Kindergarten

Last week was our official start of kindergarten.  As we were sad that our fun summer had come to an end, we were ready to start our new school year.  Dawson went to school a little shy and came out of school with her teacher ALL SMILES!!!  She had a great day!  

 Dawson and her teaching walking across the street to car pick up!

Waiting in line with car riders.  Once again....ALL SMILES.  We are off to a super start!

Princess and Pirate Night at the Zoo

The zoo had a special Princess and Pirate night this week.  The girls looked beautiful and took part in all of the event activities...including jumping in the bounce house in princess dresses and crowns!

 Just having some fun wearing a princess dress and twirling!  

 They started out making beautiful wands for the magical evening.

 Next, came the touch tank.  Here she is touching a horseshoe crab.  The girls also pet stingrays.

 Skipping and smiling were the themes of the night!

 Our first face painting.  In the past, Dawson has always has her hand or arm painted.  She loved it!

 My three beautiful princesses!  Dawson did not want to be a Disney princess this time.  She just wanted to wear this dress with a crown.  It was a perfect princess dress!

At the end of the night, the two girls sat down for a chat and a rest.  Good night my sweet princesses!

Singing in the Rain

We headed out to watch an outdoor ballet tonight but, we were rained out!  Instead, we went to a coffee shop and tried to wait out the rain.  Well, it didn't stop raining so we went outside and just played  in the rain with our umbrellas.  Some good old fashion fun!  Lynn and I sat back and laughed as the girls made up all kinds of songs with all kinds of crazy words!  

What a spontaneous night! 

A New York Minute

We spent a little bit more than a minute but, not much more.  We went to NYC for one night to catch some sights, see a play and do a little bit of kid shopping!  I have been to NYC I don't know how many times, and I love it each and every time.  I couldn't wait to take Dawson and share what I love so much about this city.  I thought 5 was the perfect age to be able to walk and enjoy the city!  

When we arrived, Dawson looked down from our 31st floor room onto Time Square.  She looked for quite awhile as she was checking out all of the sights below.  It was a wonderful view!

Immediately we were off to the Central Park Zoo.  I have not been here in a long time.  As always, it was clean and full of animal fun.  

The otters always put on a good show.

This was a musical clock that went off just as we were walking past.  the animals go around it in a circle.  We stopped, watched and listened to the beautiful music.

After the zoo, we went for a walk in Central Park.  One of Dawson's favorite shows is on Disney Channel and it's called "Jessie."  She is a nanny in NYC and many of her shows take part in Central Park.  As we were walking through the park, she continually said, "I wonder if we will see Jessie today?"  It was hilarious as she walked around and looked for her!  

We stopped for a moment to watch a crazy Humpty Dumpty puppet.  She loved every minute of this show!

Next came some walking on the rocks!

We ran out of time in the park but, wanted to stop here at this little amusement park.  It was taking place  where you usually would see Wollman Skating Rink.

Off to the American Doll store.  Within minutes we found the doll for Dawson.  Meet McKenna the American Girl Doll of the Year.  She's a gymnast and you know how much Dawson likes gymnastics!  

They just couldn't keep their eyes off each other.

And yes, McKenna's loft bed came home with us also. 

We ate dinner at the American Doll Cafe.  The restaurant makes everything kid and doll friendly.  Each doll was in a chair at the table and was served a mini plate and tea cup.  Here's a peek at our dessert!

Next, we headed back to our hotel room to play with our doll and our new loft bed.  All of us were asleep by 10:00!

Early the next morning we were up and eating the traditional and delicious NYC bagels.  My favorite bagels in the world!  

Back out to explore the city.  We loved watching and chasing the pigeons on the street!

Stopped for lunch to enjoy another NYC favorite!

And finally, we topped off our trip by catching Mary Poppins on Broadway.  It was a fantastic show!  I wish I could have taken a picture of Mary Poppins as she flew from the stage up into the audience.  She was right in front of us....we could have touched her!

And a final good bye ride to the airport!  We love NYC and will be back soon!

Happy 4th!

Happy July 4th!  We spent the weekend on the lake relaxing, eating, and watching fireworks.  

Before we headed out on the boat, Dawson gave us a little singing performance.  She loved using her cousins microphone!  She was so serious and sang her heart out!

 This was my attempt at a mini American Flag fruit platter.

 If you ever saw the movie Tangled, you will remember the part when the King and Queen let thousands of lanterns up into the sky each year on Rapunzel's birthday.  This year, many people were lighting these and sending them up into the sky.  They were beautiful and are on my list for next year!

And finally some fireworks.  Guess what, Dawson never saw any because she fell asleep on the boat before they even started!  Maybe next year!!!

Fireworks Round One

Our local community had their fireworks show last night.  We had lots of rain storms and weren't sure it was going to happen but, all at once, it was clear and the show went off.  With us came "Kisses" the patriotic bear Dawson got for her birthday.  He watched the show as intensely as the rest of us!

Tonight we will be headed out on the lake to see another show.  Can't wait to see more fireworks!

Safety Town 2012

Last Friday night, Dawson was part of the 40th class to officially graduate from Safety Town.  If your not sure what this is, it is a program designed for children entering Kindergarten in the Fall.  Every morning for 5 days, she went to learn about safety.  This included a trip to the police station, a trip to jail, fire safety, street safety, stranger danger, a house on fire simulation trailer, good and bad touches, bicycle safety, and gun safety.  By the end of the week, we had some new hats, a new bike helmet, a water bottle, a 911 magnet and a Safety Town tshirt.  

This program incorporates high school volunteers to make it fun!  So of course, I not only signed Dawson up, I signed Kennedy up to volunteer.  The ratio was about one on one with all the volunteers!  The kids really loved the student helpers!

All of the kids fell in love with this dog.  He is a search and recover dog on both land and water.  What a great personality this Labradoodle had.  Makes me want one!  

 They sang 5-6 fire safety songs and then they were ready for graduation.

And finally the certificate.  Congratulations!

We are so fortunate to live in a community that provides these excellent and free programs for the safety of our children!

Next week we kick off nature / bug camp....should be fun!