Willa's First Day of Kindergarten!

Our little Willa is a kindergartener! Before leaving, she told me she was most excited about making new friends. It's nice because she already knows two classmates and met more on the playground during the open house prior to school starting. She also knows her teacher well because Jia had her! I love that her school keeps siblings with the same teachers. She was happy to wear her new dress, shoes and backpack! She was SO ready to go.

 

 

When she got off the bus that afternoon, she said, "Mama, I had such a great day! I wish I could take it all home for you!" Could there be a better response!

We finished the day with frozen yogurt.

Willa started school on Wednesday. Because her school doesn't have air and it was horrifically hot those first three days of school (to the point where both kids and teachers were throwing up from heat exhaustion), the city canceled school in non-air conditioned buildings the following two days. But she had a great start overall!

Jia's first day of Third Grade!

Jia started Third Grade! She was very excited to go despite the fact that the temperature was supposed to be 98 degrees and her school has no air conditioning. She missed her friends and was ready to go back.

Her new backpack is so cute.

She requested a "snail" for breakfast again this year.

The day didn't quite go as planned. Her room was like a furnace. Jia escaped the heat by spending most of the day in the nurse's office where there is air conditioning. Smart girl! (Actually, she didn't feel that great before school and I think the heat did her in.) But she likes her teacher and already considers all the girls her friends. A good start in that regard!

Summer Fun, Finally

Our schedule and poor Jia's medical issues put a damper on a lot of our regular summer activities. So, at the end of summer, we've tried to cram in everything we missed!

We started with seeing Turbo at the Drive-In. It was such a relaxing evening. The girls instantly gathered a bunch of kids and started playing tag and doing the limbo! It was a great night.

We spent an evening at the Rose Gardens at Lake Harriet. The roses were in full bloom and it was wonderful!

We also did our annual long bike ride to Minnehaha Falls. We picnicked in the falls area, then biked to the Wabun splash pad. We stopped at DQ for a treat on the way back, and took a dip in Minnehaha Creek near our house to cool off before the final leg home. A fantastic day!

 

 The girls have also enjoyed playdates with friends. Willa and her friend, Katie, made a mud slip 'n slide. Jia is doing a Food Science kit with friend, Mia, here. A much neater activity.

They have also tried slacklining at the neighbors' house! Fun stuff!

 

Not too bad for just a few days!

The Olympics or bust!

We are so proud of our gymnast, Willa. She was invited to join the Junior Olympic team! She is a natural at gymnastics, and would do it every waking moment if she could. She is incredibly strong and her form is really solid. She is also very competitive. The team will require time and commitment (practice goes until 8:00 p.m. and she needs to be up at 6:00 a.m. for kindergarten), but she loves it and we know she'll do great!

 

Jia turns EIGHT!

How can our little girl be this old! EIGHT!

We started the day with some presents:

We also had a family birthday party, where she received a special gift from her cousin:

And shared an ice cream cake with Great-Grandma Marguerite who has a birthday a couple of days before Jia:

But the biggest moment of the day was when we surprised her with what she's wanted for a very long time...pierced ears!

 

She also received a butterfly-shaped earring holder and a ton of earrings to go with it.  I gave her a pair of my earrings and matching necklace as well. This made for one very happy girl! We are so lucky to have you sweet Jia!

Jia's Ballet Party

Our beautiful ballerina, Jia, had a ballet party for her 8th birthday. It was at a dance school and the girls attended a ballet class!

Each girl received a tutu and a sparkly sequin headband as a party favor.

They read the ballet story of Sleeping Beauty and then acted it out!

  

 

 

  

  

Striking a ballet pose.

We served pink tutu cupcakes with pink treats and birthday cake ice cream.

For their craft activity, they made ballerina bookmarks.

Sweet kids.

 

Goofy kids!

 

 

It was TUTU much fun!  :-)

Road Trip Day #7: Mark Twain's Boyhood Home

We drove from St. Louis, MO to Des Moines, IA this day. In Hannibal, MO, we stopped at a statue of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, and at the boyhood home of Mark Twain (Sam Clemens) and others who were the inspiration for his characters.

The boyhood home of Mark Twain/Tom Sawyer. (Click to enlarge to read the sign.)

The law office of Mark Twain's father. 

The home of Becky Thatcher (Laura Hawkins).

We ended the day at a crappy waterpark hotel. Our room was yucky and Willa was hurt on their totally unsafe waterslide. We drove home to Minneapolis the following morning. Overall, we had a great trip!!