Zach Loses His First Tooth!

Just after Zach and Allie turned six comes yet another sign that these first graders are babies no more.

Allie has three gaps in her smile, so finally it was Zachy's turn to lose that first one. One night it was loose, and then the next morning he woke up and it was gone.

He said he lost it in the middle of the night and was holding onto it in bed, but was nowhere to be found by morning. So sweet.

You can already see the new tooth coming in full force. Now if it would just move forward a little bit ...

Toy Story Mania ... or Zach and Allie Turn 6!

Jessie and Buzz

Amid all the prerequisite trips to Walmart to buy school supplies, getting haircuts and dragging the kids to the dentist as we prepared for the first day of school, Zach and Allie had their 6th birthday party.

Early on they both wanted their party at Peter Piper Pizza. But then we saw Toy Story 3 ... and they were both smitten. Allie spent much of her playtime pretending to be the red-headed Jessie, shouting "Giddy-up Bullseye" as she ran throughout the house or sped through the cul-de-sac on her scooter. Zach alternated between the down-to-earth Woody and the boisterous Buzz Lightyear.

Zach and Allie and their friends.

That's when it hit me that we should have a Toy Story party ... and they both squealed with delight when I presented my idea.

Cousin Hailey and Zach play Hot Mr. Potato Head

It was a fun day with a few close friends. We played Hot Mr. Potato Head, Pin the Tail on Bullseye, searched for hidden army men, and swung at the Buzz Lightyear pinata, had a Toy Story-decorated cake that looked like there were Bullseye droppings across it (still not quite sure what those were supposed to be). And then the kids went swimming on what was a beautiful, atypical August day in Phoenix. Pleasant -- like it might have even been as low as the 80s -- and just a little breeze.

... and just like that, they're six!

Allie gets ready to blow out her candles.

Zach's turn.

"You've Got a Friend In Me."

It's Here! First Day of School!

We had a fun and busy summer but by late July, as the pool felt more like a bathtub and the muggy days were downright miserable, I think we were all ready for school to start. A few of us may not have known it or admitted it, but it was time. And today was the day -- the first day of school. Blake is an 8th grader now, Nick a 5th grader, and Zach and Allie are in 1st grade. And each of the kids had their own, individual take on Day 1 of the new school year. Allie: In the days leading up to the first day of school, she was busy helping me organize the school supplies and deciding what she would wear the first day.

Zach: Unlike Allie, Zach didn't want to help with the school supplies and whenever I'd ask him if he's ready for school, he'd crinkle up his little nose and murmur, "Do we really have to go back to school?"
Nick: He, like Zach, asked me many times, "Do we really have to go to school?" But while Zach's question was filled with anxiety, Nick's version was pure annoyance.
Blake: aka Mr. Soccer. School interferes with playing lots of soccer. "I should be practicing two or three times a day."

"One more picture of me, Mom!"