Big Kid Updates

A big kid update post is way overdue (much like my stack of library books sitting on the shelf next to me) here in this space! We keep super busy with our schedules, but it's a fun life to keep up with. 

The school year is off to a great start. Jackson in 2nd grade and Isabelle started kindergarten this year. 

Jackson has been busy losing teeth! If he keeps losing them at this rate, I'll be feeding him baby food. But speaking of food- this kid eats a ton. He plays hard and is ALWAYS hungry. His favorite snack is still pineapple. 

Jackson is playing fall ball and his first game was earlier this week. He's made some great hits and has been able to score some runs! It's a lot of fun to watch. When he's not playing ball (or begging to play on the tablet) Jackson has picked up reading quite a bit. I'll find him on the couch captivated by a chapter book sometimes in the morning and he's always begging to stay up a little bit later to read. He finished the Captain Underpants series and was distraught that the series had to end. He went on and on about how he likes the characters and wonders why the author couldn't just keep writing more! I said, "Me too, buddy. Me too." It made me chuckle because I still feel that way about Harry Potter. But I love that he's into books enough to care about when the books end!

School pics came home yesterday. My brown eyed baby boy sure is handsome! And the missing teeth are just my favorite.

Isabelle is learning to read, loves to play pretend, and enjoys art projects. We "made cookies" using a cardboard box and she played with them and her stuffed animals for a week! This afternoon, I found her cutting through the grocery ads to make a collage of her favorite foods. Which then progressed into cutting items of a party catalog-- and she could tell you a never ending story about every single item she cut. I love her imagination!

 Does this face just scream ornery?!? :) She is a master at saying whatever is on her mind and making her opinion known. She also picks up the funniest phrases and uses them in the most unpredictable ways in conversation. Belle makes us laugh a ton!

Here's her sweet kindergarten picture! I love that she wanted to wear a bow that day. It doesn't happen often. Neither does her hair actually looking this put together. 

Jackson and Isabelle have started watching Pokemon on Netflix. Derek and I are hoping the interest will fade fast. They are both big helpers around the house and love to earn stars for their chore charts. One of my favorite parts of the day is getting to read with them before bed. We are currently reading through a few Magic Treehouse books. I have to hide them when I get them from the library because otherwise Jackson will read them on his own before I even have the chance to start a new one. 

The 'big kid' stage of life is fun. I sure love these kiddos!