Kindergarten

Jack was watching me make up his first day of school chalkboard and decided he wanted to make his own sign........so cute and so proud of him!

 Jack is off to a great start.  He is excited and exhausted each day, he is using so much energy all day at school and then comes home and crashes, all to be expected I know.  We (especially Jack) will all be glad once he gets adjusted to his new routine.  Next week we add flag football two nights into the mix too, so wish us luck!

Jack has declared that he loves his teacher, she is very nice and that there are no sassy kids in his class, just one "medium" one.  They have already been doing more math than he would like and not enough play timehe says.....welcome to growing up Buddy!  He's up early, dressed, excited and ready to go each morning so far though, and he hustles into his classroom after morning prayer circle in the gym to be the first to his classroom, grabs his play dough and gets busy at his table.  He's actually been sharing a lot about his days when I pick him up, we is a nice surprise.  Stella and I are surely missing our Jack all day long, but thankfully I have enough other things on my mind right now to not be too focused on it.  We're busy getting the nursery ready and our basement just got finished, so plenty to do getting everything in order downstairs, and Stella starts school next week.  It's good to have so many distractions from how uncomfortably pregnant I am getting, lol!

Summer Bucket List

We did well on our summer bucket list this year, with only a couple boxes unchecked.  It was a fun summer and of course it flew by like it always does. I feel so fortunate to have spent so much quality time with the kids over the past couple months.  But tomorrow it's back to school for Jack, and then the following week Stella's turn.  I'm really going to miss Jack this year being gone all day, but he is so ready for Kindergarten and I know he will thrive being back in school with more structure.  It's so cute watching the kids nervousness and excitement as they anticipate what their new class's will be like......anyhow there will be more on that to come, so stay posted!

from big wheel races to mastering the fireman's pole...........

.....Madison Zoo to countless trips to the park........

 ......going a bit crazy at home to picking strawberries......

...............MN Zoo to the beach........

..........ice cream to feeding the ducks to a rounds of golf......

........we had a lot of fun times.  Next summer there will be another little one in the mix, so we will see what changes and fun that will bring us, but for now onward with back to school routines and preparing for our little guy's arrival soon!

Summer Evenings

A visit from Uncle Loren and Kalina, a trip to the Pearl Ice Cream Shop, a stop at Riverside Park to feed the ducks and take in the sights........another beautiful summer evening here in La Crosse.  We've gotta soak up these summer days and nights while we can, Jack starts Kindergarten in.....wait for it.....9 days, eek!  Stella will start the following week and then baby is due 3 weeks from that! We've got a lot of exciting changes ahead for the Vogel family this fall.

The Blue Moon ice cream face is one of my favorite sights of summer.

Jack's Summer of Sports

Boys and Girls Club Baseball

catching a Brewer's game with Dad

one of his many golf outings of the summer

It was so cute to watch Jack's enthusiasm for both his baseball and for golf this summer......he was always game for either one! He is pumped to be starting flag football this fall!

beautiful elkhart lake

Our second stay at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake did not disappoint.  It was just as great as we had remembered it from last year.........the quaint little town and picturesque lake.  Our little summer getaway with the Swanson family has become something we really look forward to each summer.  As Cullen, Simone, Jack and Stella grow up they have more and more fun together and it will be such a great childhood memory for them.