Happy Birthday, Emmy!

Nonna came this month! She threw a birthday party for Logan and Chloe and gave all of the kids money to spend on toys and treats. So tonight Tristan said, "Mom, I ran out of the money. Can you give me more?" She has set a dangerous precedent.



The kids loved the box that our lawn mower came in. Tristan slept in it all night, on the hard wood floor. Ouch.



Tristan's first day of school and Landon's first day teaching seminary. Tristan wasn't at all nervous, just happy and bouncy like a puppy. Landon was apprehensive, but not about teaching. He just isn't sure that he can graduate on time while taking time out of the work day for teaching/preparing lessons. (His class goes from 8:10-9:00 AM for the kids who go to alternative high school programs.) Upon discussing this, we decided two things: A) he'd be blessed, and B) he wasn't going to graduate "on time" anyway. We're resigned to the fact that it will probably be a December 2015 graduation instead of a summer celebration.



Tristan's first school bus ride.



Don't they just exude coolness?



The girls and Landon enjoying an afternoon at the university pool.



Meanwhile, the boys play together near the shallow end.



Chloe is our kid who likes her own space, often slinking off to find a secluded spot. In a small house, she has to get creative.

Now that Joss is in 4th grade, she gets to have 1/2 hour of French instruction daily. She loves the fact that she's top of the class in that subject, and how the teacher praises her: "Fantastique!" She memorized a song the teacher taught the class, and actually volunteered to perform it in front of everyone! Our shrinking violet VOLUNTEERED! That's a far cry from last year, when her teacher wondered if Joss spoke English and asked if she should assign an aid to her in class.

Chloe wants to go back to 1st grade, as she says 2nd grade is too tough. Tristan hasn't brought home any work yet, so I'm not sure what he's up to. I just know he did show and tell one day (brought his Costa Rican frog and toucan box, his CTR ring, and a shell Landon gave him from the Gulf), and he gets frustrated when his teacher wakes him up after nap time.