San Diego Slide Show

Here are some photos from our family trip to San Diego!!

Mia's First Day of School - Kindergarten!!

How can it be?? Mia started Kindergarten on Monday. We have been so excited all summer, but then we went for meet the teacher last Friday and I spent all weekend having anxiety that she was actually going to start real school, and would be gone all day. She woke up early Monday and was ready to go! She posed for lots of pictures, and was all smiles. We all drove her over to school and I walked her into class - all the sudden she seemed too small to be in that big school and away from me all day (8 am - 3pm). She found her seat and said goodbye - and I stood there with tears as she basically pushed me out the door. She was more than ready to start this new adventure! Lily and I missed her all day - Lily asked 50 times (at least) when Mia was coming home. So to make the time go faster we made a huge batch of chocolate chip cookies. After school Lily and I were waiting and Mia came out of her class just beaming - she loved school, her teacher and her class. We came home and ate tons of cookies as she told me all about her day. It was a hard day for mom, but Mia had a blast and was ready to go to bed and start it all over again.

Mia woke up to signs all over the house - usually mom's special, handmade signs are saved for birthdays, but I just couldn't resist!

 

Lily got up and wanted to be in the pictures - you have to love her just-got-out-of-bed hair.

 

Mia in front of her school.

 

In her classroom - ready to learn!

 

Family Trip to San Diego

We just returned for a fantastic family trip to San Diego, CA. We went for Jason's youngest brother's wedding. We decided to go and stay the whole week and make a fun vacation out of the event. Here are a few photos, and I am working on a slide show I will post soon. We had such a wonderful time - the girls are at a fun age and they loved Sea World, the Zoo, the beach and all the wedding festivities (especially wearing their pretty princess dresses). Mia's favorite part was getting to work with a dolphin trainer to play with a dolphin (Kaloha) and feed her. We are so happy Jordan found a So Cal girl to marry, so we can enjoy all it has to offer. Not long after arriving back to TX, Mia had a breakdown while loading the bags into the car at the airport, and through her tears said she wanted to move to San Diego because it wasn't hot there. Lily would not agree, she is happy to be home. We learned on this trip that she has a very sensitive nose and all of the scents of seafood, the sea lions on the pier at the beach, animal smells at the Zoo, etc. made her sick (to the point of gagging) and she kept holding her nose the whole time. While walking through La Jolla she cried to go back to the car because the beach smelled too bad. At one point Jason asked how she liked San Diego, and Lily's response was, "I don't like it - it smells." And now when she looks at the photos from our trip, she refers to San Diego as "the stinky beach."

Mia and Lily at Sea World.

 

The girls posing at the San Diego Zoo.

 

The family - at the wedding rehearsal dinner the night before the big day.

 

Our princesses - at the wedding reception.

 

Another fun discovery on this trip - our girls are dancing fools. As soon as the music started at the wedding reception, they kicked off their shoes and hit the dance floor. I'm not sure where Lily learned to dance, but she looked like a pro. After the last song played, we had to carry her outside crying because she still wanted to dance. Mia made the rounds dancing with her dad, her grandpa, her cousin Kaiden, and the groom!! So fun, but we were all very tired. We spent the last day playing on the beach with all of Jason's family - we don't see most of them very often so it was fun to all be together.

Visit to the Aquarium

My girls swim like fish in the pool, and love to look at fish when we are out of the pool. I have been wanting to take them to the giant aquarium downtown for months, and we finally went a few weeks ago. It was hot!! But there were lots of fish and sharks to see, and great rides to enjoy. The highlight was getting Mia on the giant ferris wheel...it took lots of persuading by her friends and her little sister (our dare devil) - but she finally did it, and smiled the whole time. Mom, on the other hand, is not a fan of heights or rides and I was ready to get off as soon as it started.

 

 

 

 

Mia - future Bearkadette!

I am back and trying to catch up on some of what has been going on here this summer! Mia was excited to participate in a Bearkadette dance camp that the high school drill puts on for the elementary school girls. Our babysitter, Sarah, is a Bearkadette and she was one of the coaches for the Kindergarten class - Mia loved it!! She got to learn dances and cheers and then perform for all the parents. No surprise to those who know her -- Mia won "Most Energetic" from the Kindergarten class. :) This fall they will do the same performance at one of the high school football games during halftime. She still does the dances around the house when we jam to "Beat It" and "You're the One That I Want" - but I think her favorite part was getting a makeover by the older girls before the performance.

Mia and Lily, getting ready to go to the final performance.

 

Mia, in line and ready to dance!

 

Mia and Sarah

 

Ella, Mia and Katie - all future Bearkadettes!!