The first day of school

These two were up & ready an hour before they needed to be! I guess you could say they were a little excited. I expected that from Emma. She's starting 2nd Grade & LOVES school! Anna on the other hand decided only about 5 months ago that she'd probably go to school. Today, though, she was as ready as ever for her 1st day of Kindergarten! She was brimming over with excitement & didn't have a single worry as to what the day would hold....you couldn't help but be happy for them both!

Ella had a practice run for next year.....backpack & all :)



I don't think Elle missed her big sisters too terribly, as she & Ty played their normal "Mommy & Daddy" most of the day.....although, at one point, she did say, "Mom, I can't believe Anna's in Kindergarten!" She got so excited for them to come home that we ended up spending a half hour, at the end of the driveway, in anticipation of their arrival! Now that I think of it, she may have just been anxious to finally have one of these back to school treats we made for them!



The second they got home they were both raving about their days & their teachers & the rules & they went on & on...it seriously lasted for almost an hour! It was absolutely heartwarming to hear how much they loved everything!

WOOHOO!!!

I'm officially up to date with our blog....FINALLY...and for now!!!!
(I've sort of cheated & skipped over lots just to be able to say that)

Thanks for your patience :)

Welcome Samuel Noah!

The girls & I headed up today, excited to meet the newest Hetrick....Baby Sammy!
Congratulations Amy, Ian, Alivia, Clint, & Soph on your new addition...he is precious in every possible way!
Absolutely gorgeous!



Hard to believe he will be as big as Ryan here, in just 8 short weeks!
Enjoy that little Sam Sam :)

We love you!!!

Grange Fair

I didn't do such a hot job taking photos, but this place is something else!
Emma loved her 1st ferris wheel ride :)



Favorite photo of the day:

(and yes, he's sound asleep)

We'll be back next year!

Locks of Love

She actually wanted to finally cut her locks!
And I didn't argue.

Besides the easy maintenance, another bonus was that she had just enough to donate!

She loves her new do & even said,
"Mommy, I look better than I thought I would!"

Happy Birthday Anna!

We headed to Black Moshannon State Park to celebrate Anna's 6th Birthday AND our "new" camper!



It was SO MUCH FUN!

As luck would have it, we happened upon "reptile and amphibian day" at the park! The frog/salamander/snake hunt we did that morning started her birthday fun off with a bang! We spent most of the day at the beach & Anna was in her glory...look at all those lilly pads! She knew there had to be frogs in there somewhere!

Pookie was our doorman for the weekend. He thought the camper door was made just for him! You should have seen that happy face fall in an instant when we tore him away from it.....almost as bad as taking away his ice-cream cone for a SECOND to lick the drips....complete devastation.

The kids were giddy about sleeping in the camper....and after non-stop giggling for a couple hours, they finally slept like logs! We enjoyed a rainy morning in the camper, eating donuts and opening gifts...all while remaining dry as a bone :)
We swear it's the best money we ever spent!

We all enjoyed kayaking, biking, many trips to the playground, & the adorable Blueberry Festival!
Aunt Lara, Uncle Jeffey, & Grant joined us lots over the weekend & made it extra special! Thank you :)

Anna told me her favorite thing about the whole weekend was that "you caught your first frog, Mommy! That's so exciting!"

Happy Birthday, Boo....we love you!!!




Just cute:
Anna decided to gift Ty one of the frogs she got for her birthday & it really made his day!
He's been sleeping with it every night & dragging it around all day!

Emma's new glasses!