Kindergarten here I come!

I can't believe our sweet, little girl is off to Kinder. This was two years ago, on her first day of preschool! My how she's changed. 

First day in August 2015 / Last day in June 2016

 We spent the morning trying to get as many pics as possible. I never want to forget this time, spent at the most loving and supportive preschool. 

Ell and Dono started here together two years ago. Although they were never in the same class, I was so happy to see them together every day before school or out on the playground. A bonus was seeing Megs in the parking lot to chat as we were both off to work. 

Ella met two of her dear friends while attending preschool. Kaia and Ell spent two years together in the same class, and have such a tight bond. I know they will remain lifelong friends.

Emily and Ell also met her first year in the Koala class. Their little friendship continues to grow, and we are so grateful to have Emme and her Mom and Dad in our lives.

Ell had to say goodbye to Mrs. Carol and Mr. Mustache

and Mrs. Lupe too.

The week leading up to Ella's last day she had too many parties to count. The theme, Luau!

Then, it was time for graduation! 

They had the cutest performance where they sang songs they learned during the year. Of course Ell had no problem being on stage. We were all cracking up. Such a ham.

Our proud graduate!

Ms. Rachel and Mrs. Louisa

We were so lucky to have the BEST teachers.

We also had many wonderful friends and family to celebrate with. 

Micah and Ell spent two years together. SO sweet to see their little friendship grow.

Gigi came too, of course

Grandpa, Grandma, and Tia UU

And B, Roman, and the boys. 

We even celebrated at Ell's favorite restaurant, Islands!

We were blessed to spend two wonderful years, at the greatest preschool around. 

We'll miss you Mission Hills Church Preschool. 

We have a Preschooler!

How is it even possible that Jose and I have a preschooler? In preparation for today, Jose, Ell, and I headed to her orientation last week to find out all about her class. She was beyond excited, and loved seeing her classroom, meeting her teachers, seeing her buddies, and discovering all the new toys she would be playing with in her classroom.

Since we visited, Ell has been talking about going to school EVERY DAY! She was so excited to go, which made us very relieved and hopeful that she would have a seamless transition into her new routine!

Here she is this morning, right before we left. She was SO excited and ready to go!

(I'm SO sad you can't read the sign in the pics! Oh well.)

We have arrived!

Mama signed her in . . . . . .

We placed her crib sheet(for her nap mat), blankie, and lovey(her favorite elefante) in her nap bin . 

Placed her bucket and lunchbox outside her door . . . . . .

Gave her a BIG kiss and hug, and sent her on her way. She immediately saw her little buddy Jordan, and was so excited to play, play, play! She never looked back!!

I was so anxious and nervous ALL DAY! I was worried about so many things, and tons of thoughts and questions flooded my mind every second.

Will she be ok with the potty?

Hopefully she doesn't leave her undies on the floor!

What if she poops! Will she wipe ok?

Will she nap…… on the floor…..with her shoes on?

Will she eat her lunch?

Drink enough water?

Will she make friends?

How will she treat them?

How will they treat her?

I wish I could get an update.

Too bad they don't have cameras!

You name it, I was thinking it. 

Well friends, Guess what? She did GREAT! I don't think I've ever left work more excited to pick her up. As I stepped through the doors, I prayed that her day was smooth, and that she was a good girl. 

As soon as I saw her, she ran up, gave me a huge hug, and asked if she could keep playing. All very good signs! Her teacher than filled me in on her day, and said she did wonderful. Potty wasn't an issue, she took a little while to fall asleep, but she stayed on her mat, and finally fell asleep for 45 minutes. Thank goodness. She did fall, and had one scraped knee, and a scratch on her eyebrow. No biggie for Ell, those happen every day around here with our super active girl.

It looked like she ate most of her lunch, but she didn't drink much. I figure she'll get enough to drink first thing in the morning at home, and when I pick her up. 

We headed to Menchies for a yogurt treat right after, and she told me all about her day. It was too cute. I love how I can ask her any question, and she can answer and explain what she did. It's so fun. 

We feel so grateful to have found such a lovely place to send Ell for Preschool. I think it's the perfect fit, and I have no doubt she'll have a very successful and positive experience this year. 

A huge thank you to all my sweet friends and family who called or text to checked in and see how the morning (and day) went. You have no idea how much it meant to me. Especially for this very teary eyed Mama that walked out the preschool doors this morning. I'm so lucky to have you all. 

Well Hello There

Hi there friends and family! Where have I been you ask? I wish I had something exciting to tell you, but quite honestly, we've just been having too much fun together for me to open up this computer of mine and actually have enough energy to write a post.

A few weeks ago, Jose looked at me and said, "Be, you really need to update the blog!" I was shocked. Then again today while driving to Sea World, he again says, " Babe, really, the blog. You're going to be doing a High School graduation update if you don't get on it." Really Babe? So, here I am.

I figured the best way to catch up to speed is to do an update through pics! Hope you enjoy.

Valentine's Day

Our month was full of LOVE, lots of outfits with hearts, and some fun art with Ell. 

Annual Doheny Camping Trip

We look forward to this camping trip with my family every year. This year we decided to try and tent camp on my Dad and Debs site, and for the most part it went great! We bought a very large tent so that we could fit all of our belongings, a queen size blow up mattress, and Ell's Pack-in-Play inside. The first night she slept like a baby, however the second night was a train wreck. It was a good test run, and we will definitely brave it again next year! 

Beach Days!

Most weekends you'll find us at the beach. It's hard not to enjoy it living in SoCal. We are so lucky. 

Swim Lessons

Ell started swim lessons in March, and she is becoming an amazing swimmer. We're so proud of her. She is FEARLESS, and jumps right in. She is now in a preschool aquatics level two class and is doing great. Her class only has 3 kids in it, and they are a bit older so they follow direction much better than she does. She just wants to jump in and swim. We'll continue to work on the listening part!

Preschool Open House

Ell begins preschool in the fall, and she couldn't be more excited. She had an Open House in March, and I was so proud of her willingness to jump right in and begin learning. I have a feeling she's going to do great. Now we just need to get her potty trained!

SME Carnival

My school puts on a carnival each year, and Ella had a blast. It was the hottest day ever(I almost threw up when we walked home), but we had a blast. Our teachers are rockstars, and I am so lucky to be a part of this amazing school family!

Easter

He has Risen!

Afternoon Visits to the Park with her Favorite Buddy

Megs and I love taking the kids to the park, and they just LOVE each other. It is the sweetest thing. (Emme will be in the pics very soon Megs!)

SeaWater

(Really SeaWorld!)

We have an annual membership so we've been a few times and Ella just loves it! She is constantly asking to go to SeaWater! She sure does love her animals.

This pic warms my heart. This little girl was a complete stranger, and all Ell wanted to do was hold her hand next to the dolphins. She has the sweetest heart! 

Mother's Day

Sadly this is all I have to mark this lovely day. I missed out on taking any pic of us to monument this beautiful day. Ell made this with her Titi and gave it to me for Mother's day. I wish I could have captured the joy Ell had on her face when she gave it to me. It was so sweet. It's on the fridge, and she'll point it out to anyone who visits. It's the cutest thing ever!

We had a beautiful and relaxing Mother's Day weekend, and I got to spend it with Jose's Mom and sister and my Mom. I am so grateful to have so many amazing Moms in my life who have helped shape me into the Mother I am today. Truly blessed. 

It was perfect in every way.

I'm sure I missed a million things, but these are the activities that have been taking up most of our time the past few months. 17 more days and I'm off for almost THREE whole months! I cannot wait. 

AND, in two short months our sweet Be will be THREE. THREE? How on Earth did that happen?

Hoping I will get back into the swing of things once Summer starts. But for now, this is all I've got. Thanks for stopping by.