Thurs. Sept. 1, 2016 - 1st day of 2nd grade and 4K!

 Hanging out during our final few days of summer vacation

 Riley had the map of our hiking trail

 Climbing on the logs around a fire pit before we got to our hike

"I know, let's knock them over and roll them around so they don't form a nice ring anymore!" says the destructors

 We found a cute little shelter

 And a balance beam

 Finally we break out of the woods!

 Yes Logan, that chair needed to be coated with your yogurt

 Soccer season has begun! Riley is in the middle with pink shorts at her first practice

 My little helpers

 Painting!

 They may look happy and peaceful but this was before Logan stole Tristan's brush and Tristan grabbed a big brush and painted all over Riley's beautiful painting with dark blue paint.

 On the final day of summer break the girls requested some pool time

 Riley, our 2nd grader, wants to be a Police Officer when she grows up.

 Micaela, our preschooler, wants to be a singer when she grows up.

 Such supportive and loving sisters (sometimes)

 Chad: "Isn't the tiara headband a bit much?"

Jen: "If you would like to pry it off our fashionista's head, feel free to try."

 Logan, Micaela, Riley, Tristan and Seamus

 Mommy and her girls

 Daddy and his girls

 Micaela is attending preschool at Our Shepherd

 Our neighbor, Will, is in her class so they already have a friend

 The only moment of trepidation that she showed all morning.

 But she found a seat and was good to start her day

 Then we walked across the street to Houdini Elementary to drop off big sister Riley

Our neighbor Lauren (who happens to be Will's big sister) is in Riley's class so they also have a friend.

We made the most of our final days of summer break. I let the kids guide our activities and they included a hike, making waffles and chocolate chip cookies, flu shots (OK, maybe that was my choice), painting and playing in our kiddie pool. It was fun but busy!

I have mixed emotions about the return of the school year. Its been nice to have relaxing mornings where we didn't have to be out the door at a certain time. I loved being able to go on outings and being flexible with nap times because we didn't have a set schedule. On the other hand, Riley and Micaela appear to have spent too much time together and are fighting more and more and the twins are literally pulling out each others' hair when I'm distracted by their sisters. I think some time in classrooms with more structure and less time with all 4 kids in the house will be good for everyone. 

And so it has begun! This morning the girls put on their carefully chosen first-day-of-school outfits, ate their blueberry pancakes and all 6 of us walked to school. We dropped Micaela off first. She is attending 4K (prekindergarten) at Our Shepherd which is just a few blocks from our house. The Appleton Area School district recently added 4K to their elementary curriculum so while it is optional, it is free. She's a little nervous about going to school but has an excellent example in her big sister and so marched right into that classroom, hung up her backpack, and found a seat. We were very proud of her. Riley's school, Houdini Elementary, is right across the street which is very convenient. She dropped her backpack in her class line and immediately ran off to meet friends on the playground. She's a very independent 2nd grader. After both girls were safely delivered Chad and I enjoyed some coffee and muffins with other parents at the PTO coffee hour, then he headed off to work and I strolled the twins home. What a morning!

Luckily both girls had a fantastic day. Micaela skipped home as she described her day, which apparently included lots and lots of work. She was so busy playing she chose to skip snack time. Riley loves her new teacher, I think she has been very well-placed in her new classroom. Among other things, they are sitting at tables with their supplies mostly shared and the rest in small personal bins. Riley had trouble keeping her desk clean last year so she's thrilled that she won't have that responsibility this year. Its the little things that make their day! I think both girls have great teachers and we're looking forward to a wonderful school year.