Preschool Take 2

Millie was excited to start her second year of preschool this morning.  I guess I was too 'cause we were all ready to go almost a full hour early!  (Really, who does that with two young children?!  Perhaps I was a bit over-prepared... or perhaps is just a positive comment on how good our morning routine really has become -- for now.)  There were a couple of half-hearted whines of "I don't want to go to school" which I think were just her way of dealing with the conflict of knowing she was going to have fun while away from the people she loves most.  For the most part though, she was all smiles and her teachers reported that she stayed that way the whole time at school.  I think choosing a school with such consistency (there is only one classroom, no changing rooms, or teachers, etc.) was key for Millie and her ability to maintain the confidence she acquired last year.  I also think it will make for a lot of growth in the next couple of years, though the transition to Kindergarten at the public school will be interesting!  Hopefully her confidence in herself will be so high by then that she will be up for the challenge.  I'm going to tell myself that for the next 2 years anyway!

the back-pack was hung by the door with care

ready to go!

 saying goodbye

 tall enough to reach her hook this year!

happy to find her name on the "line"

REALLY happy to find herself at FirstWatch for lunch after her first day :)

Cozy

I have found Merrill snuggled up in her new chair reading and tending to her babies several times the past week.
So sweet :)

And so it ends

Our first official "summer vacation" ends tomorrow as Millie heads back to preschool for her second year.  Not really all that much of  a change since, you know, it's preschool and she only goes for a few hours in the mornings.  Our morning routine stayed pretty much the same as our school year schedule all "summer" -- the only difference was that we didn't drop Millie off at school before heading to the gym, she came with us.  Our night-time routine didn't change at all either, we just had the occasional "late" night which we didn't have during the school year.  Even so, it still feels like a significant event.  I guess the start of a new school year always does -- the endless potential for new growth, new friends, new challenges.  It's nice to know that Millie will be able to enter this school year with a year of experience under her belt and all the confidence and knowledge that comes with that.  I'm pretty certain that she will fall right back into the swing of things with her friends and teachers at school even with the minor changes (one teacher gone, a new teacher in her place, her kindergarten classmates who graduated, the new students who will have replaced them).  I think this will be a big year for Millie and I can't wait to see what it brings.  Merrill may be heading to preschool in January, but we haven't made a final decision on that yet.  Either way, she and I will maintain our morning routine of gym time and errands and making lunch.  We may add in a parent-led music playdate once a week and possibly a dance class.  I see a lot of growth for her this year too. 

We tried to get in a couple of extra fun activities this week before summer "ends" (and the weather was finally summerish without being oppressive, so it was a good time to do it!  Monday was a day of errands, Tuesday we had lunch at my mom's with Lauren and played for a bit, Wednesday my parents and I took the girls to the Botanical Gardens for the first time, Thursday we took it easy and rested up, Friday we had a playdate, Saturday we enjoyed lots of outside playtime and today we headed to a local elementary school to play and then to my parent's pool for a quick swim.  Just enough activity to keep a 2 and 3 1/2 year old happy and a mommy sane. 

A few of the highlights:

There was a neat tree house exhibit at the gardens.

the girls found the entrance to the secret garden in the children's area.  The grown-ups were all fooled by the lock on the door, but Millie was not

 the water area was a hit with Millie

 Merrill was less enthused.  Although, she had just gotten knocked in the chin (accidentally) with a broom handle in the "grocery" area

 love the Japanese gardens

 If you ask Merrill about our trip, she will tell you that it rained.  And it did.  And we were at the very back of the park.  It was a short burst though and we had shelter from a tree, so we survived.  Even Lainie :)

 the girls enjoyed feeding the big Koi fish and the ducks in the Japanese gardens

and a few from our trip out to play today

Mini Me

Millie has decided that she is now big enough to take showers.  Apparently that means that she needs to wear my robe and hair wrap as well :).

growing up too fast ...

Beating the Heat

Sometimes you just have to get naked and run through a sprinkler for a little relief :)

Hike

The girls and I took a hike last Thursday during a rare break from the heat in an effort to get ready for our trip to Colorado.  Millie insisted doing the "long hike" and did a pretty good job.  There were lots of snack breaks and our pace was pretty slow, but she did the whole 1.2 miles all by herself and that included some pretty serious hills.  Merrill needed a little help on the hills, but other than that she did well too.  If we can get a couple more days below 100 degrees we'll be happy to get back out there and do it again!

 airplanes