We Love Margaret

 The newest member of our family is too cute. The girls are absolutely in love with her. They're a bunch of baby hogs. I barely got to hold her that day.

 Margaret was pretty happy that day and didn't seem to mind all of the attention.

 I think Ethan preferred to look at her instead of hold her. She happened to start crying while he was holding her. He then proceeded to tell everyone that Margaret hated him.

I wish she lived closer! We get to see her again in November for a baby shower and then for Thanksgiving.

Riley's First Day

 Riley's first day of preschool was August 26th. I, unfortunately, had to work that day so Traci, our daycare lady, took some pictures for me. Traci said she was very excited when the bus came and picked her up.

Riley loves preschool. She has the same teacher as last year (Julie.) Mia also had Julie for two years, so we know her pretty well. Riley is the only girl in her class. She has five little boys as classmates. I'm sure she'll do just fine with all of those little boys though, I wish she had a little girl to play with. I'm guessing she's going to be spoiled.

 She picked out a Monster High Dolls book bag. That kind of surprised me because it's Mia that is obsessed with those dolls.

First Day

 Ethan and Mia started kindergarten on August 21st. Mia had the stomach flu that day, so she missed her very first day of school.

 I bought them some cupcakes for an after-school treat. I was able to adjust my work schedule and take Ethan on the first day.

 It blows my mind how big they are. It doesn't seem possible that they are all ready in kindergarten. It makes me sad!

 I let the kids pick out their own book bags. Ethan picked out a batman book bag that has a cape hooked on the back.

 He did really well when I dropped him off. I could tell he was really nervous, but he didn't shed one tear. I was amazed. I, on the other hand, cried like a baby.

 He didn't want to do his "three hug-kiss" (he wants to hug and kiss three times) when I dropped him off. I think he was embarrassed. I did get one hug and one kiss from him.

 Mia was feeling better on the second day of school. I had to work that day and felt really bad that I couldn't take them on the second day. She was over the moon excited for her first day and wanted to ride the bus.

 Mia picked out a Hello Kitty book bag with white polka dots. She was the first one to the bus that day. I can all ready tell that she's going to love kindergarten. The jury is still out on Ethan.

The bus comes at 7:15 am to pick them up. I think it's kind of early, especially since school doesn't start until 8:00. We only live 3 miles from the school. They ride the bus 45 minutes there. School gets out at 3:00 pm and they usually get home around 4:00 pm, so that's another hour on the bus. I think it's an awfully long time, but we don't have much of a choice.

 Mia's two boyfriends from preschool are in her class. I saw them standing in her line when I dropped Ethan off. My first thought was, "oh great." She does not need boyfriends!

My babies are growing up way too fast.

New Roommate

We have a new roommate! My little sister, Kelly, moved in with us last week. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a biology major last year. She decided to go back to school and get a bachelor's in Medical Lab Science. She'll be staying with us for a year while she finishes up some classes.

The kids are elated at having Aunt Kelly here. They don't quite understand why she's here though. :) They keep asking where her house is and where her parents are and why she doesn't live with her mom and dad. It's pretty comical. Every day we come home and see Kelly's car in the driveway, they get really excited and yell, "Kelly's here!" They've done this for a week straight now.

Kelly moved into our master bedroom upstairs and Mike and I moved to the master bedroom downstairs. Mike has been wanting to move downstairs for the last 5 years, but I didn't want the kids to be alone upstairs. Now that Kelly is here, I felt comfortable moving downstairs.

We put new carpet in our bedroom and are getting things organized. It's nice having a bigger room and it is quieter being downstairs except for when the kids STOMP down the stairs. It sounds like a herd of buffalo are coming down the stairs.

The kids (mainly the girls) are having fun getting into Kelly's stuff. They like to snoop through her makeup, fingernail polish, perfume, jewelry, and markers. They're pretty good about leaving Kelly alone when she has her door shut, but Kelly does lock the door if they bug her too much. It's funny because I hear them pounding on her door saying, "Kelly? Kelly? Let me in. Can I come in?"    

Margaret's Baptism

 Margaret's baptism was over Labor day weekend. We left on a Saturday and drove to St. Cloud. We stayed at Amber's house and then drove Sunday morning to St. Paul. Matt and Jenna have a two bedroom condo, so they can't host a lot of people.

 Jenna borrowed my baptismal gown. Margaret looked so precious.

 Margaret slept through the baptism. She stirred a little when the water was poured over her head but didn't cry very much.

Mike ended up getting sick during the church service, so he missed all of the family photos. We were only able to stay an hour at the party because Mike felt so bad and he wanted to head home. I was kind of bummed because I was hoping to shop that day. I think he faked his illness so I wouldn't go to Ikea. :)

It was good seeing all of my siblings. I'm so grateful I grew up in a large family! We have so much fun together. I love seeing all of the cousins interact. It's pretty entertaining to watch and they get along so well!