First Day of School

Kate couldn't wait to go to school after she found her name on the board during Open House!

Anna didn't need any convincing about school. She loves school!

On August 11, the girls started school again! Kate is going into 1st grade and wants to be a Kindergarten teacher when she grows up! Anna is going into 3rd grade and wants to be a pop singer and fashion designer when she grows up!

Though we're all smiles, Drew and I are really going to miss the extra time with the girls. I think Drew will be excited when he starts preschool after Labor Day.

They were excited to be reacquainted with some of their friends that they hadn't seen on the bus in over a year. (Some only did remote learning last year.)

And then the girls were off!

The girls have loved the first week of school so far. I'm sure they are going to learn so much this school year! Drew and I have had our own fun while the girls are at school! Haha!

Purdue Family Pictures

We took some recent pictures at Purdue to commemorate living here for 8 years.  I thought they turned out really well!  It was hard to choose which ones to post here. The photographer gave me so many good ones!

We had a lot of fun during the photo shoot! Too bad it started raining towards the end -- you'll notice that we are wetter in some pictures more than others! :)

Summer 2021

One of my favorite parts of the summer is that we get to spend more fun together! During the school year, our focus is homework and school prep with little bits of fun mixed in.  In the summer, it's the opposite! Besides our big trip to Florida, our summer consisted mainly of playdates and fun local activities. Here's several pictures from playdates with Anna and Kate's friends from school.

We also enjoyed spending time with friends from our church!

We were sad to say goodbye to a dear church family that moved.

We also participated in another local church's VBS! The kids memorized Bible verses and learned about some of the "omnis" of God - omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. They played with a parachute...

...ran through an obstacle course...

 and learned about some animals when the local zoo visited.

All 3 kids also participated in swim lessons! Anna and Kate were in the same class.

Drew went through a class called "Water Exploration." He successfully completed all of the tasks they wanted him to do after the class was over, haha! I think it did help him to get more comfortable in the water though.

Every so often, I would get together with some of my favorite MOPS mamas!

The Tippecanoe County fair was a favorite. It usually takes place when Curtis is at training, but Curtis was able to come this year! Drew was excited to ride the Crazy Bus.

Anna was finally tall enough to be on the Pharaoh's Fury.

I introduced the girls to the Sizzler! This ride was one of my favorites as a child.

We finished our time together on the Ferris Wheel! (We also enjoyed funnel cake, but that's not pictured since it was demolished so fast.)

I had a couple of requests for my family this year. Our first was to go tubing down the Sugar Creek. I have fond memories of tubing in Florida down the Itchetucknee and I wanted to share that with our children.

Our family was hesitant about the excursion, but in the end, I think they all had a fabulous time! It was pretty relaxing!

Two students in RUF got married and we were thrilled to be able to celebrate with them! There were a lot of logistics that had to work out to make it possible, but it was worth it!

It was especially exciting to see some of the RUF at Purdue alumni at the wedding! I truly miss them all!

The second and last request I had for my family was to finally go to Michigan. We've lived in Indiana for 8 years and yet the kids and I had never been.  We are literally 2 hours away from the state! 

I had planned an excursion to Silver Beach in St. Joseph, Michigan. After researching all of the options, it seemed like a good kid-friendly option for us. The kids were unsure how we could go to another state and back in the same day. They asked if they spoke the same language as we did in Indiana, LOL. We swam in Lake Michigan and they enjoyed it even though there weren't any shells.

They also LOVED the playground on the beach that included a little zip-line. It also included a fun splash pad (not pictured)! Even with the initial pushback I received, I think the whole family was glad we went!

There was one last thing I did with the girls before school began: pedicures!  The girls haven't ever had one so I thought they should experience it. Kate wanted them to paint each toe a different color, but she finally resigned to just one color. 😏

Here's our toe nail color results!

There were many other things we did that weren't pictured, but I think this gives a fairly good depiction of the McDaniel family summer.