It's a Big Day!

If you are counting at home (and my guess is that none of you are) then you realize that this is my 100th post! I wanted this post to be about something big and luckily we had a big milestone coming up in the Soden household: Lucy's graduation from preschool.

The whole graduation process was a bit ridiculous at times (not really that shocking given where we live) but it was one of the cutest things I have been a part of as a parent. Lucy was so excited to "bridge." They call it a Bridging Ceremony and the kids get their diplomas and then walk over the bridge which signifies what the daycare center is - a bridge between home and formal schooling.

Here are some pictures from the day:

Enjoying a breakfast of donuts and fruit

For graduates only

Here is the class of 2012

How they got all of them to sit still for this long, I will never know.

Getting her diploma

Hi, Mom and Dad!

Singing a song complete with sign language

With Dad at the reception

With her buddy, Billy - they were so serious.

Finally got them to crack a smile

More treats

Me and my goofball

Lucy and her awesome teachers

Playing with her friends afterward

It was a great start to my morning, and I have to admit that I am sad that Lucy will no longer go to school there. This year began with a lot of anxiety for me about Lucy's new school and how it would compare to the amazing place we were before. Luckily for all of us, the girls' new school is fantastic and was better than I had hoped for.

So next year Lucy moves on to the real deal, but for now we will celebrate the end of an era. Dinner tonight will be at Lucy's favorite dining establishment - The Diner. I might even let her get chocolate chip pancakes for dinner :-)

When I See These Pictures I Think ...

SUMMER!

I had some fun with my camera while the girls played outside today.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

Photo Shoot

Lucy has been hounding me for weeks to wear these dresses. They were a gift from my Aunt Jane, and they are ridiculously cute! Unfortunately the weather has not cooperated and it has been difficult to find a day when they could wear them without freezing or being drenched by the rain.

Today was the day, and Lucy was happy to put on a show for the camera:

The usual: Caroline is a blur and Lucy is carefully posing

Dancing Queen

My fave

She is a nut.

She will have dance class next year at school. My guess is that she will like it.

Don't Judge

Before kids I had an idea of what I would allow my kids to do and where I would draw the line.

All of this went out the window once I actually had kids. At this point, what I allow my kids to do depends on one vital question: Do I want to pick this fight?

So when Caroline decided to play in a puddle I asked myself, "Do I want to pick this fight?" It was 6 pm and we were a mere 60 minutes from bath time. I figured I would let her play. Here is what came after:

Loves her Scooby Doo crocs

Look at that sheer joy

Yep. Then she LAID DOWN WITH HER FACE ON THE CEMENT.

Needless to say, the bath came a little early. The good news is that Caroline was happy the entire time and thoroughly enjoyed her romp in the puddle.

It definitely was not a battle worth fighting. There are worse things for her to be doing, right?

Love You, Wysockis!

Today Marc, Tammy, and Keenan were nice enough to drive down and visit. All of us were SO happy to see them!

We started out outside, but the weather quickly turned ugly. We came inside and let the kids watch a movie while the adults conversed.

Here are the highlights:

Mouth full of granola bar

She quickly made herself comfortable on Keenan's lap.

Eventually the events of the day caught up with Lucy
and she took a little cat nap.

Caroline was locked in.

Lucy woke up and immediately wanted to wrestle.

We finally got back outside!

Love you, Tam!

This is easily my favorite picture of the day. Reunited!

It was a fantastic visit, and it only reminded me and Steve how much we miss the Wysockis. Thanks to Marc, Tammy, and Keenan for visiting. We love you all so much!