First Grade, Here She Comes!

 Wow! FIRST GRADE! I woke up so excited for our girl! First grade is such a wonderful year (ok, I might be a little biased, but...)! We have no doubt that Leila will make us proud this year at school. She is a good listener, thoughtful, has a love of learning and, most importantly, she is kind to others. I can't wait to see the fabulous things that she creates this year! We woke up that morning, ate breakfast together, took some pictures and then got to ride to school together! What a great way to start the morning...singing show tunes with my Baby as we headed to school. We listened to Singing In the Rain the entire drive to school. 

 One of Leila's best friends goes to school now this year with her and they are even in the same class together! And to make it even better, Wyatt's Mama, and my friend, teaches at our school now too! 

 Thanks to Wyatt's Mom, Kristin, we got a mother-daughter picture before school started. Happy first day of FIRST GRADE kiddo!

Meet the Teacher Night

 The night before school started we were invited to a Meet and Greet so Leila could meet her teacher and see the school. Leila was super excited to see her classroom and her teacher....even though she already knew her teacher. And knew her teacher quite well, I might add. Leila is blessed to have my dear friend, Pam, this year! Pam is an AMAZING first grade teacher and I know that Leila will be loved, nurtured and challenged under Pam's care. So, because I was in the classroom next door meeting my own students, Chris had to fly solo for the event. He was under strict instructions to take a picture at her desk. Thanks, Babe! 

That night, after reading "The Night Before First Grade" and putting L to bed, I prepared for the morning! 

One Last Time...

 We were able to squeeze in one last trip to Browns Point two nights before school started. Look at how peaceful the water is. Great way to end the summer. 

Sounders FC

 Last September we went to our family's first Sounders game and we vowed we would come again! This Labor Day weekend, we were able to catch a game against Colorado. Once again, we had a blast! Now that Leila has played soccer for two years and is starting her third season, she understands the game just that much more and is able to follow it better. It was a great game with a super fun atmosphere! 

Scarves up, Seattle! 

Leila has a favorite player. Number 10. Marco Pappa. She loves his pink boots!

Just Because

There are days when I look at Leila and just have to wonder how time has gone so quickly!?!? I took this picture a few days after her 7th birthday and when I look at it, she looks so mature. What a beauty, but where did my baby go? 

Browns Point

I guess we are a family that likes routines. Every year before school starts, we pack a picnic and head for our favorite family waterfront park; Browns Point. With all the emotions that come with the start of school, it sure is nice to walk along the water, watch the waves, skip rocks, climb boulders and toss the frisbee together. It calms us and, at the same time, reenergizes us. 

Birthday at the Zoo!

 To celebrate with Leila's friends and our family, we had Leila's birthday somewhere other than our backyard or the park for the first time ever! Leila LOVES animals and it seemed fitting to reserve the party room at Point Defiance Zoo. It was perfect! The room was a great amount of space for the relatively small group of family and friends and the kids were able to ride the carousel as many times as their little hearts desired! We brought Leila's animal toys from home to use as decorations. Perfect! 

 Goodies for the party favors. 

I love this picture of Leila! A little blurry, but look at the joy and surprise on her face! As part of the party package, we got a visit from one of the zoo's animals. Leila got to choose the animal, an African white-bellied hedgehog. Her name was Petunia. She was precious. The kids were even allowed to touch her. 

The grandmas did too! 

And Granddad!

The crew - Leila, Sadie, Anniston, Finley, Mackenzie, Edith and Elliott. 

It was Arctic Blast weekend at the zoo, so there was "snow" to play with and the animals were given piles of it as well to play with in their enclosures.

It was a great birthday! Afterward all the grandparents, Aunt Lynn and the Neeleys came over to our place for dinner. What a great day spent with all the people we love the most. 

Birthday Dinner

Our hiking tradition has only completed its second year, but we have been celebrating Leila's birthday with dinner at Red Robin since she turned one! This year was no exception. After hiking all day at Mt. Rainier (see previous post), we came home, got cleaned up and headed to dinner at our family favorite. This picture wasn't taken on her birthday and it obviously is not Red Robin. Instead it was a couple nights after her birthday. Soccer had started already and as soon as practice was over, we took her to the mall. She had no idea why were we going. We walked into Build-a-Bear where she discovered that all the Donny Ninja Turtles were STILL sold out! She started to cry (she kinda thought we were getting her one for her birthday a few days before). Chris handed her a UPS box and said "I think it is time you open this." She did and low and behold there was Donny, waiting to be stuffed! She was ecstatic! Happy birthday, kiddo!  

Birthday Hike Tradition

It's officially a tradition! For the second year in a row, we have spent Leila's birthday hiking Mt. Rainier. This year August 20th was cold and foggy on the mountain...quite the difference from last year's birthday hike weather. What was the first thing we did when we got to Paradise? We visited the Gift Shop and purchased three sweatshirts! Brrr! We actually really enjoyed the foggy hike...even though the views were not nearly as awesome as usual. 

We started the hike with deer spotting!

The higher up the mountain we got, the more the fog rolled in. 

We packed a birthday candle and two small presents for Leila to open on the mountain. 

 This girl is ready to be 7! She loves animals (most specifically cheetahs!), reading, reading, reading, musicals (Fiddler), Gene Kelly, dancing, Rudy, playing Barbies, Ninja Turtles (Donny the best), crafting, soccer, Jr. Ranger badges, volcanoes, drawing, the colors purple and red, spending time at home and learning. She is a joy to be around and has such a kind, caring heart! She is helpful and sweet-natured and makes others feel happy. We couldn't ask for more than that. She is a true blessing and we are thankful to call her ours. Happy 7th birthday, Weedie. 

And to end the hike, we spotted more deer!