double mustache and other fun things

Ruby is rockin' the double mustache today.  One 'stache is Nutella.  The other reminds me of my husband's boss in Chicago.

Ruby started preschool today.  She says she has the "first bestest teacher in the whole world!"  Ruby wore her magic shirt to school.  There is a secret button on the shirt that makes a magic-wand sound when pressed.  Ruby has a fan club at her school.  Everyone knows her by name... and they all love to say goodbye when she leaves because she smiles her magic smile and waves like royalty. 

June is sporting a 5 o'clock shadow today.

I wiped it off by 5:15.

Cousins came today.  I made homemade bread and served it up with Nutella and banana granola for an after-school snack.

Mustaches for all!  (Except Emma... she eats like a girl.)

We picked flowers from our garden.

Next year I will plant more flowers... so we can pick more!

1st day for our 1st grader!

Alli actually got up right away when her alarm went off this morning.  It is the first day of school.  She got dressed in the outfit she laid out the night before.  She had a hearty breakfast.
She was anxious to get out to the bus stop early.
The bus stop was a party this morning.  Parents with coffee and cameras surrounded the excited kids. 
I wiped the toast crumbs off of Alli's face and reminded her which bus to ride home.  I don't know if she was paying attention.  She was watching and listening for the bus.

When the big yellow bus rolled into the neighborhood, the kids could hardly wait to get on!  They made a line... kindergartners first.  When the bus finally pulled up, they climbed up the giant steps and waved goodbye.

A few eyes got teary... not the kids... the moms. 

I am so excited for Alli to start this adventure!

Woohoo! But Not for Real.

Today in the car, Alli told me that when she grows up, she want's to write a book called:

Woohoo!
But Not for Real.

That is how she described it... a big "woohoo" and "but not for real" underneath in smaller type.

And then she explained the premise of the book.  It will be about a girl who does things with her friends and she says "Woohoo!" but then she thinks, "But not for real." 

Alli made up scenarios for the book... some girls ask the main character to go shopping.  She says, "Woohoo!"  But she does not really want to go.  The main character gets a gift from her friend that she doesn't really like...  Woohoo!  But not for real.

Based on the title alone, I think she has a best seller. 

Alli starts first grade tomorrow.  Woohoo!  For real.

Photo by Alli... time to clean those glasses!

road trip

Last week I went on a road trip with my sister Janis and her daughter Margaret.  Margaret is starting at Brigham Young University... my alma mater! 
The drive from Columbus to Provo is long.  We broke it up into two long days.  We talked a lot.  I reminisced about my college days and got all excited for Margaret.  (She is going to have so much fun!)  We listened to a book on CD (Slumdog Millionaire... not for the kiddies, but overall well-written and an inspiring story).  We ate a lot of snacks.
We stopped at Arches National Park for sight-seeing and hiking.  I love Arches!  The terrain is breathtaking!  Like being in another world.  We only had a few hours there before we hit the road again...

We spent the night in Price, Utah.  On our run in the morning, Janis and
I saw graffiti on a bridge that said, "Cops are awesome!"  It was
written in pink chalk, the writing was cutesy, and there was a big heart
drawn next to it.  The message seemed sincere.   No permanent damage done.
When we arrived in Provo, we stopped by Margaret's new place.

Her apartment has a dishwasher!  And a washer/dryer in the unit!  Deluxe!

While in Provo I got to visit family and friends.  My little bro-in-law has five couches at his apartment!  All of them are "college chic"... or something like that.  I shared a delicious lunch with Kris Tina.  I saw Coby on campus at a booth for his company Readeo.  I met up with Grandma Utah and had lunch at Brick Oven.  Provo is full of friends.
By the light of the moon, Janis and I hiked to the Y on the mountain.  The view was fantastic.

Yes, it is way up there.  I used to love running/hiking up there because everything looks so small from that altitude.
Janis and I ran our long run up Provo Canyon to Bridal Veil Falls and back... 18 miles.  The toughest part was the cold wind coming down the canyon.  Half of our run was uphill and into a stiff wind... the other half wasn't so bad.
We left Utah Friday evening and drove to Boulder, Colorado where we stayed with Andy's sister Jen and had breakfast with the lovely Aunt Anne!  What a treat!  And then we drove all day long.  At every pit stop, we got out of the car like the Tin Man before he was oiled.  Long runs and car trips don't go well together.
We rolled into town Sunday evening.  It was a great trip, but I am glad to be home!  I missed Andy and the girls so much. 
And there is not a moment to rest... school starts this week!

summing up summer

Summer is quickly slipping away.  I spent today filling out forms for school.  It has been a wonderful summer.  We have done so many fun things!  And for that reason, I am behind on the blog. 
Here are a few of our summer highlights...
Mars Cousins Camp was a treat!  We spent a few days at Hocking Hills.  Almost all of the Mars kids were there (Ben is on a mission in Connecticut, so he wasn't there).  With all the spouses and children, there were about 45 of us!  I enjoyed running on the trails with David, Emily, Janis, Dan, Tevita, Sarah and Joe.  Hocking Hills has some amazing terrain!  To see lots more Cousins Camp photos, click here.

We've been to the beach.  Okay... not the real beach.  But the sand by the reservoir was lovely.  And there were seagulls.

The girls have had lots of quality cousin time this summer!

We have taken lots of pictures.

Alli is a budding photographer too.

She takes some very interesting pictures.
I have kept up my marathon training all summer... my long run this week will be 20 miles.  Four weeks to go until the marathon!  Almost there!
Summer has been good, but we are all excited for school to start... and more adventures to come.  Alli will be in 1st grade!  Ruby has another year of preschool.  June will still be my sidekick at home.
Hooray for changing seasons!  Hooray for exciting things to come!

Escape Artist

On my way to my brother's house today, June was throwing a fit.  Screaming angrily.  I am pretty good at tuning out crying... but then Ruby tattled, "June is not buckled!" 
I know I buckled June into her car seat.
I glanced into the rear view mirror... and there she was, sitting in her seat, slouching over, unrestrained!
I freaked out silently in my heart.  I was on a ramp from one highway to another.  No place to pull over.  Luckily, the next exit was ours.  I stopped and examined June's seat.  She had somehow pushed the button to unlatch the lower buckle, then slipped the chest buckle over her head (it was still latched)!
I tightened all the straps and double checked the buckles...

... and I am still freaking out a little bit.