Happy Birthday Celeste!

My baby girl turned 9 today. I can't figure out where the time has gone! She is turning into a beautiful young woman with an amazing mind of her own. We haven't started dance or drama yet since we've been in Kentucky. I have mostly just been working on getting to know the city and see what is around here, so I haven't gotten to where I want to be in the car driving her everywhere yet, especially when I'm still pretty good at getting lost!

Celeste is in 4th grade and has her own sense of style. She loves to ride her bike, dance, sing, play with her friends, swim, read, listen to music, paint her nails, play computer games, dress up, play with her hair and just about anything else that is girlie!

For her birthday she requested a new bike, so we took her to pick out a bike over the weekend. This morning we gave her a necklace and I got to take cupcakes to her class for the first time ever. She also requested steak and mashed potatoes and green beans with butter for dinner. (She is definitely her father's daughter!)

I think our trip to Oregon this summer was a real learning experience for grandparents. (If that's not true, feel free to let me know Nana and Grandma!) Both grandmothers had to relearn who Celeste was this summer, but for her birthday, they completely pegged her! Nana sent her the new dress she is wearing in the picture. (The black leggings and shoes were already hers. I don't know if Nana just remembered what her school shoes looked like or not, but they were perfect with her dress! She also has a pair of pink earrings that have zebra print on them that she can wear with her outfit as well!) Nana also bought her a new Monster High Doll. She LOVES these dolls and was so excited to get this one! Her grandma got her a new jewelry box with earrings in it and a Taylor Swift CD. Since Taylor Swift is her absolute favorite singer, she was on cloud nine to get the new CD. She can't wait for after school tomorrow when she can watch the DVD that came with it. Life was definitely good for her today! I love this girl and can't wait to see what the future brings for her! What a blessing she is to us. I couldn't imagine our lives without her.

First Day of School

 I've gotten so far behind in blogging, but I have to take a moment to post a few pictures of my babies' first day of school. At the end of last week, Eddie got to go to a Kindergarten Camp where they took all of the kids to their classrooms and gave them a tour of the building. They also got to practice getting on and off the bus, so they were ready for their first day of school. It was a good thing too because there were a few kids in tears to leave their moms in the cafeteria while they went on their tour with their classes. Not my Eddie though. He was all smiles and waved goodbye last week and this morning. Celeste also got to meet her teacher last week, so she knows where her desk is and who her teacher is and what he will expect from her on the first day. We don't see many male teachers anymore at the grade school level, but I'm so excited for her. I think she will have a fabulous year with her teacher. He loves magic tricks and the teachers have split the curriculum so they can each focus on their area of expertise. Her teacher loves math, so he will be teaching her math and she will have a different teacher for reading, etc. I think it will be great for her to get several different teaching styles. Her teacher also asked for me to write about her to return for the first day, so he can get to know her better. I love when a teacher wants to know about their students and be able to help them where they need it. I can't wait to hear all about their first day when they get home this afternoon.

They are both so excited to be going to school. Eddie said he was a little bit scared, but he's so excited to be going to school finally that the nerves weren't a problem. My sweet babies are growing up so fast!

 

Eddie with his BIG backpack jammed with everything he needs for his first day!

 

Celeste couldn't fit everything she was required to get in her backpack, so a plastic bag will have to do for the first day! We did luck out that they specifically asked for plain notebooks and folders, so we didn't have to fight about getting the more expensive stuff! I love when they ask for everything to be the same and I only have to spend 17 cents per notebook when she needs 8 of them!

 

 My handsome Gordon needed his picture taken as well. He's getting so big!

OMSI, Zoo, and Aviation Museum

It's amazing that we lived in Oregon for so long and never made it to the Aviation museum until we move away and come back for a visit!

The kids saw the planes on the outside of the buildings and were more excited than I can describe. When they heard that they could get out of the car and see the planes and touch them, they couldn't wait to get going. We spent hours playing, touching and even got to go inside a few of the planes.

Nana and Papa have a pass for the kids to go to the zoo for free with them. The kids always have such a great time while they are there, so it was no surprise that they loved it again this time. We went on the train as well this time. Usually we only ride the train during Christmas time for lights, but this time we were able to ride the train into Washington Park. Gordon ended up falling asleep during the train ride, so cute!

My kids have been to OMSI only a few times, but have loved it every time and this time was no different. Cavan, Mike and Erica even got into it with the water area in the kids section. I didn't get any pictures of the balls, but the men had a good time in there as well. OMSI is such a fun place for everyone. I love watching kids do hands-on things while learning!

Family Pictures

We had family pictures done this year with the Dover Family again. My good friend Amanda took our pictures last year and did such a good job that we asked her take our pictures again this year. We had a barbecue afterwards and her family joined ours for that as well. Our kids are friends and we had such a great time being together as family and friends. Here are a few of the great pictures we were able to get!

The Original Dover kids

My beautiful baby girl!

The grandkids with Nana and Papa.

What the Dover family really looks like!

Celeste and Natalie

Eddie and Tony

We'll be sure to post a new family picture after Baby Thomas is born as well. It's amazing how much our family has changed over a year, isn't it?!

First Oregon Beach Trip

I have so many adventures to write about in Oregon that I'm just going to take it a little at a time so I don't overwhelm myself or anyone else with my jabberings! Our first week in Oregon was so relaxing and fun. The kids enjoyed playing with their cousins constantly. It was actually quite funny to watch Gordon wake up in the morning and want to run next door to get KaeLynn to play. Poor KaeLynn's sleep schedule was so thrown off with my kids around that she often didn't wake up until late in the morning, which was torture for Gordon!

Anyway, Grandma wanted to go to the beach for a night with us while we were in town. We got into Lincoln City and went straight for the beach. Of course, luck wasn't completely on our side, but it wasn't raining, so we played anyway. The wind blew, which was great for a kite, but not nearly as fun for trying to eat or see anything! It didn't stop the kids though, they played in the sand and even went near the water. We didn't take very many pictures the first day just because we were afraid we would end up with sand in the camera with all of the wind.

The next day was GORGEOUS though! We went down to Depot Bay and then on to Newport before heading home. Kyle was able to get some great pictures. We plan to use one of the pictures on our wall in our living room where we have a big blank spot right now. I can't wait to decide on the picture and get it printed! 

Thanks Grandma for the fabulous night at the beach! We had so much fun and enjoyed playing on the beach. Kyle and I especially liked dinner with all you can eat crab legs! SO GOOD!