Bittersweet moments....

...that's the best way to describe yesterday which marked Ellie's first day of Kindergarten and Emma's first day of second grade.

Walking into the building...two VERY excited and somewhat nervous girls....and a sad 3 year old sister.

SO big!

All ready for the big day...and so grown up!

Emma re-assuring Ellie that "Kindergarten is just like pre-school, only a little longer...and harder...with a lot more rules!"  Thanks Emma.

Ellie's best friend from pre-school is in her class!!!  They were SO excited about this....it is going to be a GREAT year!

Wow, how bittersweet these times are.  I miss having them at home, but I'm also excited for them and all that they are learning.  I really enjoyed having just Edyn and Eva at home and can't wait for these moments ahead with the younger two.  Eva is used to being chased and entertained by her older sisters so she kept trying to play with Edyn. Finally Edyn said, "Mom, this little baby sister won't leave me alone!" It's going to be fun to watch how they interact together. I couldn't believe how easy it seemed having just 2 kids at home (I'm sure all the moms with 2 kids are hating me for saying that but that's just how it is when my head is normally spinning with four!)  What fun we had yesterday, just treasuring our time at home...because it is SO fleeting, I've learned.  Tear, tear....

Couples Golf Scramble...enough said.

Jared & I got to spend a Saturday evening playing in a golf scramble with some great friends, the Weller's, Beckman's & Ellis's.  I never thought I would say it but I actually had a blast playing golf and we are pretty sure this will turn into an annual event!

Jared analyzing a hole...wow. We weren't aware of the planning and preparation required to attack the golf hole....

...and contemplating between the guys....

...and of course, look at that turn. A perfect hole in one...ok, not really.

So....Lindsay and I decided to do a little analyzing ourselves....

And look at that turn...Ok, not so much but I DID (somehow) manage to sink a 35 foot putt to win the longest putt of the whole tourney...don't be impressed, it was pure luck on the right hole.

Oh and we can't forget Q's purchase (he had the winning bid on the silent auction...of course it helps when you keep going back to bid higher)...Amy was SUCH a proud wife let me tell you!

See you all next year....start packing the coolers now!!!

vacation day #7....

We started today off with a game of putt-putt...Jared wanted me to practice up for the couples golf tourney next weekend....it became obvious by the 8th hole (when I was beating him by 6 strokes), that I wasn't the only one that needed to practice...needless to say, I had to show the golf coach how to putt this morning :)

 

We lost our kids halfway through the course but at least I got a few pictures before that...

All packed up and ready to head home....everyone is SO tired!!

T

 After a 2 hour nap, we made a stop in Carthage, MO at the precious moments chapel...Jared did not want me to share that he got dragged here or the fact that he actually spent the most time reading everything in the museum...

 Inside the Chapel...

And of course, our girls found life-size dolls to play & dance with....as if we don't draw enough attention when we are out in public....this is when Jared finally packed up & we headed home....

Until next time....

These feet were made for walking....

....Eva's new kicks!  She decided that she primarily wants to walk everywhere so we went and got her some flip-flops and she just LOVES them!  She walks around stomping and admiring her feet...I'm sure we have another girly girl on our hands!!

Silver Dollar City!

We hit the Moonlight Madness at Silver Dollar City from 5-10pm and we beat the heat (for the most part) and the crowds!!  It was as good as it could have gotten...the girls were able to ride all the rides they could for 5 hours straight with very minimal lines...and of course, they wanted to do it all over again the next night!                                   
      

7 nights in a hotel with 4 kids, 7 & under....

....sounds glamorous, eh?  Speaking of being blessed with incredible friends....we were so thankful when one of my friends decided to gift us the use of their family's time share.  We decided to stay at a resort in Branson for a week and the girls have had an incredible time!  Our good friends, the Beckman's came to stay with us for a few nights which was a whole lot of fun for the kids...and parents :)

Eva & Gavyn sharing hugs....we are hoping that we will need this picture for sometime in the future :)

Edyn & I on the bumper boats....

Emma tearing it up on the go-cart!

Ellie & Lexi chilling at the water park...these two were instant best friends!

Eva posing near Table Rock....

We found a hammock near the lake off the resort...we thought this would be a cute picture of all the kids....

....or not so much.....

Laser tag...for the record, Edyn had a higher score than her daddy!!

Getting ready to "ride the ducks"....the kids got little whistles that sounded just like a duck.  They walked about a quarter mile through a shopping center to get on the "duck", while all of them were blowing their whistles non-stop....we just sort of stepped back a bit while they drew quite the scene...we were wondering who those noisy kids belonged to!

Taking turns "driving the duck"....

Chillin' on the swing on our deck....

Fun day at the beach.....

SO much to explore...and eat.

More vacation pics....coming soon!!!