Meet The Early's

Finley turned 4 last week, and it still doesn't seem possible to me at all. These four years have flown by so quickly. I remember when she was born Andy kept looking at her saying, "isn't she just beautiful?" She is truly beautiful inside and out. She has turned into one sweet happy girl that is loved by so many, and fills us with joy daily. I love that she is strong and will still stand up to anyone. She is a girly girl who also loves to play outside and get dirty. She loves to chat, and I love so many of our talks together. I look forward to our Friday afternoons when Atticus takes a nap, and I get that time with just her. She loves playing pretend, and I like to listen to her talk to her dolls and princesses. I love her made up songs that she sings, her excitement for school, the love that she has for her family and friends, the words that she says all wrong, her kisses and hugs at night. Happy birthday my sweet girl!

Finley's Favorites:
Color: Pink
Food: Ice cream and Chicken and Dumplings
Movie: Frozen
Tv Show: Sofia the First
Best Friend: Lily
Song:Jesus Christ (Not for sure which one that is, but she says it is on the VBS cd)
Drink: Orange juice
Toy: Princesses
Favorite Sports Team: Briley's team
Occupation: Nothing...I just want to be a kid forever
If you could go anywhere where would you go: McDonalds

To celebrate her big day there was a total solar eclipse that we had to go see. I got the kids up and we went to Atchison, KS to watch the eclipse. It was a beautiful morning when we got there, but then the rain came. We got some donuts and then went to tour Amelia Earhart's house. By then it cleared off a little and the kids were able to watch the beginning of the eclipse. We then went to McDonalds to eat lunch before going to see the end of the eclipse. It unfortunately was too cloudy to actually watch the eclipse happen, but it did get completely dark, and they shot fireworks off over the river which was really neat to see. It was fun to hear the locusts start up like it was night time. After it was over there was a clearing so that the kids could see the sun beginning to come out again.

The ride home was rough in the rain and traffic, but we made it home around 3:30 to begin preparations for Finley's birthday dinner.
Finley requested spagetti and I made a shirley temple castle bundt cake for dessert. After eating she opened her presents. She got Beauty and the Beast tea set, one of my old Barbies, dance clothes and shoes, and a book that she loved this summer, and then we went outside to find her new bike. As I was putting her shoes on her to go ride the bike, she said, "thank you mommy for my presents, this was the best birthday."

Friday night we had the Kunkel's over for a little while for drinks. It was nice catching up with them. My Mom and Jeff came later that evening. We talked for awhile and then it was time for bed. We had an 8:00 soccer game on Saturday morning to go to.
Baylor did an excellent job at his game. He scored his first goal of the year, and I was so proud of him. He is never intimidated by others, and always seems to come out on top when they are fighting for the ball.
That afternoon my Dad, Andy's parents, and the Farwell kids showed up to celebrate. We had lunch, presents, a piñata, cake, and then I took them to the rope park. I think the kids all had a great time, and we wore them out playing outside all day. Lincoln hopped out of the car when we got back home and told me it was the best park he had ever been to. I'm glad they had a great time. Briley and Ellie both fell asleep on the couch while we were all still up watching the news.

It is hard to believe that another summer is over. School is back in session, and we are back on a daily schedule. Monday we went to school to meet their teachers and drop of school supplies. Briley has Mrs. Statham. She is a younger teacher that just got married this summer. They honeymooned at Disney World so Briley thinks she is going to like her.
Baylor got Mrs. Buecher, and she is a teacher everyone raves about so my fingers are crossed that it is a good year for him. He has a few boys in his class from baseball so their were a few faces that he recognized.
Finley has Mrs. Liebach, and she has many years experience but it is her first year at Mission Trail. Finley is so excited to be starting school.
Tuesday was their last day home so I took them to Science City for the day. After waiting in a ridiculous line to get our tickets, we made our way in. It seems everyone thought they should go all the way to the Science store at Union Station to get their solar eclipse glasses. The kids had so much fun exploring, and Briley was finally tall enough to go across on the balancing bike. They also expanded a new area outside that was really fun to play on. It was the perfect ending to our summer vacation.
Wednesday morning was met with some jitters and excitement. Baylor was dressed and ready to go by 6:30. I made pancakes for breakfast, and no one really ate them. We walked to school together, and took them to each of their classrooms. I spent the day praying that they did well, and made some friends. That afternoon I took Finley in for her open house. She gave me hug and told me to leave which was funny because I wasn't actually supposed to leave. It was just an hour visit in her room. She is ready to get the year started. Little Miss Independent.
That afternoon, we picked Briley and Baylor up. They both came out of school with smiles on their faces. They love their teachers and their new school. I hope that it continues to be this way throughout the year.
The rest of the week continued to go smoothly, and then we had a back to school party on Saturday in our neighborhood. They had the firetruck come, and shoot water out for the kids to play in, and I must say it was pretty cool. The kids had so much fun. I think there were a lot of parents who would have liked to have worn their swimsuits too. We met a few more people and the kids were able to connect with some kids from their classes that they didn't know lived by us.