Ch-ch-ch-Changes

It's that time of year, where things change with routines and school begins for the kids. Here's what we've been up to!

McKinley just turned 8 and got baptized (pictures of that to come), started a new school year and is now a big third grader! She loves her class, and is excited to be such good friends with so many people at her school! She loved getting to wear her matching dress and backpack with her American Girl doll for the first day of school! Then she wore her other new dress the 2nd day (she had a very hard time deciding what to wear...I foresee that this is the start of many "what to wear" dilemmas to come).

McKinley and her American Girl doll with their matching backpacks

McKinley and some of her friends at the bus stop

McKinley's 2nd day of school outfit (the runner-up for the first day outfit)

A couple weeks after McKinley's first day, Kennedy just started her first official year of pre-school. Last year we did a joy school with me and other moms teaching, so Milt and I are still getting used to the lovely costs of pre-school out here.  But Kennedy was excited as can be to really go to school now! She loves her teachers and her class, and she really likes to be busy learning and playing with all the other kids!

All three kids with their backpacks on Kennedy's first day of school

Kennedy posing for her first day of school, and she is so excited!

Maddox is not happy at all about Kennedy getting to go to pre-school without him. He screams every time we drop her off AND pick her up, and since he is the size of the kids going to pre-school (and has such a cool backpack), he thinks he should get to go! Poor guy is still only 2 and just gets to stay home with mom for awhile yet. But he is getting more grown up every day! He just started sleeping in his big boy toddler bed, and he's getting ready to be potty trained -- yea for no more diapers in our house soon!

Maddox in his new bed!

Maddox loves to wear his Star Wars backpack everywhere he goes, even though he doesn't get to go to school!  But doesn't he look big enough?  Almost!

We can't believe how fast these kids keep growing and changing and learning, and we'll just have to keep taking pictures of all their cute stages before they're all grown up! And in addition to all the kids changes this month, Milt even just started a new position at Johnson & Johnson in their Marketing Department.  Change is everywhere around here!  He loves his new job, and is very excited for all the stuff he is busy learning!