Daddy's Little Girl

A few days before Emily started kindergarten she was riding in the car with Matt. They were talking about her starting school and she asked him if he was happy she was going to kindergarten. He said that he was both happy and sad. She asked why he was sad and he said that it meant that she was growing up and that made him a little sad. Then Emily said, "but Daddy, it's okay, I'll always be your little girl." Matt said his heart melted. What a sweet little girl we have.

Trip to the Farm

We had a few fun trips this summer. The first was to visit Matt's family on their farm in Illinois. The kids enjoy playing with their cousins, riding the four-wheelers, riding horses and numerous other outdoor activities that they don't normally get to do at home.

4th of July Family picture

The first thing Emily did each morning as soon as she woke up was to go visit with the horses. As you can see, she is still in her pajamas.

Emily riding her pony, Midnight.

Emily on the swing

This was the first summer that there was enough water in the pond to go canoeing.

We bought some ducks for the pond, so Matt built a floating duck house for them. They took each one out in the canoe.

The four wheelers were the most popular attraction. Matt made a fun trail through the woods and over creeks that was a huge hit. Noah was too little for this trail but he had fun riding around the yard.

Matt took the kids fishing at Lake Pittsfield. Emily and Griffon both caught several fish. They had such a fun time. Next year the fish in the pond on the farm will be big enough to catch, so they'll be able to fish there.

Here's a picture of Noah running off to the pond. That little rascal jumped right in with all of his clothes on. I couldn't take my eyes off of him for a second.

Noah driving the tractor with Daddy.

The kids love to play with their cousins. It's great because they each have a cousin around their same age. Griffon and Averie are only a few years apart. Both Emily and Ella and Noah and Zane are only a few months apart.

Noah and Zane playing in Grandpa's truck.

Emily and Ella

The girls during a pretty sunset.

We had a birthday party for Zane who turned 2. He's feeding Noah some of his cupcake.

With the Great- Grandparents

Noah playing with Grandpa Boren

First Day of Kindergarten

Okay, I know I've been a terrible blogger lately. I'll try to do better now that school has started. Yesterday was a big milestone in our house as Emily started her first day of kindergarten. This is a day I have been dreading since she was born, but surprisingly I got through it with no tears. Emily was super excited and I was happy to share her excitement with her. She had a fantastic day and loves her teacher. She is in awe over how much bigger her new school is compared with the preschool she had gone to. When I picked her up and asked her about her day, she said that she loved EVERYTHING. She talked a mile a minute telling me every single thing that happened. It was so cute. Here are a few other pics of our morning. We enjoyed our walk to school and will do this most days especially when the weather is nice. The school is about a 20

minute walk from our house.

With her teacher, Mrs. Flynn.

Wearing Daddy's shoes

The Newest Member of Our Family

Congratulations to my brother Mike, sister-in-law Monica and nephew Carson on the birth of John Henrik Ek born on June 17, 2008. He weighed in at 8 pounds 13 ounces and 20.75 inches in length. We're looking forward to meeting him in a few weeks in Charlotte, NC.

Emily's Last Day of Preschool

I took these pictures on Emily's last day of preschool. It was an emotional day for me. I think Emily was a little sad too.

Emily and Ms. Arlene


Emily and Ms. Ellen

EPCOT

We recently spent an afternoon/evening at EPCOT. This was our last visit to the parks for a few months since our seasonal passes are not valid for most of June, July and August.

Noah and a new friend watching the fish at the Nemo ride.

One of Emily's favorite things to do here is collect the charms at all the different countries.

A storm passed through and left a beautiful rainbow for us to enjoy.