Rylyn's 1st Day of Preschool

Rylyn attended her first day of Preschool at the Harmony School on Wed, Sept 9th. She was so excited to go and see her classroom and meet her teacher.  She attends school in the afternoons from 12:30-3:30 three days a week.  She had a rough start were she would cry and not want to be left at school. After a few times going though, she got the hang of it and now enjoys going to school.  Such a big girl now!

Final Days of Summer

Last weekend, we went to the lake by my parents house.  We rode in the back of the pick-up with the girls along a dirt road to get to the lake--they really liked not being inside the car in their carseats-sitting with mom and dad in the back with the wind blowing on them was way cooler.  We went for a canoe ride to a little sandy beach area.  The girls were so good in the little canoe and were excited to be in a boat with Grammie and Papa. They got to go swimming in the lake also.  To my surprise, they had fun playing in the dark muddy water and looking at the fish swimming around them---fun Sunday at the lake.

Sunflower Fun

We found a sunflower patch off the side of the road that we went and explored. It was so fun for the girls because the sunflowers were little, just like them.  They ran up and down the rows of dirt inbetween the sunflowers.  It was early and the sunflowers were facing the sun, so every pic I took was them facing the sun--oh well.

My First 5K Run

Us, after the race, in our cool bright yellow race shirts

Yes, I have to confess, I am becoming a runner.  I have been running for the last few weeks because I entered a 5 k race with my old teaching partner (she just ran a half marathon)!!  She has been helping me to stay motivated and learn to love running.  Its safe to say that I don't LOVE running by any means yet, but it is not the worst thing in the world either.  So on Sat we met early at the race and ran it together.  The whole time she kept convicing me I could do it and, yes I did finish. We completed the race together and I was proud that I met my goal of finishing a 3.1 mile run.  I finished by running slow and steady...I'm not out there to beat anyone, just to get some exercise. (33:30 was my time, see slow and steady said the tortise to the hare).  The actual race was a fun experience and fun to do with a friend. I think I would like to do another and now I will have to try to convince Johnny to do one with me too. Who knows, maybe some day I will write again telling you all how much I LOVE running...hhhmm, maybe.

Rylyn's Summer Dance Class

Rylyn is the middle waiting patiently for her turn

Rylyn listening very carefully and following every direction

After Rylyn's last tap/ballet class was cancelled last spring, we have been looking for another place for her to take a dance class.  We decided on one for the summer and it wasn't Rylyn's favorite...it was very individual oriented and seemed like a professional ballerina school. Because of that, she didn't get to dance much; mostly spent her class time waiting, watching, and sitting around.  Eventhough the class was not very active, she did such a good job with her steps/ballet positions and really focused on what she was asked to do.  It was only 4 sessions and she was glad when it was over.  Carter wanted to join in too, but this was for 3-4 year olds only.  So, we are on the hunt, once again for another place...maybe we should try gymnastics this time.

Summer Garden Success

Rylyn sitting on the edge of the overflowing garden box.

I had to get back with you after leaving you in suspense from my last garden box post in May.  It was our first garden and wow, was it amazing to watch everything grow.  We have picked a lot of tomatoes and lettuce over the last few months and can't wait for our pumpkins to be ready to harvest.  The girls really enjoyed looking at the big green spiders in the tomato plants.  As the season begins to die down, we have decided that we are going to do a garden again next summer.

Grammie's Celebration

My beloved grammie, Patricia Giarrusso, passed away in June of a stroke.  My family flew back to California this weekend to attend a celebration that my aunt held for her.  I have not been back to CA for a long time and it was my first trip without Johnny or the children.  Johnny experienced his first weekend alone with the kids and survived.  It was a quick trip and one filled with family, love, and support for my grammie.  Though it was a hard occasion to attend for all of us, we got to see many relatives and friends we haven't seen in a long time.