Kindergarten is Over!

This post is going to make me sad.  Kindergarten is over and I miss it already.  Morgan and Madylin thrived this year.  They learned so much and excelled in their reading and writing. They simply adored their teacher, and so did I.  They grew up on me!  Just look at the difference!

I happened to be watching my cousin's kids on the last day of school, so Riley got in on the pictures too.

The kids were told to wear red, white and blue for the last day and they had a program on the kindergarten playground where the kids sang patriotic songs.  It was cute.

After the songs, all the kindergartners went to their classrooms for awards and goodbyes.  Madylin and Morgan each got a "good attendance award" and their kindergarten "diplomas."  Their teacher, Mrs. Conn had a speech prepared, but couldn't get through it because she was so emotional.  I also got emotional.  Maybe it's just because it's their first year in school, but there's something about leaving your child with a stranger and having that stranger discover what treasures your children are and learn to love them.  I really appreciated Mrs. Conn and how much she loved my girls and how she pushed them and gave them opportunities to continue to grow when the kinder reading material started to get too boring for them.  She gave them some special opportunities to do some more advanced reading and testing instead of just calling it good.  I will be so sad if Nathan doesn't get her in 2014.  I hope I don't get this attached to all of their teachers!!

Morgan already woke up yesterday morning and said sadly, "I miss Mrs. Conn"

The girls also met 2 new good friends this year.  This is Annika.

And this is Kayla.

It is so fun seeing the girls meet new friends and have this whole other world of friends and teachers and aids who they know and trust and love.   I am excited to have the Summer with the kids, but I will be excited for them to start 1st grade and meet new friends and teachers and be in school again where they really thrive.

Kindergarten Field Trip to the Fire Station

On June 4th I was able to go on the twins' last field trip with them.  Nathan was at preschool so I was able to just take Lydia.  The class walked the quarter mile to the fire station.  They separated the class into boys and girls and then gave them the tour.

First they looked around at all the compartments on the fire engine.  The girls were pretty bored by this.  They were all more interested in this little cutie and I can't blame them.

Next, one of the firemen put on all his gear so the kids could see what he looked like with it all on.  

Isn't this typical?... a fireman surrounded by girls.  

Morgan was a little nervous and stayed back.

 They got to take turns using the fire hose, which is always a hit with kids.

Then they held onto a hose and took a little tour of the living quarters.  It's a good thing they got to be silly and all hang on to this hose and be led around because honestly, it was a pretty boring tour.

 They got their snacks and ate on the grass outside. Lydia loved tagging along and acting like the big kids.  She got a snack like all the students and sat on the lawn with them.  It was pretty cute.

After snack we walked back to school.  It was a very quick field trip, but it was nice to be able to go with them and spend a little time with them with their class and teacher, especially since it was the 2nd to last day of school.  

First Beach Trip 2013

The friday before Memorial Day we were visiting my parents in Escondido and decided to go to the beach.  We went to Tamarack beach in Carlsbad and it wasn't very busy and we got a parking spot right next to the sand.  Everything was perfect except for the breeze.  The breeze was COLD!  It was sunny and beautiful, but just a little chillier than I like at the beach.  Russell took the big kids in to walk around in the water anyhow.  The twins loved it.

 Nathan was okay until he got splashed in the face.

 He was done with the water after that.

Morgan and Madylin spent probably an hour holding hands and running around in the tide.  They had so much fun.

 Lydia was pretty cautious.  She didn't hate the water but she didn't love it either.

Staring at the waves

 Russell did take her out one time and she had a death grip on the back oh his shirt.

 She preferred playing in the sand and trying to carry as many sand toys at once as possible.

 Didn't get many good pictures of Nathan, but I like this one of he and Lydia eating lunch together.

We are looking forward to more beach trips this Summer!

No More Training Wheels!

In May Russell wanted to see how Nathan did without his training wheels on his bike.  Nathan was hesitant to try, but Russell bribed him (yes we are those kind of parents) and we got him to try it.  Russell ran behind him to help maybe 3 times for 30 feet or so and then Nathan took off and no more support was needed.  He still had trouble with turning, but after another day of riding a bit he got that too.  On the 3rd day Russell wanted to work on him starting and stopping by himself.  At one point Nathan fell down and Russell started walking down the street to help him get started again with Lydia in his arms.  He was looking at Lydia and the next thing he knew, Nathan was whizzing past him on his bike.  Yeah.  He got the hang of starting. He was a natural and now in the last few weeks he's progressed to riding a bigger bike like the girls and we've already gone on a 3 mile ride with them all and he did great.  I love family bike rides and I think we'll be doing them a lot this Summer.

An "Under the Sea" Birthday Party

The day after the girls turned 6 we had a birthday party for them at home.  They chose a few friends and family members to invite and we decided on an "Under the Sea" theme.  I love working with themes.  It makes everything more fun! 

I had a lot of fun with the food!

"fish and chips" (gold fish and potato chips)

"octodogs" (hotdogs with "tentacles" sliced before boiling)



"seashells & cheese" (homemade macaroni and cheese with shell pasta)



"crab legs" (carrot sticks and orange and red bell peppers with dip)



"submarine sandwiches" 



really easy to make when you watch the tutorial on youtube!

"Jell-o Aquariums" (blue jell-o with a gummy fish on top)

For part of the decor I got some feeder goldfish at the pet store and put them in bowls/vases on the tables.  This was cheap and a BIG hit with all the kids!

The cake was really fun and easy to make and I just used gummy fish and sharks to decorate

The girls requested blueberry and strawberry filling

They were spoiled by their friends and family with gifts and had a wonderful time.

Morgan and Madylin Turn 6!

On May 2nd Morgan and Madylin turned 6! They got to celebrate with their class and they decided they wanted me to bring cake pops in for their class.  I went in with the treats in the middle of the day and their teacher Mrs. Conn put crowns on them and put them up on a chair for the class to sing to them and then she gave them 6 "spankings."  It made me laugh because I remember a lot of my teachers used to do that.

 For their birthday dinner they requested a pizza in the shape of a 6. Umm yeah.  I'm not that cool.  I asked them if they'd settle for a heart-shaped pizza with pepperonis in the shape of a 6 and they thought that was okay.

They had their birthday party the next night and then they got to go to their friend Kayla's birthday party at the bowling alley and bowl for the first time!  It was a pretty good birthday for them!