ABC...123...Kindergarten!

I can't believe my baby is all grown up and heading off to kindergarten! Seriously, where did the last five years go? Until this week, I have been super excited about school and sending him off. This week it hit me and I got a little emotional. It dawned on me that everything is changing, our schedules and routines, our vacation schedules (now revolve around school calendar), homework, etc. I think the biggest realization I had is that I can no longer protect my little Howie. That hurt the most. He is kind of a sensitive guy and comes to tears easily. I can't be there to protect him if another kids decided to pick on him or be mean. He doesn't know how to handle that yet. I guess that is what the social part of school is for, adjustments. It just is hard to let go. I know he will be fine and his teacher is wonderful. He probably will come home whistling and happy. Changes are hard, but we can do hard things.

Okay, enough of that, crybaby, mom pull yourself together. Since Howie is my first child to go to school, what better time to start some back to school traditions than now? We had a End of Summer/Back to School swimming bash with some friends which was fun. We even had fun making some cute treats for it.

Howie helped me make edible crayons (pretzels with their ends dipped in candy melts, covered with a paper label). They were SUPER cool, loved making these, howie did too!

Then Family Fun had the cute idea for some flip flop cookies (made with pepperidge farm milano cookies! so yummy too!).

We had fun swimming, swimming and more swimming with friends and then eating our treats! Mom didn't put enough sunscreen on and we all got a little red. Not thinking! Back to school photos with a sunburned child. He actually didn't look too bad this morning. Check out Livy's goggles, she was a funny duck.

Okay, goodbye summer: here comes school. Howie got to meet his teacher, Mrs. MacIntosh during his kindergarten assessment meeting with her. She is awesome and we feel it is going to be an wonderful year! We also made a paper chain to count down the days till school started. Howie enjoyed tearing off a strip each day. I had to make a cute Back to School wreath, using a variation of the burlap one Tator Tots and Jello makes. Lastly, the Back to School fairy left a brown bag with lots of school supplies in it. I had good intentions of making school bus cookies, but with a lot of other stuff happening right now, that did not come to fruition. Hopefully, next year.

Snapshots of him waiting at our bus stop. I love that his backpack is bigger than him!

I realized that after I put him on the bus, (which was 10 mins late which made me wonder if we were at the right place, if there are other school buses that come by this route, etc. ) I told the bus driver that he is a kindergarten student and to take good care of him. She said she would and smiled at me. As I got in the car, I realized that I never asked the bus driver if she was going to the correct school!!! If he was even on the right bus!!! So I drove to the school to make sure he made it there. I know, over paranoid mother.

While waiting for the bus, Howie met up with best friend, Destin. Then the bell rang and the lined up for class. It is the mother in me, but I think he looks pretty darn cute, I mean handsome for his first day of school.

this is my favorite shot of the day, his anticipation on the first day of school

This is him getting off the bus. He was strutting over to me with a grin from ear to ear and happy as could be finishing his first day of school. I then asked him where his backpack was? He freaked out and ran back to the bus to get it.

I was glad, so that I could actually get a bus shot. The driver was so kind and smiled when he had forgot his backpack. He was a cute bus driver that seemed to enjoy the kids on the first day of school and all the newness it brings.

1st after school snack: cookies and milk.

Love you Howie, you grew up too fast, but I am excited you love school so much. Here's to a great year in Kindergarten.

keys to my heart

just finished this little beauty:

I just lOvE how it turned out! Sweet Daisey Design has the tutorial.

sometimes crafting is therapeutic. today it was for me.

From Sea to Shinning Sea

Well pretty darn close. Last week I had an awesome opportunity to see this great nation in a whirlwind trip. I helped my sister Becky move to Rhode Island. Remember when I talked about her getting this awesome fellowship? Well she had 14 different universities offer her a two year teaching job with them. It was amazing the acclamations she received as they all wanted her to join their staff. She had a very hard time only choosing one. She finally decided to join the professors at BROWN UNIVERSITY! Seriously, my sister is a professor at Brown University (anthropology) in Rhode Island. She is so stinking smart it is awesome. That said, there was a cross country move in the works. Becky and Mo started in Oregon and I joined them in Utah on Monday. We made a crazy fast trip, stopping with friends and family to sleep and made it to Rhode Island Friday night at midnight!

I tried to take a photo of each state we passed through. I missed the Iowa one because it wasn't on the right side of the road like I had been used to. It was also midnight and I missed that sign all together.

Me, Becky and Mo in the moving van, lovely tight uncomfortable quarters. Wyoming was like Utah, mountainous but more desolate. Nebraska was FLAT and covered in corn fields (they have it so easy, no irrigation!). Iowa, Illinois, Indiana all covered in corn and soybean fields. We weren't in Pennsylvania long enough to see much. New York (we only drove straight across the bottom of the state) had a little corn, lots of trees, more diversity in landscape meaning more hills and horses. I don't know much about Massachusetts since we drove it in the dark. But later we went to Cape Cod. Rhode Island is cute, quaint, not to big for a large city, easy to get around. Decent weather while I was there. We were told it cooled off and gets more humid, but it was perfect 70's while we unpacked.

We spent the night in Iowa with my sister Sheree. Her cute family, baby Eli, shy Evie, and lots of energy Brigs. Brian was off to work and missed our pictures, but their family is so cute. Truth: Iowa is super humid! I am talking the most humid of the entire trip. It is hilly, green, trees, can't see where you are going, boggy, humid. Becky and I now understand why it might have taken the pioneers such a long time just to cross Iowa!

Had to get a cute sister picture. We were only missing Juliene. Me, Sheree, and Becky

I love this real life picture: love Evie's face, love sheree talking and becky so intimately listening to her, including her hand on sheree's knee. Just so cute. Oh, note: We went outside for a picture for good lighting, but only spent 10 minutes out there, we were dying and dripping with sweat! Back inside to the A/C.

We left Sheree's and made our way to Nauvoo. We really didn't think it would take that long from Sheree's to Nauvoo, but it did. We got there at 5:30 and they close up shop at 6. So we didn't see much, just two places and then everything was locked up. We made our way down the famous Parley Street and snagged this nice picture with the Temple and a Rainbow in the background.

Nauvoo Temple

Drove on to Carthage Jail, which also was closed for the night. Walked around and still was able to feel the spirit. Stayed in a hotel somewhere in Illinois and then the next day off to Ohio.

I think this was a highlight for me. Our stop in Ohio where I got to see my best friend since 6th grade!! Taralyn and her cute family. They are in Columbus where her cute hubby is working oh his Ph.D in history. Tara was so nice and took us to Germantown.

We had buckeyes, chocolates native to this area since the college are the Buckeyes. They were so good, peanut butter and delish chocolate, but then again, that is my favorite combination!

YUM! The food was so good. Everything cooked in butter, yes the Germans have something going for them. Of course, I couldn't eat this kind of thing everyday, but it was so so so finger-licking good.

Oh, how I wished you lived closer my friend! (not my best photo, travel hair and tired face) Her girls were cute too. Suzette, Zazie, and Claire.

Stopped in Kirtland, Ohio and visited the Temple. Second time for me. Becky and Mo seemed to really like it.

Snapped this shot because it showed up what we looked like, same sized moving van with the exact same dolly and car, color and everything, on the back! Funny.

Finally made it! Rolled in at midnight and crashed on the floor. Unpacked the next morning when some help from the ward came. Here is the cute place Becky and Mo will be living at for the next two years! They live on the second floor. The landlady is on the first and the attic is rented out as well. There is a full unfinished basement where the washer and dryer are located. Narrow, steep stairs, but very cute with lots of personality. My favorite feature of the place: a fun button to buzz people up (unlocks the door and allows them to come up! totally like what you see in the movies).

After unpacking a little, Sunday afternoon we took a jot down to Cape Cod, MA. I had this image that it was small. Boy was I wrong. We meandered along and found a cute beach. We forgot the map and we we stopped at a gas station and figured out where we were, we were still two hours from the tip of the cod where I wanted to go, to Provincetown. It was late and we had to go back. So did everyone else on the cod, it took much longer and was bumper to bumper the entire way home. I can't say I blame them. I would spend my weekends on the Cod too! It was so lovely ! I will come here again someday.

Stuck my feet in the Atlantic (hee hee), never done that before. It was surprisingly nice and warm. I wanted to jump in and go swimming.

Sisters at Cape Cod

Here is a map so you can see how stinking big Brown is. It was massive and mixed in with regular houses and the rest of the city.

I love how old every building is. There is some new stuff too, but I just love the look of the old stuff.

This is Becky in front of the building that is her department. It is where her office will be too.

If we had more time, I would have like to see this little park. It was on the water (to the left).

Some shots of the downtown Providence, Rhode Island.

Okay, so we went shopping for a table and chairs. We went to some places and didn't see much in the price range. Saw an ad for Atlantic City Furniture and went to check it out. As we got closer and closer to this place, I reached over and locked the doors. Scary part of town. When we got there, we started laughing. It was this dilapidated 1800's factory turned furniture store. I only got two of the three furniture stores in the picture. It was old, musty, mildew-y? (is this a word?), ghetto place with no a/c. As we took a look around, the ceiling sounded like it was going to collapse on us as something was pushed around on the floor above. Not to mention the dust that floated down on us. We inquired and found out there is still a working factory above us, not sure what they make, but the entire experience is one I will never forget.

Well, it was a wham bam quick trip full of driving and new adventures. I am now saving up my pennies to return next fall. Don't you think New England in the fall would be nice? I do! Now explore my sister and take me to all the yummy dives and fabulous places you find when I return next fall. Rhode Island, I love you.

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Just made these beauties and well, tommy says they are the best cupcakes he has ever had. I partook and decided on behalf of my figure, I will be visiting others and giving of my bounty to preserve self (and from self increasing). Yes, they were super yummy. There is something amazing about the combination of salty and sweet. They were easy to make and DIVINE! The pictures alone on her website Joy's Hope started me salivating. I give you permission, go ahead and make these. You won't be sorry.

(decided to use her photo, mine looked the same just not as nice presentation as hers, why redo the work, she already took the picture, i'll just use it, credit to Joy's Hope)

(yes, it is exactly what you are thinking. injection of pure goodness)