Good Bye Summer, Hello School...

I can't believe that summer is over already.  I am definitely not ready for work, school and fall.  I am working full time this year and am already feeling the stress of that.  I'm already wondering if I've made the right decision and we haven't even made it through a full week yet.  I'm hoping once we get into the routine of school, daycare and work, it won't seem so bad.

Caleb and Sophie both started school today.  I've always done the 'first day of school' drop off.  This year, because of timing, Ryan brought them.  I think he liked it.  I asked him to take some pictures for me.  Usually, I just got one before putting Caleb on the bus but Ryan took a few for me.  Here are both kids outside the school-

Caleb was so excited to show Sophie her classroom.  When we talked about school last week, he didn't seem very excited.  He was definitely happier today.  I think he was glad to see his friends.  He is lucky enough to be in the same class as last year, with the same teacher.  I'm sure that helped him.  Change can be hard for him so knowing the teacher, the expectations and where to go made things easier, I'm sure.

Sophie was less than pleased to go to school.  I was a little surprised at how scared she was.  She has done many unparented programs.  Attended playschool.  Gone to a few different dayhomes.  I was expecting her to be excited.  She was the exact opposite.  She cried quite a bit the last night, repeating over and over that she was going to stay with Silas and Grandma.  She was better this morning but I could tell that she was still worried.

Of course, once she got in the class and met some friends, she was fine.

Overall, a great first day.  Neither one had any complaints.  Though Sophie did ask what took me so long.  I guess tomorrow I will have to try and get there sooner.

Frogs

This is how Caleb has been spending his last couple of weeks before school starts-

Frog Catching.  Him and a friend (and sometimes Sophie) have been catching frogs just on the other side of the fence.  They name them and then we make them put them back so they can catch them again another day.  Growing up, we used to go catch frogs as well and it is one of my best memories.  Silas loves it too-you should hear him squeal every time the frogs jump.

Lego Fun

I asked Caleb what his favourite part of Disney World was and he told me his new box of Lego.  We went to the Lego store while we were there and he absolutely loved it.  He could have spent hours looking at everything that was there.

He did like other things as well.  Once Caleb finds something he likes though he wants to stick with it.  Why try something else if you already found something fun?  As a result, he found a ride in each park that he liked-Splash Mountain in Magic Kingdom, Figment in Epcot and Star Tours in Hollywood Studios.  And he asked to go on each one again and again.  And mostly, we agreed if we could fit it in or the wait wasn't too long.  Because sometimes I think he needs repetition to feel secure.  And safe.  And that is such an important feeling to have.

One Big Sandbox

This was one of Silas' favourite parts of Disney World-

Yes...that's right.  We went all the way to Florida to play in the sand.

He was so happy to shovel a bit of sand into the bucket.  And then dump it out.  The other kids enjoyed it too.

Caleb dug for Dinosaur bones.  Until he realized that dinosaur bones are big and it would take longer than he thought.

Don't worry-Silas did like other things too.  I think his top 3 things were shovelling, the pool and the balloon they gave him when we arrived at the hotel.    And I suppose in the mind of a 17-month-old, life really can't get much better than a little sand, some water and a balloon.

Princess Sophie

We just got back from Disney World and Sophie was lucky to become a princess when we were there.  We treated her to the Castle Package at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  She had her hair done, got makeup and was able to pick out a dress, shoes and crown.  She seemed to be in shock while they were doing her hair and makeup.

Almost done...

Bibbidy, Bobbidi, Boo!  There were sparkles everywhere.  She still had sparkles on her a few days later.

Sophie was so proud of her dress.  She loved that everyone called her Rapunzel and commented on her gown.  

And seeing herself for the first time-she didn't say much but I know that she loved it.  Especially since we couldn't get the dress off of her until it started pouring much later in the evening.

Sophie had so much fun being a princess for a day.  Especially since immediately afterwards, we were able to go have breakfast at Cinderella's Castle where she was able to meet a few of the princesses.  We did not meet Rapunzel, unfortunately, but she still had a great time.  My favourite was the stepsisters. They were absolutely fantastic. So much fun!

Not even 2...

...and already scared of girls.  Does Silas not look terrified that I am going to leave him with his cousin A?  I just stood up to take a picture of the two of them sitting on the bench together.  I wasn't going anywhere but apparently Silas was not going to be left alone with that cute little girl.  If only she had some dried cranberries left.  Silas sure wasn't scared of her when she was sharing her snack!

Sibling Love ♥

There has been a lot of arguing in our house lately.  Caleb and Sophie have been having a hard time getting along.  Sophie tends to want to do whatever Caleb is doing and he wants to have nothing to do with her.  So I love to see moments like this.  Moments where you can see that they really do love each other.  Because I know they do.  Even if they have a hard time showing it at times.