And just like that...

...both of our girls are off to school!

The girls started back for another school year on Monday. Lauren has staggered entry this week for Kindergarten, so she only went on Monday. Her entire class will come together this coming Monday for the first time...22 total. We were very excited that Lauren has the same Kindergarten teacher as Kate. She has been teaching for many years and is a fabulous teacher!

Kate has enjoyed her first week and loves her teacher! Her teacher student-taught in 5th grade last year at our school and is now teaching 3rd grade for the 1st time. So far so good! Plus we've heard only excellent things about her.

Here's to another great year!

Good Judgment

Kate's school has a program that focuses on certain "Character Traits" or appropriate behaviors for all students. Each quarter, the students and teachers select a classmate that displays the Character Trait that month. Kate was selected and awarded the "Good Judgment" trait.

Lauren and I had the privilege of attending the Character Traits breakfast honoring the selected students just before school was out. Kate received her certificate and pencil while enjoying all of the breakfast treats.

We're proud of you Kate! Keep up the good work!

Kate Receiving her Award

Kate with her certificate and goodies

The Graduate

It's hard to believe, but we are officially done with preschool in our household. Lauren graduated from the four-year-old class the end of May and now has her sights set on Kindergarten. She'll begin the same day as Kate...July 9th!

We were very proud of Lauren as she accepted her diploma from her teachers, following the entire 4-year-old classes performance. We were fortunate to have several of the grandparents and a couple of cousins at the ceremony.

Displayed on the outer walls of the building were the graduates' Self-Portraits, one completed in September at the beginning of the year and one in May.

We finished the event with a trip to Chick Fil-A for lunch and to celebrate. Here are some highlights from the day.

Procession into the Sanctuary

Flowers from Grandpa and Grandma

The Proud Family

Mom-Mom and Lauren with Self-Portraits

Loving Sisters!!

Snuggler Holders

On the way back from Delaware, Mother's Day weekend, we stopped at IKEA.  The girls acquired stuffed animal holders for their rooms to house some of their many furry friends. Kate selected aquamarine blue and Lauren chose dark pink. Below are the hanging results. (Photos courtesy of Kate.)

Cupcake Diaries

Carah inspired Kate to read the cupcake diaries series. Kate is currently reading the first book, "Katie and the Cupcake Cure." She has almost finished it and will be moving on to "Mia and the Mix." (This post was provided by Kate, including photographs).

Our Recent House Guest

A couple of weeks ago we had a house guest from Wednesday to Monday. She was very sweet and lovable...the girls adored her! They had so much fun playing with her and were sad to see her go that Monday.

Meet our house guest...Finley, our friend's Saint Bernard.

Weighing in at just over 100 lbs., Finley resembled a small pony. She was the hit of the neighborhood! People stopped to ask if we had gotten a dog (of course with a surprised and confused look on their face). Although rather large, she was a "gentle giant." Both Mark and I agreed, she dwarfed any room she entered, making our house feel rather small at times. Nonetheless, we all enjoyed her stay.

The girls keep asking when we can get our dog. That we're not sure about at this point, however we are sure that a dog the size of Finley is a little too big for our lifestyle.

Easter Egg Hunt - Take 1

Our church had an Easter egg hunt Saturday morning for kids of all ages. The Eggstravaganza (as they call it) consisted of games, music, crafts, and an egg hunt. For the first time in years, our girls were in the same age group which allowed us to travel through the events as a family. Here are some highlights from the event.

Lauren after competing the egg and spoon game

The girls, with friend Julia, sitting for Duck-Duck-Goose

Doing the Hokey Pokey

Waiting to begin the Egg Hunt

Lauren and Kate with their eggs