My baby has braids.

And way too many pictures of herself on this blog in the month of August. That's what happens when the older kids start school, then come home and retreat to their bedrooms in the basement.

75 degrees and blue skies.

And Otter Pops. Can't forget those.

I assure you, folks, she takes this ballerina stuff very seriously...

New.

New house. New school. We're all a little unsettled around here.

Here's our new house on the first day of starting a new school. You know how sometimes as a parent you lie to your kids? Like when I assured them it would be alright at this new school? But really I was worried. This is what I was doing at 5:00 AM because I couldn't sleep I was so worried:

Not pictured: Cheetos. (I was feeling guilty as I blogged this, that perhaps this picture was a misrepresentation of how healthy we eat, so I am making a full disclosure of the lunch menu.)

Noelle woke up as I was making their lunches. And discovered they were going to school and she was not. Much crying followed.

The kids at approximately 8:00 AM.

Laura at 8:01 AM running off to meet her walking-to-school friends.

Isaac at 8:20 AM standing in line.

It was an uneventful day, which means it was a success. Isaac was impressed that no one shoved or punched him at this school, Lincoln signed up to be a media helper...which I thought he must have confused with being a Jedi, the way he was so excited about it. A girl named Molly gave Laura a bracelet. Phew. Tomorrow morning I think I'll be able to sleep until the alarm goes off.

What to do during the month of July in Las Vegas when it is this hot:

We did a lot of this...
...and this...
...and this...
...and this...
...and this...
...and a teeny bit of this (could've done more of this, actually)...
(Random picture of the painting my brother did. Isn't it amazing?)
...and we did go to see Lake Mead and Hoover Dam once...
...and this cool bridge across from Hoover Dam...
...but we hurried home as fast as we could because it was this hot:
Oh, and we went to the mall, too, when we arrived home and the house smelled overwhelmingly like gas and my Dad hurried us all back outside into the sweltering heat.

And we went to see the planes at the airport. That was fun. Here are my toes:
Woohoo.