First day(s) of preschool

So I don’t have any pictures from the actual first day of school for several reasons: 1) I’m kind of pretending the actual first day of school didn’t count because it wasn’t a full day, 2) since it wasn’t a full day, Gianna didn’t have her lunch box in tow, so it wouldn’t have been a complete picture, 3) I did not like the dress she insisted on wearing that day, and 4) probably the most accurate reason, I ran out of time. But I can tell you that she looked cute nonetheless and was super excited to go to school. When we got there we had this conversation in the car,

GB: Mommy, are you going to open the door to preschool for me?

Me: Yes.

GB: And then are you going to close the door and leave?

Me: (a little nervously) Yes.

GB: I CAN’T WAIT!

After that, I was pretty sure she was going to do fine! And she did. There were no tears from any of us and she had a marvelous time. She told me everything she did. And Mrs. S, her teacher, informed me that she used the potty totally independently. Mrs. S seemed to find this amusing. She was all wound up when we got home. Couldn’t stop talking about it either.

The first full day went equally well and I even managed to snap some pictures. She said her favorite part was going to the playground. I hope she continues to love it because, while I missed her, I LOVED having just one child (and a sleeping one for some of that time!) for 3 ½ hours! First Mark and I got me a pumpkin spice latte. Then we came home and played. Then while Mark took a nap I did a bunch of chores around the house and watched 2 shows. It was amazing. I can’t wait for next week!

Bye-bye summer

Well, the summer has come to an end and it has been full of milestones for our kids. We are such proud and delighted parents. This post is mostly for myself to document the stuff they’ve been up to and to catch up with posting some pictures from the summer. So the details may be a bit boring, but hope you enjoy the pictures and videos!

Gianna seems to have become a big kid over night. She is completely potty trained now. No pull-ups needed at night or naps and no assistance needed either, usually. She can dress herself, put her shoes on, and even brush her own teeth. Much to my amazement (since she’s never been the most physically adept kid), she taught herself to somersault a couple of weeks ago. She’s become more creative and more of a conversationalist (if that’s possible) every day. And we can’t wait to see what she’ll come up with next!

Decked out for the first ND game

She had to put on her new boots immediately (they arrived in the am in the mail)

Surprised by her own creation

Though Mark took his first steps in the second week of August, he has decided that it makes more sense to cruise the furniture a bit first. So he’s gotten really good at that and I expect he’ll be walking for real in the next month or so. And he’s still not crawling. I think I’ve given up on that one. He’s had lots of other milestones though. Last week he started signing “more” and “milk.” He loves to play peek-a-boo. In fact today, he’s been hiding from me behind his own arms for most of the day! He shows that he’s “so big” and he claps hands and waves hello and goodbye. And he definitely understands when we say no him. His response: stomping his feet in anger. Yikes, what are we in for!! But he is such a charming little guy. He smiles and laughs so easily that you can’t help but smile back!

We’re so excited for fall in the States. Last fall in Germany just wasn’t the same without college football, fall foliage, apple and pumpkin picking, and Starbucks Caramel Apple Ciders and Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Can’t wait!