The Last Days of Summer

Marina and Lincoln are now both school kids! Here is Marina on her back-to school night and on her first day of school. Marina announced after back-to-school night that she was "really gonna do good in school." She was very excited. There was a little hiccup with the bus ride home (they were on the bus for almost an hour and there was not a bathroom. I'll say no more), but Marina is excited to go back.



This is the gingerbread girl (life size!) that Marina made at school on her first day. It now graces her bedroom door. She also got her hair cut short again this afternoon - it's not just the angle of the photo.
Lincoln had his eighth birthday last week. Here are some photos of the fun:

Thanks Evelyn and Francine!
Thanks Kara!

Thanks Nana and Papa!Thanks Grandma, Grandpa, Pumpkin , and Wizard!

Lincoln's birthday dinner request was to eat at Ninja (Japanese hibachi). He loves the flames, especially the onion flame tower.
Marina enjoyed the gift boxes too!

Marina wanted to try her hair in curlers - again! The results this time were much better.


We made a quick trip to Salt Lake to attend Kyle's birthday party (their cousin). Lincoln was the one who broke open the pinata!
We also went to the Riverton splash pad while we were there. It was a windy day, but we had fun.


Lincoln and Marina get along very well with their cousins, although things can get a little loud when they are all together. See what I mean?




Finally, this is the car I followed home from Brian Head last weekend. Yes, I took the photo while I was driving, but it all turned out OK.

Summer Fun and School Starts!

Lincoln and Marina returned from Maine two weeks ago. They had a great summer. Marina's favorite thing that she did was go to the beach. Lincoln's favorite memory was getting stung by a jellyfish. I think he loves telling the story more than the actual experience. Ryan and I were so happy to see the kids - they definitely grew a lot in their time away!

After a day to rest, we took a little trip to St. George to have some fun. Kara, Melissa, Will and Petra came with us. We ate at a place called Pirate Island Pizza - it was like we were on a pirate ship. The kids had a great time, especially with the arcade.

We made a Costco trip, and Kara made a great purchase - a giant ball. After quite a bit of time blowing it up (all four adults had to help), the kids had a blast! Lincoln could get the ball to move while he was in it, but the other kids just found other things to do with the ball. Here are Will and Marina playing Wac-A-Mole with Will as the Mole! The kids would also just crawl in and out. It was a definite hit (good thing since it took so much to blow up!).






The next day, we went to Fiesta Fun Center in St. George. Marina loved the "little cars" because she could drive herself. She had a hard time steering, but made up for any crashes with a cute smile!



Lincoln rode the kiddie cars too, but what he really liked was the go carts. He is not quite tall enough to drive himself, but his dad did a great job driving. They had some mechanical problems at the end though.


Marina and Will had fun in the "soft play" area.But everyone's favorite was the Bumper Boats. We tried that ride several times, and got wetter each time. It was a very hot day, so the water felt so good!




Then that night, we took the kids to see the stage version of Disney's Tarzan. Marina's favorite part was when Tarzan killed the Cheetah, however I happen to know she had her eyes covered during that entire part. I guess she liked once the cheetah was dead. Lincoln liked the monkeys flying in on zip lines. That was pretty cool. However, both kids were asleep by the time it was over. They had a pretty full day.

Before we knew it, school started. Here is Lincoln on his first day of the 3rd grade. Marina will go to her kindergarten assessment this week, and her first day of school is August 30. She can hardly wait.

Lincoln and Marina had a joint birthday party yesterday. It was a pirate and princess party. Here are Lincoln and Marina in their party hats, and some shots of the party fun.


Lincoln wants to eat at Ninja (a Japanese restaurant) for his birthday dinner. He has decided he is a big fan of hibachi. He loves to see the chefs make the fire shoot up. He will be 8 years old on Wednesday!

This week, Marina decided she wanted to try a lemon. Here is the result. I wish I had the video going; there was a full-body shudder accompanying this face. This is her handing me the lemon. She was done.



One more thing . . . Here is Marina being super girl - I could not resist!