Birthday Touchdown!

What a GORGEOUS day! Couldn't ask for better weather - it's just beautiful outside!

In addition to celebrating the 25th anniversary of my 21st birthday (but who's counting? LOL), today was also the opening game for the Cougars (Nick's team) football season. I asked Nick before the game if he thought MAYBE he could score a touchdown for me........being that it is my birthday and all. Well, HE DID IT! He ran for a touchdown early in the game, giving the Cougars their first touchdown of the season! Woo Hoo! A great birthday present! I'm gonna have to get used to seeing Nick at the bottom of the pile-ups ... he's playing running back and linebacker, so he will definitely get some "ball carrying" time this season ... GULP. So far, so good ... no injuries today, thank goodness! The season is off to a great start!

The Reunion!

*GUIPING GIRLS FOREVER*

What a wonderful weekend we've had!!! The 5th "Guiping Girls" reunion was held Saturday / Sunday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This is the group of 10 families we traveled to China with -- we affectionately call it the "Guiping Girls" reunion because all 10 of our precious daughters are from Guiping City, in the Guangxi province of China. The girls had a blast - it was awesome to see them all interacting and re-connecting, and it is quite evident that our girls in fact DO share a very special bond. Some of the girls live closer to one another and get to see each other more often than others, but I have to say that as a group of 10, they didn't miss a beat AT ALL. Once everyone arrived on Saturday evening, the partying began and they didn't slow down until we departed for home on Sunday afternoon. :o) Carly was just beaming from all the excitement. She literally counted down the days to this long awaited event -- she was floating on Cloud 9 the entire weekend. Very heartwarming to say the least. Can't wait till the next one!

College Acceptance #1!

It's official! Alex's FIRST college acceptance letter arrived today. I'm proud to say that he's been officially accepted at Carthage College in Kenosha, WI! Woo Hoo for Alex!!! Mind you, that was one school of probably four he will ultimately be applying to . . . stay tuned for the rest of the results!!! We will keep you posted!

WAY TO GO ALEX!!! Great way to start Senior year!!!

NEWSFLASH! Lost Tooth!!

Miss Carly lost her FIRST TOOTH tonight! I helped her get it OUT - it was hanging by a mere thread! LOL! We have a VERY proud little girl! Finally - she has waited a LONG time for this big event! Congratulations to Carly! :o)

A Senior, an 8th Grader, and a 1st Grader . . .

Ready or not, here we go! Off to another school year! Here are a few of the pictures from our annual "first day of school" photo shoot.

I know it won't surprise you when I say that I'm SAD to see summer come to an end. The school year brings new levels of stress, worry, anxiety, and chaos to our already overloaded household. :o) I must say, though, that all 3 kids bounced back with enthusiasm. Alex primarily because he's finally a SENIOR, Nick because this means he'll get to actually SEE all of his friends every day instead of just texting them, and Carly because she is SO EXCITED to be a 1st grader AND she lucked out and got into the same class with one of her very bestest friends (the same little girl she spent all summer with). We'll see how happy all 3 of them are in another couple of weeks. Ha!

18 Years of Wedded Bliss!

We walked down the aisle on August 1, 1992 in beautiful Mission Viejo, California. Our wedding day was PERFECT. Couldn't have asked for anything more. One of the happiest days of my life. Thought it would be fun to share a few photos from that wonderful, awesome day.

Happy Anniversary to us! :o)

Tigers & Vikings & Bees . . . Oh My!

We're on the COLLEGE VISIT circuit! We visited Millikin on July 26, St. Ambrose (the Fighting Bees) and Augustana (the Vikings) on July 27, and Mizzou (the Tigers) on July 28. What great fun it has been -- honestly, I'm not sure how high Alex would rate the "captive audience/front and center with mom and dad for several hours at a time" part (ha), but Mike and I have truly enjoyed the 1x1 time with Alex who has, before our eyes, turned into a responsible, mature (well, most of the time - LOL), incredible, fine young man.


Current standings, per Alex's assessment:

#1 - Augustana
#2 - Mizzou
#3 - currently tied between St. Ambrose/Elmhurst College

St. Louis University remains on our list of possible visits -- but other than that, we're calling this DONE.

Pictures .....

Millikin:

St. Ambrose:

Mizzou:

Next step -- the application process! We'll keep you all informed as the fun and games begin!

_________________________________________________________

On an unrelated note, here are a couple of pics from our recent trip to the Dells (um, I mean - our "camping trip" - see "Summer Memories" post for explanation! ha). We had a GREAT time -- kids and moms alike! I don't think my back has yet recovered from Hades - a "70 mph, thrash you around the car so much your head feels like it will explode, go down humongous hills and plunge into total darkness" wooden roller coaster - but we DID IT - multiple times. :o) And I think I still have a couple of bruises to prove it! LOL. To summarize, it was a weekend packed with fun and lots of great memories.

"Big" Boys:

"Big"Boys on Hades:

"Little" Boys:

"Hot" Moms:

How can it be that tomorrow is August 1 already??? Our anniversary, by the way ... 18 wonderful years. :o) School starts in just a few weeks . . . Sigh. I wish summer could last all year long!