First and Third Day of School

Jena was so excited to start kindergarten. She has been talking about school ever since she graduated from Preschool... and the day finally came. Taylor also started Preschool this year and even though they are at the same school, Taylor started a few days earlier. She was not nervous at all and happily went into the class and started playing right away. Even when I said good bye, she smiled and said "bye, mom!" She seems so little and big at the same time :) Now, she keeps asking why she only goes a few days to school and Jena goes every day. Soon enough girl, soon enough.

I stayed with Jena for the first orientation day of school. My sweet friend saw me with Cody in a stroller and took him home so I could focus on Jena. They read a story, sang a song, talked about colors, learned some rules and played on the playground. Jena absolutely loved her first day, especially since she was able to play with some of her good friends and meet many new ones.

It's hard to believe Jena is in Kindergarten already and now we actually have a schedule to follow. These little kids are getting so big!

For the last few years I've been impressed by all my sister in law does for her kids' teachers. So, this year I decided to start the year off right by sending Jena's teacher this adorable little apple treat to tell her how excited we are to be in her class. Thank you Heather for all your inspiration and Cute as A Fox for this great idea!

Giggles and Gates

Since Cody is running and climbing all over the place, my sweet in-laws bought us a gate. Luckily they were in Valencia watching our nieces and nephews so we headed over to visit, swim and acquire a deterrent for Cody's curiosity. The kids had a great time and Cody has no idea what's coming :)

Taylor is not a huge fan of the water, especially if it is cooler than a bathtub, but she does really like floaties and dancing around the pool. Ryan wondered if I had actually bought her a dance tutu instead of a swimsuit, but I think it fits her.

Cody, like the cute little man he is, just wanted to be fed and if he wasn't fed enough or fast enough by an adult, her would make do with whatever he found... even if it is his sister's left overs hot dog bun.

Play Dough Creatures

Jena and Taylor spent a few hours, while Cody slept soundly, creating all sorts of play dough animals and bugs. Jena decided to recreate all the examples on her play mat. Taylor kept asking for me to make animals that seemed to have a tendency of getting smashed unexpectedly.

Taylor also loved using the scissors. Maybe that's because I hide every pair that is around the house. I love how intently she is concentrating.

Here are a few of Jena's creations.

Oh how we love play dough!

Soccer Girl

Jena is going to play soccer on a team this fall. To help her understand the game a little more... since she has never played before... we signed her up for a camp. They ran drills and played scrimmage games. She was very excited and had a great time, especially since they allowed her to decorate her ball any way she liked. The first day I took all the kids to watch her play. Unfortunately, it was a really hot day and Taylor was not having a great time. At one point she yelled across the field, "Jena, five more minutes. Only five minutes!" After that daddy decided he could take her and learn a few extra skills since he is going to be the assistant coach on the team.

So, this is soccer!

I love this picture of all the little kids following the coach. The line didn't last long after they started dribbling the balls :)

We are so excited for the season to begin!

Beach Day!

We don't live very far from the beach, but with three little kids I get nervous venturing there by myself. But with only a few weeks left of summer, I decided that we had to try. So, after over an hour of getting everything ready and everyone covered in sunscreen we finally made it out the door. Despite all my worries... it was a wonderful day. We met up with some friends and spent the next few hours playing in the waves, digging in the sand, eating tasty snacks and chasing after the birds. Jena loves the water, Taylor loves the sand and Cody loves the freedom of wandering almost anywhere he wants.

I am so grateful these little girls love to play with each other!

Our cute little man!

Happy Birthday to Me!

The morning started with a busy trip to the splash pad. The kids love to fill buckets with water and run around trying to avoid getting too wet. I finally convinced Jena to run right through one of the fountains, but they still think it is more fun to run from the water instead of towards it. We are just glad the park is finally open so we have another place to visit during the summer. After a few hours the kids got their fill of water and sun. Then we went home to wash up and we were just in time for the baby sitter to come. Today was the first night we left Cody with an actually sitter (besides Grandmas). I was nervous for the first fifteen minutes or so until our Chinese massage started. Then I was far too relaxed to worry! Next we enjoyed dinner at a Japanese tempanyaki restaurant. I always love watching them slice, chop, throw and set food on fire :) When we returned home everything was perfect and the kids hardly missed us... well Cody might have felt differently. Since it was late, we decided to have dessert the following day. I saw a post of this amazing cookie dessert and figured I'd give it a try. I didn't have everything she talked about, but we loved them anyway and I will totally make them again. YUMMY! For my last birthday in my twenties, this was the perfect day!

Mommy, Can We...

The girls were ecstatic after I cornered and captured this cute little lizard. Jena tenderly held him and sweetly asked, "Mommy, can we put him in a cage and feed him?" Luckily she let him scurry off into the plants after I explained that he wouldn't be with his family and that he likes to catch his own food...

These two are definitely my girls :)