Back to School

After our Meet the Teacher night, it was sinking in that our lazy days of summer were nearly over. Jeff and I made sure to take the kids out for one final day of fun before the hectic school schedule kicked in.

On the eve of the first day of school.

First up, some family jumping fun at JumpStreet! (Who am I kidding? I didn't jump. That ship has sailed long ago!)

JumpStreet for a back-to-school celebration.

Not sure who was more sweaty, Dad or the kids!

Somehow I didn't manage to get any photos of the rest of our day, but we treated the kids to some fun surprises including their favorite "candy buffet" (a.k.a. the candy store Itz Sugar). Although they wouldn't admit it, they were both feeling some excitement at what their new school year would bring.

The next morning, Kaitlynn was all smiles for her 1st day of 2nd grade! Connor was very vocal about not wanting to return, but he was definitely ready to reunite with his school friends.

My cuties on their first day of 2nd and 5th grades!

As Connor was off and running into his 5th grade school year, I escorted Kaitlynn to her classroom for her first day. She was ALL smiles and so excited for the day ahead with her teachers and friends.

The kids brought a sweet treat for their teachers on the first day of school.

Any excuse for a hug from Mrs. Hebert!

Look at that smile! She was SO excited for 2nd grade!

I'll have more later on Connor's first morning of 5th grade. But for now, I just had to share these "lost" photos from Meet the Teacher night. Somehow these didn't make it in the earlier post, but they were too cute not to share.

Here's to an awesome year of 2nd and 5th grade!!

 

A lost photo from Meet the Teacher night, love this!

LOVE these big kids!!

Meet the Teachers 2016!

Before we knew it, the end of the summer was upon us and it was time once again to meet the kids' teachers for the new school year. We had a full evening planned, starting with some pictures with the kids and a long overdue haircut for Kaitlynn.

Quick selfie before our fun evening.

My little cuties, ready to start on their new school year adventures.

We visited a new salon for Kaitlynn's first haircut in over a year. Kaitlynn wasn't too happy about getting it cut shorter but we sure loved the outcome!

Before her haircut.

During.

And after! LOVE this cut and the sass that comes with it!

A selfie with my other cutie.

Finally, it was time to meet the teachers for Connor's 5th grade year and Kaitlynn's 2nd grade year. The kids were so excited to get back to the school and see all the familiar faces along with their new teachers.

Our big 2nd grader and 5th grader next to the WoodCreek legacy wall.

Connor was excited to run into one of his best friends, Jayden.

Connor was ready to meet his homeroom teacher, Mrs. Schneider.

Love his nervous smile!

Connor ran into another buddy, Mason, while visiting their GT teacher.

Kaitlynn was SO excited to see her teacher, Mrs. Hebert, who would be her homeroom teacher for the 2nd year in a row.

Kaitlynn and her sweet friend, Dominique, were happy to be back as 2nd graders.

Sweet friends ready to start school.

5th graders reaching for the stars!

Kaitlynn and another of her sweet friends, Libby.

Connor couldn't miss a chance to check in with his beloved 4th grade teacher, Ms. Vivier.

Bring on 5th and 2nd Grade!

Dental Update

One of our last stops before school starts is the kids' biannual visit to the dentist. We recently changed dentists so that we could stay in Katy, and this was our first trip to the new dentist. The kids seemed to enjoy the process but somehow they aren't able to make the hygiene habits stick as much as we'd like, ha!

The kids brushed their teeth with a special purple dye to show them what areas need more brushing at home.

After brushing with the purple stuff, it's clear that Connor needs to do a better job everywhere, ha!

Taking patient photos, Connor seemed to be OVER it, ha!

Kaitlynn's turn.

Time for their teeth cleaning. They both looked quite relaxed!

Loved the silly eyeglasses for their cleaning.

The office even provided games to teach the kids what foods were healthy for their teeth.

Houston Texans Junior Cheerleader

Last summer, Kaitlynn had the unique opportunity to participate in the Houston Texans Junior Cheerleader program. The girls were invited to the huge Houston Texans practice bubble to learn a dance routine that they would perform at one of the Texans preseason games. Kaitlynn was so excited to see the cheerleaders in person and practice with all of the other girls.

Arriving at the practice bubble.

Inside the practice facility. So neat!

Welcome Texans Jr. Cheerleaders!

Kaitlynn was front and center with her cheer group and the Texans Cheerleaders.

Here's the group of 7-year-olds. Kaitlynn is front row, far left, raising her hand.

Another photo during practice with the cheerleaders.

A week after the girls' practice, it was time for the big performance. Kaitlynn was so excited to get all dressed up in her Texans Jr. Cheer uniform with matching bow and jewelry. Adorable!

Ready for her performance!

Arriving at the practice facility before the performance.

Selfie with my little cheerleader.

On the 50 yard line.

One more and then it was time for the show!

Jeff, Connor, and I were all excited to see the cheerleaders make their way onto the field for their performance before the game. They danced their little hearts out and had such a fun time cheering on the Houston Texans. Kaitlynn had the best time and even waved to us in the stands as she made her way in and out of the visitors' tunnel. She is a natural performer!

Here's a photo from the Houston Chronicle showing Kaitlynn dancing during the performance. She was watching herself on the big screen!

The girls on the field spelling out "TEXANS" at the end of their dance. Kaitlynn was in the 'T'.

After the performance, we enjoyed the rest of the game from our usual seats. Kaitlynn received a lot of compliments on the show as well as her adorable cheer uniform. She was all smiles the entire night, and we sure enjoyed seeing our little cheerleader shine.

Connor and I enjoyed the game.

Our little cheerleader with her Sweet Daddy.

Kaitlynn and Connor -- what a fun night!

Winshape Camp 2016

As the summer was coming to an end, I found myself busy with work during one week in August and needing a last-minute plan to keep the kids busy. It just so happened that one of the local churches, Current Christian Church, was hosting a week of camp called Winshape which is sponsored by Chick-fil-A. I had heard about these camps and thought it might be a fun option for Connor and Kaitlynn.

As we completed registration for camp, both kids were able to pick their favorite activities to participate in during the week. They had some really neat options including tumbling, archery, and flag football in addition to the Bible study and fellowship that the camp offered.

Kaitlynn and Connor showing up for Camp Winshape.

I'm not sure what this game is called but the kids loved it.

Quick photo before I headed off to work for the day.

During the week, I was able to peek in on the kids' activities by viewing the photos posted to the camp app. I found a couple of cool pics showing how much fun they were having.

Kaitlynn loved her tumbling class.

All smiles for camp!

On the last day of camp, both kids had to dress in their group colors -- Kaitlynn wore blue and Connor wore red. The families were invited to participate in the camp's closing activities with the kids followed by a Chick-fil-A lunch together.

Kaitlynn was decked out in blue.

Connor was dressed in all red.

I can't remember the name of this family game but Connor loved it and was soaked in sweat head to toe!

As we wrapped up the week of camp with our yummy lunch, I snapped a quick photo of the kids. This turned out to be one of my all-time favorite photos of them together. LOVE these summertime smiles!

My blue-eyed cuties with their summertime smiles!

It was another AWESOME camp for both kids and they were already talking about attending next summer.