Skylar....Kindergarten

Today is Skylar's first day of kindergarten.  She woke up at 4am.  I convinced her it was way too early to get up.  I thought she went back to sleep but she said she got up and waited on the couch.  She fell asleep there.  When I got out of the shower she was in my room waiting for me, already dressed!!  lol.  She ate breakfast, brushed her teeth and waited, and waited.  She was ready 30 minutes before we had to be at the bus stop.  Finally I saw the kids start to come, so we went out.  She wouldn't talk to the other kids, just wandered around and said hi to the other moms there.  She waited in line when we saw the bus coming down the street.   When it got there she said, bye mom and just got on the bus.  Just like a big girl. 

Now I sit here and wait.  I have until 1:30 before I go get her off the bus.  It's going to be a long day. 

Last day of summer vacation (for Skylar)

today was Skylar's last day before starting kindergarten.  I can't believe it's time.  I've done my best over the last almost 6 years to prepare her for this time.  I'm sending her out into the big bad world and I won't be there to protect her.  Preschool wasn't this hard because it was a more intimate setting.  I felt her teachers genuinely cared for the kids.  There were times when Skylar would get sad and Ms. Geraldine would sit with her in the big rocking chair and comfort her.  This made me feel good that there was someone else there for her when I couldn't be.  Now she's going to be in a big school.  She will have to comfort herself for the most part. 

anyway, today I didn't have any kids until noon so i packed up our sand toys and took the girls to the beach.  Problem was the beach was closed.  We then went to the park to play.  They ended up digging in the wood chips and then playing.  We met a little boy there who will be in her kindergarten class (what are the odds?)  When they were ready to leave we drove by the beach again and it was open so we went down and played in the sand for a while.  They had a blast.  They were quite dirty but who cares.  All that matters was that they were having the time of their lives on this last day of vacation. 

digging in the woodchips

finally at the beach

then tonight Skylar and I went to see her classroom, put her supplies away and meet her teacher.  Here she is in front of her locker.  I forgot to get a picture of her at her desk.  

Little Helpers Farm at the Iowa State Fair

all ready to farm

pig sty

planting crops

picking apples

their bucket of goodies

gathering eggs

she's got her bale of hay

taking her goods in

toss that hay

milking "Bessie"

selling their goods at the market

with their "money" they picked a popsicle from the general store

Iowa State Fair

We finally got there after living here for 3 years.  It's near Des Moines, which is about a 1.5 hour drive west of us.  We left early this morning and finally got home around 6:30.  It wasn't too hot or sunny today, actually a perfect day.  We saw some baby animals, ate some food, rode some rides and the girls got to go through the little helpers farm.  It was a fun but exhausting day.  On the way home we stopped at Tasty Taco's, a really good taco place we don't have around here. 

baby geese

lambs

the first treat, snow cones

strong daddy showing the girls a horse

Skylar, Larissa and I climbing the steps to the big slide

 Weeeeeee

Larissa on the helicopter ride

Skylar on the swings

Both girls on another helicopter ride

they loved the dragon roller coaster

 slushies

baby cow

baby goat

Tasty Taco's