Disney Cousins

Our bestest Georgia cousins drove all the way down to Florida again for fall break at Disney World.

We love them, even if we only get to see them for a day.

It's the little things, like walking to a playground and collecting magnolia leaves, that are our favorites.

Meeting up at Magic Kingdom is pretty awesome, too.

The girls picked up right where we left off.

But I think the boys need some special time over Christmas this year to work on their bond.

The fact that Mom and Dad traumatized Ryan on Thunder River probably hurt his chances of bonding with Brady on this visit.

He rode this roller coaster in January and loved it. He did not love it today. Poor buddy.

He'll be fine.

I love these people.

And can't wait to see their cute faces again.

We didn't get to do Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween with them, because we had to go back to school and work.

So unfair.

Second Grade Diorama

 

Not sure who was more excited about my very first diorama, me or Mom. I chose the story of Medusa turning a king to stone. And then Mom embarrassed me by taking a picture of it in front of school.

It was the greatest diorama ever made in the history of the world.

And the inspiration for my Medusa Halloween costume.

Settling In

 

We're way behind on the blog, so here are some favorite moments from the fall. Getting big in our big kid pajamas:

Shopping like a boss:

Reading like a big kid in our new class:

Hanging with Dad while Mom is on nights:

Simply looking and talking big:

Playing teacher:

Best buddy Finn:

Moment of peaceful cooperative play:

Mind-blowing brunch sampler on the patio at Panera:

Story Cube Champion:

The Great Transition of 2015

This fall was a tough time in our house, now forever known as The Great Transition of 2015. Second grade and VPK hit us like an earthquake. One of us internalized all the anxiety, while the other held it together in class and exploded after school. Mom just kept chanting "Your home is their sanctuary. Your home is their sanctuary.", while looking for a place to hide.  

We survived, and we're ready to focus on the positive. So, thank you, new YMCA family fun pool for the great escape after school. And thank you, magic invisible ink set, for saving us that week.

Thank you, cute costume glasses that helped me deal with nervous tics.

Thank you, unofficial pet bunny at my school, for hitting the pause button on our constant sibling battles.

And thank you, bedtime, for giving us glimpses of the sweet child inside, restoring our faith that This Too Shall Pass. 

Dad was adjusting to his new role and new boss at work, too, so he understood the therapeutic value of a box of Legos or Magnetiles.

All the growing pains are worth it, our teachers agree with our parents that we are awesome kids. We both love being Good. I was selected as Dynamic Dolphin for the character trait of responsibility,

and Ryan was selected as most excited to learn.

First Day of School

Big VPKer and Second Grader!

Ryan wanted in on the annual picture with the dolphin. He'll be taking his own dolphin picture next year for Kindergarten.

I'm up to the dolphin's eye now!

My new class and teacher are the best best best ever. Mom tries to leave me alone at dropoff, for autonomy and learning responsibility and all that. But she'll probably still want to walk me to class and take pictures when I'm in high school.

We were most sympathetic for Buddy, he had the hardest change this time in school. He's in the VPK class with my old VPK teacher. 

She is an awesome teacher, but she don't play.

His best buddies are in the classroom next door, so it was a bittersweet day moving to the big kid room.

He's excited to be in a real class, ready to learn his letters and numbers, and grow his brain really big.

But he was very nervous to change teachers, saying he "didn't know how to be good" in the new class.

We decided to give him lots of love and support to get through this tough time. It could end up being inspiration for his college admission essay. Think about it- you're 4 years old living the dream with your best friends playing nonstop with your sweet teacher who you think is pretty and has soft hair. Then you get dropped cold into a room full of strangers, half of whom are 5 year old red shirted Kindergarteners in a class where they are practically speaking another language learning letters and numbers.

We're going to be really, really nice to him.