End of August Wrap-Up

The last week of August is one of the busiest weeks for the Binkleys. It contains two birthdays, back-to-school and the start of soccer practice. But let's just start from the beginning, shall we?

Here are the invitations to Zach's bowling party.

(Zach decided that rather than getting a bunch of toys, which he did not need, he would collect something to help other kids. We called around and found out about the Rainbow Room at CPS, which provides children with everything they need when they are removed from their home. We decided to collect pajamas.)

Here are some pictures from his birthday party at the bowling alley:



And the next day was the first day of school. So off he went to start first grade. He was very nervous on the first day, and we could barely get him to smile for pictures. By the time I picked him up, though, we was all smiles. He really likes his new teacher.


After school was over, we went by the CPS office to donate the pajamas we had collected. We managed to collect over 16 pairs! He enjoyed touring the facility, and is already brainstorming other things we can donate to them.



On Thursday, August 29, it was finally his "real birthday." He jumped out of bed when I woke him up, announcing, "Yeah! It is finally my birthday. I've been waiting a whole year for this day!"

He got to have cupcakes outside with his new classmates. Here he is with his new teacher, Mrs. Murphy.
And with his cake on Saturday, for his "grandparent party" that we do every year.

So that is a little wrap-up of the past week's events.

Now, on to current Binkley news:

- I enjoyed the wittiness of my friends who chose to participate in the caption contest. I have chosen Amy as my winner, because I laughed out loud when I read it! Amy, you will have some little surprise coming in the mail to you this week.

- I have entered a half-marathon, to be held in mid-November which I am going to WALK. I realize that it is not as big of a feat as running, but I am not a runner. Still, I have been doing the training, and it is more work than I realized. I am challenging myself everyday to stay on top of it and push myself. I am enjoying it, and will keep you all posted as the big race day approaches. I am also going to add a ticker onto our blog, so we can all see how much time I have left to train!