Haileys' first gymnastics class new class

Hailey ready for gymnastics

Hailey on the bars

Hailey with her teacher Mrs. Kennedy

Hailey getting help from her teacher on the bars

Hailey and Daniel right before gymnastics class in her new leotard

Hailey had her first gymnastics class in a new class. She has moved on to the next level classes from the mom and tot class and is now in beginning gymnastics level 1. She is with other kids 3 and 4 years old. It was a little different for her not having mommy on the floor with her but by the midle of the class she was getting right into it. Instead of half the class warm us and half free play they have only 5 minutes of free play and the other 35 minutes of the class is warmups and strictly one on one instruction. Hailey did some tumbling and sommersaults today and they did some work on the bars today. She had a new purple sparkling leotard to wear for her new class. Her are some pics of our little gymnast.

The kids trip to nordstrom's to get new shoes for school

Mac and Cheese at Nordstroms Cafe

Then it was time for lunch

Hailey and Daniel each carrying their own bag with their new shoes

Hailey found the perfect Lelli Kelly's

She decided on these shoes

Daniel loved these light up shoes. He said they look like spiderman shoes and he loves spiderman

Daniel trying his new shoes on

Well I took the kids on a mission to get them their new school shoes but was primarily looking for new snowboots for them. Needless to say we ended up in Nordstroms and they didnt have their snowboots out yet but Hailey found the section with the Lelli Kelly shoes and just had to have a new pair since she has just about outgrown her old ones. After looking at 12 different kinds in her size she decided on what she thought was the perfect ones. The shoesalesman even said she is a picky shopper and knows what she wants. He showed her a pair that had blue stones on it and she told him" blue is my brothers favorite color not mine I like pink". Daniel also picked out a pair of sneakers with velcro so he can put them on himself at school and they are red and black like spiderman webs and light up. Thank you very much Grandma and Grandpa for getting the kids their new school shoes. They love them. Im sure we will be back in 6 months when Hailey outgrows these to get the next size lelli kelly's. After all that I still couldnt find snowboots after going to Jc penney's, payless, and famous footwear so it looks like we will be back at the mall after Labor Day when they say their snowboots will become available.

AMANDA'S 24TH BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday Amanda

Casey, Amanda, and Baby Jocelynn

Hailey and Mick

Amanda, Hailey, And Baby Jocelynn (Hailey was very into Baby Jocelynn)

Amanda and Me

Daniel and Hailey dancing

Daniel and Auntie Amanda

Hailey and Auntie Amanda

Amanda dancing with Mick

Amanda opening her Alaska Memories scrapbook

Daniel and Hailey made these heart mosiacs at playgroup Monday and wanted to give them to Amanda for her birthday

Daniel and Me at chilli's

Miranda and Hailey at chilli's

Hailey and Uncle Andy

Andy and Amanda (Amanda's birthday August 22, 2008)

Last night we went out to dinner to chilli's to celebrate my good friend Amanda's birthday. Then back to her house for some dairy queen ice cream cake. The kids had a blast. I had made Amanda a very special birthday present a scrapbook from the last year and a half of times together. Unfortunatley Amanda and Andy will be moving in just a short time and we are ging to miss them alot. They are like family to us. Hopefully sometime in the future we might get to move close to them again. Here are some pics from last night.

PALS PLAYGROUP END OF SUMMER PICNIC

me at the Pals Picnic

Rob, Carol, And Brandy were our chefs for the day

Landon and Hailey

The kids in the bouncy house

Daniel and Hailey jumping in the bouncy

Daniel, Ethan, Conner, Hailey and Landon eating lunch

Landon, Daniel, and Ethan

Today the kids had their playgroup end of summer picnic. I had been a big part of getting this put together. We were able to rent out a ouncy house for the kids to have and we had a bbq with cheesedogs and hamburgers. We were very fortunate to have nice weather with all the rain we had been getting the last few days and we had a very good turnout. It was a great way to end the summer and the kids had a blast with their friends.

END OF SUMMER

Michael, Miranda, Melanie, Conner, Daniel, and Hailey hanging out in the backyard

Trampoline Fun

Last Day before school starts for the big kids

Daniel feeding his new chimp

Hailey brushing the chimps hair

One of mommy's benifits of volunteering at airman's attic

The kids learning on their computer getting ready for school to start

Daniel and Hailey watching as Daddy works on his truck

Robin showing hailey her bunny rabbit

April, Robin, Daniel and the twins

Daniel, Miranda, and Angelina playing webkinz games on the computer as Hailey just brushes her webkinz

Well today was basically the last day of summer vacation. School starts tomorrow and most of Daniel and Hailey's friends go to elementary school. Daniel and Hailey start their preschool on September 8th so they have a few more weeks. I have been busy trying to find a part time job during the school year. I am trying for a job as a kindergarten teacher assistant at the school across the street from our house but havent heard anything as of yet. I am also spending a good deal of time volunteering at airman's attic. August is the biggest pcs military moving month of the year and we have been swamped with donations. We can't keep the place empty. The kids have been enjoying going there with me as they keep coming home with new things. There latest is a fur real pet chimpanzee. Its like Haileys Butterscotch pony and Daniels Mac The Macaw. They both love the thing. They even got it a baby t-shirt to dress it today. Justin has been busy working on his truck on his days off and working his days he is working. He is trying to get it running by the end of summer and his time is running out cause summer is coming to an end. Hailey starts gymnastics up again next week and has been watching it every night lately on the olympics. Daniel will be playing pee wee basketball in october and then pee-wee soccer in January. Since he is turning 5 he is able to start playing all the sports they offer on base. He is very excited for his birthday. Im in the process of getting all his party supplies. He is having a dinosaurs birthday this year. That is about all our news and here are some recent pics.

COUSIN JORDAN'S TRIP TO ALASKA

Panning for some gold

Wildberry park

Chillin at the alaska chocolate factory

Cousin Jordan teaching Daniel how to play the drums in a jam session

Justin and Jordan enjoying some alaskan king crab leggs

Hailey riding horseback on a real horse not a pony (her first time not on a pony)

Reindeer farm Palmer, Ak

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

Jordan petting a bear at gwennies restaurant (no its not real)

It was great having our cousin here for the last 10 days. We really got an opportunity to show him around Alaska. While here we took him to the alaska wildlife conservation center to see alaska's animals in the wild and we took him to the portage glacier and wittier. We also went to the reindeer farm in palmer where the kids got to ride actual horses on horseback and we went gold panning at the indian valley mine. Jordan had a chance to eat halibit, salmon, elk burgers, alaska king crab legs basically the best foods Alaska has to offer. Justin and Jordan went on a whitwater rafting trip and hiked on a glacier. They said it was a blast. I stayed back with the kiddos. The kids have been kept pretty busy lately with our 3 week vacation and then getting back home and having their cousin here. It is going to be quiet here for awhile. Back to our normal day of going to playgroup and mommy volunteering at airman's attic. I will be getting Daniel ready to start up school again next month and Hailey will start up gymnastics again next month. In my spare time i plan on looking for some type of work at home job where I can make a little extra money and help out with the holiday seasons which will be approaching upon us quickly in the next few months. We have definitly all had an awesome summer and can't wait till next summer when we will have another jampacked summer of fun. I am definitly not looking forward to winter but the sooner winter comes and goes the sooner it will be summer again.