Grant is 16!!!

 Grant is 16 years old! AIIEE! Crazy that soon he'll be driving around ON HIS OWN!!!!

We had an awesome day celebrating. We started off with presents of course, and he got some expensive shoes he wanted, hoodies, gift cards, and some other fun things. It's always fun to spoil someone on their special day. We had donuts of course, and then headed out to drive some FAST go carts that you have to be a little older to drive. Claire and I just watched and cheered the boys on (Claire was too young to go) and the boys had a blast driving around up to 40 mph! We went out to lunch (Whataburger of course, is there anywhere else when you're 16??? ;) ) We then relaxed at home while he played some video games with friends. We had a seafood extravaganza for dinner with moochi for dessert (his favorite!) with candles and singing.

 It was such a great day. Grant is an incredible kid and such a good big brother. He still loves to be creative, build things with his hands, and be outside. He also loves video games and basketball, airsoft and swimming, and is in ROTC and wrestling this year at school. He is such a kind and compassionate person. He often puts others before himself and he's a good friend to everyone. We're so proud of him and it was great to celebrate another year of him getting older! We love you Grant! 

First Day of School

First day of school! 10th grade, 7th grade, and Kindergarten! YES, Kindergarten! So many tears (of mine, not Claire's - she was ready 2 years ago - such a social butterfly). BUT, it's the end of an era for me!!! For almost 16 years I've had a little person by my side every single day to go on walks with, make cookies with, and keep me laughing and be my little companion. And I've loved and cherished every single minute of it. I've had such a wonderful time being home with them. Even though I'm so, so sad to see them grow up, they are also so fun the older they get, so it's definitely bitter sweet. Each year seems to get better and better. It's going to be a great year! 

New York

 We ended our summer vacation with an epic trip to New York. We spent half the time in the rural part, seeing Niagara Falls, Palmyra, the Catskill Mountains, and Letchworth State Park. It was so beautiful! We spent the last half in NYC. We saw Chinatown and Little Italy, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Battery Park. We also saw the American Museum of Natural History, Central Park, the Empire State Building, Times Square and all the shops and sites to see there, and Grand Central. We had fun riding the subway (even the wrong way sometimes!) and walking a million steps each day around the city. It was such a fun trip!