Happy 5th Birthday, Kate!

After a whirlwind weekend of birthday parties, we celebrated Kate's 5th birthday tonight with a quiet evening at home, just the four of us. We can't believe she actually turned 5 today...how time flies!

We are very proud of all you have accomplished in the past five years, Kate. You are a loving, energetic and enthusiastic girl...a beautiful person, both on the inside and the outside. We wish you only the best life has to offer and may all of your birthday wishes come true.

Happy Birthday, Kate! WE LOVE YOU!

Soccer - Season 2

Kate started another season of soccer this past Saturday. We are already making progress after the first game. She actually kicked the ball a few times during play, which rarely happened last season. Must be the light blue shirts versus the old yellow ones.

At her first practice tonight, she did great in all of the drills and started showing some speed on the field. Kate's always been a fast runner, but for some reason held back in the spring. She even opted to stay after practice to kick some goals with Dad.

Trying to Beat the Heat

As always, NC is providing us with some hot and humid weather the month of August. So, this past weekend we pulled out the pool for the girls to cool off while Mark and I attempted to do some yard work. Kate preferred to run through the sprinkler while Lauren took a more relaxed approach and lounged in the pool. Nonetheless, fun was had by all!

"Twins"

I recently took Kate shopping in search of a few clothes items for fall. She pleaded with me to go to the Disney store, informing me she had never been. I, of course, gave in and honored her wishes. Although she wanted several items in the store, I convinced her that pajamas would be a wise choice. We selected matching "Minnie" nightgowns for her and Lauren. Upon putting them on that night, both girls declared..."twins."

Homegrown Produce II

Although we have produced several tomatoes over the past few weeks, here is a photo of two of our first "fruits of labor." We have thoroughly enjoyed watching our produce grow, not to mention the delicious taste!

Blueberry Picking

The Friday before the 4th our family went blueberry picking for the first time. We had taken the girls strawberry picking on Mother's Day, which was a success, so we decide to try a new fruit. The girls were instructed ahead of time to only pick the blue ones and to try and get them as big as possible. Between the four us, we picked 4 pints. Considering we all love blueberries, they didn't remain in the refrigerator very long!

Kindergarten Kate

It's hard to believe that Kate actually had her 1st day of kindergarten yesterday. I remember when she was a tiny baby weighing less than 8 lbs...seems like just yesterday! Although nervous about meeting new friends and going to an unfamiliar school, she ended up having a great day! She already made two friends that she ate, played, and rested with during the day. She also informed us that her favorite part of the day was the cafeteria. Of the 6 kids that were there (staggered entry), 3 chose cafeteria and 3 chose gym as their favorite activity. I guess the academics kicks in in the later years.

Here's hoping yesterday was a sign of the year ahead!