First Day of School!!!!!

The verdict: HE LOVED IT! So glad too because he has to go back. He was very excited and very prepared. We are so proud of our big kid!
What I love best about Carter is that he was also so thoughtful of his sister and realized that she would miss him during the day. We have our little ritual of how we say goodbye, the three of us, in the morning so we can keep each other close all day.
Moira was very thoughtful of him, too, and asked if we could get him a little treat. Little did she know I already had something planned.
Carter came off the bus yesterday literally shrieking with delight...and without a backpack. He was so excited he had to run back to the bus to get it.
Now, if we can only keep this momentum up through med-school. ;-)

Can you see how proud he is??? My good friend, Desi, made the chalkboard for us so we can use it every year. Love it!

Moira was so excited she didn't want to wait to finish breakfast to get it on the pictures. Classy, just like her momma.

Proud Daddy! Jon took the morning off to see Carter off on his first day. He met us in time to grab him off the bus later too!

We raced the bus to school to grab photos of Carter heading into school too. Don't judge! We weren't the only parents doing the exact same thing!

So proud and confident!

Oh! The Places he'll GO! Muah!!!

I planned a little welcome home party for Carter after school. Moira picked out a present for him. It was a big hit.

Please look closely: Carter bursting off the bus

Check out his mad air!

Bursting to his momma!!

 "Where's your backpack???", ""ACK! I left it on the bus!!!"

Now he's got it!

Reunited!! Great day Carter! SO proud of you!!!!

ALASKA!

Ok, I have been wanting to blog about our trip but I have been waiting for MORE photos. We took some and my Dad did too, and of course I like his better - but they aren't HERE yet!!!
I figure I need to go ahead and post anyway because there are other things I want to get to. So....
ALASKA: AWESOME!
We embarked on our adventure via a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. That was something I vowed to Jon I would NEVER do. The idea just did not appeal to me at all.  Being trapped at sea with no visibility of Terra Firma was terrifying to say the least. But my Dad asked if we would join them so of course I could not tell him "No". So all aboard we went with my children tethered to my side (Moira is fearless and a climber. Not a good combination.)
As the trip progressed, I relaxed a little more. It was easy too once I saw what an absolute BLAST my kids were having. They, by far, had the most fun of anyone else on that ship. (Don't call it a boat - Carter WILL correct you!)
We took in as many sites as we could in Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria, B.C. (anything to get me off that ship and on dry (stationary) land!). The kids enjoyed whale watching the best for sure. We got to see several orcas, humpback whales and even a few sea lions. We also took a beautiful train ride, which was an amazing way to view the landscape. Jon and I hiked with my sisters in the rain forest. The kids hiked a bit too. In Victoria we got brave and did a zip line. Of course, Jon and I were already pros from our trip earlier this summer, but we had a lot of fun.
Enjoy the pics. When more come in, I will try to be good about posting them. ;-)

Hanging out on the ship

 Packed and ready for our whale watching/rain forest hike adventure!

That was our whale watching boat. You thought I was nervous about the cruise ship??? Those windows swing open so you can hang out of them to get close and personal with nature...or your Maker.

That was the last moment she sat still the rest of the tour. She spent the rest of the time hanging out the aforementioned windows.

Carter is parking the boat.

Captain Carter!

Hiking in the rain forest. It was a little rainy. The kids were AWESOME!

Glacier. Global  warming is REAL people!

Train ride. It was truly more beautiful than words and photos could convey. It literally brought tears to my eyes.

The family wanted to celebrate Carter's birthday with him one month early. He did not object!

This is as graceful as I get folks.

It was an amazing trip. I'm not saying I want to do it again next year, but we had an amazing time. THANK YOU!!! ;-)

A Camping We Did Go!

We took the kids on their first camping adventure this past weekend in the Shenandoah Valley. To be precise, we went to Jellystone Park and the kids L O V E D it!! They couldn't wait to get up there and see Yogi Bear and BooBoo, but were very apprehensive of their food being stolen. We assured them their picnic baskets would be secure.
The kids were thrilled to sleep in their very own sleeping bags, make a fire, eat marshmallows (roasting optional!), and play with flash lights and glow sticks. Moira and Daddy even got to catch a firefly. During the day, the kids enjoyed all the kitchy activities of the park. It was like stepping back in time. They jumped on bouncy pillows, swam for hours, rode in a pedal boat, had a water balloon fight, and played on playgrounds. Jon and Carter even ventured to Luray Caverns. It was neat to hear his report - even if I had to drag it out of him.
We also learned Moira has a future as a firewoman. She taught herself how to go down the (7ft high!) fireman pole on the playground. It made me so nervous, but at 2 and a half, she is quite proficient. This girl is all muscle!
I hope you enjoy the photos. Carter's favorite part of camping was roasting marshmallows and Moira's favorite was sleeping in the tent. Jon and I loved being experiencing all of this through their eyes. What a treat. We ALL can't wait for next time!!!

 All packed up and ready to go.

 Are we there yet?

 Group shot. ;-)

 Our site! Before

 Carter in the caves

 The livin is easy when you are Carter Stevenson

 They wouldn't let us leave without getting their picture with Yogi

 Our site! After

 These aren't yo momma's marshmallows. These things were HUGE!

 They are so sweet when they finally fall asleep. ;-) We are saving this pic for when they are teens.

 Pretty amazing.