Today

The kindergarteners have been dressing in the colors of the rainbow for the past week or so. Today was purple day, and Emma's second outfit of the day just so happened to match.

Max's sand castle before it was attacked by the dragon named Emma.

 
The dragon herself.

School Playground

Max had been asking to play at the school playground, but our plans kept getting foiled by the rain. We finally made it over to play Saturday morning. We always have fun on the new equipment.

 

Max's First Day of Pre-K!

Max started Pre-K this morning. He was a little nervous at first, but the nerves quickly turned into excitement. He is going to the same school that he went to last year, and most of his classmates are the same. His favorite part of the day was playing with blocks and his least favorite part was rained-out recess.

If you want to be blown away by how much he has grown up in the last year, click here for his first day of school picture from last year. Where did that baby face go?

Kindergarten!

Natalie started kindergarten today, and tonight at supper she told us that she wishes she could go to kindergarten every day for the rest of her life. I'd call that a successful first day!

She ran out of the school waving and wearing her paper hat that said "I rocked my first day of kindergarten" when we picked her up. She spent the next long while telling us all about her afternoon. (She only goes half days for the first two weeks). It sounds like she had a wonderful day, and she is very excited to go again tomorrow.

I have been so excited for her that I wasn't prepared to cry. The tears came this evening though. It's so bittersweet. It's not that I don't want her to grow up. I love the little girl that she is turning into. I just wish that she could take me with her as she grows. ❤

Meet the Teacher

Kindergarten starts on Monday! Natalie got to meet her teacher, Mrs. Flaming, this evening at Meet the Teacher night. 

She found her desk and went on a scavenger hunt around the classroom to put all of her school supplies away. 

The lei that Natalie is wearing in the pictures was a welcome gift from Mrs. Flaming. The school has an ocean theme for the year, so Mrs. Flaming gave each kid a lei as they walked in the classroom as if they were walking off of an airplane in Hawaii. So fun!

 

It looks like it's going to be a great year!

Last Week of Summer

Natalie and Max both start school next week, so we're soaking up this last little bit of summer this week. We went out for breakfast this morning and played at our favorite Newton park.

School Shopping with Natalie

Natalie and I went on our back-to-school shopping trip Friday, and we had so much fun! Five might be my favorite age so far. She asks such thoughtful questions and tells the cutest jokes. I love watching her mind work.

We shopped til we dropped, then Natalie chose lunch at Jason's Deli for a grilled cheese sandwich and dessert at Freezing Moo to try rolled ice cream. 

Newton Splash Park

Ice Cream and Ponytails

We used our free Frosty coupons from the library this afternoon.

And Emma wore her first ponytail this morning.

Dillon Nature Center

This morning's cloudy weather was perfect for a trip to Dillon Nature Center in Hutchinson. We went with some friends, and the kids played and played all morning. They could have entertained themselves there all day.

Still Summer!

As excited as we are for school to start, we are also savoring the last couple weeks of sweet summertime.  

First Lost Tooth!

Natalie lost her first tooth! It has been loose for over a week. Today we noticed her permanent tooth already growing in behind it, so she really got to wiggling it, and out it popped. Now we wait for the tooth fairy!

School Shopping with Max

I absolutely love back to school shopping. Once a school nerd, always a school nerd! I also absolutely love one-on-one time with these big kids that my "two under two" suddenly grew into. One-on-one back to school shopping trips it is then!

Max got to go on the first shopping trip yesterday, and we had the best time! Our sweet conversations and his insistent hand-holding were good for this mama's soul.

He chose to eat lunch at Firehouse Subs because he wanted a new fire hat and a cherry limeade.

We got his school supplies and backpack at Target, and he helped me pick out some new sunglasses. He was actually really helpful in telling me which pairs looked better than others.

We ended our trip with a stop at Freezing Moo for "rolled ice cream." This is his ice cream all flattened out after they mixed it up:

Then they scrape the thin ice cream into rolls and top it with goodies. Max chose gummy bears, M&M's, and sprinkles for his toppings.

Lately

We celebrated my grandpa's, grandma's, and dad's birthdays with a fun lunch on Sunday.

We took advantage of the unseasonably cool weather yesterday with a trip to the zoo.

Fairy house construction crew:

The pool closes soon, so we're trying to get in a few final visits!