Back to School! 1st & 3rd Grade @ CCS!

Back to School is here again. This summer flew by. We had a blast but I think we are all ready for some structure to come.
This year I will go to work too on the first day of school. It is great getting up and ready to tackle on the first day of work & school.
Walter is in 1st Grade and he has Mrs. Kneisc & Mrs. Brackman. Mrs. Knesic just adopted a baby so she will not be in school until November, but we love the substitute Mrs. Greenleaf. Walter has had her for a sub before and LOVES her. He is really excited about being able to go to school all day. We keep talking about it being like "big" school and encouraging him that he is ready. So when he came home on the first day we asked him how it was and he stated, "It's fun, but they have preschool rules." It was very funny.

Ann Elizabeth will be in 3rd grade and she has Mrs. Robinson again and we are thrilled. She was her 2nd grade teacher and got moved up. Ann Elizabeth loves her so we are sure that this is going to be a great year. She does have some good friends in her class this year so that is a huge plus.

I still can't believe that they are in 1st & 3rd. It seems like not so long ago that they were in preschool. Time has flown and we are just trying to hold on and enjoy every minute of it.

Charleston Trip 2012

This summer we have been able to travel to Charleston with Walter twice. We love going with him and are so thankful that we can.
The first time we went we spent time with our friends The Walkers and went to the beach. The adults also had a night out while the kids had a sleep over. That was a huge treat. We also met up with a sweet friend and her children. Mary and I were great friends when we loved in Charleston and our children were so close in age and played all the time (even though they don't remember).

The next time we went, we did things a little differently. The first two nights we stayed downtown at The Vendue Inn and it was glorious. The kids loved it. We accidentally found secret notes that other guest had left in the bed post. The kids thought that was really neat and so we left out own little notes in the bed post before we checked out. 

 We were right at waterfront park and could walk anywhere we wanted to go. I was able to get a run in down the battery and it was beautiful.

We played in the fountains, walked around the market, ate ice cream almost every night and ate fantastic meals downtown.

The next 2 nights we stayed at our usual Hampton Inn on IOP. The kids loved it because they could go right downstairs and get breakfast and then jump in the pool. We spent the day at the beach and then caught a Riverdogs baseball game before heading home.

These were the 2 best trips to Charleston that we have had in a long time. For the first time since we left, we were able to enjoy the city and beach without being completely homesick!

Precious quote from Walter

"Did you know I can talk to God and it works!" Per Walter...the wise 6 year old. He is figuring it out!!!

Walt Disney World 2012

We love Disney! It is always the best trip ever. The last 2 times we have gone, it has been after Kindergarten Graduation, both with AE and now with Walter. We left a day or so after school was out and were gone over Memorial Day Weekend. We love this time of year because it isn't to hot yet or crowded.
We were able to do all of the parks and even ran into our old friend The Phillips from TN.
It was a special trip celebrating Walter and his graduation. Wonder where they will drag us to for High School graduation??






























My favorite picture of the whole trip. This was the first and the LAST time that I will ever ride Splash Mountain. Everyone in the boat looks like they are going to die. I was scared to death. AE, not so much. She rode it more than once. Walter and I....DONE!