School...

The white backpack with red hearts.

The cupcakes.

Calla and Miss Brill.

Calla and her classmate, Ella.

Calla and her cousin, Abby Grace.

I have been through my fair share of the first day of school. But the first day of school 2008 has, by far, been the hardest. I have been anxious for this day since my niece went to school last year. It reminded me that Calla's turn was coming.
In August, we took the garage sale money we made and went school supply shopping. A few weeks earlier, I had asked her what kind of backpack she wanted to find. "Maybe, a white one with red hearts. Or a white one with pink flowers with yellow middles." Yikes. Could we possibly be more generic. Purple. Pink. Nope she was set. Well, she miraculously found a white backpack with "burgandy" hearts on it. She was in love. It is the size of a small toddler, but she had to have it. Hopefully it lasts her quite a few years, or her tastes last quite a few years. We filled it up with horsie folders, pink erasers, a Hello Kitty lunchbox, and a fun Strawberry Shortcake pencil box from Amma per request.
Well, yesterday, it came as planned. Calla was so excited that she leaped out of bed and was fed and dressed within a half an hour. I made cupcakes for her to share with her class. She put her heavy backpack on and reluctantly posed for a few photos. Off to our very first day of school in the Cory Veldman household.

The lake...

The cutesie cheeks shot.

The kids' awesome sand volcano, with aide from Aunt Amie.

The missed shot.

Poor Neil. I gave him a run for his money.
Eventually, I turned to start throwing to Cory to let Neil catch his breath.

We are blessed to live so close to Lake Michigan (or Michigan Lake, as Calla calls it). Yet, we never seem to make the 10 mile journey to the lakefront. This Labor Day, we took the family out to the lake for dinner. We met Cory's brothers and their families for an evening by the water. I will preface the next few statements with the fact that I did thoroughly enjoy myself. However, I do know why we don't frequent the beach. I hate eating outside. Especially if there is sand involved. I also loathe wearing a swimsuit, especially around people plan to ever see me again. Lastly, I have a strong fear of deep water. There are stories to be told about this fear, but I'll leave those to Cory. He so delights in my weaknesses. But, my fear is magnified when it comes to my kids. The thought of them near the water...anyway.
The kids played with the dads in the water, so that fear was squelched.
I didn't go swimming, and the swimsuit remained tucked neatly in my dresser drawer. Dislike #2 was pacified.
There was a decent amount of sand in my food during dinner, but two out of three ain't bad.

County fair...

Our annual tire picture. Check out the growth since last year's shot.

Katie's horse.

The "big kid" rides. That's Calla in the center with two girls from church.

Bliss in a cup.

Granpa Cratchet from the annual puppet show.

It was a beautiful Labor Day weekend for the County Fair 2008. We decided Saturday would be our "day at the fair." We walked from end to end. All the barns. All the exhibits. A lot of the freebies. Too much of the food. Everybody has their favorite part. Amelia loves the cows. Calla loves the horses and the rides. I like the exhibits and the smiles. Cory likes the food. Ok. We all like the food.
This year, we spent a great deal of time at the horse stalls. Calla couldn't get enough. We met a young gal from the school who was showing her horse. She let Calla pet it, feed it a peppermint or two, and hold its bridle. We also watch the jumps and then toured the other barn as well. Hours of time with the horses. She is so anxious to join 4H so she can ride, too. Luckily, kids have no sense of time. She has to be seven before she can join. That's a lifetime in kid years.