Brace yourself for an epically long blog post! I will cut the text short because there are so many pictures!
My parents have been visiting for the past week, and we have all had a great time together! Maya has loved styling Grandma's hair, though she suggested that she should also give her "just a tiny haircut" one time. We kept the scissors hidden away, and Grandma's hair remained intact. :)
The day after they arrived was "Meet the Teacher Day" for the incoming kindergarteners. Maya already knew her teacher, since she often came with me when I volunteered last year, but it was fun nonetheless. And Niko stayed home with my parents so we could do it as a mommy-Maya thing.
We went on a lot of walks while they were here... this was one we went on back behind our house, by the old hospital:
Then, on Saturday, Niko had his karate belt test. He did awesome! And he is now officially an orange belt-- look out, world!
After the test, we went over to check out the street fair in the next town. Niko was particularly enamored with the slot cars, and he begged to play. Grandma and Grandpa ponied up a few bucks, and then the kids WON! He even got a medal. He was so proud! :)
On Sunday, we spent much of the day hanging out at the state park, fishing and relaxing in the shade. The bugs weren't bothering us much, we had a nice shady spot, and it was really peaceful!
We went to dinner that night at the Old Mill, to celebrate everyone's birthdays (since they are visiting in between kid birthdays this year):
And I took this picture of how Cookie sleeps at night... Snuggled up with Mary Poopins (or sometimes Attila). Our happy chicken family!
On Monday, we climbed a mountain! We made it to the summit of our local mountain! Granted, we started only about a quarter if a mile below the summit, but the kids had a blast hiking up the steep, rocky trail. And it was short enough that we didn't get tired (Niko was ready to do it all over again!)!
On Tuesday, we went hiking again... This time we went to a place in the next town I had never been to before, not realizing that it had Actual Hiking Trails! The kids were stoked! I hiked in my flip-flops, but it was fine!
And Maya repeatedly visited the chickens, especially Cookie, who is seriously the sweetest chicken ever!
AND... Maya suggested we go to the track to practice riding bikes, so we jumped on that! She vowed to do her best and "not freak out!" She did SO AWESOME!!! She earned a trip to the frozen yogurt place AND a new, bigger bike. We are so proud!
And that brings us to TODAY... the day BOTH my babies went off to school on that big yellow bus! They were both nervous this morning... Niko was just nervous about being a full-day student, as opposed to half day. Maya was nervous about the whole thing.
I told them to sit together on the bus, but that all fell apart when the driver told Maya to sit at the front (she was keeping tabs on the kindergarteners). Maya looked so lost and sad.... I almost lost it. And then my parents and I went out to breakfast, but I asked my dad to take a detour over to the school to see what we could see... And we saw a smiling Maya, standing on the sidewalk with her teacher and her buddy, Liam. SUCH A HUGE RELIEF! I felt much better. I knew Niko would be fine, but I was worried about her.
And I really shouldn't have worried, because both kids had fantastic days today! Maya loved kindergarten, made a few friends, and is excited to go back tomorrow. Niko was pleasantly surprised to discover that he had a few other buddies in his class, and seemed to really enjoy his teacher. Plus he had recess and lunch and GYM class (the icing on the cake!). Both kids seemed to have enough energy afterwards, with no meltdowns and lots to talk about. They capped off their afternoon by getting into their swimsuits and running in the grass while I sprayed the hose at them. And then we had a huge thunderstorm! All in all, it was a great day. And I can rest easy tonight, knowing they are excited to go back tomorrow!
Totally unrelated, but I must share these videos. Gus made a swing for the chickens:
And Maya has nearly mastered the art of hula hooping. This summer, she has learned to tie shoes, tell time, make her own breakfast, ride a bike, braid, and now this! She rocks!!
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