And off she goes....

First day of kindergarten 2009
Waiting in anticipation


We're so glad Daddy got to be there for the big drop-off. Rachel was so cute--she kept yelling, "I get to go to preschool next year!!!" She can't wait to go.


Emma and Lauren get to be in the same class--hooray! Good luck you cutie-pies!



She had a wonderful first day of school and excitedly said, "I can't wait to go back again! Do I get to go every single day?" Yes, Emma, you do, and may you always love learning just as much as you do now.

Thoughts

My little bookworm



So Emma is starting school in a mere 6 days (although, if you ask Emma, that is an ETERNITY--she cannot wait!). I am struggling a bit with it, as I'm sure most moms do when they send their firstborns off to the big school. It really hit me when we attended the school open house a few days ago. We found her cubby with her name on it and I had to fight back the tears. Emma's teacher is Mrs. Butterfield, who is very pregnant and due in a few months. It was weird because I used to teach kindergarten and I was pregnant with Emma the whole last year that I taught. And now Emma is as big as those kids that I taught. It was a weird "circle of life" moment.

Emma is such a wonderful little girl. Sweet, smart, helpful, funny, and clever. She and Rachel have become such great little buddies this summer and I know Rachel will miss Emma as much as I will. She is so fun to have around. She can make Luke and Rachel laugh harder than I can! It will be hard to say goodbye and to watch her have more of a life outside of our home, a life I won't know much about. I will miss her so much! But, at the same time, I am elated for her to start school! To find her niche, to discover new things she's good at, new things she's interested in, to learn to make new friends, etc. And I can't wait to enter the world of PTA, Scholastic Book Drives, Dance Festivals, class parties, parent-teacher confererences, and yes, even homework.

So I am ready and not ready, excited and sad, all at the same time. I guess this is just the beginning of many bittersweet growing-up moments.
At least I still have my Ray-Ray and Lukey at home.....

Our Eighth Anniversary

Yesterday we celebrated eight years together. We are now "oldyweds." We got to go out on a date Saturday night (thank you grandma and Aunt Sue for babysitting!) and enjoyed Mexican food and some delicious frozen yogurt (that Red Mango frozen yogurt place is amazing!). Our anniversary present to ourselves was new bedding. So we spent the rest of the evening store-hopping and picking out our favorite bed set and accessories. Happy anniversary, Ben! I love you!

The Beach

We headed off on our long-awaited and much-anticipated beach vacation this past week. Dana Point, California was our destination. Our beach condo was right above Strand Beach and Salt Creek Beach and it was so gorgeous. The weather was heavenly the whole time we were there. Never above 80 degrees, warm sun, and a constant cool ocean breeze. You were never hot or cold. Gotta love CA weather! We enjoyed a full week of beach-hopping (we tried out Doheny State Beach, Aliso Beach in Laguna , Strand Beach, Baby Beach, and Crystal Cove Beach in Newport), walks, grilling, scenic drives, boat-watching, a whale safari (Ben and Emma), reading, people-watching, laughing, a little shopping and relaxing. It was such a great week--we loved just being together and having fun. The kids were wonderful and had such a ball. The only hard parts of the trip were (a) the drive--Rachel had a hard time being in the car so long and she is not a movie-watcher, so we had a hard time entertaining her and (b) Luke was an exceptionally early-riser every day: 5:30 a.m. to be exact. So we were a bit sleep-deprived and (c) I got a REALLY bad sunburn on my back halfway through the week and was in a lot of pain for a few days. But I can't complain--being at the beach made it all worth it. I already miss the ocean so much!
Note to readers: this is an insanely long post--too many good pictures to share!

Ben catching some waves with the boogie board

Ben pulling Emma around on the boogie board--she loved it, except for when she fell off and was doused in saltwater.

Luke loved the sand and ate a fair share of it. Nothing like a little stomach exfoliation, right?

Face-plant in the sand. We laughed so hard (and felt a little bad that we were laughing so hard at his expense, but it was too funny).


Ben took Emma on a Whale/Dolphin Safari one afternoon. They didn't see any dolphins, but they got a great view of a giant whale, and some sea lions.



Gotta show off my cute pedicure

Baby beach--there was a little alcove by the Dana Point harbor that was free of waves and very shallow. Perfect for little ones, hence the name. The girls enjoyed playing in the wet sand, pulling each other around on the boogie board, and playing in the water.



Love watching the beautiful boats go by.

Cute Rachel in the sand

It's not a beach trip unless someone gets buried, right?

Takes after her mother. Loves to read magazines, especially at the beach.

The only semi-decent picture I could get of all three kids. Why is it so hard???

I love Luke's swim trunks.

Sand castle 101

Playing in the waves







Family toes. We just need Luke's in there.

The sunset at the beach below our condo




A trip to Fashion Island mall in Newport Beach--the ritziest mall I've ever seen. The girls loving their dad

The mall carousel

Balboa pier in Newport

Luke's favorite spot to play in our condo: the kitchen island. He loved that thing! It was like his little hideout.

So long, beach! Back to reality.....