Kindergarten

Our big kindergartner! 

After touring many schools and being on a few wait lists, we found out early this summer that she got into our dream school for her... NUA Sparrow.  She looks forward to school each day and is just smitten with her teacher, Ms. Helga.  Sparrow embraces the Waldorf approach to education and offer so many wonderful experiences for the children.  Each week the kindergartners cook (Like really cook!  I volunteer on Tuesday mornings and I see them grating cinnamon sticks, baking bread, chopping almonds, cutting up vegetables to make soup...) They wash dishes, paint, mold beeswax, garden, finger knit, create forts - use their imaginations!!  The perfect fit for our little, I mean big, Elle.

Ms. Helga lucked out with this sweet rule follower...

She got right to it...

Every Friday they attend school at a nearby park.  This was their first Field Day Friday and she was greeted by her new buddy, Aidyn...

Then we met up with these gals for an ice cream date...

We also picked up our ceramics that they made a week earlier.  Sydney and Beck picked out the same fish and painted it the same colors.  He got up when he was finished and dropped it.  Shattered.  Tears.  Last fish in the store.  The whole bit.  So he decided to paint a piggy bank helmet (helmet bank?) for his cousin, Bennett...

We found what looked like a perfectly good boogie board in the trash can at Fletcher Cove.  The foam interior was broken in half but it was in mint condition for a 3 year old boy...

And a 5 year old girl...

Created a whole new beach experience for them and they loved it...

Another wish on the wishing wall.  This time from Ellery.  Thinking of her cousins...

We're in the middle of a master bath/closet remodel so when a new bathtub showed up, so did a fort!...

Roman turns 1!...

Go Chippy Go!...

Snuggles with Grandma...

We tried out the new Urban Jungle...

Just Dance on the big screen!  Ellery stayed here for quite a while...

And made a new friend...

Ellery, don't look down!...

Ha!  There was a long line for the rock wall so she did the skyscraper instead.  Her fingers kept slipping and so did her confidence...

Now she's got the hang of it!  After having so much fun riding the train and carousel at Roman's house, we came back for more.  Kids playroom, awesome pools and a bowling alley that's next on our list...

Ellery decided she wanted to join Beck in soccer.  We're 6 weeks in and she's not crazy about it.  She would trade in soccer cleats for tap shoes any day...

He still loves it!...

What is he doing?...

She's showing the cheetah her cheetah dress...

Beck's first day in Ms. Judy's class (sissy's old class).  I asked him if he was excited to be in the big kids class and he said "Yes!  I don't want to hear those babies crying anymore.  They hurt my ears!"...

Mommy-daughter date.  She kept whispering, "when is she going to paint them?"  Enough of all this pampering!...

I also took a couple videos after this shot.  Serious blackmail footage...

Welcome home Daddy Zach!  He hadn't gone anywhere besides his office but that's the beauty of it.  They won't always want to welcome you home like this.  Soak it up!...

I had the entire weekend to myself in Solana Beach.  I read magazines, ran on the beach, drank beer, went shopping.  Ahhhh...

Padres game!...

Zach scored DPR's box.  Livin' the life...

Kids' eyes bugged out at he sight of the 3 tiered dessert cart...

This was all Elle.  I helped with the sheet but she dragged chairs over, brought pillows, toys and books, all for her and her cousin Rian who was coming for a sleepover...

At some point after this picture was taken, they came squealing into my room saying they were scared.  Rian had been telling stories about zombies and that ended the fort sleeping arrangement...

Labor Day at Marla's!...

Sycuan's Pow Wow.  Ellery's second pow wow this year.  I'm assuming this is why she's decided she wants to be an Indian for Halloween...

My tiny dancer...

Sharing a milkshake at the library...

The kids loved dog sitting Baxter and I think the feeling was mutual...

Daddy-daughter date...

Ellery's new school strongly discourages media during the school week.  At first I thought this was going to be a tough sell but B & E don't mind it at all.  In fact they prefer game nights, making nature bracelets, building Legos, playing house etc.  They're kids!  Of course it's more work for me, but the reward is watching my kids use their imaginations, working together to build or problem solve, be engaged with each other and with us, their parents.  I've come to discover when Ellery says, I'm bored, it's usually when her creativity shines through.  Like creating this puppet show for daddy and I...

And the curtains close.  As Ellery would say, I hope you have a SUPER awesome night!