Award Ceremony!

I forgot to mention that Morgan received an award the last week of school! It was so fun for Daniel and I to attend the ceremony and see Morgan proudly receive her award. 

 

 We were one proud mama and papa! Great job Morgan! 

Last Day Of School!

I took pictures of Morgan on her very last day of 1st grade!

My beautiful girl is growing up! Unfortunately first grade was a tough one for her but now that she's started second grade (I'm obviously very behind on my blog) she's doing amazing! I can now look back on her first grade year realizing it was a big transition year for her but we survived and have positive results to show for it. She fought us tooth and nail every night last year over doing her homework because schoolwork overwhelmed her and she was having a rough year. However, every single night I would have a discussion with her about how regardless of whether she fought us or not, her homework had to get done. I kept telling her since she knew she had to do it, she might as well stay calm and focused and get it done so she could have time after to play and relax. Oftentimes we spent the whole evening arguing over her finishing her homework so she'd have to go to bed without having any free time in the evening. (I'm still not sure how I even feel about kids this young having so much homework every night.) Anyway, we all were looking forward to the summer. We had a tough year and we were all excited for her to spend her days just being a kid and playing and being free. Apparently that break is just what she needed because she's really been enjoying herself this year. She's been focusing in class and doing her in school work and she comes home every night, sits down, focuses on her work and gets it done! She's able to have down time afterward and we are all SO relieved!

 But isn't that just part of growing up? We all have to learn somehow and I know we all go through rough patches. As a parent I think the key is to stay consistent and give those kids all the love, support and guidance they need! I know my parents did with me. 

 I took another picture of her after her day was all done.

And I took them for frozen yogurt to celebrate! It felt so good to be able to do this around 3 pm when she got out of school instead of picking her up around 5:30 pm after getting off work like I've done since she was a baby.

Poor Charlotte was still all bandaged up from her fall and chin injury.

 Their ice cream and topping choices always looks so creative and colorful!

 I'm so proud of her! I know being a kid can be tough but Morgan is tougher. I feel so honored to be her mom and get to see her grow into this breathtaking little being who always amazes me.

The Butterfly Project!

I purchased a butterfly habitat from Amazon a couple of years ago. I knew growing our own butterflies and witnessing the process would be fun for the whole family. 

 I finally ordered live caterpillars this year so we could use the habitat. When they first came, they were teeny tiny and then grew to the large size they are in these pics.

 Morgan is so smart. She pointed out that they were in the J shape which meant they were ready to start forming their chrysalis'. She often schools me about animals, insect and nature.

 And sure enough they did one by one. After they had all made their chrysalis' and attached themselves to the lid, we moved the paper part of the lid to their habitat.

Admittedly, the process is a tad gross. The butterflies leak a red substance (not blood) when they first emerge. The kids didn't seem to mind and enjoyed eating breakfast while watching their new friends. 

Life With My Girls!

I keep seeing these butterflies all over town. They're huge and beautiful!

The morning of her "incident"! Had I known she would be bleeding later that day, I wouldn't have put her in such light colors, lol!

We spent the evening at Urgent Care because Charlotte either tripped over a swing or fell out of one (no one actually saw it happen). The poor kid tore her chin up pretty good. I got a call from her daycare provider saying that Charlotte probably would need stitches. Apparently she had blood gushing from her chin that covered her. Luckily there was a change of clothes in her cubby. She'll for sure have a scar from the incident. It didn't require stitches but the doctor had to really clean it and remove a bunch of hanging skin and flesh. This was a rough night. I felt so bad for the kiddo!

I mean, look at that face! Charlotte is usually a happy, goofy kid so if she's that sad, there's probably a good reason for it.

I keep forgetting to tell my dad about the below picture. When Morgan got back to school after Easter break she talked about how she had fun at her Aunt's house (she stayed with her for a week while Daniel and I were training in the Bay Area) and how she spent Easter at her Papa and Nana's house. I asked who that was in her picture and she said it was her and Papa. I loved it!

I got pretty close with Morgan's first grade teacher. She was always talking about how creative and artistic Morgan is and sent me the below photos one day.

She was impressed with the props Morgan made for a play one day and commented how maybe she'd work on movie sets or as a costume designer some day. It of course made my day!

Morgan even wore her costume while we ran to Target later that day. 

We walked by this makeup isle and both girls oohed and awed and asked to go down it.

 They're buds. I walked into the kitchen one afternoon to find this.

End of Choir!

This was the last day of choir. I love that she took choir because she really does have a nice voice. I think it would be great for her to continue to develop it, especially since she enjoys singing so much. Unfortunately I think she was a little happy it was over. She was ready to move on to the next extracurricular adventure. We currently have her in karate and she's begging to do soccer so it looks like choir will be on hold for now.

Roller Skating!

The girls and I had Memorial Day off so I wanted to do something special with them while Daniel worked. I decided to take them roller skating. I hadn't stepped foot into a rink in more than 20 years!

 We invited one of Morgan's friends and ended up having a really fun day!

At one point I couldn't find Charlotte until I looked over and found this. I adore this crazy girl!

Morgan's Choir Performance!

We got to see Morgan perform with her choir at a really nice high school in Clovis. 

I just love being able to have my girls experience things like this. Life is so rich and full of opportunity and I think it's important for kids to get out there and experience as much of it as they can.

We got to the performance super early so we played outside in the beautiful warm sunshine to kill some time while Morgan rehearsed with her group!

Aunt Dusty met Daniel, Charlotte and I to watch Morgan sing. I'm proud of my girls.

Zoo Friend Birthday!

Morgan was invited to one of her good friends' birthdays at the zoo! Her friend brought her a notebook so they could take notes about the animals. They're big Wild Kratts fans.

 As many times as we've been to this zoo, we've never got to see the Sea Lions be fed so this was a treat!

I so enjoy watching my girls get to do new things and simply enjoy life.