Was that the school bell??????????????

Can it really be that time again? As you can imagine, preparing for the first days of school gets pretty crazy at our house. Aslynn is in full day kindergarten this year, and LOVES it! She has the same teacher Ava had last year. Ava is enjoying first grade. Daniel is in fourth grade, and he changes classes between three teachers. He likes the teachers and likes most things in school, except for writing! :) Derek is in 8th grade this year. He is taking very difficult Pre- Ap classes, two of which will earn him high school credits. He is enjoying Spanish, although this subject scared him the most. All the kids are active in sports this fall. Derek is in football at school, Daniel is playing flag football through the church. Ava plays soccer through the church. Aslynn is sticking with gymnastics at ASI. We have already dove into the projects this year. Mom is a little tired!

Six Flags Over Texas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BFF's from Changsha,China!!!!!!!

Ava was so excited to go see her best friend from China, since they were in Houston to visit family. We each drove a few hours to make the meeting easier. We met in Huntsville, TX. The girls acted like they have always been together. They have only seen each other once before since leaving China in 2006. Ellie lives in Oregon, so it is not easy to get the girls together, but we have been blessed that Ellie's family has family in TX. We enjoyed the day at McDonald's, touring the Sam Houston homestead and museum, and eating some good Mexican food for dinner. The girls held hands, shared secrets, giggled, and hugged as much as you can get in for one day. We were sad to go, but we feel fortunate to have these memories. If you can't decide who is who, Ava is wearing the brown outfit. :)