Olivia's 6th Birthday

It's hard to believe my sweet, smart, spunky first-born is 6! This year, we celebrated with a small group of those who are most important to Olivia - her grandparents, her cousins, her best friend from school, and of course, Yusaku, Natalie, and I. What she wanted most for her party was to have a pinata, so we had one and it was a lot of fun! We had beautiful weather that day and even took a little walk in the woods (and stream) near our house beforehand. 

Natalie's First Day of Preschool

Our baby is growing up! Natalie started preschool on September 6. As you can see from the series of pictures below, Natalie wasn't exactly in the mood to have her picture taken on her first day of preschool. Here's the post from Olivia's first day of preschool three years ago for comparison.

When she arrived at school, she gave Yusaku the "smile" below. Ha ha!

And before going into her classroom, a slightly better smile. Despite the difficulty she gave us with posing for photos, I think she had a great first day. Her teacher is very nice and it's a great little classroom. Bonus - my classroom is right across the hall so I get to see her a little here and there throughout the day.

Back to work...

This past Spring/Summer, I had begun to toy with the idea of possibly going back to work part-time. I wasn't sure exactly when I wanted to go back or what job I might want. I was not actively looking for something. I had mentioned my thought about going back to my neighbor in passing though and not much after that, she approached me about a job possibility teaching Pre-K at a local preschool. The preschool is attached to the church she belongs to and the director had originally approached her about taking the job. It wasn't a good fit for her but she thought of me, knowing my background in teaching and my desire for a job with hours that would fit with the kids' schedule.

After meeting with the director (who was happy to offer me the position) and MUCH thought, I decided to take the job. I have a class of 4 boys and work 4 mornings a week. Although she was originally enrolled at a different local preschool, we switched Natalie to this school so that she and I could be on the schedule. Her classroom is right across the hall from mine. :)

Here are some pictures of the outside of the school and the inside of my classroom.

First Day of First Grade

How is it possible that we have a first grader?! Olivia started first grade on August 16. As much as I miss her while she's gone, I think this was an easier transition for me as a parent than when she started kindergarten last year. She and I were both ready by the end of the summer for school to start and things seem to be off a great start - her best friend from kindergarten is in her class and her teacher seems very nice. Looking forward to a great year ahead!

Natalie's Real Birthday/Visit with Sarah

On Natalie's real birthday, we started the day off with chocolate chip pancakes at First Watch. We followed that up with a trip to the car wash (her request), and then headed to Aullwood Farm which seemed like the perfect place to celebrate our little animal lover.

:)

Flowers from her best bud, Ian

Playing with her new present from Yusaku and I

We got to have dinner with Meghan, Dan, and Ian at Smashburger -
Natalie's choice as she wanted a "hangaburger" for dinner ;)

Unfortunately, Yusaku had to work the rest weekend so he wasn't able to join in the fun after Friday. Fortunately though, Sarah came into town for her visit. We had fun hanging out with her as always! It was a great weekend celebrating Natalie and enjoying the last bit of Summer!

Natalie's 3rd Birthday Party!

Natalie's birthday party was a blast! Lots of friends, cake, presents, and beautiful weather - just how a party should be. I always feel so much happiness at my kids' parties because I can see and feel how much love our friends and family have for our children. It's such a nice reminder of how lucky we are.