Countdown to football!

2 weeks until the Hawkeyes first game...fall fever is setting in!!

Landscaping at 116

Rich and the boys have really been working hard on the landscaping in front of our house. After we got the $1400 estimate we decided it would be best to do it ourselves! They took the brick out from around the big tree in the front, smoothed it out & got a big load of dirt delivered to even it out. Then Rich dug out a trench and put landscape pavers across the front rock, and will do the same on the other side. Finally new grass will go in over the dirt, and some mulch around the tree where the ginormous roots are. Tyler, Matt & Tyler's 2 friends have been huge helps..I'm proud of all the guys! And just because they are CUTE....a pic of Grace & Ava!

First Day of School!!

The kids had their first day of school today, and they were all excited (really!)! Tyler rode his bike to the High School, Matt walked to Parkview, and Rich and I walked Grace and Ben up to Northwest. We got there a little early so we headed to the gym, where they wait until the bell rings. Ben immediately found a boy from his basketball team, then a boy from his cub scout den, then a boy from his old school that had moved also. Grace met a little boy named Theo that sat at her table, he was adorable. When the bell rang they all marched right off without even looking back! Ahhhh, silence!

Fun times at the Fair

The State Fair is going on right now, and we took the whole gang to it today, including 2 of Tyler's friends and 1 of Matt's friends. It's kind of nice because they like to go off and do stuff on their own, so it's just the 2 little ones with us. They were fairly (no pun intended) grumpy that they didn't get to go on any rides, but besides the fact that the rides are total death traps, they charge you an arm and a leg for them. So we settled for a ride across the fairgrounds on the Sky Ride.Ben and Grace got to do Little Hands on the Farm. They picked fake vegetables and grain and took them to market. They also got to milk a pretend cow, that was pretty cool. Matt and Hunter at the Hawkeye display in the Varied Industries Building.

Tyler and his friends Derek and Andy with their pesky sidekick Grace. The Budweiser Clydesdale horses were there: And we couldn't leave without seeing the Butter Shawn Johnson! You know you've made it big when you get your own butter sculpture at the fair!!

The day before the day before school

School starts Thursday, but tonight was Meet Your Teacher night where you can look at your classroom and bring in your school supplies. Both kids have great teachers, I'm so relieved and happy. Gracie's teacher is a very exuberant and enthusiastic Mr. Smith. He loves teaching and can't wait to start the year.....we'll check in with him at the end of the year to see how he feels :). Grace put her family picture up under her star on the lockers. Doesn't Mr. Smith look like a baby? His wife is having a baby in January, so that will be fun for the kids to look forward to. Ben's teacher is Mrs. Mann. She seems really nice too!!

Tucker's been labeled

Poor Tucker, he endures an awful lot at the hands of his family :). Aunt Linda got us a cool labelmaker so I can label school supplies without cramping my hand and using up 3 Sharpies :). Tyler decided that Tucker needed to be labeled too.

Girls Day Out, Part Two

After we left Perry, we went to the Reiman Gardens in Ames. They have beautiful plants and flowers, and a butterfly room. The butterflies were so cool, there were hundreds of them!

Aunt Carol's lil' passenger:

Aunt Linda's lil' passenger: