Apple Orchard Field Trips

I was lucky enough to take 2 mornings off and accompany Cullen and Simone's classes on a field trip to Ferguson's apple orchard.  It's a great outing for the little kids.  Farmer Tom takes everyone on a tractor ride, teaches the kids a bit about apple trees and then urges everyone to find the perfect apple!

Go Bucky!!!

Note to self:  95 degree heat for a badger game can cause serious toddler melt-downs.   Now that we know that fact we will never go to another UW football game during a serious heat-wave!  

The morning of the game, we arrived at Union South for the pep rally around 9:15 am.  This part of the day was awesome.  There was a live band, bounce houses, games, a Bloody Mary bar, a huge Bucky balloon and cotton candy.  At 10 am, the UW marching band and cheerleaders arrived to pump up the crowd.  It was a great time for kids of all ages!  But when game time arrived, the heat index kept climbing and it felt like 100 degrees (with no air circulation) inside the stadium.  The kids were hot, tired, whiney and crying for most of the 1st quarter.  We were forced to make the executive decision to call it good and embark on our 2 hour car ride home (translation:  2 hour nap time).  If you ask Cullen and Simone, they had a great time and loved seeing Bucky.  As we were walking into the stadium, a rowdy college kid pointed to Cullen and yelled "future Badger!".  I think it actually brought a tear to Dirk's eye!  

First Day of School: Cullen 4k

Cullen started the new school year with a transition to 4k and a new school.  He is attending Cathedral Catholic school (4k - 2nd grade).  It's a little school with small classes and welcoming community feel. The first day went fine for Cullen, but I was a bit sad (as I was across the ocean attending a work meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark).  Dirk gets 100% credit for all pictures and parental first week of school duties.  As Dirk describes it, the kids gathered in the gym on the first morning and when it was time to go to his classroom, Cullen followed his teacher and was 20 yards up the hallway before Dirk could even catch up to him.  So far, Cullen loves his teacher (Mrs. Sutton), library time, gym class, the ability to choose hot lunch or your own bag lunch (ask him about "beanie weenies" #not a fan), and going to a school with some of his older friends from the neighborhood.  He also doesn't mind wearing a uniform (white, red or navy polo and khaki or navy pants) and looks very handsome.

“Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!” 

“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” 
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Dear Summer, please don't end!

Tiny Dancer.

Simone recently attended her first non-family birthday party.  Sisters Alivia and Sofia Dickinson turned 5 and 3 this August and hosted a party at a local dance studio.  All attendees were welcomed to the party with a pink tutu (courtesy or Shonda).  The birthday group spent the first half of the party with a dance instructor learning a little number and then took a break for presents, cake and ice cream. Simone was hilarious.  Her energy level was extra high - due to a missed nap opportunity and the overall birthday excitement.  At the end of the party, when the little girls preformed their dance number for the parents, Simone seemed more into scooting across the floor on her belly (perhaps a genetic predisposition for the worm?).  At any rate, the party was a memorable one and Simone had a blast!