...

i'm coming back. soon. i promise. did you miss me?!

first days of school

the kids started school in august, and here are a few photos from their first day!

alanna as a sophomore! 

she went back august 13th... early, i know. her school follows nc state university schedule, so it is not the same as public school. but starting early means she gets out early!

(we spent hours coloring her hair, and everyone loved it!) 

the first few weeks of school were pretty hard for her, loads of homework and new teachers to get used to. she still has hours of homework every day, but she seems to be doing better now. this is the second year of her five year early college high school program, and we are so proud of how much she has accomplished already. that is one smart kid!

malcolm started preschool on august 28th. he had so much fun and really seems to be enjoying it so far. his school is arts-based and is very hands-on. i'm very thankful that he was chosen to be student there.

he has class two days a week, and stays for lunch bunch on one of them. he is learning to eat lunch on his own (without mom) in preparation for kindergarten next year. 

and alanna already had her school photos taken. mom and vicky, i will get you your copies asap! :)

photos from august

i just cannot seem to get caught up on this poor neglected blog of mine. sigh. here is a bit of what we were up to in august:

malcolm loved this standee at the movie theater!

crazy evening thunderstorm clouds, as i made my way home from work

always having fun at marbles

and even more fun at pullen park

it was hot! like really, really hot. ugh.

attempting to cool off with a locally made locopop!

malcolm spotted this play kitchen on display at costco and i couldn't get him to leave. he loved it so much!

bike rides at lake johnson

his new bike (a two-wheeler!) was an awesome kids exchange find! it's in excellent condition and the price was great. malcolm loves it! we found his new helmet at target and he gets tons of compliments when we go riding.

our new recycling bin! no more multiple overflowing green bins full of day old rainwater for us. i am so exited about this, you have no idea, haha. 

every so often, i find these three hanging out together :)

danny took these next few photos with his phone: 

cuddle bugs

(side note: no, we do not have a white couch! this is the futon with the cover off while it was in the wash. i have no idea how anyone with kids/pets can own anything white?!)

lucky dog, aka hannibal lecter, at the vet. his annual checkup went very well, and the vet says he is doing great for his age. he is fourteen this year. old man dogrel. 

photos from july

lucky dog does not like thunderstorms. he can sense bad weather from miles away, and he shakes with fear when it rains. we had heavy rain for the first half of the day on the fourth of july. sweets is lucky's most faithful companion, so this is how they spent the afternoon. hiding in our tiny bathroom.

after the rain had passed, i suggested that we head downtown to see the fireworks display. big mistake. the crowds and traffic were unlike anything we have ever seen in raleigh. it was insane how many cars were trying to make their way downtown. we found a parking lot with open spaces and headed to the top. the view was great for the fireworks show, but when it was over we had to wait for over an hour to leave the structure. next year we will absolutely stay home. 

we could see the fireworks explode above the raleigh convention center.

the kids were very patient while we waited for the parking tower to empty out, and kept themselves busy by drawing :)

speaking of drawing, malcolm is quite the little artist these days. he drew this portrait of spongebob and patrick star while in the tub!

wild bunnies in our yard

someone got to my tomatoes :(

family bowling night! we hadn't been bowling for at least six years, so this was malcolm's first time. we all enjoyed it a lot. the lanes we went to are older so we had to keep score on paper, but i'm pretty sure i won :) 

bumpers & a granny ramp :)

sleeping beauty

we really only had a few nice days this summer (hottest july ever on record in raleigh), so we took advantage of them. most days were too hot and humid to spend any time outside, but this particular day was mild and warm so we took our lunch to the park.

malcolm found this army guy in the dirt

then he buried him in the sand, "like on creepshow, mom", he says. haha!

malcolm fell asleep on alanna's back. so funny!

we participated in the raleigh area kids exchange again, and we found some really great stuff. we also sold a few big ticket baby items, so i consider it a success. alanna found this cute sweater there.

these dogs love to snuggle... well, sweets loves to snuggle lucky dog. i'm glad that he tolerates her.

bath time fun

silly faces 

and delicious burritos!

chef malcolm at marbles