I was caught off guard by how much they both like this little pretend game. Plus, it just looks hilarious.

the night before kinder

36 days ago I wrote this:

"Tomorrow is your first day of Kindergarten, Peach. I can't believe it! You just turned 5 last week and we think you are a brave little girl to be starting Kinder this year.

You have been the little girl in our family who loves family time at home the most. You love having us all together. So this is a big step to be going to school on your own as a big kid. One thing we are praising God for this year is that you get to join your sister at school. Y'all get to be best-friend-sisters at home and at school. We hope you make some great memories at school with new friends, but we also hope you make some great memories with your sister.

You packed up your school supplies this afternoon & you picked out your outfit...and I could tell it got you really excited. For 2 years now, you have been in the car with me taking big sis to school. Now it is your turn to be a new student.

We think your are so smart. Daddy and I are always amazed at what you can accomplish when you focus your mind on it. We are also continually amazed at how brave and fearless you can be when we least expect it (like loving roller coasters and buying things at the store on your own).

Tonight I thought it was so cute that I found your water bottle in your backpack already filled up with water. You wanted to be all ready today and I think you are. Your teacher is wonderful and you have already met a handful of really sweet classmates. Have fun and be friendly. I'll be thinking about you all day, not because I don't think you are ready...but because I don't feel ready to let you grow up. You are my sweet, cuddly kid and I'll be missing you tomorrow.
I love you and I was thinking about you. I couldn't sleep until I wrote you some of my thoughts.
Love, MOM"

a little tradition I started here

first lemonade stand

The girls sold lemonade at our recent garage sale. I thought they made a killing with their $6.75 earnings. That was at a quarter a cup. They were busy.

saying goodbye to wish fish

We have sad girls over here because their only pet, Wish Fish, died.  There were even more tears than I expected last night.  We said goodbye and sent him on with a flush.

I don't think I've every written about Wish Fish and I have to tell his story.  You see, Wish Fish, was the craziest party favor we have ever received!  I can say that and know that the friend who gave him to us should be laughing right now. :)  He came home with us 2 1/2 years ago, I think, or maybe 3 years!

I never bought him a bowl, he was always in a vase I already owned.  He was kept alive for so long only because my husband faithfully fed it.  Adam claimed that he was a he, because he's so out-numbered around here.

We have marveled at that fish for so long.  Long after all the other "party favor" fish had died.  Now my girls are looking at me with puppy-dog-eyes and longing for a new pet and I can't quite think about that yet.

For my friends who have been amazed by my neglected, but loved, fish for so many years...you must know that I'm sad for the little guy in the end.  If you have any words of comfort for the kiddos, I'll make sure they read it. ;)

i love mom

I have something big to share!  Huge.  Kind of gave it away in the title...

She now says, "I love mom."

You know, it often hits me how independent they already are and it can overwhelm me.  But then they go and start saying, "I love mom."  And I'm perfectly content with how old she is and how much she's not a baby anymore.  Just one of life's little rewards, I guess.

She also says, "I love dad" and "I love sissy."  But my other favorite is when we tell her we love her and she points to her chest and says, "I love me."  Classic, isn't it?  It makes me laugh.  (Yes, sometimes you love yourself too much.  It is true of me too, honey.)

5:14 p.m.

She looks like a tech-savvy 2 year old, doesn't she?  These are possibly my favorite moments...just goofing off with my kids...probably procrastinating something else. ;)  I think you can tell, she was totally hamming it up for me.  Every once in awhile she'd get distracted and show me her "boo boo."  We'd also have to take breaks and make sure she wasn't calling Japan.  That would hurt. 

1st day of kinder & 2nd

We are back in school!  I have Tues. & Thurs. with just one little girl now.  It's rather life-changing.  I also have one more girl to home school on our Mon/Wed/Fri. school days though.  That's a little tricky. 

The only one in the family who cried on the first day of school was our toddler.  She misses her sisters like crazy and she gets giddy when we go to pick them up.  It's sweet.

Well, having two kids in school is still really hard to believe.  Kinder?  Really?  She was just born yesterday.  It actually makes me feel older all of a sudden.  Not a good older...like wiser or more mature. No, just old.

I wish I had more pics to share but I took just a few - and they are the world's worst photos.  Oh well, I was just lucky to get them off to school with the bizillion things we had to remember.