Footprints of life.....

M was a little sentimental this week.  I guess she figures her little girl is growing up.  After watching me enjoy the big kid ride at the fair and jump off in the deep end with no help, M realized I am growing up before her eyes.  My little footprint is not so little anymore.  The dirty ones walking through her kitchen and the clean ones on the pool deck are just a few reminders that babies grow up and the footprints we leave behind are the ones on her heart!

School days, school days, Happy golden rule days

I  am a Kindergartener!  Friday night I went and met my teacher, saw my classroom and found my desk.  This was after I had played Capture the Flag at day camp, which explains my face painting!

I showed D my playground.  I call it the Castle!

I am all ready for school to start!

Wednesday was the first day of school.  I dressed up so I would look very nice.  M thought I looked like a little school girl.

Driving away from home with M.

I am an Estes Park Bobcat this year.

Mrs. Walker is my teacher and 3 of my friends from Y school are in my class.  I see the other Y friends at lunch and recess and get to ride the bus out to the Y every afternoon with my best friend P.

I did very well the first day of school.  M broke down walking down the hall, but tried to hide it from me.  I noticed a couple tears on her face though.  But when the bell rung I said, "Mommy, you have to leave now!"  I am excited to be in Kindergarten!

Pool time fun

Saturday we left the house early in order to let D sleep.  He had been doing double duty all week--working into the night and then getting up with sick girls in the morning while M rushed to work so she could come home earlier so D could work 8 hours.  So by the weekend, M thought D deserved a break from a house full of girls. We left as soon as we woke up and had a picnic breakfast in the park.  

After an hour there, we headed to a different park to meet up with some friends.  We spent a good hour or more before we headed to their neighborhood pool.  Since the pool was only a block away from the park, C&I climbed into the bike stroller for the ride, while M moved the car into the parking lot.

 C floating in the kiddie pool.

 The boys and I enjoying the shallow end.

 

I watched my friend go off the diving board and swim in the deep end, so i decided I wanted to try.  M watched with nervousness as I jumped off the diving board and swam to the side.  After jumping off 4 times with my floaties the head lifeguard came over and told M that I couldn't be in the deep end with them.  So i took them off and jumped 5 more times.  It was a lot more tiring without the floaties, but i learned very fast that the closest wall was the one under the diving board!

 Waiting my turn patiently with my friend T.

 Flying Brileigh!

 The whole group (minus the boys) taking a break and having a snack before getting back in for another hour.  We spent two hours at the pool.  It was such a beautiful day and so much fun to spend time with friends.  Thanks for having us T, A and Baby S.

Mommy's New Job

At the end of April M's boss announced her retirement.  M was offered the job shortly after.  So for the next three months M was busy learning a whole new job while trying to maintain the duties of her other job while a replacement was found.  The first plan fell through when after 4 days of training with M, the woman was offered a promotion in her own department.  So 2 weeks before T left, M and her new boss were interviewing for the position.  Luckily they found a very good candidate and were able to have her start very quickly.

At the beginning of August, M&D went to help T celebrate her retirement.  T had been with the Y for 25 years, the last 23 of it in the position M now holds.

For all those 23 years, T worked with S--M's new boss and CFO.  It was hard for everyone to say good-bye to T, but was especially difficult for S to say bye to his right hand man of 20+ years.

Lots of nice things were said about T by both the CFO and President.

Getting a little choked up when receiving her gift from the Y for her years of service.

M and her boss of 10 years.  You will be missed T.

M's new wardrobe on her first day on the job as Accounting Manager.

Night at the County Fair

We went to the County Fair when it was in town.  Since D was on the evening shift and we were trying to avoid the Saturday afternoon heat, we headed to out Saturday night.  It was quite crowded.  M thinks everyone in the county was there that night.  Even the kiddie rides had 20+ minute wait lines.  We went and saw the animals first.  The goats were cute and right at C's level.

C was just at the height where she could ride the car ride all by herself. 

We met all the cousins at the fair, so we wandered around with them and watched them go on rides.

Guess who else just made the line?  ME.  I was right at the 42 inch line which M realized was the limit for the "big" kid ride.  I don't think M was quite ready for me to ride those rides, but I was more than ready to go so Uncle B said he would take me on the big tower.  Waiting patiently with cousin S for our turn.

Strapping ourselves in.  Notice the boots I'm wearing.  M realized as I was in line that those cowboy boots probably gave me that extra last inch to make me the proper height.  

Making sure my belt in on tight!

On the way up!

 

Don't mind M's narration--she was panicking a little bit!

Can you tell by my HUGE smile that I had the time of my life and was begging to go again even before I got off.

M randomly ran into my school classmate, so we spent the rest of the evening going on the rides with her.

We went back to the cars...

made M really, really dizzy on the Dizzy, Dizzy Dragon....

and rode the ATV's.

We even went on the Dumbo ride with Uncle B, J and D &C.

Before the night was over I went on 2 more big kid rides. I did the Yo, Yo swing ride all by myself and then went on the Octopus with my friend and her aunt.

Since the lines were so long and M wanted to get her money's worth out of our armbands we ended up staying at the fair way late into the night--more than 3 hours past our bedtime.  The one ride we didn't get to ride was the Ferris Wheel, so because we had extra tickets M&D had purchased for themselves (partly because the Dumbo attendant didn't charge parents like it said), M decided to go back Monday evening after work.
M let me use the camera to take a picture of C and her.

We timed it just right!  High up on the Ferris wheel right at sunset.

Looking down on the other fair rides.

Two little girls enjoying the view.

Boerner Family Reunion

Sunday afternoon was the Boerner family reunion at the shelter just about the lake beach.  M&D volunteered to pick up Uncle W from the airport since they would get the least amount of time with him.  When they got back from the airport, visiting was going on around the shelter.

All of D's siblings, almost all his neices and nephes, his aunt and 3 cousins all made it. What a great way to spend a long afternoon.

Games were played.

Visiting was done.

We had some root beer floats.

We even got to spend some more time down at the lake.

C was so wore out from such a fun weekend, that she fell asleep sitting on M's lap.

Waiting patiently for the family picture.