Another year

We acquire friends and we make enemies, 
but our sisters come with the territory. ~Evelyn Loeb

You know all those people who get reflective around New Years or their birthdays?  Well, that's how I am as we head into (wait for it, dun dun duuuuuun) Fall.

We generally move around this time of year.  I am so happy to be staying where we are.  I can't help but look back though and realize how much has changed in the past year.  (Yes, this is likely to be a sappy post.  You've been warned.)

-We moved to a new house in a new city.
-We bought said house (a first for these long-time renters).
-We said "See you later" to a fabulous group of VB friends.
-We met many amazing new NOVA neighbors and reconnected with many old friends.
-Charlotte started TWO new preschools last year and will start another one next week.
-We left the beach for a walkable city (which we love except June-August).
-Cailin went from baby to toddler and will soon be an official "pre-schooler".
-We welcomed sweet baby Matthew.
-We survived the trifecta of winter stresses: constant snow, Matt's busy season at a new job, and new baby (he's sweet but let's be real: newborns and postpartum hormones ain't easy)
-Charlotte has started to read (Note: this means she's BIG.  Like for REAL.)
-Cailin became a middle child.  And fits the stereotypes perfectly: agreeable, compromising, handles disappointment well, independent
-Matthew went from a large lump in my belly to a sleepy newborn to a scooching/babbling/solid-food-eating babe.

Things went from crazy, to crazier, and are (for now) in a place of relative calm.  Both girls start school soon and I expect it to be an emotional week for everyone.  The girls have visited their classrooms and cannot wait for Tuesday morning.  I have already started a list of the hundreds of things I expect to accomplish in the 3 hours of only having one child.  But change is hard.  I am SO proud of the little people these girls are becoming and I know we will all benefit from a short time apart, but I will miss them.  And I will probably worry for those first few weeks.  Will other kids include them?  Will they include other kids?  Will they speak up for themselves?  Will the stand up for others?  Will they use their manners?  Will the teacher see who they really are instead of just another kid in the class?  Please oh please God, don't let them tell another child "You can't be my friend" (the girly version of punching someone in the gut).

Despite the emotional toll, Fall is my favorite season.  The weather brings a fresh feel and fresh start.  The trees and the temps change.  Seems only appropriate that we'd consider another big change for our family.  While our girls are heading to preschool, Matt and I will be heading to a Foster Care training session.  We don't know where this will lead but we are committed to learning more.  We can't have things too calm around here, can we?

There's 2 more days of summer and we are going to soak up every minute.  Before I know it, it'll be Labor Day weekend 2015 and I'll be nostalgic and reflective all over again.

An end of summer Mommy-Daughter lunch date

Family stories

  

Exploring their new classrooms

Charlotte found her Ladybug

Ew, bugs!

It's the last week of summer!  We did it!!  We had some bug-themed projects to keep us busy these last few days.

We made butterfly masks (masks were free at the nature center)

C2 paints her butterfly.
C1 painted a bee but buzzed off before we got photo evidence

Crayola "Scratch and Reveal" made for a very fun project

There was no prep and very little clean up.
And it occupied them forever.  Perfection.  

Charlotte's before and after

We had some scissor practice - C2 snips paper to make grass for bugs to hide in

Charlotte's a pro.  And, quite possibly, a perfectionist.  

Dino days

ROOOOAARRRR!

It's been nice to explore things outside of Pink, Princesses, and Tutus in the second half of this summer.  Charlotte requested dinosaurs and we had some fun on the few days before our trip to Boston.  We'll do a follow up lesson to the Natural History Museum when they finish remodeling the dinosaur exhibit in 2019.

MUAH!

Cailin builds a home for her dino friends

Aerial view

Charlotte makes t-rex a townhome

Matthew challenges t-rex 

So we haven't fully abandoned the princesses...

Playing with our food

Dino nests for breakfast

Shark Week!

<Insert Jaws Theme Here>

We went to the beach BEFORE discussing the dangers of sharks

C1 hid some sharks in her blue jello

C2 was excited to find her sharks during snack.
(Note: neither child actually ate the jello)

A sticker-by-number

Creating ocean scenes

C1 worked very hard on this.  She drew a person to put the
swimsuit on, and put all of the food items on the grill 

C2 drew the ocean

Sharks in the tub

Sharks in the seaweed (linguini with food coloring)

C1's breakfast

Shark attack at the pool!

Ice fishing

Community Helpers

While walking to Clarendon last week, Charlotte asked if we could watch the UPS guys unload their truck.  I said "Sure, just let me know when you're ready."  She replied "We wanna watch the whole thing."  A solid ten minutes later, we continued our walk.  While the girls gawked, I began to mentally plan Community Helper week.  A Community Helper is someone who helps our community.  Crazy, huh?  The girls might define "help" a little differently than you or I.

The Letter Carrier (he's no longer the mailman):  Cailin wrote a
letter, stamped an envelope, and put it in the box for pick up

Charlotte worked hard on hers as well.  She made
sure to cover the envelope in princess stickers.  

The Dentist: Charlotte made her teeth (aka the egg carton) dirty
using pudding, then cleaned them using a toothbrush and yogurt.
After stalling one evening, she lost her chance to brush her teeth before bed.
She was then convinced she'd wake up with a cavity.    

Cailin used the toothbrush as a spoon.  She wasn't
concerned about the state of her real or fake teeth.
She knows they'll just fall out anyway.

Emergency Response Teams: We field tripped to the fire station but no one was home.
The police officer passing by stopped to talk to the girls and flashed his lights for them.  

We found the letter carrier!  He is clearly not used to having fans.

The librarian: one of our favorites

Sensory table filled with lentils.  Not community helper themed but still a hit.  

And our end of the week report

Cailin Hope's.  Note: she drew a heart for her mail helper

Baby Boy enjoyed some poolside snuggles while the girls learned about Lifeguards.
D: What does the lifeguard do to help our community?
C2: Whistles

The girls got a chance to drive the hook and ladder truck

We found the firefighters.  They were at the fair.  

Hear ye, hear ye: It was a fun week!

The girls spent Friday at Matt's office learning about Bankers.  See Matt's blog below.

Next up: Shark Week!!