August

The arrival of August meant the closing of sweet summertime and the beginning of a new school year. Although I love a routine, I love the flexibility that comes with summer--No strict bedtimes, no lunches to pack, no alarm clocks, no homework and the ability to travel are just of the few things I love most about summer. 

We still had a couple weeks left before we had to get back on a school schedule so we made the most of those two weeks and soaked in every moment of freedom we had left!

When God made Kyndall He gave her the biggest, softest and most genuine heart for all of His creatures. If it lives and breathes, she loves it and wants to take care of it. I can't tell you how many half dead crickets we've "rescued" from the garage or how many tears she has shed over butterflies with broken wings or how many frogs we have relocated so they don't get squished in the road. Her love for animals is unlike anything I've ever known. 

So with that, I knew that a surprise trip to the local animal shelter would be a great treat for her. Our shelter has a "book worms" club where kids can come sit and read to the animals and just love on them. Just as I expected she absolutely loved it and wanted to go back again.

Listen carefully as I explain that under NO conditions would we be leaving with an animal!!

We also visited with some of the sweet pups while we were there. It was so hard not to take one home!

 We spent the afternoon in the kitchen making some homemade banana bread...

The first Saturday of each month Home Depot offers a free kids project class and Matthew and Kyndall have been going for several months now. Not only do they complete the project but they get a completion pin to add to their apron. I usually don't go with them but on this day we had some shopping to do so I tagged along. I love that Matthew doesn't hesitate to spend his weekends getting in quality time with Kyndall. Gone are his days of wanting to lay on the couch and watch football on Saturdays. He devotes his weekends to his girls and we are so grateful for that!

It takes a confident man to stand in Claire's and help his daughter pick out hair accessories...

Caught!!!

We've been taking Kyndall's friend Adara with us to church each Sunday since the summer and then we treat her to lunch afterward. They both look forward to it all week!

With only a few days of summer break left, Kyndall and I declared one particular day a "pool day" and we planned to spend the entire day at the neighborhood pool, even packing our lunches so that we could stay all day long. Much to our surprise we had the whole place to ourselves and that NEVER happens!

A week before students had to report back to school, the teachers and staff in Forney ISD had a big welcome back assembly and it was held at our church. Kyndall was among a few Forney students asked to have a small part in it which made her feel extra special.

Kyndall in on stage in the middle with the blue bow in her hair

After the assembly we hit the mall for some back to school shopping

This dog has an entire house where he can lay anywhere he wants but as soon as I lay down on the floor he chooses my belly instead. No sense of personal space!

Kyndall continued with her hand sewing practice and together we made a scrunchie!

Hot August days call for a cool drink after gymnastics

Famous on the Cane's board

Kyndall and I enjoyed a girls night out, complete with dinner of her choice, front row seats to see a friend of mine in the play "Annie" and a stop at Braum's for ice cream sundaes at 10:30 pm! While getting ready she requested lip gloss and a more "grown up" hairstyle. Just another reminder that she's changing from a little girl to a young lady right before our very eyes.

Dinner at the Japanese Steakhouse was her request

The picture on the left popped up in my memories that day and I couldn't believe how much she has changed in the last six years! This feels like yesterday to me!

When your Mom is the PTO Vice President you get put to work in the days leading up to the first day of school....

Kyndall had another piece of her art displayed in a local art show. We are so proud of her!

My friend/neighbor and family photographer Mandy took a few back to school shots of Kyndall and I love how they turned out...

The day of "meet the teacher night" I took Kyndall out for a morning of pampering. She got a manicure and a pedicure which is a rare treat.

Apparently her feet are VERY ticklish! Ha!

Ready for "meet the teacher night" and excited to take on 3rd grade!

We absolutely loved meeting Mrs. Bailey who is new to Crosby this year!

Kyndall and her bestie Malani didn't end up in the same class this year but they weren't too upset about it.

3rd grade cuties!

Kyndall and Adara, sweet friends since kindergarten

Kyndall and Malani with their FABULOUS 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Colquette. Oh how we wish we could have her again!

With only a few days left in the summer, we indulged on all her favorite things including a Starbucks drink.

We cracked open geodes 

We saw one last movie in the theater

The sweetest sight walking into church

And just like that, the summer of 2019 was over and it was time to dive into 3rd grade!

Here we go!

She couldn't wait to decorate her locker which is complete with a light up chandelier and a shag rug. Goodness gracious.

Avarie, Kyndall and Katie

I am totally that parent who went back a few minutes later to spy through the window and see what she was up to!

I missed her so much that first day and so did Huckabee

She had a great day! We hit up Dairy Queen for an after school treat.

Our traditional first day of school interview....

Check out these comparison pictures....Oh my goodness she has grown!

Another day, another dinner at Cane's in her favorite spot--Right under her picture!

Gorgeous sunset from our neighborhood bluff

Each year during the first week of school our neighborhood events coordinator hosts "breakfast on the go" in which each child is given a little bag of breakfast treats, a drink, a few prizes/pencils/things for school and is sent off with a smile. Kyndall looks forward to it!

Vanderbilt contacted me to let me know they wanted to use our family photos for some promotional pamphlets and flyers that would be distributed to various doctors' offices in order to promote the Vanderbilt Transplant Center. I was so honored!

One of her stuffed animals had a hole in it so she did "surgery" on Mr. Turtle and stitched him right up.

Kyndall had been begging us to take her to Great Wolf Lodge in nearby Grapevine, Texas since we moved here three years ago. I kept putting it off because it's ridiculously overpriced but decided to plan a short trip so that she could finally get her wish. I found a slightly better rate once the summer rush was over so we booked our stay for the first weekend after school started back and called it a farewell to summer/back to school treat. Being an only child and going on vacation with your parents probably isn't the most exciting thing so we allowed her to invite her friend Ryann along for the weekend which made her even more excited about the trip.

These two are always flipping or tumbling everywhere they go!

The view from our room

I surprised the girls with goodie bags full of matching clothes, matching bows, matching nightgowns, matching purses and friendship necklaces. They loved it!

We bought the Wolf Pass for each of them which allowed them to do all of the activities in the hotel. First up was Build A Bear where they both made rainbow sloths.

Next up, filling their candy cups at the candy shop

Ready to hit the ropes course

Zip lining....Kyndall on the top and Ryann below

They worked up an appetite on the ropes course

Story time in the hotel lobby

Using their MagiQuest wands

Late night dance party...

A little pampering before bed....

The girls had their own little "wolf den" inside of our hotel room

Breakfast on Saturday morning before hitting the water park 

This was a fun one that we all enjoyed together!

Taking a break from the water park to eat lunch and play in the arcade

Back in their swimsuits for one more trip to the water park

Ice cream break!

We hit up the hotel buffet for dinner

The girls loved the giant chocolate fountain on the dessert bar

They changed into their matching PJs after dinner and headed out to finish their MagiQuest

The girls on their MagiQuest...

One more dance party before bed...

Before we knew it our weekend getaway was over and it was time to send Ryann back home.

We made one last stop at Rainforest Cafe in the mall before calling it a weekend

Kyndall and Ryann have been best friends since they were in kindergarten together. Ryann moved away a few years ago and although she's only an hour away, we don't get to see her as much as we would like to. I'm so glad that her Mom allowed us to steal her away for this very special weekend. They both had a blast, got along beautifully and made some lasting memories. Ryann fits in with our family just perfectly and I foresee many of our vacations with her in them in the years to come!

Back to the real world means back to doing our weekly things like making a trip to the grocery store after school. Kyndall used to absolutely hate going with me to Kroger until she discovered her love for Starbucks. Now she practically begs me to go so that she can get a drink while she tags along.

First sick day of the school year came earlier than expected. I got a call from the school nurse saying that Kyndall had thrown up all over her classroom and all over her desk. Ugh. When I picked her up she was so upset not because she was sick but because she was so embarrassed. A few of the kids pointed and said "eeeewww" and made her feel even worse than she already did. I assured her their time would come because everyone gets sick in public at some point! When I got her home and settled she said she was hungry. I told her she could have very bland things only and she requested toast from her favorite place, Cane's. So, off to Cane's I went where our friend Tyson who is the manger had two boxes of toast waiting for me.

Her stomach bug only lasted a day, thank goodness! She was feeling much better by the next morning.

My Great Aunt found this picture of me (in the pink and white stripes) and my cousins gathered around my Great Granddaddy Hart at the nursing home where he lived. It must have been his birthday or some other special occasion. I just love old photos and special memories, which is the reason I spend so much time and energy on this blog. I hope someday Kyndall will look back at the photos with the same enjoyment that I get when I see this one.

On any given Friday evening you can usually find this crew together after their gymnastics class. They are always making plans and then springing those plans on us Mamas. We usually rotate houses so that one Mom doesn't get stuck with them every Friday night. On this night I agreed to take the girls to dinner and then back to our house to play.

Dessert!

I can't get enough of these sunsets. I took this picture from the neighborhood playground while the girls were running around.

A rainy Saturday with no plans meant we were heading to the movies!

Her friend Ashlyn invited her to the water park with her family for one last hoo-rah (for real this time!) of the summer....

Ashlyn's poor brother is constantly surrounded by little giggly girls but he's a good sport about it.

Kynall was chosen by the administrators at her school to be on the Crosby Welcome Crew. This is a big honor and she was so excited to be picked. One of the jobs of the welcome crew is to get to school early and raise the flags and then lower them at the end of the day as well. This required some special training since the handling of a flag is a big deal. Kyndall and her peers successfully completed their training and were ready for their first day on the job.

Kyndall is in the first standing row with the white bow in her hair

Learning to properly fold the flags

Practicing....

One of her teachers snapped this picture and sent it to me the following week. It's Kyndall folding up the Texas flag after taking it down in the afternoon. She took this job VERY seriously and actually had a lot of worry that she was going to handle the flag improperly or let it touch the ground. She knew how important her job was and took it seriously, which is a good thing.

Friday lunch dates are the highlight of my week!

I signed Kyndall up for a Saturday morning sewing class at a local fabric store and we grabbed breakfast on our way. Think she has enough sugar in front of her??

Her friend Bree signed up for the class too

She had a lot of fun, learned some things and came away with this cute pillow!

Daddy was out of town this weekend so after the class was over we had a dinner date

When Daddy goes out of town she loves to sleep in his spot. She's not the only one...

Breakfast in bed. What a life.

He made it back home, wearing my favorite shirt!

I love it when Kyndall's teachers send me pictures of things she's doing throughout the day. Her art teacher sent me these....

August brought about a lot of changes as we settled into our new routine and Kyndall got used to 3rd grade. Next up was September where our girl would be turning NINE!