it was so sweet of our friend elisa to throw the cutest halloween party for our girls!
elisa and i are cut from the same cloth…as in we love to craft, be super extra, and throw parties! haha! yes, our minds never stop creating and before we know it, our simple party blows up to a crazy craft storm where too much is never enough. LOL
well, elisa’s party for the girls did not disappoint! we arrived late because the girls had swim lessons and we walked into a frenzy of crafting craziness. the girls who were already there were making halloween inspired wands, masks, and other fun things.
olive and ellie jumped right in and were instantly having fun with the other girls. all the moms were congregating around the drinks and food and that’s exactly where i ended up! my love language, food and drinks! and you can’t beat the great conversations we engaged in…these mamas are the best and are so fun!
there was so much cuteness involved. elisa not only had the girls crafting for hours, she had a pin the tail on something game, a candy bar where the girls could choose different types of goodies to put in their cauldrons, a photo booth, and the most festive favors to take home! it was absolutely adorable!
these are the moments i live for. i love socializing and i love that my girls have so much fun with their kiddos. it’s the best combo in life! hanging out with mamas who get you and kids who are besties cannot be beat.
ellie was invited to her first preschool birthday party for her friend Sienna {back in september}!
sienna and ellie started in prek3 together and will continue on as classmates for the next many, many years to come!
her mom, kelli, hosted the fete at a local princess party place in town. it was a beautiful day out and ellie was super excited to attend her friend’s party. olive had attended a party there for her friend betty, several months prior – right before the shutdown, but i didn’t take her, hc did. so, i had never been to this establishment.
we arrived to a lot of pink and princess everything. the girls could dress up as fairies, by picking out fun tutus, wings, and crowns. ellie was obsessed! she loved the rainbow wings and tutu. she originally picked a pink iridescent skirt but then soon found a matching rainbow one that went perfectly with her colorful wings.
once dressed up, they could walk the runway to show off their pretty gear. couple by couple, the girls working the venue eventually got all the little ones into their make up chairs and painted their faces and bedazzled their hair with a ton of glitter each. LOL i was like, dada is going to be so mad. he hates glitter!
after they had their hair and make up done, the girls then got manis! once everyone was decked out, they all walked the runway again before the pizza and cake was served!
overall, ellie had the best time with her friends! it was nice to be able to go to a party with just ellie’s friends! she’s always hanging out with olive’s friends – which is great! but it’s nice to have her hang out with girls her age, specifically the girls she goes to school with.
thanks kelli and sienna for having us at your party! it was so much fun!
[nice photos by morgan clare photography…bad photos by my iPhone LOL]
i was on a hunt for cute outfits, like any mom out there knowing that picture day for the kids was coming up!
one of my favorite places to shop for the girls is zara. now mind you, i don’t shop there for myself, i cannot stand their lack of customer service, unfortunately not many people are friendly who work there, and their return policy is obnoxious, but yes…i like their kids clothes. LOL
i ran over there to check out what they had and found the cutest outfit for Ellie. i struggled to find something for olive. they had darling items for her but not quite what i wanted for school pictures.
so ellie was set. bow. check. socks. check. shoes. check. now i needed something cute for olive! a day later or so…i thought i’d check out h&m because they also have cute items for the girls! plus, they are so inexpensive. yassssss. and there it was…what to my wondering eyes should appear, a mustard colored romper and a matching cute shirt! voila! olive had her school picture outfit and it happen to match ellie’s!
obviously i did not plan that but it happened to work out perfectly! they both looked so darling for their pics! something else that i love is that ellie’s broken arm is documented in this school picture as well! her big ol’ cast and sling front and center. hahaha!
we actually did family pics the night before in a field and allllllll the mosquitos attacked us! of course ellie got bit right on her forehead. if you look closely, you’ll see a big pink spot on the right side of her forehead!
they’re so cute! i can’t believe they are in preschool 4 and first grade! they are growing up so fast. these pictures just prove it…i’ll be sad when ellie loses those baby cheeks. welp!
the girls had their first day of school in september and the anticipation was off the charts!
uhhhhh, yes it’s november and i am finally posting about their first day of school. LOL if you read my previous post, i’ve been a little busy and my blog fell to the wayside. but don’t worry…you’re in for a treat! i have a gazillion posts coming right up!
it started back in march when the pandemic was in full swing and the girl’s school went to home learning. obvi…with all that was and is going on, the idea of in person learning was teetering all over the place.
month after month…the argument, controversy, and passion around this topic peaked as we got closer to august. no one knew what was going to happen and the uncertainty and anxiety was through the roof for me and fellow moms i knew. it became overwhelming.
i am sure for teachers, administration, and everyone who was involved in this process felt something to this extent. it was insane.
i was told by so many people who did not have children, they were glad to not be in my shoes! i told them i was glad for them too cause it wasn’t fun at all.
at first, we were under the impression that school was going to be in-person during the summer. then as we inched closer to the school year starting, it started to look different. the first day of school was scheduled for the third week in august and a couple weeks before that date, the school sent out a survey asking us for our opinions. like whhhaaaaa?
they asked about how we felt with in person learning, remote, hybrid, etc. would we keep our kids in school if it was strictly remote and so forth. with us being in private school, there was no question we wanted our kids back. for many many positive reasons. yes, we were in the middle of a pandemic but to not get into anything specific, we saw the benefits of in person learning.
we are a fortunate school to have high enrollment…the best this year compared to recent years. we currently have 600+ kids in our elementary to 8th grade class. any other year, we would celebrate this but during a pandemic…we were like uhhhhhh, how are going to physically distance all these kids and keep in person learning?!
there were so many sides to the argument but this was one side i felt strongly about. we can go down the rabbit hole concerning this but i’d rather not right now.
after much back and forth from the school and a whole lotta talk from the parents, the school settled on all three options. you could choose remote, hybrid, and in person all day {with a different agenda}.
they were able to please most. let me tell ya…the strong opinions of everyone had my head spinning and what made me angry and sad was the finger pointing at the administration. there was and is no handbook on this. they are doing their best to accommodate everyone and of course there are so many people who aren’t pleased. if you don’t have positive intent towards them and don’t understand they have our best interest in mind…well, you are not kind hearted and compassionate and honestly…very self involved.
yes, there were times i was angry at decisions being made. naturally. i do have my opinions but never once did i attack our administration. i know them and know that in their hearts, they were doing their best.
so, fast forward to the first day of school in september {it was delayed a couple weeks}. it was bonkers, it was madness, the traffic jam, rules, regulations, guidelines, and everything in between that was so different than any first day we’ve ever experienced.
the line of cars to drop off was so long and overwhelming. olive and ellie were already late to their class. we finally pull up to where we need to drop olive off. she had her mask on, her backpack on, and her two very large bags of supplies ready to go. as she struggled to get out of the car and shut the door {we weren’t allowed to get out of our cars to help} and juggle all her stuff…i started crying.
so emotions flooded in. i couldn’t believe it was her first day of first grade. i couldn’t believe that she was finally at school. i couldn’t believe that she had to wear a mask all day. i couldn’t believe that after months of tense feelings, we were finally, finally here. i couldn’t believe i couldn’t walk her to the door like i did every day last year. i was sad to see her go, i hoped she had a great day. i was so excited that she was going to be with her friends. so many feels happening at once, i bawled.
as i picked her up from school, she LOVED, loved her first day! that was worth the months of unknown! she loved seeing all her friends and was so excited to be back in class! fast forward to november, our in person learning is still going strong and olive absolutely loves seeing, interacting, and having fun with all her classmates.
thank you to the teachers who do their best every day and thank you to our entire school staff for making this happen with a smile! we very much appreciate all of you!
i tend to veer towards olive’s classmate’s moms socially. we all hit up kindergarten with the knowledge that we were in for the long haul. our kids were going to be in school together for the next 9 years! get togethers come easily and we all rely on each other for support in all areas of our lives, in which i’m so thankful for!
i felt bad for ellie as she truly just hangs out with olive’s friends. just a month ago, she started asking about her friends. oh, baby girl! my bad! i needed to get in touch with her preschool friends!
well, it’s good to have a friend who has a pool as pool time, right now, had been so scarce! i coordinated with this mama as she coordinated with other mamas and boom! we had a full fledge party on the horizon!
i’m so thankful to kelli for opening up her home to all of us! not only is her house gorgeous, her backyard set up is a dream!
as soon as we arrived the girls were game! into the pool they went without looking back! the best part of this whole experience {besides visiting with the mamas?} was ellie becoming 100% comfortable in the water. last year, even with her floatie, she would n o t go into the pool without one of us holding her. she was so scared! while in the pool at kelli’s house, she only would hold onto the ledge and not let go. after a 20 minutes or so, i finally went into the pool and she latched onto me. i was playing around with her and i slowly let her go and she drifted into the pool and discovered that she could ‘swim’!!!!!! she was beyond the moon!!! her excitement was palpable! it was so sweet to see her have that aha moment!
the girls swam, ate, swam some more, continued to snack, swam and finally…hours later {4 hours to be exact}, the girls were exhausted! we said our goodbyes and shimmied on home. they were so tired, they fell asleep in the 10 minute car ride home.
it was a wonderful afternoon spent with the sweetest mamas around!
[splash!]
[olive and her friends]
[she gained her freedom and discovered she could swim in the water with floaties]
wow! my girl has been promoted to first grade! hooray!
as a broken record sounds, the end of the school year was not as expected but we made the most of it! olive didn’t have her typical promotion ceremony at school, as they prerecorded the event and we logged on to view it.
nevertheless, we celebrated at home, together. as i watched the video, i didn’t expect to cry but i totally did! it filled my heart with joy to see the memories displayed, to hear the teachers and administrative’s words, to know that my girl was going into the big school was too much to handle!
olive worked so hard during the school year and with her home learning. i can’t express enough how amazing she was with her school work and how she woke up every day excited to learn. she was determined, she applied herself, and she really enjoyed everything we did. i hope her attitude, excitement, and joy never fades with anything she encounters.
to commemorate this special occasion, i bought a cap and gown, balloons, and made a balloon arch to capture this milestone in her life. we had fun taking pictures and she loved throwing her cap into the air! we did it over and over as she laughed every time it hit the ground. she squealed in laughter when the cap landed on a balloon and popped!
olive, you are kind, sweet, thoughtful, inquisitive, mindful, honest, patient, loving and beyond amazing in every way. i am so blessed to have a daughter like you and i am truly honored to call you mine. as you start your new journey this coming school year, i pray that it is filled with just as much hope, laughter, and joy as you give those around you.
congratulations my dear! you will accomplish many great things!
march 13. the day our school announced that we would be taking a longer break. spring break turned into a three week break to be exact. it was two weeks before our actual vacation and we thought…we’re not cancelling…yet. bahhhhahahaha! little did we know.
sadly we did cancel our trip and olive was so disappointed. poor thing cried and that broke my heart. she was looking forward to beach time, pool time, hotel time. i don’t know anyone in life that loves a hotel more than this girl. she lives for vacations. hahaha!
well, bring on the home learning life. in my previous post, i stated how easy it was for us. i, we loved it. really, olive and i loved it. ellie was along for the ride. LOL she was interested because her big sister was and that’s enough for me.
i am so grateful for this time spent with my two daughters. i absolutely enjoyed it. i always say this before i say what i am going to say next. of course i am biased but i am extremely aware on how they behave and i will always be the first to ensure they are polite, nice, kind, thoughtful, and inclusive of others. it’s so important to me and if they are not…i will be the first to say something. i’ll call my kids a** holes, yes i will, but the truth is, they are so freakin’ good. yes, they are. they are such wonderful kids. yes, they bicker, yes they cry, but yes, they are so pleasant and so fun to be around. i could sit with them non stop {as i do because i am their parent and we aren’t going ANYwhere without them right now} and loved almost every second. when i needed some time to myself…they gave it to me. i am so amazed and thankful for them.
anyways, the last day of school was bittersweet. i loved having something to do every day and was so excited to have nothing to do all day. i am not very good with waking up early nor i am good if i have something to do in the morning. truth be told. so no school was so cool! yes, cheesy…i know but seriously i cherish our slow days.
we ended the last day of school with relaxation, time outside, and fun times together. we’re excited for a fun filled summer with pool time, popsicles outside, and lazy days!
[no words! though she did grow almost 3 inches between september through may!]
olive and ellie had their christmas programs right before christmas break!
ellie’s program was during her class time, in the morning. i am the only person who goes. i feel a little bit bad that it’s just me because most of the kid’s parents both attend along with both sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles, or anyone who will go. then there’s just me. ellie is the only child who only has one parent show up. well, hell, at least she has someone, right?!!
well, after her stage fright stint with her ballet recital, she kicked that into high gear for her christmas singalong. she froze up and sang not one song, not one word. nope. wasn’t doing it. she would not sing. i sat front row and encouraged her to sing and she angrily shook her head no at me the entire time. ugh.
girlfren was alllllll smiles before the program started then she shut down. oh well. at least she looked cute!!
E L L I E’ S C H R I S T M A S P R O G R A M
[she looked super excited but the performance didn’t show it]
[ellie’s skeptical face the whole program]
****
O L I V E’ S C H R I S T M A S P R O G R A M
olive’s program was at night. it was the k-5 classes and they were set to perform first. i was so excited! i was also stoked that i was photographing the performance and as a yearbook photographer for the school, i was reserved front row seating! yahooooooo!
i dropped olive off at the main school and walked into the church and found my partners in crime on the yearbook staff. i finally met carolina {after many text messages exchanged} in person and then found morgan and gabbed with her on what our game plan was for the program.
the kindergarten class walked out and the show commenced! they all looked so cute and festive! they sang their songs and did such a great job! i was snapping pics and before i knew it, their performance was over! whaaaaaaa?! that flew by so fast! i hardly snapped enough pictures! then each class performed and they all did such a wonderful job!!! each class sang unique songs and each class did fun narrative choreograph to some songs. that always makes it even more fun when you see the kids get so into it!
the very last performance, all the grades came out and sang silent night together. the best part about that? the whole audience joined in and it was so darn moving. goosebumps. oh my…i love our school!!!
the whole program was so well done. the kids did such an amazing job and kudos to the music teacher, mr. barker, for working so hard with the kids and pulling off such a wonderful program! it was such a magical night.
[she was sooooooo darn good throughout the whole program]
ellie’s very first school field trip was to the fire station! i was excited for her but i always feel like ellie likes nothing new and different. LOL
we arrived right on time and parked in the lot and were ushered inside by her teachers. we lined up inside waiting for instructions and someone to lead the group. finally, a fireman starting talking to us and within a couple minutes of him starting the tour, they were called to duty!!! they all jumped into the fire truck and sped away on a call. that had us laughing as were like, okuuuurrrrrrrr, now what do we do?!!
well, ellie’s teacher has done this field trip so many times and was super familiar with the entire layout and what they do there, she started walking us through the station. it was a very, very quick call as they returned after 10 minutes?
the official tour began and all the kids were in awe. ellie was skeptical of everything and everyone…oh gurl. calm down! they even handed out firemen hats and ellie would not wear it. i put it on my head and when she saw me wearing it and saw the other kids wearing it, she finally wanted to wear it. ha!
once the tour was over, all the kids took turns to sit in the fire truck. only ellie didn’t want to. she saw the other kids being lifted into the truck by a fireman and she was not having it. i asked her over and over if she would sit in the truck and she kept saying no. then i told her i would lift her and the fireman wouldn’t and she agreed. well there was nooooooo way i could lift her into the firetruck! nope! so when it was her turn, i quietly asked the fireman to help me. i was going to lift ellie up {to have her think i was going to put her into the seat} and he would take her from me, from behind, and she would have no clue i wasn’t the one putting her up there. hahahaha!
her first field trip was a success! we had so much fun together and came home happy campers!
[the kids loooooved the fire truck!]
[she never wants to go outside the usual until she sees someone else doing it…she refused to wear the hat until she saw me and the other kids toting ’em. oh em gee girlfren]
[i had to double post cause i love this face and that smile]
[getting the tour and the breakdown of the truck]
[she was so hesitant about sitting in the fire truck…again..until she saw everyone else doing it. LOL]
when one of the moms at olive’s school asked us if we would like to volunteer to help those less fortunate…we jumped at the chance! when we lived in chicago and belonged to st. clement church, i volunteered constantly. it brings me peace and joy, i loved helping out others and the community around us.
we baked bread for sunday mass, we made lunches for the homeless, we volunteered at events, i led groups to support community projects…the list was endless and i felt it was the least i could do.
now that we are at a new church and school, i am finding my place again. we were in limbo when we moved from st. clement but we have finally found a place and home with our new church.
so, we were looking forward to giving back on this day. we arrived at the facility on a dreary day and when we walked inside, they had us sign in and put on hairnets. wtf?! i don’t think i have ever worn one. LOL it was a freakin’ i love lucy episode!
we sat down for an intro to feed my starving children…what it was about and what we were going to do. there were strict rules, like don’t touch your face or you will have to wash your hands, don’t touch your phone or you had to wash your hands, don’t chew gum, absolutely no jewelry, no cuts without a bandage, and if you don’t hit all those notes, you have to wear gloves.
we washed up and we were ready to go! our school group had a station and everyone took a role to aid the assembly line to package all the bags. olive and i took on the food portion and scooped the proper amounts into the funnel, into the bag. the kids then took turns, switching their roles but eventually, they all wanted to bag and count. that was probably the most exciting part! with each box we finished, our group cheered loudly and that created a lot of energy and excitement to move faster!
we had so much fun with the other parents and kids. it was great for them to learn and gain some understanding on what they were doing for others. plus, they had so much fun with one another!
after we packed for awhile, we were asked to clean up, and then we were called into the storage area to bless the packages that we had created. they then directed us to go sit back down in the gathering area and gave us the stats of our hard work. we completely exceeded the expected goal and we couldn’t have been more excited!
we left feeling good and hopeful that we helped make a tiny difference in someone else’s life!
[the group of kiddos helping out at feed my starving children!]
[luisa and olive]
[my and my beautiful girl]
[our hard work paying off!]
[we’re so blessed to be a part of this amazing community]
