While we enjoyed our days in Key West, we called to talk to Sofia and Olivia every day and loved to hear about their day and how much fun they were having at the beach. As we guessed, Sofia absolutely loved being at the beach and spent every minute she could in the ocean. She befriended a girl a few years older than her and they swam and played for hours together while Grandpa stayed on the sand and watched. Meanwhile, Olivia wasn't quite as enamored with the beach. She wanted to like it and would go into the water but would cling to Grandma. It reminded me of how afraid Sofia was of the ocean for her first 3 years. Apparently what she really wasn't sure about was how the water moved one way and then the other and the sand was pulled from under her feet. So, while Grandpa hung out with Sofia at the beach, Connie took Olivia to the pool which she loved. She also made a little friend and they played in the water together.
While at the Bahama House, they enjoyed "happy hour" every evening of mixed nuts and other snacks and drinks and loved listening to different people play the piano. Apparently one lady played "You are my Sunshine" and both girls sang and danced along. At the end, Olivia said "I love that girl." They enjoyed pizza night and watching tv in their hotel room after long days of playing in the ocean or pool. They also shared a bed each night with pillows down the middle to separate them. They headed back to the Farm on Wednesday and had a great few days at the beach. The girls wouldn't stop talking about it every evening when we called!
Friday, June 13, 2014
Monday, June 9, 2014
Visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Florida
We arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's farm on Saturday afternoon following a smooth trip in the Baron. We originally planned to head to Florida on Friday, but with school getting out on Thursday and CK's very hectic week, we decided to wait until Saturday morning. We dropped Buddy off with Marco and Stacy on Friday night after having them over for an impromptu BBQ at our house. We thought about taking Buddy with us, especially since he loves the farm so much, but with us planning to be in Key West for a few days, we didn't want to leave all the responsibility with Grandma and Grandpa. Olivia napped on the flight and Sofia read or worked on her summer bridge workbook.
The girls were so excited to be with Grandpa and Grandma and the farm and were so happy once we arrived. We unloaded the plane and organized for a week at their house. Instead of putting Olivia in a pack-n-play in the office like we've always done, Connie set up the blow-up bed in the same room with Sofia so both girls would be in the same room. For dinner we went into town and ate at our favorite, Sonny's BBQ! After we were done we drove over to CK's Grandma's house (in the pouring rain) to watch the Belmont Stakes to see if California Chrome would win the Triple Crown (he didn't) and to visit the girls' Great Grandma. She's doing really well and looks great for having just turned 93! The girls love her and she's so sweet to them, wanting them to sit on her lap and inviting them to play with anything in the house. Their favorite "toy" is her wheeled walker, which one of them would sit on while the other pushed it around the room! Olivia was surprisingly good at pushing her 60 pound sister around the carpeted living room! After our visit, we headed home for baths and bed. The girls did pretty good sleeping in the same room and even decided to sleep in the same bed.
After Meeting and lunch on Sunday, Grandpa blew up the bounce house for the girls and they spent hours bouncing and running away from the "monster" (Grandma acting silly, which was so fun to watch). They also loved playing on the tree that fell down between the house and the storage barn. Sofia loved climbing on it and walking along the trunk. Olivia wasn't quite so sure of walking the tree trunk, but Sofia held her hand and helped her figure it out. The girls had so much fun!
On Monday morning, CK and I packed for our visit to Key West and I packed up the girls clothes for a few days at the beach! The night before Connie told Sofia and Olivia that she and Grandpa decided to take them to Daytona Beach while we were in Key West! Sofia was SO excited and said she had "waited all of 1st grade to go to the beach!" Ha! Around 10am, we gave our girls kisses and hugs and climbed into the Baron for a 11/2 hour flight to Key West! It went very smoothly and we were there before we knew it! A bit later, the girls and their Grandparents headed to Daytona Beach!
Sofia working on her Summer Bridge Workbook
The girls playing on the fallen tree
CK and the girls
Me with the girls
Two happy girls with their Grandparents
Playing on the bounce house - hours of fun!
Cuddling up with Grandma before bedtime.
The girls were so excited to be with Grandpa and Grandma and the farm and were so happy once we arrived. We unloaded the plane and organized for a week at their house. Instead of putting Olivia in a pack-n-play in the office like we've always done, Connie set up the blow-up bed in the same room with Sofia so both girls would be in the same room. For dinner we went into town and ate at our favorite, Sonny's BBQ! After we were done we drove over to CK's Grandma's house (in the pouring rain) to watch the Belmont Stakes to see if California Chrome would win the Triple Crown (he didn't) and to visit the girls' Great Grandma. She's doing really well and looks great for having just turned 93! The girls love her and she's so sweet to them, wanting them to sit on her lap and inviting them to play with anything in the house. Their favorite "toy" is her wheeled walker, which one of them would sit on while the other pushed it around the room! Olivia was surprisingly good at pushing her 60 pound sister around the carpeted living room! After our visit, we headed home for baths and bed. The girls did pretty good sleeping in the same room and even decided to sleep in the same bed.
After Meeting and lunch on Sunday, Grandpa blew up the bounce house for the girls and they spent hours bouncing and running away from the "monster" (Grandma acting silly, which was so fun to watch). They also loved playing on the tree that fell down between the house and the storage barn. Sofia loved climbing on it and walking along the trunk. Olivia wasn't quite so sure of walking the tree trunk, but Sofia held her hand and helped her figure it out. The girls had so much fun!
On Monday morning, CK and I packed for our visit to Key West and I packed up the girls clothes for a few days at the beach! The night before Connie told Sofia and Olivia that she and Grandpa decided to take them to Daytona Beach while we were in Key West! Sofia was SO excited and said she had "waited all of 1st grade to go to the beach!" Ha! Around 10am, we gave our girls kisses and hugs and climbed into the Baron for a 11/2 hour flight to Key West! It went very smoothly and we were there before we knew it! A bit later, the girls and their Grandparents headed to Daytona Beach!
Sofia working on her Summer Bridge Workbook
The girls playing on the fallen tree
CK and the girls
Me with the girls
Two happy girls with their Grandparents
Playing on the bounce house - hours of fun!
Cuddling up with Grandma before bedtime.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Sofia's Last Day of 1st Grade!
It's here! Sofia's last day of 1st grade! In some ways, it seems like the school year just started, and I know I'm excited for summer and all the fun (and some sleeping in past 6am) ahead. I still am not sure how Sofia feels about it and think she might be happy but also sad to say goodbye to Mrs. Schultz and her friends. In the past few days she's been more emotional than usual, but otherwise she won't tell me much in how she feels about the end of the school year. I'd offered to host Sofia's class for a pool party from 3:30 - 5:30 as a little celebration and just about everyone RSVPed yes!
I decided to use our idea from last year to thank Mrs. Schultz for being such a great teacher to Sofia. Sofia absolutely adores Mrs. Schultz and was sad at the start of both Christmas and Spring Break knowing she wouldn't be seeing Mrs. Schultz for a few days. So, we bought gift certificates for Starbucks, Luke's Locker, Pottery Barn, Barnes and Nobles, and Market Street. Then, Sofia wrote "What will Mrs. Schultz do over summer break?" and "Enjoy a cup of coffee/tea with her family" (Starbucks), "Buy a new yoga top" (Luke's Locker) "Spend the day shopping" (Pottery Barn), "Read a good book" (Barnes and Nobles), and (Drink her favorite iced tea" (Market Street). Then she finished with "Thank you for being such a great teacher......" I told her she could write and thank her for being the best teacher, but she said she didn't want to "make the other teachers feel bad, since there are other great teachers in school." So sweet!
On her very last morning of school, I made the girls french toast and got ready to go to school for the last day of 1st grade. We were running a bit behind but I was able to get some pictures of her and Olivia. Olivia and I took Sofia to her classroom to give Mrs. Schultz her gift and also to be sure that the gift card and thank you note for Mr. Chreno made it's way into Alexa's backpack so he would get it. I took a picture of Sofia with Mrs. Schultz and Sofia stayed quiet and reserved which makes me wonder how she feels about it all. For their last day, the class had a party in the classroom and also watched the 5th grade class take on the teachers in volleyball.
Olivia and I picked Sofia up from school and took a few pictures of her in front of the school. We raced to the grocery store for ice and then headed home so we could host her class for an end of year pool party! Twenty of the twenty-three kids in her class planned to attend the pool party, as well as a few siblings. We had water and juice boxes for drinks and cold watermelon while other moms who came brought cookies, cupcakes, chips, goldfish, fruit, etc. It was an easy party to host and the slide was a huge draw! For the entire two hours there was a line of kids climbing the stairs to go down the slide! Everyone had a great time! Of course, Olivia wanted to swim so after I diverted her with snacks as long as I could, I got in the pool and she jumped off the side of the pool and swam to me, over and over.
For a "graduation" gift, we got Sofia Bare Books, which are blank books that can be written in, so she can create her own stories and illustrations. We talked about it a few weeks back at bedtime and she was so excited at the idea that she stayed up thinking of all the possibilities! We also got her a summer enrichment workbook that Mrs. Schultz suggested she work on whenever she gets a chance so she doesn't loose her math and writing skills. We decided to give her her card and gift either Thursday night or Friday morning since CK was pulled into a meeting in Las Vegas Wednesday night through Thursday. I can't believe 1st grade is over, but we look forward to a fun summer ahead!
The sweet gift card thank you card for Mrs. Schultz
Sofia and her sister on Sofia's very last day of 1st grade!
Sweet sisters
Sofia and her favorite teacher, Mrs. Schultz
Sofia after her last day - summer, here we come!
Ready for a fun summer!
I decided to use our idea from last year to thank Mrs. Schultz for being such a great teacher to Sofia. Sofia absolutely adores Mrs. Schultz and was sad at the start of both Christmas and Spring Break knowing she wouldn't be seeing Mrs. Schultz for a few days. So, we bought gift certificates for Starbucks, Luke's Locker, Pottery Barn, Barnes and Nobles, and Market Street. Then, Sofia wrote "What will Mrs. Schultz do over summer break?" and "Enjoy a cup of coffee/tea with her family" (Starbucks), "Buy a new yoga top" (Luke's Locker) "Spend the day shopping" (Pottery Barn), "Read a good book" (Barnes and Nobles), and (Drink her favorite iced tea" (Market Street). Then she finished with "Thank you for being such a great teacher......" I told her she could write and thank her for being the best teacher, but she said she didn't want to "make the other teachers feel bad, since there are other great teachers in school." So sweet!
On her very last morning of school, I made the girls french toast and got ready to go to school for the last day of 1st grade. We were running a bit behind but I was able to get some pictures of her and Olivia. Olivia and I took Sofia to her classroom to give Mrs. Schultz her gift and also to be sure that the gift card and thank you note for Mr. Chreno made it's way into Alexa's backpack so he would get it. I took a picture of Sofia with Mrs. Schultz and Sofia stayed quiet and reserved which makes me wonder how she feels about it all. For their last day, the class had a party in the classroom and also watched the 5th grade class take on the teachers in volleyball.
Olivia and I picked Sofia up from school and took a few pictures of her in front of the school. We raced to the grocery store for ice and then headed home so we could host her class for an end of year pool party! Twenty of the twenty-three kids in her class planned to attend the pool party, as well as a few siblings. We had water and juice boxes for drinks and cold watermelon while other moms who came brought cookies, cupcakes, chips, goldfish, fruit, etc. It was an easy party to host and the slide was a huge draw! For the entire two hours there was a line of kids climbing the stairs to go down the slide! Everyone had a great time! Of course, Olivia wanted to swim so after I diverted her with snacks as long as I could, I got in the pool and she jumped off the side of the pool and swam to me, over and over.
For a "graduation" gift, we got Sofia Bare Books, which are blank books that can be written in, so she can create her own stories and illustrations. We talked about it a few weeks back at bedtime and she was so excited at the idea that she stayed up thinking of all the possibilities! We also got her a summer enrichment workbook that Mrs. Schultz suggested she work on whenever she gets a chance so she doesn't loose her math and writing skills. We decided to give her her card and gift either Thursday night or Friday morning since CK was pulled into a meeting in Las Vegas Wednesday night through Thursday. I can't believe 1st grade is over, but we look forward to a fun summer ahead!
The sweet gift card thank you card for Mrs. Schultz
Sofia and her sister on Sofia's very last day of 1st grade!
Sweet sisters
Sofia and her favorite teacher, Mrs. Schultz
Sofia after her last day - summer, here we come!
Ready for a fun summer!
Monday, June 2, 2014
Sofia "Graduates" From 1st Grade!
This morning CK, Olivia and I headed to school to watch Sofia "graduate" from 1st grade at 9:30am. The kids were asked to wear a nice outfit, so Sofia picked out a pretty dress and her gold shoes for the event. I still can't believe that the school year is nearly over and we'll soon have a 2nd grader on our hands. Meanwhile, last week I called Spanish Schoolhouse and signed Olivia up to start in the 3 year old class (Mondays and Wednesdays) in the Fall! It's going to be a big change next year!
The program started and it was very sweet. Mrs. Dean's class went first followed by Mrs. Christians and then Mrs. Schultz. As Mrs. Schultz called each child individually to the stage she would hand them "What they were most proud of" for the year, which they would read aloud. Nearly all the kids wrote about hitting or surpassing their reading level goals, others talked of being proud to be able to count to 120. Sofia talked about friendship and said "The thing I am most proud of is making new friends because if someone makes you their friend you feel happy. If you make someone your friend they feel happy. Friendship is happiness." It was very sweet and thoughtful.
After the ceremony, we took a family picture and congratulated Sofia for a successful year. CK was able to talk briefly to Mrs. Schultz about Sofia and the Aspire program. On Saturday we officially found out that Sofia got into the Aspire program for next year! We'd actually found out a few weeks before when I wrote Mrs. Schultz asking her about the process. Sofia came home from school and told CK that she was held back from the Aspire testing and that Mrs. Schultz told her that she was "proud of her" and that she'd "done a good job" which made us think that she either aced it or did so badly that she didn't need to continue with testing. After all the other Aspire tests, she came home telling us how easy it was and how well she thought it was. Thankfully, Mrs. Schultz told us she'd done so well that she didn't need to continue testing! She was the only one in her class to test into the program! We're so excited for her and proud!
After talking to a few other parents, we walked Sofia back to her classroom hall, gave her a hug and headed out. Only three more days left until the end of the school year!
Olivia and her Papa head toward school for Sofia's graduation
There's our girl!
Principal Shimmick welcoming all the friends and family
Sofia and her classmates
Ready to read what she was most proud of for the past year
Taking the microphone from Mrs. Schultz
Sofia reading to all of us!
Giving Mrs. Schultz a hug
Hugging Vice Principle Faragher
The four of us after Sofia's graduation
Sofia's sweet write-up!
The program started and it was very sweet. Mrs. Dean's class went first followed by Mrs. Christians and then Mrs. Schultz. As Mrs. Schultz called each child individually to the stage she would hand them "What they were most proud of" for the year, which they would read aloud. Nearly all the kids wrote about hitting or surpassing their reading level goals, others talked of being proud to be able to count to 120. Sofia talked about friendship and said "The thing I am most proud of is making new friends because if someone makes you their friend you feel happy. If you make someone your friend they feel happy. Friendship is happiness." It was very sweet and thoughtful.
After the ceremony, we took a family picture and congratulated Sofia for a successful year. CK was able to talk briefly to Mrs. Schultz about Sofia and the Aspire program. On Saturday we officially found out that Sofia got into the Aspire program for next year! We'd actually found out a few weeks before when I wrote Mrs. Schultz asking her about the process. Sofia came home from school and told CK that she was held back from the Aspire testing and that Mrs. Schultz told her that she was "proud of her" and that she'd "done a good job" which made us think that she either aced it or did so badly that she didn't need to continue with testing. After all the other Aspire tests, she came home telling us how easy it was and how well she thought it was. Thankfully, Mrs. Schultz told us she'd done so well that she didn't need to continue testing! She was the only one in her class to test into the program! We're so excited for her and proud!
After talking to a few other parents, we walked Sofia back to her classroom hall, gave her a hug and headed out. Only three more days left until the end of the school year!
Olivia and her Papa head toward school for Sofia's graduation
There's our girl!
Principal Shimmick welcoming all the friends and family
Sofia and her classmates
Ready to read what she was most proud of for the past year
Taking the microphone from Mrs. Schultz
Sofia reading to all of us!
Giving Mrs. Schultz a hug
Hugging Vice Principle Faragher
The four of us after Sofia's graduation
Sofia's sweet write-up!
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Olivia Visits the Dallas Zoo
Today after we dropped Sofia off at school, Olivia and I returned to the house briefly to pack snacks, water and load the stroller for a day at the Dallas Zoo. I figured since Sofia and I were able to enjoy the zoo with her class, it would be fun to have a little solo time with Olivia and the animals. The night before I asked her which animals she really wanted to see and listed off the options. She chose snakes! I guess the snake "in her baby monitor" is still making an impression! We arrived and headed into the zoo shortly after they opened. Before making it to the snakes, we stopped and watched the river otters swim around and also visited the tiger enclosure, but it was so large that we couldn't see them. We continued to the snake and amphibian house and it was actually very interesting and so many of the really poisonous snakes are absolutely beautiful. After the snakes, we visited the alligators which were enclosed in an indoor sunken room with a little lake - it was a little pitiful. But, she enjoyed looking at them and we read up on what they eat and how they live in nature.
From there, Olivia wanted to ride on the little train that is across the walkway in the former zebra and elephant holding areas. The train drove around a little loop once and then we were out and walking toward the ant eaters and Galapagos Tortoises. From there, I could tell Olivia was running out of steam, but we decided to visit the tigers once more and actually saw one of them chewing on a large bone of some sort. They are such large and beautiful animals but also so slender and long! Incredible!
From there we headed straight to the kid's zoo, since it was getting close to Olivia's nap time and she was getting restless. My favorite part of the zoo - the Savannah, which includes the giraffes, zebras, elephants, and lions would have to wait for another visit. Once at the kid's zoo, Olivia wanted to ride the horse which she loved and then she went straight for the little river to walk and splash in. A large group of preschoolers were there so it was a little crowded in the river, but she found her way and had a lot of fun! She got completely drenched and after about 20 minutes she was done. I gave her the last of the snacks, which we'd been eating along the visit, and we headed for the exit. Olivia saw the merry-go-round and wanted to go, so we bought tickets and loaded up on a horse. She loved it! It was really fun and a great ending to the day. We made it to our car and I stripped Olivia out of her wet clothes and into another set of clothes I brought with us. Then we headed home and she was asleep in less than 5 minutes. A very fun and successful trip to the zoo!
Olivia is ready for a fun day at the zoo!
Checking out the elephant statue
Reviewing the map
Watching the river otters
Visiting the tortoise
A close-up of Olivia wearing a Mimi-made top - perfect for the zoo
Looking at the snakes
More snakes
A snake close-up
Watching the iguana eat
Riding on the train
The ant eater
The huge tortoises
Such a ham!
The amazing tiger!
flamingos
Taking a horse ride
Playing in the river
Running in the river
Playing
Such a cute top
Riding on the Merry Go Around before we go! Such a fun day!
From there, Olivia wanted to ride on the little train that is across the walkway in the former zebra and elephant holding areas. The train drove around a little loop once and then we were out and walking toward the ant eaters and Galapagos Tortoises. From there, I could tell Olivia was running out of steam, but we decided to visit the tigers once more and actually saw one of them chewing on a large bone of some sort. They are such large and beautiful animals but also so slender and long! Incredible!
From there we headed straight to the kid's zoo, since it was getting close to Olivia's nap time and she was getting restless. My favorite part of the zoo - the Savannah, which includes the giraffes, zebras, elephants, and lions would have to wait for another visit. Once at the kid's zoo, Olivia wanted to ride the horse which she loved and then she went straight for the little river to walk and splash in. A large group of preschoolers were there so it was a little crowded in the river, but she found her way and had a lot of fun! She got completely drenched and after about 20 minutes she was done. I gave her the last of the snacks, which we'd been eating along the visit, and we headed for the exit. Olivia saw the merry-go-round and wanted to go, so we bought tickets and loaded up on a horse. She loved it! It was really fun and a great ending to the day. We made it to our car and I stripped Olivia out of her wet clothes and into another set of clothes I brought with us. Then we headed home and she was asleep in less than 5 minutes. A very fun and successful trip to the zoo!
Olivia is ready for a fun day at the zoo!
Checking out the elephant statue
Reviewing the map
Watching the river otters
Visiting the tortoise
A close-up of Olivia wearing a Mimi-made top - perfect for the zoo
Looking at the snakes
More snakes
A snake close-up
Watching the iguana eat
Riding on the train
The ant eater
The huge tortoises
Such a ham!
The amazing tiger!
flamingos
Taking a horse ride
Playing in the river
Running in the river
Playing
Such a cute top
Riding on the Merry Go Around before we go! Such a fun day!
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