Happy Birthday Z-Man!

This week, Zachary turned 6 years old! He has been counting down for months to his sixth birthday. These pictures are a few we took while he was opening his gifts from Mommy and Daddy. Our next post will show his birthday party with friends. The excitement on his face is classic. By far, the favorite gift we gave him was his scooter. He has been driving us crazy wanting to go outside and ride. Today, he was finally able to go outside for about two hours. He probably would have stayed for two more hours if we had let him.

First Day of Kindergarten

Today was a BIG day at our house. Zachary began Kindergarten. He woke up extra early this morning so he wouldn't be late. These pictures are from before we left the house. His hair was still wet from his shower because he couldn't wait to get out the door! It was dry by the time he got to school.

Zachary and I made a deal last night that if I walked him into school, I got to take the camera and take a couple of quick pictures in his classroom. This shot was taken during the half of a second he stood still for me. I did not get the picture of him rolling his eyes right after the picture was taken. haha
Next thing I knew, he was sitting in his chair ready to start his day. He had long forgotten about me. His teacher just laughed. She was amazed at how quickly I got out of the classroom. I think I was the first mom back into the parking lot headed back to my car. Zachary and I were both very ready for him to start school.
The best part of the day, according to Zachary, was the bus ride home. He was so concerned about all the homework he'd be having but said as long as he got to ride the bus, the homework wouldn't be so bad. We just laughed at his reasoning. I guess at 5 years old, the bus can be a pretty cool thing. Plus, I don't think he realizes just how little homework he'll have this year.

Wow! What a big boy. We are so proud of you and were thrilled to hear how much fun you had on your first day of school. We hope every day is this much fun.

Picture Time at the Beach

On our way home from dinner tonight we stopped in at the lighthouse in Ponce Inlet to take a few family pictures. Zachary was in a silly mood and kept begging us to take his picture. Here's a few pictures from our evening.

Way Cool Afternoon

What is the coolest thing in the world for a five year old? Of course, playing trucks and cars. It is even more cool when they come to life. Today, Zachary's best bud, Crappy, took him to visit with one of her friends that works at an Atlanta Fire Station.

He got the royal treatment. He got the full tour of the fire station and then got to explore the inside and outside of the truck. This was one of the really long trucks that also has a driver in the rear. Zachary got to climb inside the truck and talk to one of the firemen in the front of the truck through the headphones. It was SO exciting. After the tour, they got out the hoses and played. Zachary even got to spray the hose. What an awesome way to spend an afternoon. We got to hear all about it from the time he got home at 4:00 until he went to bed tonight.

Locks of Love

Today was the day Allison has been eagerly waiting for over the last few months. This morning, she donated 10" of hair to Locks of Love. This is a non-profit group that makes wigs for children with illnesses resulting in hair loss. Her mother took several pictures of the process.Who would've thought this much hair to come off one person???

What do you think?

Vacation Bible School

This past week, Zachary went to Vacation Bible School at Marty's parents' church. He had a great time. Marty's brother's 4 kids also were able to come this year as well, so the Elkins family was well represented this year. Here's a few pictures of their performances and the cookout afterwards:

This picture shows the boys (Zachary is in the pink and white stripes, Camryn is in the navy shirt and Tristen is right beside Zachary hidden behind the director's head.) The boys were all in the same class this year. It was difficult to get a good picture of any of the kids from this angle.

Heather and Alyssa are on the front row on either side of the director's head. They were in the older grammar school group.

After the service, the cookout commenced in the church's backyard. There was a moonwalk and a hay ride for the kids as well. We had a difficult time getting Zachary out of the moonwalk.

Pigeon Forge Weekend

This past weekend, we went with Marty's parents up to Pigeon Forge for a short getaway. We had a really nice time. Here's a few pictures from our trip.

Zachary spent much of Saturday making goofy faces for the camera. This one was right after lunch at the Mill House Restaurant.

Marty snuck in this pictures of his parents, Zachary and I down under the bridge at the Mill House. Marty's dad was teaching Zachary how to skip rocks. Zachary was more interested in filling the creek back up with all of the rocks on dry land.

Zachary and Marty got in the pool for a bit on Saturday evening. They spent most of the time wrestling in the water, but Zachary did work up the nerve to try out the waterslide. He only rode it once. He said it was too fast for him. Maybe by the end of summer his swimming skills will be strong enough that he'll be willing to give a slide another chance.

For Zachary, the highlight of the trip was going for his first go cart ride. That boy spent the entire ride grinning from ear to ear. The cart was a two seater with a fake steering wheel in the kid's seat, so he thought he was steering the entire time. I had just as much fun watching them ride as I think they had actually riding. Go carts are for sure going to happen again when we go to the beach in July. Lastly, this was just a nice picture that Marty took of Zachary. He is such a sweet kid and is so much fun.

We had a blast together this weekend. We need to plan more weekend getaways where we can just focus on being family and making memories.