The end of summer and the beginning of my sanity...

In some ways this summer flew by and in others it seemed to take FOREVER! Today I put both girls on the bus for their first day of school. It's hard to believe that I am the mom of a kindergartener and a second grader. While summer seemed to go on forever, the girls are growing up just way too fast! We took the obligatory 1st day pics on our porch and at the bus stop and we were all smiles this morning. I share those with you tomorrow. Today I'm sharing the last bit of summer fun we had.

A few weeks ago Noa got to go to her very first concert, BIG TIME RUSH. She was so excited! She loves her BTR CD and couldn't wait to hear them in person. 

Lo opted not to join us this year so it was a special Mommy-Noa event.

Logan was very kind and offered Noa her BTR shirt to wear to the concert.

We were on the lawn again this year and it's really the best place for the kids. There were 3 opening acts!!! BTR didn't play for over 2 hours after the first band. That's like an eternity to a 5-year-old (and her mommy too!). Noa kept asking, "When are they going to sing a Big Time Rush song?!?!" At that point she didn't even care if BTR was singing their own song!

During the 3rd opening band she decided to take a short nap. You know, so she could power-up for BTR.

We had a great time and she loved the BTR performance. They always have trampolines on stage which she thought was pretty cool. She kept looking at me with a huge smile on her face saying, "I HAVE THIS SONG ON MY CD AT HOME!!!"

The state fair comes every August and we love to go and enjoy all the fun it has to offer! Daddy takes the day off and we spend the day eating, looking at animals, eating, exploring, eating, going on rides and eating! This year most of the local schools had already started so it was not the least bit crowded which was AWE-SOME! We even had great weather, it was a little hot and sticky but not one drop of rain hit our heads!

We love to eat so picking our fair food is a big process. The girls stayed with their traditional corn dog and chicken fingers, while the hubby and I happily treated ourselves to our favorite Wisconsin fried jalapeno cheese sticks-SO GOOD!

Of course the girls wanted to hit the Midway and go on some rides. This was Lo's first year going on the rides. Normally we give them a choice of a toy or rides. As you can imagine, our little stuffed animal hoarder Lo ALWAYS picked a toy.  Thanks to our new allowance system the girls didn't have to choose.  This year we happily bought ride tickets and if they wanted a toy they needed to use their own money. Both bought stuffed animals and Noa also purchased a slinky and a lemonade shake-up.

Nothing but giggles on the rotating bear!

This girls sure does love her cotton candy! 

GG was there too! He spent most of the day in his stroller and was such a good boy! He is so easy going and just happy to be with the family!

One of our favorite back-to-school traditions is haircuts, Five Guys and the all important first-day-of-school outfit selection! 

First the girls got their hair cut. Lo is growing hers out for Lock of Love so she just got a trim. Noa surprised all of us by wanting to chop hers all off. She wanted to go shorter but our wonderful hairstylist Amy was worried she would look like a "young Justin Timberlake"

Before...

After...

Silly face after...

Lo INSISTED that Amy leave out the big piece of hair. I guess it was a fashion statement she wanted to make. Hmmmm not too sure that one is going to catch on...

They LOVED their braids!

Next stop was Five Guys for lunch! 

This lil' guy is a HUGE fan of Five Guys. He ate an entire cheeseburger and lots of fries. I think he would have kept going if I hadn't cut him off. 

We ended our day shopping. Both girls picked out a few outfits and hair clips and couldn't wait to get home to show Daddy what they picked out. I like seeing their different personalities come through with the clothes they pick. Lo's all about comfy and cozy while Noa's eyes go directly to sequins, sparkles and tulle. 

Last, but not least, we visit Orange Leaf the day before school starts for a refreshing frozen yogurt filled with all our favorite toppings! It's a great way to end the summer!

Someone can't wait for his taste! 

Phew. We have been BIZ-Y! Now that school has started I'm looking forward to quieter afternoons, organizing the house and getting to be crafty! Around Mid-June I gave up any hope of completing any projects on my list, but I am so ready to get back to a little "normalcy." Whatever that is! Of course our evenings are steadily becoming packed with after-school-activites but we have let go of a few so I'm hoping for one or two "relaxing" nights at home!

Thanks for checking in and thank you for being so patient with my sporadic blogging this summer!

Have a great day!