First and Last

I can hardly believe it, but I now have a rising First Grader! Today was the last day of Kindergarten for Ethan. It has been a year of much learning, fun and stretching (both for Ethan and me).

Ethan's favorite parts of Kindergarten... recess, P.E., snack time, lunch time, and Math (at least we got one major subject area in there). After I asked him his favorites, I also asked "What about reading?" - his response was, "reading's not that great". well, terrific, it is going to be a long 12 years!

Ethan on the first day of school.

First Day.

Last day of school.

(You can also see that sometime this year we painted the front door).

We are so excited that it is the last day of school!

The twins first day of pre-school.

Check out Livy's short hair.

Twins last day of pre-school.

When asked about pre-school- the twins favorite thing is always "Maddie and Asher" - there two buddies! My how we miss pre-school. Whose idea was it to take summers off???

Only 76 days until 1st grade.

88 days until pre-school.

But, who's counting?

Ohio for Memorial Day!

At the least minute, we decided to spend Memorial Day Weekend in Ohio with my grandmother. It was great. The weather was beautiful and so were the sunsets.

Sun setting over Lake Erie - just about 3 minutes from my grandmother's door.

Wish I had a boat.

Attempt to get a family shot. What is wrong with my kids?? Why will they not all look at the camera at the same time??

Olivia at the Lake.

Most of the days were spent in my grandmother's yard in the pool. The kids are still talking about Great Granny's "Pool" - they way they tell it you would think she has an Olympic size swimming pool back there.

I love this picture- it is just what life is like right now: Isaac spraying his sister in the face.

Another attempt at the Lake to get they all together.... really, why do I even bother?

Playing in the Lake. Although the papers reported that the water was only 55 degrees - the kiddos did not complain. (The next day we noticed there were no swimming and no wading signs posted- oh well).

On the way up we drove through Amish Country hoping to find some wheat berries. No luck, but we did see a few funny things... First, check out the car seat on the horse and buggy. Wonder if they have LATCH.

Amish farm with traditional plowing. This just strikes me as funny because it is so difficult!

Oh how I love the Amish

On Saturday we made a day trip to Hamptonville, NC. Only about an hour from our house they are home to the only settlement of Amish in North Carolina. John and I have been looking for a place to buy wheat berries and we found an Amish general store in said town. I was skeptical, not really believing that it would be a true Amish store. You see, I was born in Amish country (Ohio) and I adore the Amish and Amish Country. We like to go whenever we get the chance. I have seen many Amish folks (and have attempted to talk to several, but they are not the friendliest folks to outsiders- and for your own general knowledge NEVER try to talk to their children- they find this extremely offensive). Anyway, had my doubts that this would be a real Amish store. I was pleasantly surprised...

The gorgeous North Carolina country side. Right beside the store.

Saw this right across the street. A REAL horse and buggy complete with bonnet headed Amish woman inside.

Sorry the picture is a little fuzzy. I took it through our car window. I did not want to roll down the window and stick my head out. I was afraid this would not come accross like "I love and respect your culture" but rather "Check out these freaks!".

Again, cute pony right outside the store.

Behind the store, a horse and buggy repair shop.

Shiloh General Store.

Complete with sign on the door that read "Modesty Appreciated". LOVE IT!

I really wanted to take a picture of the sign - but again I did not want to come across like I was mocking.

And, what did we see when we first walked in the door???

A real Amish man behind the counter. (He was actually very friendly - to John especially- it is not considered proper for them to be friendly to another man's wife).

Anyway - if you want to take a cute day trip google Shiloh General Store in Hamptonville, NC. They do not have a website or take credit cards (how could they - they are really Amish). But, they do sell Amish hoop cheese, roll butter, wheat berries, raw honey, homemade preserves (we bought blackberry), Amish meat, Amish ice cream, and much more. (On a side note- if you have not tasted Amish cheese - you have never tasted cheese).

PreSchool Fun

yesterday was parent's day at the twins pre-school. we ate breakfast, watched them sing, and then went back to their classroom for circle time. they both love school- especially their best buds who are in the class with them.

all the students about to sing. the twins are on the front row with their two best buds- watching mrs. melissa (the music teacher and a good friend of mine) get ready.

maddie, asher, isaac and livy. (these are the before mentioned best buds).

back in the classroom with their fabulous teacher. singing favorite songs.

isaac singing and doing hand motions for the bird song. he was ADORABLE!

livy on the other hand would NOT sing. guess she does not like an audience.

ShinDig

What is the ShinDig? A couples only beach weekend. We go every spring and leave the kiddos at home. It's great fun. We leave the kids with the grandmothers and get 4 kid- free days of beach bliss.

So, we are home from the annual ShinDig. We started talking about the trip a year ago, so I am always surprised when it is over and done with!

The ladies...

Anna, Ida, Karen, me, Patty, Kim and Amy.

(We really missed you Meredith and Monica!)

The men.

Chris, Jon, John, Joel, Jason, Josh, Nate.

We had a great time and had some memorable moments - including the amazing race gone bad!

Happy Birthday to Me!

So, we have concluded birthday season here in the Hoots' house. We ended the birthday marathon with my birthday. Usually, by the time we get to my birthday I am just plain birthdayed out! I only wanted one specific thing... our dining room painted. So the handy husband obliged me and the dining room was painted. Now you can see all the glorious trim in the room (it was hidden by all the wall and trim being the same boring builder beige). Take a look...

Before... junk everyone and furniture in random spots. trying to get the room clear and ready to be painted.

And, after! A traditional room with olive green on the walls and bright white trim. It feels so much more like home. We choose Palm Leaf by Sherwin Williams.

Now my family black and white's really stand out.

We still need to add a few things to the room (a rug for one).

And we need to take a few things out (a train table for one).

But, at least we are done with the boring beige.