1st Grade Field Trip to the Zoo

I spent the day at the zoo with all of the 1st graders from IVE. Thankfully we it was a gorgeous day and most of the animals were out and active which is not always the case. My group (for girls from Kallie's class) wanted to see every animal in the zoo which I quickly realized is not possible when they all want go different directions. We got in our groove quickly and had a great time. Some of the groups favorites were the bears, monkeys, cheetahs and the komodo dragon. All and all it was a huge success oh and I didn't lose anyone!

I am so thankful I can take time away for my day job to volunteer and spend time with my girl. These are moments I would not want to miss.

About the Author - Writing Celebration

Mrs. Clarks first grade class has been working hard on their book series over the last few months. Each student authors and illustrates a book series about a topic of their choice. Kallie's book was about two friends Elizabeth and Morgan who found a lost dog and their adventures to find the owner. The depth and details in her writing were above and beyond our expectations and the illustrations were great!



Today my mom and I joined other parents in Mrs. Clarks class for the end of the year writing celebration. Each kiddo got to walk the red carpet =as Mrs. Clark announced their name and a quick overview of their series (on a microphone). You could tell by the looks on their faces that they were so proud of what they had created and ready to share it with the world. My mom and I listened intently as Kallie read her books to us. I was so proud of her work and more importantly so was Kallie. Great work my love.

Soccer Girl

Kallie has expressed wanting to play more competitive soccer over the last few seasons. She wants to play with girls who love soccer as much as she does not just goof around(her words not ours). So we decided to have her try out for the Gunners Select Soccer program in Issaquah. Not knowing what the skill level would be at tryouts our only requirement was that she try her best and have fun. Although she was a bit shy at first (she didn't know any of the 40+ girls trying out) she did great and made the team! We talked about the commitment of practice 2x's a week and games on the weekends and she insisted she was read (we think she is too)!

We met the team and coaches last week and definitely think it is the right for her. She had her first practice last night and LOVED IT! We are so excited to watch her play and grow this season. Kallie, we are so proud of you. You knew what you wanted and went for it!

I love long weekends

Since Kallie was out of school on Friday I decided to take the day off and extend my Memorial Day weekend! We decided to get up early and head to Vashon for the night. Kallie loves the beach as much as I do. We spent our time collecting beach treasures, listening to music on the deck, kayaking, and of course early morning coffee chats with papa on the deck(my favorite thing to do). Tons of neighbor kids arrive on Saturday so Kallie was in heaven! It was a beautiful sunny day so the kids spent most of the day in the water or playing games.

We spent the rest of the long weekend at home. Kallie had a birthday party and we went for a family adventure on Monday. Daddy took us to Franklin Falls for a 2mile hike, up to the mountains for spectacular views and a pit stop along the river to relax at the park. We had a great day!

It's official, we have a bike rider!

Kallie is official a bike rider and she is so proud of herself. Over the last year we have tried bike riding with training wheels a few times which she did not love so we moved to scootering. She mastered scooting and the balance it takes which I think probably helped with biking. While I was out of town she had an REI bike class with daddy. She was determined to learn to bike and did it! We are so proud that she got over her fear and went for it. Every day after school she wants to go ride her bike, she gets more confident every day.

Kallie and her friend Violent both learned to ride over the weekend so we had an impromptu bike date after school!

Mothers Day 2018

Mother's Day is a day I do not take for granted. I truly feel lucky every day that I was given the chance to be a mom but more importantly Kallie's mom. There is not a night the goes by that don't sneak in her room before I go to bed, kiss her on the forehead three times and whisper "mommy loves her girl". I am not saying parenting is always easy because it is not but I wouldn't trade it for the world (the good and the bad).

Kallie,

The day you entered the world was the day my dreams of becoming a mom came true. I still remember the first time I held you in my arms and the feeling of unconditional love I felt in that moment. To this day I am not sure how I got so lucky but I thank God every day for giving me the gift of YOU!.

I love you to the moon and back!



Love

Mommy

Spring Break - Cabo San Lucas

This year we spent Spring Break in Mexico with friends. The weather was amazing so we spent most of our time at the pool. I am pretty sure Kallie could swim from 7am to 7pm without stopping. Outside of pool time we went to few fun dinner shows at our hotel, saw whales breeching daily, walked along the beach collecting treasures and chasing the waves, took a glass bottom taxi to Lovers Beach to see the arches and most importantly unplugged from the real world and spent time together as a family! I love vacation . . . here are a few highlights!