First day of school!

Today was our first full day of school! Annie did great in Preschool - her teachers said she gives the best hugs and did grey today! Mia's teachers said she is a great listener and made some new friends. My class is pretty good too, lots of cute kids!

I have recess duty for kindergarten so am outside with Mia during her recess. I give her her space and let her come to me. I also have lunch at the same time as her so I popped in a few times to say hi and she liked that.

Annie is on a different schedule but her classroom is near the bathrooms so when I take my class down there I can peek in her. I saw her a few times today and she looked to be having fun! She feel right asleep at nap time today which was great.

The girls really enjoyed their first day of school as did I. Everyone is very friendly and the curriculum is top notch. I am excited to see us all grow and learn this year.

Both girls had Spanish class today. Annie couldn't remember what she learned today but right as I was laying with her at bedtime she shouts "rojo!!! I learned Rojo". Annie was nonstop talking about her day to Mia and I after school. I can tell she is excited to be in school with us like a big girl!










Hanging out after school helping mom prep


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night before school....

this is our last weekend before school starts. We are all very excited for the school year to begin: me to teach again, Mia to start Kindergarten, Annie to start preschool and Dad to be apart of it all.

This weekend was fun. Saturday Mom ran a local 5K and one first female overall! In the afternoon we went to our friends 3rd birthday party which was a lot of fun. We got home late and the kiddos went right to bed.

Sunday the girls and I did all the grocery shopping at Mariano's and Trader Joe's to get ready for the week! Then we headed to the pool with dad...Mia was able to play with a few of her friends. Then we had dairy queen for a dessert before dinner treat to celebrate the beginning of the school year!

 Our new commute....the city!!!

changes

it's amazing that I have been blogging since 2007! I think actually before that when we first moved into our house but then more regularly when I was pregnant with Mia. Now here we are, about to send Mia off into Kindergarten and lots of changing coming with that. Me going back to work.....getting a job that is far but also both girl will be attending....sending them to a private school versus a public school...saying good bye to our van for a hybrid because of the cost of gas.....some changes are exciting, others are scary and others are sad....I realize now that we are changing seasons and for so long I was anxious for the season to change and now I am hanging out to it. Change is always scary but when you know in your gut you are doing the right thing you have to go with it.....even though after decision are made you feel scared and start to question things. I am feeling a million things right now but overall I am thankful for this opportunity to teach where the girls can come to school. And if it doesn't work out, we can always go back to our old ways :)

Bday party

Miguel's 2nd birthday was on Sunday. The girls and I had fun celebrating with our friends!









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Dads home

The girls were excited to wake up Monday morning and see that their daddy was home. They really missed him all week and Annie was very concerned about him daily. She prayed for him at dinner and would ask me what he was eating for dinner and if it were raining if he were getting wet. I think the concept of their daddy out there somewhere on a bike was a bit surreal to them. We are just glad daddy is home, safe and sound.


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Summer Days....

Suddenly our lazy summer days (lazy is hardly a word in our house, haha) but easy going schedule is slowly coming to an end. With that, the end of my staying home full time. It's bittersweet: part of me is super excited to be going back to the classroom and bringing home a paycheck. Part of me can't believe my girls are at the age I always imagined I would be going back to work. We always said that when Mia was in Kindergarten I would think about going back to teaching...and here it is! It's exciting and sad all at once: Mia growing up, Annie starting school, me going back to work. I wish I could turn the clock back and have Annie just born and me just starting to stay home. Although days were not easy, I don't regret one minute of staying home. I am so thankful that I was here each and everyday to make their meals, see them achieve milestones, comfort them, referee, take them to all their activities, meet so many friends, enjoy play dates and adventures, show them culture and get them used to taking the train downtown and enjoying their city but also get them connected to their community that we live in with school and church and build that sense of security for them. I am so thankful that I have a career that allows me to be home in the summers and after school: there is no way I would ever return to corporate America no matter how much money I would make.

My hope is that his year will go smoothly. I am so thankful that Annie can attend preschool where I will be teaching. That was always my dream to teach where my kids would go to school. It certainly didn't happen the way that I thought it should happen (the school I am teaching at was a complete surprise, nothing I planned for) but I will embrace this next season and be thankful for the opportunity to teach at an amazing school, right downtown where I secretly miss working and having the chance to have my little Annie right with me. Mia will be just fine at our neighborhood school and we are excited to see her thrive and grow with new friends and new challenges. This fall she will play soccer again, continue with piano and choir and this winter both girls will continue swimming and ice skating.

Cheers to a new school year for everyone!!

Zoppe circus!

Friday I took the girls to the Zoppe Circus - grandma joined us and we met Aunt Stacy and Jonah, Luke and Laura there. Zoppe is a family run circus and takes places under a real circus tent - they travel nation wide and are GREAT! I never took the girls to a real big circus b/c the animal abuse always turned me off...but this family owned circus was different. They did amazing acts, with NO NET and had dogs and horses do some really neat tricks. The girls loved the flying trapeze couple and the high wire acts - Nino the clown (man guy that runs the show) was very entertaining...we will for sure see them again!







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michigan week

Last Friday the girls, grandma and I headed to the summer house for our summer girls week. The weather was very strange, chilly, rainy, cloudy but we did get a great beach day in on Thursday in South Haven. We had lots of fun and relaxed. The trip started off with some good news - I received a phone call from my new principal welcoming me to the school I had interviewed twice at (first was an initial interview then I was called back to do a lesson on 10 students which went great). I am SUPER excited - it's a nice private school right downtown across from Museum campus. A can go to school in preschool with me and we will be home in time to get M off the bus. It will be an adjustment but after staying home with my babies for three years I was done babysitting another kid and just feel it's time for us to make this adjustment. I can honestly say if I weren't a teacher I would not be going back to work but because of the schedule and summers off it will be great. I am also super excited about working in a private school again - those were my happiest years of teaching was when I taught in a private school not the public schools. We shall see....
But Michigan was fun and then Friday daddy come out on the train which the girls were super excited to see him. Papo came out too and we all had pizza then daddy and I took the girls to the wedding on Saturday.
it's good to be home now...daddy's big bike trip is tomorrow and the girls and I will be sending him off downtown then visiting my new school for a tour and to show A around her new school. Lots to do this week in preparation for M's first day and such.

Flower girls!

The girls were flower girls this weekend! What a fun wedding!!! Corey's cousin Ricky was married yesterday to Alicia at Cherry Creek country club in Michigan.We headed there yesterday morning straight from the summer house. The girls joined the bridal party and got their hair styled - they loved it! They did awesome walking down the aisle and throwing lilac petals. They tolerated the huge hair pieces and then took them off shortly after the pictures were done!

Annie was drinking orange juice like a big girl! The wedding was awesome - a live dj from california, a yummy meal followed by a late night pizza, french fries and sliders snack and a photo booth! So fun!









































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