Punky had a few days off of school this week for MEA, but we didn't have big plans. On Thursday, we made puppy chow (it was gone on Friday). Buddy's preschool was canceled too, so we were able to sign him up for one nature school class that he loved going to last year. I had to work on Friday, but we stopped for donuts on our way to daycare. Always a good day to start the day! On Friday night, we went to Grandma Trudi and Grandpa Scott's.
There was a baby shower to celebrate Baby B who was born in July. A lot of friends and family were there, so it was a fun morning!
All the great grandkids
Grandpa raked a big piles of leaves for the kids to jump in!
I'm kicking myself for not checking the exposure on this one! I have one with Punky in focus and another shot with Buddy in focus- now I just need to learn Photoshop!
It was a beautiful fall weekend- I hope not the last warm weather of the year!
Believe it or not- bunny ears and a tongue sticking out was the best shot!
I sound like a broken record... But man we had another crazy week!
Monday we were still trying to catch up from being gone the week prior.
Tuesday, Buddy had preschool and Taekwondo. He is improving! And learning so much! I am so proud of him! He was able to give the meaning of respect and recite "Focus your eyes. Focus your mind. Focus your body." He earned a stripe on his belt for doing so.
On Wednesday, Punky had ice skating. She didn't pass her level but was so close! Just two more boxes to check (and one of them she showed me she could do during her practice session).
Buddy had his first preschool field trip on Thursday. We went to a farm that had a hayride, corn maze and petting zoo.
Thursday was also our actual anniversary and Taekwondo was canceled so Punky skipped choir so we could all go out to dinner.
There was a BBQ at school on Friday. It was fun to see Punky eat lunch and play at recess with all her friends!
On Saturday, we went to SD for my cousin's wedding. It was a beautiful day! The reception was outside and the kids had a lot of fun dancing on the lawn in the dark.
It's tradition to have a drink at The Ice House and break your beer bottle under the dock. When the kids saw this, they just had to participate!
Today we played at the farm in the morning- my parents got new kitties!
And then we drove home with two exhausted kids. Back to the grind again tomorrow! Hope you all had a good week!
There isn't much to report about Punky and Buddy this week because Derek and I were gone all week celebrating our upcoming 10th anniversary!!!
We went to San Diego and had a great trip with equal parts relaxing and doing fun stuff.
We took our time getting ready each morning (me more than Derek). Then each day we did 1 or 2 things. We spent the rest of the day walking on the beach, eating yummy food and tasting many different beers. We made it back to our VRBO early enough every night to get some real sleep- turns out we are old and exhausted by the early flight and time change.
Day 1- In n Out Burger (meh), walk on the beach, Mexican food at Old Town (blah)
Day 2- More walks on the beach, California Burritos at Lucha Libre (fries inside!), Balboa Park, Ballast Point Brewery
Day 3- La Jolla, hike at Torrey Pines, quick stop at Lost Abbey/Port Brewing before dinner and tour at Stone Brewing
Day 4- Cabrillo National Monument, Coronado Island, back to Ballast Point
My parents watched the kids while we were gone and I think it's safe to say they all had fun! They were plenty busy shuffling the kids to school, preschool, birthday parties and activities. I was worried the kids would miss us or be scared and there was none of that!
Grandpa had talked about having an activity with a rope for Buddy every day. We weren't so sure what exactly he had in mind, so it was fun to get picture texts each day. I am sure they got some silly looks from the neighbors, but I also know they made some great memories!
Grandma and Grandpa had nothing but good things to say about the kids behavior when we got home. They had lots of cute stories to tell about the kids. And the kids said they had a good week with Grandma and Grandpa too.
It was a great week for Derek and I to reconnect and celebrate 10 years. I think it was also a great week for the kids to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa and create a special bond with them. We are all so lucky!
It seems we have hit a new season in our lives this fall. We are now so super busy shuttling kids to and from their various activities. For the last six years, we had a consistent routine of supper at 6, bath time at 7 three days a week and bedtime at 8. We very rarely strayed from that routine. Now, we are squeezing in dinner at 4:30 or 5 so that we can leave for a class which means Derek isn't home in time to eat with us. It is a struggle to find time to bathe the kids even twice a week and their bedtime is often being pushed back a half hour or so.
Punky wanted to try ice skating lessons this year. Her class is only for 30 minutes once a week, with a 30 minute practice time after. One parent can join her on the rink during the practice time, but so far all three of us have been sneaking out with her. It's a fun time to spend together!
Her first day was a mess- lots of falling down, bumped heads, cold hands and crying. After only 3 lessons, she is really getting the hang of it! We see a few kids from school leaving hockey practice as we are entering the rink. I keep asking her if she thinks she will want to do hockey or figure skating. So far she is more interested in twirling- whew!
I realized I don't have many photos of her at ice skating. We have to sit pretty far away during her lessons and I am not about to bring my camera out on the ice during her practice session. I do have a few iPhone photos and videos though.
Week One- she was basically skate-walking.
By Week Three, her right leg was gliding!
Punky also is in the church choir which meets once a week. I am super excited to hear her sing once a month at church and for her to be a part of the Christmas program. Her BFFs joined too, so we are able to carpool with them. That helps out a ton because Buddy has Taekwondo the same night.
Taekwondo is... interesting. When Buddy mentioned wanting to join, I called the local studio and asked about classes. They offered classes two days a week and there wasn't really the option of anything else. I just did not want to put a preschooler in an activity two nights a week, so I was very excited when I saw the Parks and Rec department offered classes at the same studio on Saturday mornings. Buddy showed up the first day... and he was the only kid! The next weekend there were two kids. So, his class was canceled and we switched to twice a week. I was okay with it because I really wanted to watch him at his class and Saturdays were always busy for me with working and being out of town. This way we are super busy, but at least I get to see him.
I love this photo that Derek took- he didn't even realize the quote was perfectly centered. :)
And it is hilarious. Let's just say he has a lot of improving to do. He is a second behind all the other kids and struggles with getting his body to do what he is seeing the teacher do. But- he is the youngest kid in the class by far and the others have been involved for a few months. He has no clue and is so excited though, so as long as he is happy, I am all for it. We will definitely be able to see his progress! :)
I think that was his serious face. We need to work on it. :)
Buddy started preschool last week! All through the summer and leading up to school, he never showed much interest. In fact, he told us he did not want to go. He only cared about Taekwondo and didn't want anything to do with preschool. It was such a relief when I picked him up on Tuesday and he LOVED it! He had a great time and was excited to go back on Thursday. Hooray!
On Tuesday, his class was learning about frogs. So, Buddy was able to bring in his two frog pets (Fat Cat and Swimmer) to share with the class. Then the teachers realized they missed Buddy's birthday by only a few days, so they celebrated his birthday on Thursday with a special crown and passing out treats. I'm so happy that he took a liking to school and I hope it continues on for kindergarten!
Aaaah! Routine! Punky went back to school this week. It's so nice to be back into a consistent routine. She had a great week and I have no doubt that first grade is going to be a great year for her!
All summer long, Punky hoped and hoped to have Mrs. Wagner for her teacher. Last year in kindergarten, Mrs. Wagner's class came into her classroom and put on plays for the students. So, Punky was convinced that Mrs. Wagner's class was the only one to do plays. Well, thank goodness, Punky got Mrs. Wagner! And one of her BFFs is in her class too! There were only two other kids from her kindergarten class in her first grade class, but I think she knows more than half of the kids from the playground, enrichment classes, etc. She's got a great group of kids in her class and a great teacher!
This week I watched the neighbor boys at 7am and got them on the bus because they were in between childcare. It was hard for me to get up so early, but I think I am going to continue it (ok maybe 7:30). It was nice to not be rushed in the morning and it led to a calmer, happier mama when we didn't have to rush, rush, rush.
With the start of school came the start of the kid's activities. I will blog about that in a few weeks once I get some more photos taken.
Buddy starts preschool next week. He had his open house and was a little nervous. I think his first day will go well because the unit is frogs and he is going to bring in his pet frogs to show the class. He is definitely excited for that! And so am I... grocery shopping with no kids! :)
What a fun weekend celebrating our little Buddy's 5th birthday! He was so excited for his big day and it was such a joy to watch him throughout the weekend.
We started the celebration with a birthday party with Buddy's friends. The party was at the nature center where Buddy took his preschool nature class last year. The party was so easy and so much fun! I remember after Punky's 5th birthday party I felt overwhelmed and worried that people didn't have fun. Not at all this time around!
We had a naturalist come in for the first hour. First, Buddy chose an animal for everyone to touch. Of course, he went with the biggest- the bull snake! The naturalist took the time to teach the kids a little about snakes and answer their questions. Derek and I got a quick glimpse of what it is like in a preschool or kindergarten classroom. There were so funny comments and cute questions but overall we were so impressed with how well the kids listened and the knowledge they shared!
After the snake was put away, Buddy chose the theme of his party to be "Buggin in the Pond". (There was a list of 10 or so topics to choose from and he chose this back in July.) The naturalist brought in photos and posters and talked to the kids about what kinds of bugs they might find in the pond. Then we walked out to the pond together and each kid got a net and bucket. She taught them how to search for the bugs and they did really well! There were probably 5 or 6 different things that she talked about that the kids found.
After we got back to the party room, we opened presents and ate cookies. Buddy got nearly every Jurassic World toy made (it feels like it anyway)! His friends must know him well. That left 10 minutes for the kids to look around the nature center before their parents picked them up. Perfect!
On Sunday, Buddy had another party with family. It was pretty low-key with grilled hot dogs, chips and cake. We visited and watched Buddy play with his new toys. He got yet more Jurassic World toys and not a single duplicate! Seriously, we have no need for any more dinos though! It was great to have everyone here for the day and weekend. Buddy had a great birthday!
