Student of the Month

We're proud to announce that Emily was selected Student of the Month for her class!

Karate

Although I can hear Kramer from that old Seinfeld episode every time I say it, Emily started a "kara-te" class today. Well technically they call it self-defense but they wear the cool pajamma uniforms and yell loudly as they punch with their arms so in her mind it's karate. For once I didn't have my camera in tow so I didn't get any pictures this week but she promised that she had a good time so since there are 14 weeks left in the class, there is a good chance I will remember at some point. I really wasn't sure she would be into it but she was running and punching with the best of them. And so starts another obsession in Emily's life...

Alright I brought my camera and got this...

Bye-Bye Summer

We met up with a group of pre-school families for an afternoon at the beach. All the kindergartners had started school already so the moms could swap stories of how things were going so far. The kids were just happy to see their old friends again. They have the amazing ability to make it seem as if no time has passed since they last got together.
After playing in the water and sand for a few hours we had dinner. Our fire pit got taken over so we had to use the parking lot as home base while we ate. The consensus was that eating in the parking lot isn't so bad. There was far less sand in our food!

Our after dinner entertainment. The kids all piled into the motorhome to choreograph a song and dance routine. Then they came out to perform their different numbers. The whole scene with the motorhome and parking lot was a little Griswold-ish but everyone had a blast.

After the sun went down and it was time for s'mores we imposed on a very kind group that let us share their fire pit. They had actually witnessed ours being "stolen" and pitied us and our "big group of kids". The kids ate and played sand football with a glow in the dark ball until it was time for everyone to head home. What a great day!

First Day of School

The 2008-2009 school year has officially begun! Both girls are in school every day now! Can I even say how excited I am??? The girls were both thrilled to learn that they had been placed in the classes of their first choice teachers. Of course they looked the part of student in their new outfits and backpacks.
Claire at her desk ready to learn. (For those of you with keen eyes, yes, she is in a different outfit. We got to go to her class the day before school started for a Kindergarten Tea where the kids had a chance to look around the classroom before school started. Parents were strictly forbidden from entering the room on the first day.)

With Mrs. Weber:

Emily at her desk. By 2nd grade, parents are allowed in "for exactly 2 minutes!" to snap a picture and get everyone settled in. Of course, it's completely for the benefit of the adults. The kids are anxious to get going.

Ms. Satterthwaite:

Disney Adventure

Our Annual passes are expiring soon so we wanted to get some good use from them since we aren't renewing this time. =( The girls have always been intrigued by the restaurant inside Pirates of the Caribbean, the Blue Bayou. So we went ahead and made reservations to eat there. We got a table against the rail closest to the ride which was really cool. We waved back and forth with the riders.
After dinner we hopped over to California Adventure to try out the new Toy Story ride. It was kind of a long wait but worth it. It was very fun blasting away in the virtual midway! Mr. Potato Head was entertainment while we stood in line. He even asked Claire if she would trade her Minnie ears for one of his ears.

Finally we sat and watched the Electrical Parade in all its cheesy glory. The girls were bright eyed and had those wonderful looks of amazement the whole time which makes it all worth it.

And if all that wasn't enough, we watched the firework show as we walked to the car. It was really a perfect way to say "good-bye" to Disneyland for now.

Back to School Tea

Grandma took the girls and me on our 3rd annual Back-to-School tea. We hopped the train to San Juan Capistrano and walked to a cute tea house. The girls love picking out hats for us to wear. We all eat our yummy scones when they come out and are too stuffed to eat the rest of our lunch!

After tea we can walk to Zoomars. I keep thinking the girls will get their fill of guinea pigs at home but there seems to be room for lots of piggies in their lives. Grandma made friends with a rabbit this time too.

Girl Scout Night at Angel Stadium

Angel Stadium invited all the Girl Scouts in Orange County to a game. Our whole troop showed up but there wasn't a lot of baseball being watched. There was a lot of random cheering, eating junk food and being silly.