Walking To School With Friends

Red Fish has been walking to school with her friends most days.  It is so funny to walk to school with a group of kindergarteners.  It is quite a walk and we have to leave an extra half hour early to give them time to stop and look at garter snakes and bugs and put bandaids on skinned knees.  Today they showed up to school with pockets full of rolly pollies.  There will probably be dead insects in the laundry.

Dinosaur Outing

 Just making the rounds of our normal places.

Soccer Starts

 Little New Fish is thrilled to join a soccer team this season.  She has been waiting for this.  She is the tiniest one on the field but she is pretty fast (when she remembers that she is supposed to run after the ball.)  Her team was a crack up.  They scored on their own goal and ran around like little maniacs.  This age is so fun to watch.  She did actually dribble the ball up and down the field several times so I thought that was pretty impressive (considering she is my offspring.)

 Red Fish says that soccer is her very favorite thing.  She doesn't care if they are winning or losing (or even notice one way or the other.)  She just loves running around with her team. We are at the field for double the time now so I guess we will be having a lot of picnics for dinner and eat between games.  I'm a total soccer mom now.  Our schedule is insane and I'm wondering what I've done to myself but I guess they will only get to be kids once.  They love to be busy and if they aren't doing soccer, piano, swimming or school they are outside with their friends riding bikes or playing some sort of very involved imaginary game.  There is never a dull moment

First Day Of Kindergarten

 I can't believe Red Fish is in kindergarten.  She has been ready for awhile, I have not.  It's going to be hard to have her gone even half days everyday.  She has a really cute teacher and has eight friends in her class from the neighborhood. She was hilarious picking out her clothes, necklace and earings the night before.  I am trying to cook breakfast four times a week and it is going to be really hard to learn how to cook a real meal, dress everyone and get us all out the door in the morning.  IT IS HARD.  Wish me luck that I can keep my resolve up.  I need to figure out more gluten free options. 

 We all took Red Fish to school.  She didn't even want us to come in the playground area with her.  I had to insist that I was coming with her whether she liked it or not.  She said "I guess if you really want to..." like I was crazy.

After school and swimming lessons, Red Fish sat Thing 1 and New Fish down and taught them songs for about and hour.  They were spellbound.  It was so sweet.  She is pointing out the notes in one of her piano books and playing the CD.  She is growing up so fast and I am so proud of the little person she is becoming.

Back To School BBQ

Cousin S is much adored.

 I just snapped a few random shots on my cell phone of a family dinner with my cousins.  It was such an awesome night, just eating and laughing and playing with the kids.  We had a little first birthday celebration for my cousin's baby and had a great time catching up.  There really is nothing better than being with family.

You Want To Look Like Me

Red Fish's first kindergarten assignment was to make a paper doll representing herself.  I am in love with what she came up with.  I love the accessories the most. She used beads, buttons, paper, glitter glue, fabric, pipe cleaners, googly eyes and markers.  This assignment was right up her alley as she has been making and decorating paper dolls all summer long.

Goodbye Aquarium

 

The aquarium is upgrading to a new location with new exhibits so we made one last trip to say goodbye to one of our favorite haunts.

Girl In A Tree

Buddy B and New Fish

Cell Phone Pics From Swimming

 We may never get out of the pool this summer. These kids can't get enough of the water.

Frist Day Of Preschool

 New Fish had her first day of preschool (outside of our home preschool) and she was more than ready.  She dressed and accessorized herself and she couldn't wait to be dropped off.  She had Two Fish take her.  She was especially thrilled with her new bookbag.  We gave it to her at our back to school dinner last night.  Red Fish got a couple of pairs of new earings so she can change hers for school.

 After school we went to a local farm with Lovely L, Lovely little C and the new twins.  The girls were a little hyper-emotional.  It is going to be a big change for them to be back in school.  I'm hoping the transition won't be too bumpy.

Trying out an old outhouse

Back To School Dinner

Every year we have a little back to school dinner and family home evening.  We chose the theme of "I will go I will do..."  My kids are always talking about things they "can't" do so we focused on the idea that we can do hard things.  We read about Nephi in the Book of Mormon and how the Lord helped him to accomplish great things.  Then we set some goals for the year.  Red Fish said that she wants to do really well at reading, math and art this year.  New Fish said she wants to eat more apples.  We had homemade lasagna and garlic bread with fruit, salad and fancy cupcakes.  There was one tantrum during the dinner that threw things off a bit but I guess that is to be expected.  Then Two Fish gave the girls each a father's blessing to help them start the year off right.  The girls look forward to this special night, especially Red Fish.  They were asking me for weeks ahead of time when we were going to have our special dinner with the blessings.  I adore these little family traditions.

Art Day

 We have not been doing as much art this summer as we have in years past.  Actually the kids have been creating like crazy but there have not been as many organized projects that I supervise.  I guess I have been in a bit of a survival mode so we have been taking things pretty easy.  We have done our art group days and the table of supplies in the office is always open to the girls.  They have mostly been doing a ton of drawing and they are obsessed with making books, paper dolls and puppets.  Suddenly today they were bursting with the desire to paint and create.  They spent all day doing project after project.  First they traced drawings on watercolor paper with glue and acyrlic paint.  Then they filled them in with watercolors.  I LOVE these.  I think they turned out amazing.

New Fish's scuba scene

New Fish's hot air balloon from the Wizard Of Oz.

Red Fish's hot air balloon

Red Fish's underwater ice cream party.  I love the scuba diver and all of the ice cream cones piled high.

 After they finished their paintings they made sculptures.  Red Fish made a butterfly and a pot.  Then they started painting little canvases and painted their sculptures.

 

 New Fish didn't want to paint her sculpture so she started making stick puppets in the office.

 Then she made a sculpture out of pipe cleaners and colored masking tape.

 Then they went back outside and started splatter painting big butterflies.  It was definitely an art day.

Preschool Orientation

It's starting soon!  I took New Fish to meet her teacher and the kids in her class.  She is going to love preschool this year.  She is so ready and she is going to love having another social outlet. I'm not sure if she will learn much academically but it will be good for her to have to listen to another adult and learn to work in a group.

10 Years

Ten years ago, I made a very good choice.  Happy anniversary to the love of my life.  I'm so glad we are in this together.

Safety Fair

 We tried to take a quick trip to the park and ended up staying for six hours and a safety fair.  The kids got to try out all kind of rescue and army vehicles.

Swimming With Mimi & The Babies

 It has been a summer full of swimming. The girls LOVE the water and we end up in the pool several times a week. We went swimming with Mimi, all the girls and great grand kids.  It was the second time in the last month that I have really felt like myself.  I was able to relax and enjoy myself more and feel like my authentic inner self.  It was such a good day. I had so much fun playing with the kids. These kids are all my reasons.  I have never loved anything more than I love being their Mom.

Favorites From Our Family Photo Shoot

These little Daddy's girls were waving and shouting to his car long after it disappeared on the way to work this morning.