{the first day of school, new york style}

The kids had all been counting down the days until school, but for very different reasons. The girls couldn't want to meet new friends and their teachers, and they already loved their new school and principal after various visits.  Ryan...not so much. He knew what was in store for him after our visit to the school counselor.  New York is very serious about education, and there are a lot of additional requirements that we didn't have in Michigan or Texas. But, I do know that despite his protests, he was also looking forward to his new school.

I was so glad for the day in between Labor Day and school starting, because it gave us time to regroup and prepare for the next day. No matter how ready I think I am, there is always something else that needs to be added to the list!

The girls were so excited about what they were going to wear, more than any other year. In true "girl" fashion, they and to try on their clothes before going to bed, and decide which shoes they wanted to wear.  I bought them some fall and winter clothes since it's already cool here, and even though we are still able to wear summer clothes, they really wanted to wear new clothes.  I totally understood. :) 

The next morning they were all out of bed bright and early! I so remember being that excited to start school, and I love that they are too.  We had pancakes with cinnamon roll pancake sauce, and then headed out to catch the bus.  The bus stop is at the end of our driveway, which is the best. I don't know how I got so lucky! It will be perfect all the time, but especially in the dead of winter. The boys and the baby all had to come out too, and it turned into quite the family affair. The boys are already counting down until next year, when they will get to ride the bus too!

Third grade and the first day of high school! How did this happen?

{a larger than life labor day}

For such a tiny town, Clarence Center really knows how to put on a parade!!  There are less than 4,000 people here, and it was quite impressive. This is a small community, but very tight knit, with a lot of community spirit.  I see it everywhere I go, and this parade was no different.  Labor Day weekend is one of the biggest celebrations of the year, and it's pretty much a party for three straight days.

Saturday we were in Palmyra, and of course we didn't go on Sunday, but we were there on Monday for all the festivities.  I'm in love with the fact that the parade didn't start until 1pm--no getting up at the crack of dawn on a holiday to get ready!  We took our time in the morning, and then headed out around 12:30pm.

Being our first year to attend, we drastically underestimated the size of the crowd, and the parade.  We only made it about 1/2 mile down our road before we had to pull over and find a place to park, then walk the rest of the way. There were people everywhere, lining the streets and grass as far as you could see.  We walked until we found a perfect place on a corner, where the parade would make a turn, making it really easy to see everything up close.  The whole weekend is sponsored by the Fire Department, so the first part of the parade is all fire engines.  We started counting after the parade started, and we still counted over thirty fire trucks! I thought my boys might die right there on the spot.  Fire engines from all over the county and come to be a part of the parade--new, and old.

And the candy. Oh, the candy.  We've been to plenty of parades where they've tossed out candy to the kids, but this was insane. We came home with about 10 pounds of candy!  I think we'll save it to give out at Halloween.  :)  It was most definitely a successful parade. 

We started walking towards the fire station grounds for the fair about twenty minutes before the parade was over, so we could beat the crowds and get lunch first.  It was a smart move--we didn't have any lines, and were finished eating by the time more people started arriving.  The food was fabulous, and very reasonably priced, considering what they could have charged. It was a pleasant surprise!  We took the kids on a few rides, walked around to see the booths, and stopped to talk to friends that we happened to run into. The kids were pretty much in heaven, and didn't want to leave.

We didn't realize how far away we had actually parked, because the walked it in segments when we arrived, but it was over a mile to our car!  The kids were tired after a full day, but they were troopers. We finished the day with a yummy BBQ and a movie.  We still had one more day before school started, so we didn't have to worry about getting them to bed early.

It was a full day, and a great introduction to what's in store for us here! 

{palmyra}

Last weekend we took a  fun trip to Palmyra, which is less than an hour from our house. Ryan needed new scriptures for seminary, and there is an LDS store there, so we decided to make a day of it! We have been there several times before, but always during the busy Hill Cumorah Pageant time.  This time of year was slow--just a few other people were there, and it was lovely.  No waiting, great weather, and lots to see!

We got there a little after lunch, so we stopped to eat at the infamous Chill 'n Grill. They are known for their ENORMOUS portions, low prices, and fabulous food, which fits our family well. :)  We had ice cream after we ate our lunch, and I can't try to explain to you how crazy big the sizes are.  The kids and I all ordered half kiddies, and they still filled up an entire dish.  Rick decided to get crazy and order a large.  A LARGE!! It was eight of the biggest scoops I've ever seen, and was taller than his entire head.  He gave it a valiant effort, but wasn't able to finish it all.  Maybe next time.  :)  And the cost for the gigantic ice cream?  $4.25. 

Our next stop was the bookstore, and in addition to Ryan's scriptures, we let the kids each pick out something they wanted. It was fun for them to look around and see so many things they loved.

We headed to the Smith Farm, and the kids kept asking me:

"Did Joseph Smith really touch this?"

 "Is this really real?"

"Did Jesus walk here?"

"Was this here a long time ago?"

They were literally in awe of it all, and it was so much fun to show them around.  They loved the Sacred Grove the best, and we spent the most time there.  The weather was absolutely perfect--warm, but not hot, with a slight breeze.  We were pretty much by ourselves, and we could really take our time looking around.  

It was getting late in the day, so we didn't have a lot of time at the Hill Cumorah, but we did get up to the top to look around, and into the visitor center for a few minutes.  We live close enough that we will certainly be back, so I didn't worry that we couldn't do all we wanted to do.  

I keep pinching myself...it's so wonderful to live so close to so many sights and places we want to see.  It was a perfect Saturday!

{a new ballet school}

One of the biggest hassles of moving is finding new teachers--ballet, piano, violin, etc.  Emma has loved ballet, and really wanted to continue, so as soon as we got here I started researching ballet companies.  I lucked out and found a great one just about 10 minutes from home!  

Before she starts next week, her teacher wanted her to come in and do a mini lesson, so she could see which class she should be in.  It was so fun for Emma to go and have a lesson all by herself! At first I thought she would be too nervous, but she loved every minute of it.  

It's a great ballet school, and the owners are a married couple that are also professional ballet dancers.  So talented!  She will have the wife as her teacher, and I was so impressed with how she taught.  I have a great feeling about it, and Emma can't wait to get back to dancing.