First Day of School!!!

Well, today was one of the BIG ones -- one of the days you know is coming but can't really wrap your mind around it until it happens.  Today Simone began kindergarten....amazing.  And even though she is still at her same school, with her same friends,  and largely the same routine, something felt very different.  She woke up just looking older, acting older, being.... a big kid.

After a good night's rest, she woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed.  Ready to get dressed for school.

She picked her outfit the night before, and was so excited to match it to her new backpack.  

Walking toward the classroom.

Settling into her new cubby.

She had some time before the day started, and of course she darted straight to the reading center.  A whole new slew of books to explore.  Fun!

And that's where we said goodbye and left her with all smiles and no tears. (mommy and daddy too!)  

On the drive home she told me all about her day and said that she likes kindergarten better than PreK because they get to go outside right after lunch AND naptime is much shorter!  She also noted that the  play kitchen area in PreK is called dramatic play center but in kindergarten it's called the housekeeping center.  She is looking forward to going back tomorrow and can't wait until homework starts next week -- we'll see how long that lasts lol!

Things That Make You Smile...

So ordinarily, a Saturday's trip to Ikea wouldn't make the blog.  But I can't resist this one.  After a not- particularly-successful afternoon of shopping for mirrors we came out of the store to find this sprawled across the parking lot....

 Then I spotted the flag out of the corner of my eye and was able to frame these...

A little bit of cheer on a tired, muggy day...

And finally a random shot of Simone and Tony at dinner because baby girl's smile is as awesome to us as any old rainbow!

Summer's Winding Down

Well summer is nearly over(unbelievable!), and this week Simone had her end of year party for Pre-K.  It's absolutely amazing to me that in just a couple of weeks she will officially start kindergarten.  Her party's theme was a luau and her class performed two songs in sign language for all the parents --the ABC song and What a Wonderful World.  It was adorable, and we were so proud of her to have worked so hard to learn the songs. We, incidentally, got several solo renditions in the car on the way home. lol!

I took video of the songs, but for some reason can't get it to post,  so here's just a still shot.

Simone will miss her two teachers.

In other news, we also had a visit from Madalyn and her mom and dad this weekend.  The girls played lots of things together but had the most fun swimming laps in the pools.

Their next favorite part was playing bouncing balls in the yard while we bbq'ed.  It was so much fun even daddy joined in.  HILLARIOUS!

Hopefully we'll be able to squeeze in a little more fun before summer is totally over.  When we do, we'll be sure to keep everyone posted.

Zippity Doo Da... DISNEY

I always tell Simone that the only bad part of fun things is that they always have to end.  And that couldn't be more true this past week.  We had the most AWESOME Disney vacation!!  Simone did better than we could have imagined, and we all had more fun in one week than we ever thought possible.  We had a big camera glitch and lost more than one pair of sunglasses, but beyond that.... it was practically perfect in every way, as Mary Poppins would say!

 Even though Simone is a Disney veteran, she didn't remember much of her younger visits.  So for her, everything was like the first time.  Going through the gate on the first day was like magic for her, and the magic just kept coming.  We arrived for the opening ceremony, which totally captivated her.

We stayed at Shades of Green again and just loved it.

Simone really loved meeting the characters and collecting their signatures in her autograph book.  She was so committed that she INSISTED we wait nearly 30 minutes in the blazing sun for Daisy Duck despite all kinds of negotiations to abort.

 And naturally Simone took the opportunity to practice her archery while waiting for Merida.  Simone likes her because she has curly hair too.

This year we were lucky enough to score a reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table inside the castle.  They did a great job making the kids feel special with photos, magic wands, a wishing ceremony, and make-your-own sundaes.  Simone picked her own pink crown especially for the occasion.

No trip would be complete without the electrical parade and a visit to downtown Disney -- perfect after dark fun!

playing at the Lego store...

 ...and a Ghiradeli sundae with daddy.  Yes, he does have a Mickey sticker on his head--his favorite place to put stickers.

At EPCOT Simone and her cousin toured the world showcase, festively posing in each country...

 Simone and Madalyn also had a special afternoon at the Alice in Wonderland Tea Party--Madalyn as the spitting image of Alice and Simone as the Cheshire Cat.   Personally, I thought they made the most adorable two guests of them all, of course I'm incredibly biased.

And finally a few random shots... 

at the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review.  Don't ask me what Simone's face is all about, she really was having fun.

 Simone thought this humongous Mickey hat was pretty cool.  She actually asked for pictures in front of it.

 On the Toy Story ride -- my vote for best ride at Hollywood Studious.

Geared up for the Star Wars ride, which made me incredibly motion sick.  But Tony and Simone loved it.

And even the rain didn't get us down.  Simone just suited up in her Minnie poncho an pushed on.

Our Chip and Dale campfire sing a long was the only thing to get rained out.  But that didn't stop the girls from getting into the chipmunk spirit.

Well, that does it for this trip.  Until next time ...