When did this happen?

When did it happen that I got old enough to have a kid in the FIRST GRADE??  Geez--I do not feel that old!?! But--it is true, I do have a first grader now:) And-today was his first day. From the sounds of it, it was loads of fun...but a LOT of work! He said that his teacher worked him super hard today! I already warned him that it will only get better:)

Here are a few pictures from the big day. The first one is from today. And the second one was just about one year ago...on the first day of Kindergarten. I thought it would be nice to compare how big the boys have gotten in the last year:)

And a couple more of Kenny just being silly...

Babies & Brides...

As promised...I am updating AGAIN! A few of our nearest & dearest relatives have had some big life changes lately! All good!

First, it was Lauren's turn (Ken's little sis)! She was blessed with a little boy--LIAM CHASE. He was born on July 19th...6lbs, 13oz & 20 inches long. We were lucky enough to pay the little guy a visit last weekend. He was so small & precious. I do not remember my little guys ever being so small!! (Might be because they were both 8+ lbs at birth!)

Here is sweet picture of Uncle Ken feeding Liam a little snack:)

 And a couple more of Liam chillaxin...

 I actually got a picture of all 3 boys together. Look at how tiny he looks in comparison!

Later in the same day...we went for a visit with the Brooner's. My cousin--Paul--just announced his engagement to a sweet young lady--Katie. I failed to get a good pic of them together at the celebration...so I stole this one from Paul's FB page:)

We are so excited for Katie to officially join the family! We are also excited because they have asked John to be the ring bearer at the wedding ceremony.

While celebrating the engagement at the Brooner house...the boys decided they'd go for a little swim in the pool with Aunt Karen & Grandma Glaude...oh and their puppy-cousin Chloe:) Here are a few pics...I didn't manage to get a good one of Kenny though:(

I intended to update more often...

I really did! I meant to update the blog at least once a month. But, as you can tell...that just hasn't happened. I'm feeling motivated again & am really going to try to be better about updating. At the very least, this will serve as a good scrapbook for us & what we have been up to!

So...what have we been up to?
Ken has been busy with work & school. He has one more semester-then he will start student teaching! I cannot believe it!

Christine (that's me!) has been busy with work and trying to keep the house together.  I do occasionally get a little time to myself...& finally have time to read a good book every now & then:)

Kenny has been busy at summer camp. He has had a lot of fun. They go on 2-3 field trips a week. He has been to the Zoo, Science Center, City Museum, tour of Busch Stadium...and a ton more places. He is looking forward to the First Grade too! He starts in a little over a week.

John has been busy just being a 2-year-old! His vocabulary has grown so much over the last 6 months. He loves to ask questions & is very curious. We are also in the early stages of potty training. Hopefully this is a skill we can get mastered in the next few months. He also loves our cat-Sergio-very much. He is always laying down on the floor next to him & loving on him!

We just got back from a trip to Branson as well. It was so nice to get away as a family & spend some quality time together. The boys had a blast! We rode go-karts, visited Silver Dollar City & White Water. We also went to the Dixie Stampede & rode the Branson Scenic Railway. It was SUPER hot...100+ everyday. We survived the heat though...just had to drink plenty of water!

Here are a few pics from our trip...


Ken & John riding the Branson Scenic Railway. Can you tell how much John is loving his picture taken?



Christine & Kenny riding the train. Don't mind the lack of makeup...just look at the cute kid:)

John riding the train...checking out the beautiful scenery outside his window.

Both boys pose for a picture next to the train.

We had lunch at a floating restaurant. The food was great!

Cheese!!

We rode the ducks as well! Here is John with his quacker:)

Kenny got in on the fun too!

Both boys got to take a turn riding one of the ducks. Here is John up front after his turn driving.

And a pic of Kenny driving. That's his little head poking over the top of the captain's seat. Each time a kid went up to drive, the captain guessed their age. He guessed Kenny was 10! He certainly is tall for 6 years old:)