1st Day of School in CA!

On August 18th, both kids went to their day care/after school care for the first time. It was Audrey's 1st day of Pre-K4! Jackson's school started that Wednesday, August 20th, so this gave him a chance to get familiar with the teachers and kids he would be with in the afternoons.

We didn't take the 1st day of school pics until Jackson's 1st day. It was his 1st day of 1st grade!

That morning I asked both kids what they want to be when they grow up. Jackson wants to be the Hulk, and he wants his job to be a scientist. Audrey wants to be Elsa, and she wants her job to be a doctor. I have to say...these choices describe them pretty well these days! Jackson really wants to smash things when he gets upset (his self control is GREATLY improved this year though), and he loves to understand how things work and do experiments. Audrey is a girly, girl and loves to be a princess. She has good intentions, but she's a little rough sometimes. She also loves to check things out when someone is hurt and take care of people. She's fascinated by anything medical related.

Both kids were a little nervous going into their new schools, but they were excited to make some new friends. They really miss all of their friends in Houston and were starting to get a little lonely.

When we picked them up on their first days, they were both smiling and laughing. They'd had a great day! It's going to take time to make new friends, but they are off to a great start!

As a side note...for those who don't know, Jackson loves the Hulk right now. One of the early days of school, he was asked to bring a paper bag with 5 things that tell everyone a little more about him. His Hulk toy wouldn't fit, so he asked me to take a picture instead. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take it and print it in time, so he took his Lego Marvels game case instead, which covered two of his favorite things...Hulk and video games. He also took his karate belt, a Texas puzzle piece, his favorite book from the Magic Tree House series, Night of the Nijas, and a picture of our family. These are the pics he wanted to take though. They are both doing their best to make Hulk faces. Notice Audrey can't stop smiling!

Goodbye JSC Daycare

The JSC Daycare has been part of our lives since just before Jackson turned 1. Many of the teachers have become part of our family and have been truly instrumental in helping Jackson and Audrey become the amazing kids they are today. They have been there to teach them how to walk, drink from a cup, potty train, learn all kinds of info from letters and numbers to science and math and computers, and most importantly, how to interact with other kids and adults. They have loved on them through thick and thin. They were there to help with a broken leg and broken hearts. We are forever grateful to have them in all of our lives!

The other families at the daycare have also been a huge part of our lives. They have walked along side us in this journey of parenting. They have provided guidance and support along the way. We have found some amazing friends here!

Audrey's last day was filled with fun. Her teacher, Ms. Monica, let Audrey decide how she wanted to celebrate her last day with her friends. She, of course, requested donuts, but not just any donuts. She requested very specific donuts. All of her friends were excited to share them with her. After the donuts, they each shared what they will miss about her, and then they each took turns giving her a hug and taking a picture with her. It was really sweet! Most of the pictures are in the album, but here are a few of them.

In the afternoon, there was a school carnival where Audrey and Jackson both got their faces painted and spent a little more time with their friends. It was a great way to say goodbye.

Circus Field Trip

Audrey's last field trip in Houston was to the circus. My dad (AKA Pop) was in town and got to join us for the fun.

The circus was impressive, but I think Audrey enjoyed the pre-show most. In addition to getting a full bag of cotton candy to herself, she also got to dance with one of the circus performers!

After the show we joined the class for pizza. The whole experience was great, but it was a little bittersweet. There aren't a lot of preschools that take kiddos on field trips, and knowing it was the last with our JSC family was sad. We enjoyed every moment though! There are a few more pics from "The Greatest Show on Earth" in the album.

JSC Field Day

Audrey's school had field day on Friday. It was 2 hours of non-stop fun! Her class were the Rowdy Raccoons...can you guess why?

They started the events off with the pledge of allegiance. Rodney the Raccoon cheered from a nearby tree as the kids did some hurdles and egg races.

Next up was a little over/under, balloon popping, water scoop racing, and a hula hoop game, as well as a short snack break.

Then there was a balloon toss. Audrey and her partner were adorable. Audrey kissed her balloon and held it like a baby before tossing it back and forth. She and her friend won the second round of the balloon toss...Audrey would take a step back after each toss and her friend would take a step forward. It worked great! :-) Next was a relay race, which was followed by a short photo op with two of her favorite friends!

The grand finale was tug of war! All of the kids LOVED it. Everyone pitched in to clean up before heading inside for the medal ceremony. They were all winners and behaved so well that they each got a medal and got to move their clips to the top of the chart!

It was a fun way to spend the morning, and believe it or not, there are even more pictures in the album!

Christmas Tree Farm Field Trip

It was Audrey's turn for a field trip to the Christmas Tree Farm this year! Unfortunately, it was a very cold, wet day. Everyone still managed to have fun, but there were a few meltdowns along the way. Audrey did pretty well, but she does not like to be that cold! I was fine aside from having frozen toes...until I got home and realized my new boots were damaged by all of the water. Thank goodness for shoe hospitals!

They got to do all kinds of fun stuff! They started by roasting marshmallows. Then they played on bales of hay and did a scavenger hunt. There was some good, old Texas sledding (on dirt and hay), as well as a little animal watching. Next was a hay ride around the tree farm where they learned how to tell how old a tree is.

After a cup of hot chocolate to warm up a bit, the kids got to decorate one of the trees outside and dress up scarecrows. Audrey did both very briefly, but she was ready to be inside to warm up.

Pizza was next on the agenda before heading back to the daycare. Despite the rain and cold, it was a successful outing!

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Audrey's class went on their pumpkin patch field trip on Monday! The plan was to go to Froberg's to check out their first ever pumpkin patch and corn maze, but after loading onto the bus, we found out they had to cancel due to rain. That didn't stop this group though! We went to the local pumpkin patch at a church down the street instead, which is where we've gotten our pumpkins every year. The kids didn't know any different! The church was expecting another group that ended up cancelling due to the rain, so they were all set up for us! The kids listened intently to a story about pumpkins. Then they scoured the patch for the biggest, littlest, and silliest pumpkins they could find.

The kids got to go to McDonalds for lunch and play on their playscape before heading back to school. Ross was able to join us for lunch since we were close by, so that made it an extra special day for Audrey!

There are a lot more pictures in the album!

Jackson's Pre-K Graduation

Jackson's school did a Pre-K graduation ceremony this week, and it was adorable! They had their little caps and gowns on to receive their "diplomas".

Then they put on a show! There are two pre-k classes at the school, and each class sang three songs. Jackson has been practicing for weeks, and he did so great! His favorite of the songs was "You've Got a Friend in Me". Of course, the first time he sang it for us, I cried. It's going to be hard for me to watch Jackson say goodbye to these friends and go to different schools. Many of them have been together for 4 years!

One of Jackson's teachers, Ms. Amber, wasn't able to make it to the graduation ceremony because she was put on bed rest and actually had her baby today! She put together a great slide show of the kids throughout the year. The kids giggled and laughed through the whole thing. They loved seeing themselves and remembering all the fun things they've done. Ms. Georgia and one of Jackson's favorite previous teachers, Ms. Monica, did a great job shepherding the kids through the ceremony. We had a mini photo session after the ceremony with the teachers, friends, and our little family.

Audrey had a lot of fun too. Several of Jackson's friends have younger sisters in Audrey's class, so they had fun playing together and watching their big brothers for the evening. In the end though, Audrey was excited to be in her Daddy's arms!

Jackson has grown and changed so much during his time at the JSC daycare. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful people pouring into our kids each day while we work, and we are so amazed by what a sweet, loving, and smart little boy Jackson is...most of the time. ;-)

There are a lot more pictures from the evening in the album!

Easter

I've gotten a little behind on posting, but I'm hoping to catch up this weekend. Here are some pictures from our Easter celebrations. My dad joined us for the weekend and helped Jackson and Audrey decorate and dye eggs. We had fun flying kites and hunting lots of eggs that weekend!

All of the younger kids did a really cute craft at church with graham crackers, an oreo, icing and chocolate to make Jesus' empty tomb. It turned out great and smelled really good too!

We spent Easter afternoon at the Newman's house with friends. Their house backs up to an old golf course, so the kids had more fun playing and hunting eggs there!

I love the two pictures above because it shows the interactions between Jackson and Audrey rather well these days...monkey see, monkey do! (Notice the baskets on the heads.)

The daycare also had egg hunts. Ross made it to Jackson's egg hunt in the morning. After they found all of their eggs, they had fun with some confetti eggs! I was able to join Audrey's class for their egg hunt in the afternoon, and all the kids were bubbling over with excitement to get outside and find some eggs! Knowing treats were inside probably helped!

I ended up taking pics of all of the kids at the daycare with the Easter Bunny, which of course means neither of my kids wanted to go anywhere near the bunny! Jackson was willing to if I was in the picture too, but Audrey wanted nothing to do with it!

There are more pictures of our Easter celebrations in the album

Dr. Seuss Party

Audrey's class celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday for an entire week! They did all sorts of fun crafts and snacks throughout the week, and they ended the week with a silly and delicious party! There were lots of creative treats, and the kiddos helped with a few of them.

There were cotton candy "Truffla trees", goldfish for the "one fish, two fish", gummy-fish in blue jello for "Red Fish, Blue Fish", mini-crescent dogs for "Go Dog Go", "ABC" cookies, and a couple of "Cat in the Hat" treats too!

The kids loved them! They had lots of fun stacking their bananas and strawberries in stripes (or not). After the food, the kids dove into their favorite books. It was a fun week and a fun party!

There are more pictures in the album!

Life on the Ranch

Jackson's class went on a field trip to George Ranch yesterday, and I tagged along! The park does a great job showing what life was like on a Texas ranch during the 1800s. A real cowboy kicked off the day with some rules and guidelines before we made our way to an 1830s stock farm. We were guided through each part of the ranch by someone dressed in a period costume. They described what life was like during that time frame in a way the kids could relate to.

The kids got to explore and touch everything they saw at the stock farm. They got to visit some pigs and chickens, play with some bones, and make some corn meal!

Next they went to an 1890s mansion and learned about a more refined lifestyle. They got to practice using their manners too! After being told a little about the house while standing outside, the kids were instructed to allow the ladies to enter the house first, which Jackson took very seriously. He made sure none of the boys entered until every girl was inside...he's gotten really good at listening and following directions in a learning type of environment. (I'm ready for those skills to transfer to home too!) Once inside they learned how to properly say hello to one another. The girls learned to curtsy, and they boys learned to bow. Then they made their way to the next building. It contained the formal dining room and kitchen, which they learned was separate to prevent the main house from burning down if there was ever a fire in the kitchen. The kids also learned they would not be allowed to sit at that table until they learned hundreds of rules. They were asked to state any they knew, and there were several fun rules that I bet may not have been on the original list! From there they explored the kitchen, which is where they would have eaten until they learned all of those rules!

The next stop was the blacksmith's shop. Watching the blacksmith work was one of the highlights of the day. He made an s-hook and a bracelet while we watched, in addition to telling everyone some fun and interesting facts about the job of a blacksmith. He passed around several items for everyone to checkout, but attempting to solve one of his puzzles was a favorite of the adults and kids.

Lunch at the chuckwagon was next on the agenda, and Cookie was an entertaining host, as well as a good cook! We had some delicious beef stew and beans, which Jackson devoured while Cookie shared about life on a cattle drive. We learned the cook was the real disciplinarian of the bunch, as well as the doctor. The kids were ready to run around a bit at this point, so they did! They explored a train car that moved cattle, checked out the sharecropper's land and pigs, and did a little swinging.

The cowboys gave us a demonstration of what it's like to work with cattle. They roped a calf and showed us how they would pin it down to brand it. Then they showed us a little "cutting" (separating) of the calves, and finally, they introduced us to one of their longhorns.

After the show was over, the cowboys let the kids pet the horses, and gave us all a chance to try our hand at roping! Jackson was one of the first ones in line, and he was also the first one to get his lasso around a horn! He was beyond excited! He was even more excited when I didn't get the rope around the cow...meaning he could do something Mommy couldn't!

The alligator was something we stumbled across while walking near a creek. I was happy to show it to Jackson and move on!

It was a long, but extremely fun day! I can't wait for Audrey's turn to visit in a couple of years! There are lots more pics in the album!

Jackson's Class Christmas Party

Jackson's class Christmas party was lots of fun too! The kiddos wore their PJs to school to board the Polar Express for a day of fun! Jackson chose his current favorite PJs, so he looked like a little elf, and apparently, he pretended to be an elf for most of the day. Audrey and I arrived at the end of the movie just in time for the gift exchange! Jackson's class had boys bring boy gifts and girls bring girl gifts. Jackson and one of his best friends, Cooper, had arranged to make sure they got each other's gifts..

Jackson was beyond excited to find a pirate puppet in his package, and Cooper was perhaps the quietest and most focused I've ever seen him after opening his, which was a Perplexus Rookie game that Jackson loves. Audrey was sad not to get a present at this party, but she was happy to settle for another cookie!

The room mom then presented Jackson's teachers with their gift, which was such a sweet and clever idea! She sneaked into the class with the help of the day care staff who distracted the teachers while she made these adorable Christmas tree pictures with hand and thumb prints from all of the kids. On the back was a list of their names along with the year. Such a sweet way to be able remember this year!

We are so thankful for both Jackson and Audrey's teachers and how much they genuinely love our kiddos!

There are more pictures of the fun in the album!

Audrey's Class Christmas Party

Audrey's teachers put together a fun-filled couple of days for the kiddos that included watching Polar Express and having a Christmas party! The party started with the decorating and eating of Christmas cookies! Jackson was our helper for the party. He made sure everyone had a cookie and snack. He sweetly asked Audrey to decorate his cookie while he helped, which she was happy to do. Then, as you can see, he enjoyed eating it!

After some yummy party snacks the kids sat on the carpet and eagerly awaited their gift exchange. All the girls sat together and had fun giggling and being silly!

Audrey's class chose to exchange books this year. Each kid got to chose another kid's gift, and after everyone had something, the paper shredding began! Jackson read Audrey's book to her after she opened it. The book was a silly book, which was perfect for these two silly-geese! As you can see below, Audrey loved having her big brother there for the party!

There are a lot more pictures of the silliness and fun in the album.

Halloween

Halloween was a long, fun-filled day this year! It started with trick-or-treating for the younger kids at the day care in the morning. Jackson and the older classes passed out candy to Audrey and the younger kiddos, which was really cute. Then the older kids piled into the bus and did a little trick-or-treating around the JSC campus. Lots of co-workers and friends greeted the kids with smiles and candy!

Audrey chose to be a princess this year. Specifically, she chose to be Rapunzel, and because of her short hair, we deemed she was Rapunzel after her hair is cut off in the movie Tangled. She loved it! Her teachers asked if she could wear the costume everyday because she was more calm and controlled...like a little princess.

Jackson chose to be Simba from the Lion King. When asked what Simba says, his most common replies were either the typical roar or a song from the movie, which is his current favorite. He has a knack for remembering songs, so he could sing most of several of the songs!

Audrey's class spent afternoon partying! Ross' mom spent the week with us, so she was there to enjoy the festivities. The teachers did a great job making this first class party a success. Audrey and her friends got to decorate their own sugar cookies (yes, I made them), play with "yucky stuff" (the insides of a pumpkin), and see a witch's brew (made from dried ice).

I'm very sad to say I lost the pictures from trick-or-treating at our house that evening. (Make sure you've gotten ALL of the pictures off before reformating your memory card...lesson learned I hope!) The kids had a ton of fun though. We made it around our small block and down the street before calling it quits. Audrey was a little scared of some of the scarier costumes, but both did great knocking on doors and saying trick-or-treat and thank you. I think the highlight of their evening was handing out some candy before going to bed. They loved being the one to give to others! It was definitely a long, fun day!

There are more pictures in the album from the fun at school.

Fall Festival 2012

JSC's daycare had their Fall Festival the week before Halloween. The kiddos had fun getting their hair painted, playing games, and even doing a cupcake walk. I didn't get a lot of pictures because both Ross and I volunteered to help with the activities, but I was able to capture a few shots from my seat...

Old MacDonald Farm

In mid-October, Jackson's class went on a field trip to Old MacDonald Farm in Humble, TX. Audrey and I joined them for the fun! There were lots of animals to pet, a train to ride, a dirt pile to play in, a huge fort to run around on, and a pumpkin patch!

I was impressed with how well the animals handled the craziness! There were a lot of kiddos running in and out of each pin and even jumping and screaming at times. Jackson was determined to make sure each animal had plenty of hay and that each of his friends did exactly what they were supposed to...hmmm, I wonder if my controlling nature is rubbing off on him?

We saw one goat that escaped from it's home. It was having lots of fun visiting the other animals and occasionally chasing a kid...we steered clear of it!

I'm not sure Jackson will ever grab a bull by the horns, but he wasn't afraid to grab the horns of a goat!

Audrey really enjoyed hanging out with the big kids, and they loved having her there. They were extremely helpful to both her and me! They made sure to show her what to do with each of the animals, held her hand when she got scared, and had lots of fun running and playing with her!

They also got to ride a horse! Audrey was a little too nervous, but Jackson was all about it! He did great being guided around the ring.

Jackson and Audrey rode the train twice because they loved it so much. It took them around all of the animals, but I think they enjoyed waving at the people the most. After our last train ride we found a spot by the horses and free range deer to play a little and waive at the next set of passengers.

The farm was a great Fall experience, and they each got to take home a small pumpkin! There are more pics in the album!

From there we met up with our friends, The Fulliloves, and headed north to Dallas to spend the weekend at Great Wolf Lodge. Unfortunately, I didn't take ANY pictures while we were there, but we had a ton of fun!

The Circus

I'm a little behind on blog posts. We've been busy enjoying the summer! We've done a lot of swimming at the pool and the beach in Galveston, as well as some general playing around. Back in July, Jackson's class took a field trip to see the circus, and Audrey and I joined him. It was tons of fun!

There were elephants, tight rope walkers, tigers, horses, acrobats, jugglers, clowns, and so much more! Here are a few pics of the highlights, and there are more in the album.

Carnival Day

Two weeks ago was carnival week at Jackson and Audrey's school. Each room sponsored a game/event, and Audrey's creative teachers decided on a photo booth! Can you guess who got to be the photographer? Me! (I bet you aren't surprised).

Jackson and Audrey were my helpers until Ross arrived, and of course, I made Ross participate too...

I honestly didn't even get a chance to walk around to see what else there was, but they got their faces painted and had popcorn and snow cones and seemed to have a great time!

There are more pictures from the photo booth in the album.

Tree Farm Field Trip

Jackson got to go on a great field trip a couple of weeks ago to The Holiday Acres Tree Farm, and I got to join him, which of course, means I took lots of pictures! It was a beautiful farm, and a fun way to spend a gorgeous day!

There were two classes of 3 and 4 year old kiddos on this trip. While the other class went on a hay ride through the trees, Jackson's class visited the miniature horses...

dressed scarecrows...

swung on a tire horse, and played in the dirt and hay, which included a little Texas sledding! Uncle Philip would be proud of his digging skills!

Then it was their turn for a hay ride!

They stopped along the way to checkout some very small oranges (sorry, I don't remember their actual name), which Jackson's friend, Jayla, graciously showed the camera.

They also stopped to find out how old one of the trees that had recently been cut was and to talk about how quickly the trees grow.

When they were done with their hay ride, they roasted and ate marshmallows!

After a little more playing in the dirt and hay, we managed to get all of the kids in each class together for an attempt at a group picture...everyone was either wired or tired as you can see in this picture of Jackson's class!

Then we loaded everyone back on the bus and went out for pizza before going back to the daycare. It was a great way to spend the day and start off the Christmas season!

There are lots more pictures in the album!