Kate's first day of "school"

Unbelievable really, but Kate has started her first Mother's Day Out one day a week and will tell you that she is going to "school."  Our baby thinks she is a big girl, and in so many ways, really is!  Two weeks in, "school" is going well.  Her teachers love her, she hasn't really cried at dropoff, she slept one day at nap time for 45 minutes, and she seems to want to go back. 

On the first day Kate wanted to bring every lovie and baby from her crib - that has been the only sticking point in going really.  She loves her new running shoes that she got for school - she picked them out at target and loves the pink!  Kate is becomming so chatty and loves the color pink - such a little girl!  I keep thinking I should write down all the words she is saying, but then i realize she will say any word that you say - there must be hundreds in her little brain right now!  just today I asked her if her lunch was going in her tummy and she told me "no, in my mouth."  then she started lifting up her dress to put the ham sandwich "in her tummy."  this girl keeps us on our toes for sure.

 

 

Brooks helping to carry all of Kate's school stuff to the car.  she has a little bag of clothes, a lunch and her napmat.  Both kids go to the same little school and overlap on Thursdays.  I think it would be cute to be a fly on the wall watching them interact as they pass in the hallway or on the way to the gym. 

1st day of Preschool

another school year has begun!

 

Brooks is starting 3-year-old preschool at Ridgewood Park Preschool, and so far he loves it.  He is going Tuesdays and Thursdays and is in Mrs. Throckmorton's class.  (I still can't believe he can say her name so clearly!)  There are seven kids in his class, and he even gets dropped off in a carpool line outside the front door and walks in by himself.  He loves going to music class with Mrs. Gresback and also the gym.  It's a long day for this guy (who still naps thank goodness) - I don't pick him up until 2:30.  He is usually wiped out and comes home and sleeps a bit before dinner.

Brooks loves telling you that he isn't just three, but three and a half right now.  Other things I want to remember about our guy as he starts preschool...

 

• He loves singing, making up songs, playing his guitar, and "jamming".  His favorite songs right now are "Do you know the muffin man?" and "Jesus loves me"
• He memorized his first bible verse at church this month "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" - Genesis 1:1.  He is very proud of himself and so are we.
• He is still into his trains, but more into trucks, construction, Bob the Builder, imagination play - he always wants to play "airport" and he is usually the baggage guy.  We are also usually flying to Denver to see Xander and play golf.  :)
• He loves his new golf clubs and wants to play all the time.  it has been pretty hot and buggy, but we are starting to get outside more.  He asked why we hadn't been to the golf course in Dallas yet and would really like to go. At lunch with friends last weekend, he talked on and on about his "driver, hybrid, iron and putter."
• He is really excited about reading and wants to practice his letters all the time.  He is confidently identifying all the letters and pretty good and telling you what a word starts with.  Some are harder than others - C & K, W & Y, F & V get mixed up a lot.  I find it hard to tell him why words that sound one way actually start with another letter!
• He still loves his strider bike and riding it to the park near our house.  He especially likes when other people notice his bike (not as many striders in dallas as denver) and then he puts on a show riding laps around the park! 
• He has started his first "responsibility chart" (chore chart really) and is interested in helping out and also putting something in his piggy bank!  We are just in week one but so far he has started setting the table and clearing his dishes more.  He has also showen more initiative in getting dressed by himself because he will get a sticker!



Our funny little guy! 

Road Trip Family

A little delayed, but after we left Georgian Bay, we drove north through Sault Ste Marie, Canada and back into the US.  We loved the beautiful drive across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and stopped to have  picnic dinner at an elementary school.  It was one of the sweetest parts of our entire trip.

After staying the night in Michigan, we continued driving south through Wisconsin (hence the cheese heads) and back to Chicago where our adventure began.  We had Kate in a cheese head too but couldn't keep it on her long enough for a picture!

 

Back in Chicago we stopped by "the bean" - so cool and a fun place to take pictures.  We had already done the zoo on the front end of our trip with our friend Christy Parker (sorry no camera that day) and now we enjoyed seeing more of the city. 

It seems like so long ago now that I am just getting to putting these pictures on the blog, but we had a wonderful long trip and really enjoyed it all.  I will remember that the kids did great in the car and long drives worked well leaving just after lunch and driving into the night with the kids in their pjs.  With these two summer road trips behind us we are encouraged for more family adventures to come!