KatieLynn was so excited about finally starting Kindergarten. She was ready for me to drop her off in car rider line! We had met her teacher a couple of nights before, so she was completely at ease in the classroom on her first day. Another comfort was having a friend in her class, that she met this summer at the pool. (It gave me comfort, too!)
It only took a minute or so for her to get settled in, and forget I was there. I wasn't emotional, until I kissed her good-bye, and then I did have to blink my watery eyes a little! But I knew I had to be strong, because Dean was with me, and ready to go on a Mommy-Son adventure! When I picked KatieLynn up after school, she was brimming with excitement telling about her day! It's been a great experience, and she is learning lots!
Dean has missed KatieLynn, but harvest has kept him sidetracked. Nearly every day we (and sometimes just Dean) would go ride with Daddy in the Peterbilts as they harvested corn. Our harvest was over by midweek last week, and I think Dean was the only one sad about it. But we kept busy with a playdate, and then he was able to start his own school this week. He's attending the same Christian preschool that KatieLynn did last year. On his first morning, KatieLynn filled him full of info she thought he needed. He too, was anxious to get dropped off in the car rider line that morning. I of course, walked him in, but had to chase him into his classroom to get a good-bye kiss! 
Bye-Bye Mother! I will have a great day! ...and he did! When I picked him up, about half of his class was gone or leaving, and he said, "Why did you come so early? I wanted to stay longer. Next time I want to be the last kid picked up." It was a good sign that he enjoyed his day at school!
Do you know want to know what I did all by myself? On Tuesday, I ran errands, and then met Becky and Stephany at Olive Garden for lunch. On Thursday, I cleaned the house and then ate lunch with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. It was nice!! Hopefully next week, I can get some of my other projects completed.
Look at the rattlesnake!!
KatieLynn has passed another milestone in her young life. We took the training wheels off her bike, and she's riding like a champ! She's quite excited and proud of herself.
For weeks, KatieLynn has been asking about when she'll lose a tooth and meet the tooth fairy. One of her friends, has a first grade sister, and recently has been sharing all the tooth losing scoop with their pre-school class. Then the last week of school, one of KatieLynn's close friends lost her first tooth, so that made her even more anxious to lose her own. Every few days I would check her mouth because she would think one was loose, but they were always very tight. Then Saturday night, she was eating some little gummies for dessert, and suddenly started crying. I thought maybe she bit her tongue, but as soon as she opened her mouth, I could see some blood and that her front bottom tooth was quite loose. She was a little traumatized, and said she shouldn't have wished to lose a tooth, because it was not fun! and she didn't want to have any more loose teeth! I assured her it wouldn't hurt like that the next morning. It was better on Sunday morning, but she was sticking to a liquid diet, as chewing even in the back bothered her. After church, both kids had gotten a starburst at Sunday School, so I told them they could eat them. After one bite, KatieLynn sadly said she couldn't even enjoy that, and gave it to me. Then in an excited voice said, 'Hey, my tooth fell out!" 
We had these pics done as part of a fundraiser for a friend's MOPS group. They turned out great! You can't really tell in the pictures, but Dean was definitely not excited about this photo shoot; the photographer pushed the button at just the right time though.
The kids make sure Dean has all the blues, greens, and yellows, and KatieLynn has all the purples, pinks, and oranges. Too funny!
