Birds, water play, and school

Little Miss E started school on Tuesday June 2nd (I guess we got confused and thought that Tuesday would be the 1st of June?) and loved it from the get-go!

We didn't take many pictures. I packed her bag the night before (ahem- fought Quijote over who got to pack and label stuff) and supposedly did my crying ahead of time, only to find myself tearing up the next day. We all woke up early that morning and got ready, got her in the car, and off we went. She walked straight to the play kitchen area, and barely looked back so I could take this shot. I gave the teachers some last minute pointers- "She hates the sun, but she has sun glasses in her backpack." "Please do call us if she starts missing us. We really don't mind it at all if she has to come home early today!" But alas, she was quite happy without us, and we got no calls that morning.  
She seems to be loving it all so far, and there have been no incidents that we know of- at least not that involve her. Yesterday she came back saying one of her friends got pushed "It was not very nice," she said. But even though "she is sad now," it seems that her friend is otherwise okay.

Quijote took the "real" camera the second day :)

We are already noticing differences in her speech patterns. She had already finally started talking in full sentences before she started going to school, but I think she is now realizing how important it is to be able to communicate. She is conjugating in present and perfect present! The other day I told her to do something (I don't remember what) but it turned out she was already doing it, and she replied "I *AM* ___ing so and so" Was it picking up? Something like that. I just remember being surprised that she was using this tense correctly, and realizing that she is now forming sentences quite easily on her own and building on that basic skill.

We did have one more theme that week, as I had said in a previous post, and the bird theme sort of got extended because there was so much to do! We didn't even get around to doing it all, but it was fun to go birdwatching at the Canyon, and to do lots of crafts together and then play with all the things we made.

Owl nest

Bird nest game and the book we read to introduce it

Our birdwatching trip to the Canyon (there was little actual bird watching, but it was fun)

Miss E was wearing her bird blouse but the birds are so tiny!

Miss E and I painted a couple penguins

And we all played with them in a styrofoam (ice) habitat

YAY! Chocolate covered banana will probably always be popular!

It seemed like dipping the whole thing in chocolate would be excessive, so I cut the banana in 4 pieces like this.

Mr E loooved his snack

After Miss E started going to school, I totally guilt-tripped Quijote into taking a little time off to enjoy our mornings with Mr E, who is now an only child half time. Q is still going to the office once a week, but is staying with us most mornings. We've been getting things done around the house and going places (took Mr E to the library one morning and then to the local soda shop- and went on a Starbucks date the very first day too!), and we've also been able to start new adventures. We got a membership at the Town Club and have been going now for a couple days!!! The first day we ran and did some spinning and a little weights. Then that weekend we took the kids to the splash pool outside. The second time we went to the gym, we took Mr E in the morning and he joined us for a swim indoors. And today we are going to start doing a planned exercise routine (Workout Of the Day, as my brother, trainer in chief, calls it) and are wholly expecting to be dying by the end of it. haha! I'll let you know how that goes.