First grader

Pictures from the first day of first grade...and Brady was thrilled - new year, new teacher, and a brand new elementary school!

He didn't need much in the way of new clothes (it's still SO hot that he'll be in shorts and tees for a while), but he did pick out two new shirts for the first week. This green one is a Tony Hawk shirt, which he thought was very cool. His new sneakers have basketballs and flames. I think he just about strutted down the street to the bus stop!

Highlights of Brady’s day included:

• He got to be the last one on the bus and the first one off.He rode the bus with Jacob.
  At recess, he climbed all the way to the top of the playground spider web.
  Mrs. Breeden read them books.
  He got to read by himself on one of the fuzzy pillows.
  The music teacher played guitar and the kids danced.
  The class went on a fox hunt. (The fox is the mascot.)
  He ate lunch with Alison, from his class last year.
  They did counting by 5s in math.

He was the only one in the BINGO game who could fill in that he’d been in an airplane over the summer.Just for comparison, take a look at the first day of Kindergarten, Pre-K, and preschool...he's grown!

Transformers Playdate

Cousin Campout

The boys built these forts in the family room and really wanted to spend the night in them. I agreed, fully thinking the fun would last about 30 minutes. They actually slept in them all night!

Camp OmaPapa

Lots of pictures from Camp OmaPapa...

fort in the backyard:

Rudy's first time on the diving board:

Brady on the board:

More pool time...

Little fish!

So, way back in May, Rudy wouldn't get his face wet and really didn't even want to leave the baby pool. He's come a long way:

Note than when he asked how he learned this one, he said, "I just knowed it." ;)



Of course, Brady continues to love the diving board:



And some boogie board racing:

Hydrangea happiness

The flowers are all grown from cuttings from my mom's plants and my dad made all the vases...
(and this has been a bad year for my hydrangeas!)

Family Photo

There was quite a bit of the family around at Nana and Popsie's house last weekend. Kelly, Dan, and Cooper were there in addition to James' aunt and uncle as well as his cousin and her family.

Emma, Cooper, Rudy, Brady, and Maria:

The whole group:

Lighthouse

We started our lighthouse adventures on the smaller side, with only 214 steps at the Corolla lighthouse. Rudy apparently has a pretty good fear of heights, I assume as a direct result of his mountain tumble. Even so, the boys did great, so we might try a taller one the next time.

Rudy, showing off his hurt finger, much to the amusement of other lighthouse visitors:

Treasure Hunt

Apparently, the last little boy who lived in Nana and Popsie's house couldn't fit all of his toys in the car when he moved. He buried them in the backyard and left a note for his friend to find. Bogey uncovered the note last weekend, and it led to a map under the front porch, which led to a "treasure" in the backyard!

Cousins

I actually kind of like the silly pictures better :)