A big week for Megan

Kindergarten!
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

Megan started kindergarten today. She was excited to go and has been counting down the last 4 days. No tears or hesitation from this girl. I think Darin and I were more nervous for her. When I picked her up, she said, "I LOVE it! The curtains are very pretty". She said she met lots of kids but can't remember their names yet. I asked her if she was nervous at all and she told me, "no". I really don't think she was. Aww....getting so big and confident.

Speaking of confident, Megan learned how to ride a two-wheeler this past weekend. On Sunday afternoon, she was riding her strider bike (a no-pedal balance bike) and she told me she wanted to ride with pedals. I said ok and then she announced loudly, "Francesca - my mom's gonna take my training wheels off right now!" So, I proceeded to get the tools out and take them off. I held on to her seat for about two passes of the length of the sidewalk and by the third pass, I let go and she was off! She still has a tough time getting started, but it won't be long for that to follow.



We also took the kids bowling this weekend. They had never been bowling, which is why the news is making it onto the blog. Our neighbors had won a certificate or something and invited us. It was a bit chaotic, but they seemed to have a good time. They really liked the shoes.

Update

Pre-school
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

So, Jake came out of school on his first day and said, "It was fun". I think he's still a little out of sync these days since he's not doing everything with Megan. Darin dropped him off at Debbie's this morning and he cried - even though he's been going there since he was 3 months old. It was the first time he's gone there on his own without his sister. Must have been a bit strange for him. Hopefully he'll be pleased to go back to school tomorrow.

My baby started preschool

First Day
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

Awww......Jake started preschool today. He was not happy about it. For the last few days, when we would ask him if he was ready for school, he would say, "I don't want to go to school. I want to stay home with mom". He cried on his way in (I'm sure it didn't last long). We're heading out to pick him up now. Let's see how it went.......

Our Annual Myrtle Beach Trip

Self sufficient
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

We just returned from a week in sunny Myrtle Beach. And, it was truly sunny for the entire week (except for 20 minutes of rain one day). We were originally going to drive there, but found some cheap tickets on Spirit Airlines, so we decided to fly. This year, the kids were completely self-sufficient. They had all of their own belongings in their own suitcases and rolled them through the airport all by themselves. It's amazing how much easier it was this year over last!

The kids hit the beach the first night:



Jake was a fan of that surf beginning on day one. Megan seemed to enjoy the pool a bit more. We kept busy with lots of activities. Obviously, the beach and pool were main attractions. But we also went miniature golfing.



We visited a water park (I have no pictures of that one) and both kids went down the big slides. Woo hoo! We went to the amusement park (I don't have pictures of that either because my battery died). Darin and I played golf and we had an all around good time.



Here are some beach and pool shots to sum up our trip:







And finally - a family photo:

She's 5!!!

Birthday Girl
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

Megan turned 5 on August 4th. She woke up in the morning and said, "Do I get to go to school today?" Apparently I had told her that you can go to kindergarten when you're 5. So, I told her that school starts in the fall. Now, every other day or so, she asks me if it's fall yet. I hope we experience this same sort of enthusiasm a few months from now when we have to be at school by 7:30am. She is not a morning person.

We had a very girly party last Saturday. Megan even made a sign for the door. If it's tough to see in this photo, it says "no boys allowed".



We had lunch at a fancy table with lots of flowers:



We painted flower pots with oil pastels and planted flowers:



And as a few of the girls were leaving, they said "Megan, your party was great". So funny.

Summer Water Fun

Splash!
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

We've had lots of water fun this summer. The backyard pool with the slide has been a big hit. It's our "go to" activity when we're not up for a big outing.







We head out to Montrose Beach when we've got more time on our hands. Jake is much easier to take to the beach this year than last. As soon as he hits the sand, his shoes come off and he runs for the water.



Megan is a beach girl too:



On this particular day, Uncle Jimmy joined us (since he's not working like much of the construction industry).



He was nice enough to buy them ice cream. Note to self - ice cream and sand do not mix.



We got home and went in the neighbor's Slip n' Slide to wash off before I'd let them into the house.

Wednesday Fieldtrip

Tourists
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

We decided to be tourists in our own city today. We took the Metra into Union Station, walked around a bit and then found the Chicago Water Taxi. We were hoping to go to Chinatown, but they informed us that they only go to Chinatown on the weekends. Bummer - we had already purchased tickets! Here's Megan as the taxi is arriving:



We took the water taxi around a bit and ended up near Michigan Ave. where we decided to have "cheezborgers" at Billy Goat. The old guy gave the kids some hats. For some reason, Jake decided to act shy when it was time to have his picture taken. Weird.



After a bit more exploring around town, we got back on the water taxi (with seats at the very front this time):



And back to Union Station:



When I went to the ticket window at Union Station, the guy said, "Is it just you and the two little ones?" I said, "yep". And he said, "Are you nuts?!" And, I think I might be. We started the process of getting off the train about 1 stop before our own, because the kids insisted upon sitting on the upper deck and of course I had to drag our stroller up and down the tiny staircase. But, we made it. Now, I'm tired and we still have swim lessons this evening. Fun, fun!