1st day of Kindergarten

Makenzie started kindergarten on Monday! Her day started with me shining my cell phone light at her sweet face (as not to wake Ashlyn) at 6:30am. It seems so early to me that elementary school starts at 7:30. It was of little surprise to me that Makenzie was tired, given we got back from vacation with just one full day to recover, but she was a trooper and excited to start her day. She insisted on riding her bike on Wednesday, so her daddy walked along with her and even joined Makenzie for lunch in the afternoon. She was SO THRILLED!
Ashlyn missed her sister. She asked when Makenzie was getting home, but in all honestly, I think she was waiting for a piece of the cookie cake we ordered for her big sister!
It's been a big change for all of us. I've had plenty of time to prepare, but that time went by SO fast. I am sad that my time at home with Makenzie has shortened, but am excited for all the new opportunities school will bring to her.

Florida Vacation

We got home last Saturday from spending a wonderful week in Florida at Fort Walton Beach and Destin with our awesome friends, the Alcorns. We took the girls two years ago and had so much fun, we decided another trip was in order. I have to say that I was a little disappointed at first site of the water outside our condo. The water was murky and full of seaweed, and when asking several different people as to the cause, we were given very different possibilities. I am so glad we decided to head over to Destin, just a short drive from where we were staying. The water there was so clear and the girls could wade out pretty far without having water up to their necks. Needless to say, we made several trips back to Destin during the week.

One of the most exciting moments for me was going parasailing on my birthday with Brook. Being 1200ft above the water was awesome and something I have wanted to do for a long time. I was so excited when Brook said she would go with me! I'd have to say that the highlight for Aaron and Makenzie was their crabbing trip with Jason and Kylie. This was Aaron's first crabbing experience and to be able to catch them, bring them home, cook & eat them was even better! Makenzie loved the pool area outside our condo that had monkey bars going across the water. She would ask multiple times a day if we could go down there for her to cross them. Ashlyn enjoyed being in the inflatable boat and playing in the sand.

I celebrated my 35th birthday with a wonderful family outing to eat seafood on the beach. We tried to get the Alcorns to eat with us, but Brook and Jason are not seafood eaters. I recall Brook saying there was no way she could eat something that looked like it did when it was alive! And then you have our girls couldn't suck down crab claws fast enough!!

Here are some pictures from our trip. Nothing like getting back home with two days before school starting for Makenzie--that post is soon to follow...

Summer Lessons

This summer, a group of moms who have daughters starting kindergarten decided to take Thursdays and teach the girls a lesson. We all chose different topics, ranging from health and wellness to science, telling time, baking, counting money and practicing site words. This is the lesson I taught on chemical changes. The girls shined a penny using lemon juice and watched their volcanoes erupt from small plastic bottles. I think all the moms would agree that the girls were so much fun to teach and were awesome little students!!!!

SeaWorld

Aaron's company gave their employees the Friday before the 4th of July off, so we took advantage of the time and took the girls to SeaWorld. The last time I went was in '05 with a group of students I taught in middle school. Even then, the park was closed to the general public and we were restricted to certain parts of the park. Before then, I hadn't been since a small child so the water park and rides were new to me (just a nice reminder of how old I am getting). I think as a family, we enjoyed the shows the most. Makenzie would say her favorite water feature was the lazy river and Ashlyn's was the wave pool. Being the animal lover that she is, Makenzie also really enjoyed feeding the dolphins. It was so nice to get away and spend time together as a family!

Fountains at Fairview

We met up with Steph and her boys in Fairview so that kids could cool down in the water and play at the "beach." The girls were SO excited to see Zach and Ashton since we haven't seen each other in about a month. When the kids were in preschool, it was custom for us to get together almost every week for a playdate. I think Stephanie and I were surprised at the little time the kids spent in the water and instead, chose to play in the sand with the sun bearing down on them. Regardless, they had a blast and the moms had a great time catching up!