Hello Kindergarten. Hello 3rd Grade.

Yes! That's right, both kids are at the same school and on the same schedule now! We had a great summer that flew by but by the end of it, we were ready to be back on a regular routine.

So the kiddos had Back-to-School night the week before where they met their teachers and got familiar with their classrooms. You know, all the usual stuff.


Goofing off in Rory's classroom








Rian:
Teacher: Ms. Kamins
Likes: Watermelon, the color pink and her baby doll
Dislikes: Spiders!!!


Rory:
Teacher: Ms. Blazi
Likes: French fries, the color green and legos
Dislikes: 5 Nights at Freddy's (I still have no idea what this is, even though Randy has explained it to me *insert eye roll here*)


Crazy monkeys!!!


Off we go


And just like that, Rian walked into the kindergartener gate like a pro. There was no crying, no hesitation, no looking back. And it's been like that everyday ever since.


Rian's teacher sent me this adorable photo of her.


And all I can think is, What happened to my little bald baby? I knew she would be fine starting school, Rian is fiercely independent and it's moments like this that it serves her. She's confident and commanding and I know she will do so many great things this year.


I remember when Rory was in kindergarten and Rian's favorite part of the day was going to get him. She would charge through the gate, push her way through the crowd of parents and run to Rory. Now he goes to get her after school and he asks her how her day was. My heart is full.


Flashback to when Rian used to pick Rory up from kindergarten. They were so little.


And this flashback...How could I not include this one.



Last week was the school's first Spirit Week of the school year and it was "A Celebration of the Decades".
Monday: 1990's


Tuesday: 1950's




Wednesday: 1960's


Thursday: 1970's


Friday: 1980's



And boy do I miss this sweet face during the day!


The last post ended with a funny story about Rian, so I'm gonna keep that going by ending this post with yet another one...

One night a couple of weeks ago I was upstairs as Randy and the kids were starting to head upstairs for the night. I yelled down to him and asked if he could bring up my Yeti full of water. He handed it to Rian and asked her to bring it to me.

Rian (to Randy): How about you?

Randy (to Rian): No, how about you?!?

Rian (to Randy): No! How about you?!!! She's your wife! You're the one that married her!

Randy and I bursted out laughing. Where in the world does she come up with these things? And if I may add, what's so bad about marrying me? HAHA!!!


Thanks for visiting HOH!!!

xoxo
-aMie

Saying Goodbye To Summer

Hi there!

Well the kiddos started school this week, yes both of them, and I can't believe our summer is officially over. I remember being so worried that I wasn't going to know how to keep the kids entertained for three months, and now I have no idea where those three months went. There were trips to the movies and the bowling alley, swim lessons and pool parties, fireworks and BBQ's, a trip to California and so much more in between.


Oh there were so many movies, both at the movie theater and at home. We had a movie marathon at home leading up to watching Avengers: Infinity War.  I've got to say that the Guardians of the Galaxy movies are my favorite: the music and nothing compares to Groot in the second movie.



And this sassy little girl. "Mom, I can't find my cat sunglasses, so I'm gonna wear yours!"


Rian completed her second summer of swim lessons. The kids' swim teacher is really the best!!! If you're local and in need of a swim teacher, she's the one for you.


These kids don't know how good they have it. Tim spoils them with the pool toys!






Seriously, I can't handle this girl! This was ALL her idea!!!



The 4th


And since I couldn't pick just one firework photo to share, I'll share 24! Haha! I love fireworks!


And then there is this sweet little girl that had to have dental surgery. By the way, I was an emotional mess that day. But she did great! At least she got a bandage in her favorite color. Haha! I know dogs are color blind!


So sometime around the 18th or 19th of July, Rory and I were upstairs having a serious conversation about something. I actually don't remember what we were talking about, but I do remember Rian running up the stairs and mentioning something about using scissors. And then she mentioned something about hair. And because I was talking to Rory, I didn't quite catch what she had fully said.  So I asked her, "Did you cut your hair?" and she said no. So I asked her again, "Are you sure you didn't cut your hair?" And again she says no, this time very firmly. So I believed her and Rory and I went back to talking and I never found any loose chucks of hair so I never gave it another thought. Fast forward to the next Monday when I take the kids to get hair cuts. And the hairdresser asks Rian, "So you cut your own hair, huh?" Sure enough, Rian had cut a chunk of her own hair. If you're wondering, that giant triangular area that's circled, yeah that's suppose to have hair there. Rian finally admitted to cutting her own hair and the hairdresser was able to put layers in her hair to help hide the unevenness of Rian's chop job.


Fresh cuts for the both of them in time for our trip to California!!!


This was by far the most difficult trip to pack for. I was going to be all over the place with just about ever minute scheduled for me. The logistics of planning out just the luggage and which piece was going where was a mess. My hallway became packing central.


But we were finally on our way, and the kids and I had the best trip ever!!!


I got to spend some much needed time with my cousin and the bride-to-be, my Jan Jan Jelly!!! I sure miss her...


...and her...


...and them!!!


And this kid is one of the best wedding dates I've ever had. Rory actually likes to get dressed up or as he says "get fancy". Haha!!! He was so excited to wear a tie. And he has some dance moves he was not afraid to show off.


And then there was this little one, at one point she asked if it was "time to party"? And when I said yes, she yelled "WooHoo" with her hands up in the air!!! It was one of the best weddings I've ever been to. And no one does a wedding like my family.


Rookie!!! In all fairness it was her first wedding. HAHA!


We went whale watching in Newport Beach with my parents the next day.


I love the beach. I could sit all day and just watch the boats go by.




We're ready to go and find some whales, dolphins and mermaids.


So my parents hooked us up with VIP tickets on the boat! It was awesome! We had our own section with our own binoculars and access to the captain.




And Rian looooooved our captain, Captain Sterling. He told her he was going to try and find some mermaids for her and that did it.




He looks like I just fast-forwarded 5 years.


Rory got to help out with searching for a pod of dolphins that another boat spotted off in the distance.


And this didn't even capture the amount of dolphins in this particular pod. Apparently the dolphins like to play in the boat's wake. So they will swim with the boat. Something I didn't know before.


Rian found a locked compartment near the captain's chair and she asked Captain Sterling what it was for. He said that it was where he hides the mermaid's treasures. Rian immediately scrunched her face and yelled at him for stealing their treasures. He then explained to her that he doesn't steal it, when he finds their treasures, he locks it up for safe keeping. So when he finally finds a mermaid he can return it to her and her friends. So she went out looking for mermaids.




So this is Captain Sterling. If you are ever in Newport Beach and want to go whale watching, I cannot recommend this trip enough. It was through Davey's Locker and ask to go with Captain Sterling. He made the trip extra special for the kids. It is definitely worth the upgrade to VIP.


And when we got back from California, this was waiting for Rian.


Funny story: So I'm at Target with Rian one afternoon and I need to buy some underwear. I'm knelt down looking for my size when she stops at the bras and asks pointing at her chest: "These are for up here, right?" I look up and say yes then continue looking through the underwear. Then she asks: "Does this fit?" I thought I was going to die of laughter, I was laughing so hard!!!!



And I'll leave you there with that funny story for now. I hope you all have a great weekend!!!

xoxo
-aMie