Saturday Morning Practice

To Nap or Not to Nap...

A few minutes ago, Abby tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Mom, you've got to see this!" She led me to Daniel's room and this is what I saw...

I went and grabbed my camera and returned to take a photo.

As a first grader, Daniel doesn't get to nap during the school week anymore, but he does still love a nap, and apparently needed one today!!

CHANGES -- Two New Schools, to Name Only a Few...

This has been a year of change for the Stotts. (Could that be why this blog has been neglected for so long? Does anyone even stop by this site anymore???)

Abby and Daniel are both attending new schools this year. Abby entered middle school and Daniel entered public school as a first-grader (GOODBYE private tuition!!). One month or so in, and both are doing well!

Here are a few photos from their first day of school:

Abby rides the bus to school this year (for the first time). Her bus picks her up two hours before her elementary school even began!! We weren't quit certain how that was going to work out, but she's doing an amazing job preparing for the school day. Will and I are really impressed with her!

I walked Abby to the bus stop on her first day. We arrived a bit early, and she turned to me and said, "You aren't really going to wait here, are you?" Disappointed, I said my goodbyes, wished her well, and walked home.

We can't see the bus stop from our house, but that didn't stop me from standing at the window, watching for the bus to turn the corner with my camera ready...

Daniel was excited to start first grade. Will and I both took time off to take him to his new school. He has the same first grade teacher that Abby had -- (with such a small elementary school, he had a 50% chance of getting her).

Daniel was pretty excited for the day -- probably due in large part to his cool, new R2D2 backpack (and lunch bag).

It was a bit emotional seeing him standing there in line all by himself, but Will and I were confident he would have a great first day!

Abby's First Tomato Harvest

Grandma and Grandpa Engelhardt and Abby picked out a tomato plant and Abby brought it home to raise. She's worked hard all summer tending to it and Noni took great care of it while we were on vacation. Last night Abby finally got to harvest the first tomatoes. We ate two of them for dinner and they were DELICIOUS! Way to go Abby!

First Day of School

Abby and Daniel started school again this morning -- Abby is in fifth grade and Daniel started KINDERGARTEN!!!!!!

(I think I may have ordered Daniel's uniforms in a size too large!)

Abby was nervous to head back to school, but...

...seemed to forget that nervousness pretty quickly! (After I took this photo, she did come back and give me a hug!)

The Mayor

Abby's two-week theatre summer camp ended today with the final performance of Dr. Seuss' Daisy Headed Maisy. Abby played The Mayor. She was fantastic and we were so impressed. She broke her arm (in three places) the Friday before theatre camp started, so she was dealing with a lot at the start of camp.

Abby and her friends Ani and Olivia toast a successful performance!

And all four grandparents of course thought Abby did a great job!

LIfe with an English Springer Spaniel

It's hard to explain, but we have an English Springer Spaniel. This may sound like a strange statement, but those in the know, will simply shake their head and say, "Ohhhh, a Springer Spaniel." Some will say they are sorry, others will smile a strange little smile. And a few will say, "What in the world were you thinking! And one in particular will share stories of her Springer Spaniel, Butch...

Our English Springer Spaniel is Daphne. She's five and somehow we all are surviving...

Today we took her out for a swim. She surprised us by actually retrieving a stick over and over again...

We praised her and cheered for her!

And then we stood in wonder (totally confused) as she swam out to retrieve a paddle boarder. We really can't explain it, but we love this dog!

Mira

Earlier this week we lost our beloved little red-headed neurotic cat -- Mira. Will and I adopted her shortly after we got married. She lived with us in both of our apartments in DC and in our three houses (1 in DC and two in Rochester). She flew from DCA to MSP with Will and ate lunch with him in the Minneapolis airport. We loved her and are grieving her loss.

She was Abby's first pet and tolerated baby Abby and young Abby beautifully! Sweet, ten-year-old Abby feels so sad and wishes that "Mira was on vacation and would just come home..."

Our Backyard

A year or so after we bought this house, I paid THE local landscape business to come and design a plan for our backyard. The plan involved a lot of "boulders" and would have cost more than $30,000 to execute. Will and I both thought the plan itself was silly (and cost prohibitive). We've since puttered in the backyard with little to no direction. The result is a wild and untamed mess, but we love it! And it attracts critters...

...critters that drive our dog C-R-A-Z-Y!!!

Five

Look who woke up five...