday theme, a huge deal for birthdays around here.  They chose a dog theme and Sabrina had been dying to buy him a dalmation.  We weren't going to get him a real dalmation, but we found a way for Sabrina to give him her gift.

We had a wonderful get together with some college friends.  All 6 of us are Luther grads, we all got married and between the 3 couples we have 8 children, ages 8, 5, 3, 3, 3, 3, 1 and 9 months.  Talk about a busy time when we all get together.  It was great watching the kids play together and the four 3 year olds did really well with one another...you never know :)

                                                                The four 3 year olds

We took our first family trip to the MN State Fair a week ago.  Jim and I have gone with the two older girls, but never the twins (unless you count the time they were in my belly).  It actually went pretty well.  We stayed for a few hours and only made it half way through the fair, a little disappointing, but it made for a happy day with happy children in the end.  They enjoyed fishing, rides, and pronto pups :)  I think the little girls liked the bus ride the best!!

                       The girls loved Grandpa's alligator...I did not try it, but they girls ate it up!!

       Kadence caught a fish and the rule was "you catch a fish, you kiss the fish"...she had no hesitation.

                Aubrie liked the slower rides...she did try some faster ones, but did not enjoy them.