Off to School

People always talk about how they cried when they dropped their first child off at school for the first time. I, on the other hand, felt like the mean mom who couldn't wait for school to start. Brayden has been asking me to go to school since he turned three years old. After homeschooling for preschool and kindergarten, we decided to give school a try for first grade. Brayden has been looking forward to it all summer, and as we got closer to school starting, I started looking forward to it too.

After breaking the pattern of waking up at 9 am all summer, we got up nice and early to get ready for school. We ate a solid breakfast, took the classic "first day of school" picture in front of our house (well, in front of Wilson Hall), and got in the car to go off to school. We were all really excited! No signs of any of the classic tears on the first day. That is, until I walked him into his classroom. Brayden kissed me goodbye and took off into his room, anxious and excited as his new teacher greeted him warmly. And there I was, standing at the doorway, realizing that a new era had begun with our firstborn. I walked back to the car, and in classic fashion, the memories of bringing him home from the hospital came flashing back. Then the memories of those first steps, that first bath, the first tooth, and rocking him in his little nursery. And then came the tears. Totally unexpectedly, I was just like every other first day of school parent.

Life at Judson

It's that time of year again! Fall! Fall is so wonderful here because it's when all the students move back into Wilson Hall. It's exciting and fun to meet new people and see old friends. Fall is also one of the most beautiful times here on campus. Everything is green and lush and soon will begin changing colors. It's also typically an "Indian summer" which means it will stay nice and warm throughout September! Today was one of those perfect summer/almost fall days. I can't think of another place I'd rather be than here at Judson.

A Day at the Museum

We took advantage of some free museum tickets (yay for summer reading program!) and headed to the Dupage Children's Museum. The kids had a great time exploring and trying new things. I think their favorite part was building with real tools. They hammered with real hammers and nails and sawed with real saws! So much fun for little boys! Extra thanks to Kaylie for joining us!!

The Many Faces of Hudson

All taken in a ten second time span. Now that's talent.

Margaret and Corey's Wedding

Corey and Margaret's wedding= Fun. Creative. Artsy. Heartfelt. Sincere. HOT. Unexpected. Elephant Rides. Ferris Wheel. No rules. Brayden as the "ring bear". Paint flying. Candy. Lots of it. Glitter. Feathers. Friends. Family. Beauty.

The Sand Dunes

We traveled to Sawyer, Michigan to attend my brother Corey's wedding. It was an amazing wedding-- it deserves its own post. We got to spend a few days at the sand dunes while there in Michigan. Besides being one of the hottest weeks of the summer (the thermometer in the van read 128 degrees one afternoon. No joke.), it was a great time. Brayden and I conquered the sand dunes, but I didn't bring my camera to the beach that day. Go figure. What I did bring my camera for, though, was a giant inflatable slide on the beach. It was HUGE! And it was fun! Brayden and Landon even went down headfirst. It was a great time, and I'm so glad we got some time on the beach this year.

4th of July

We did the "usual" for 4th of July this year. We spent the day at the 4th of July parade in Arlington Heights with the Follett cousins, and then went over the the Bienert side in Crystal Lake to watch the fireworks over Crystal Lake. It was a fun day. Hot, of course, just like every other year. Hudson slept through the entire parade, and most of the fireworks too. We even got a chance to visit Julia at the Freeze and get some yummy ice cream!