Flowers....

I needed some craft therapy!  So, I created these fabric flowers last night!

First Day of Kindergarten

Today was Danjela's first day of Kindergarten!  She was so excited and was just bouncing off the walls!
Yesterday we had an orientation/screening meeting with her teacher.  Her teacher, Miss Hartline, is very sweet and the classroom is very open and inviting and has wall-to-wall bookshelves which made mommy very, very happy!

Marc had to miss her first day this morning thanks to a 4:30am mission.  So I woke up Danjela to get her ready to go!  She had her outfit all picked out (one of the ones we got with the gift certificate from Target), complete with pink sparkle sneakers.

After a special "First Day of School" breakfast of smiley face pancakes, we took our traditional first day of school pictures in the front yard by the tree.

(You can see her pink, sparkly shoes here!)

Then we put Nadija in the stroller and headed off to school!

Walking to school like a big girl!

Once we got to school, they had an area set up for each class with the teacher's name.  We just waited until they came to get them.  So we took some more pictures while waiting!

Then it was time to let her go.  I had been giving her hugs and kisses all morning, but I still wanted that last hug and kiss before she went into the classroom....but she didn't give me that chance.  The doors opened, the teachers came out and she was off and running without even a glance back.  It broke my heart just a little bit, but I knew that this was the best thing for her....no clinging, no last goodbyes, just jumping in feet first!

The staff invited the parents to the library for a little social time.  They had us write a letter to our child for their first day of school -- what our hopes and dreams are for them, etc.  Then they gave us a little Kindergarten care package which included a cotton ball (to remember her gentle spirit), a Kleenex (to wipe away the tears), and a tea bag (to sit, relax, and reflect).

All too soon it was time to pick her up again.  The morning really did fly -- for both of us.  When I asked her how her morning was, the first thing she talked about wasn't about reading, coloring, or playing outside.....but about her teacher's outfit.

Danjela:  "Mommy -- the teacher wore a silky black and white skirt with a black shirt.  She also wore black high shoes.  But she didn't wear any jewelry.  She needed some jewelry mommy!"

(Sigh).......maybe I should have signed her up for Project Runway instead!

But once we got home, she did open up more -- and gave me the special surprise they made in school today -- a tracing of her handprint with a heart sticker in the middle - and a poem based on the book "The Kissing Hand."  And mommy cried -- again.

And we get to do it all again tomorrow!

More!

Here are the onesies I made for LeAnn's baby and the t-shirt that I made for the new year at MOPS!

Booster Seat

Ever wonder what to do with all those phone books?  Recycle them into booster seats!

Flannel fabric and phone book

Cut fabric to size and then hot glue the whole thing together like you're wrapping a present.

I used an old non-skid placemat for the bottom so the whole thing doesn't slide off the chair

Finished product!  Danjela doesn't have to sit on her knees any more!

Baby Shower

Yesterday I hosted a baby shower for my friend, LeAnn.  The baby's room is jungle themed, so I carried that over into the shower. 

Here's some of the pictures of the diaper cake and the invitation that I made.

Baby shower invite made from foam craft picture frames

I love this picture!  It looks like the monkey is looking at the leaves!

Mitzi Came Home

We went and picked up Mitzi today.  She's home with us now. 

The flowers and balloons are from friends.  We'll take Mitzi to Build-A-Bear next week.

Hot Air Balloon Festival

A few pictures from the Hot Air Balloon Festival we went to a few weeks ago......