Nana arrived in town the same day Alexa's new school had their open house. The new school, KinderBugs has been very successful in the neighboring town. They are opening their doors to a Chandler location this fall. Alexa is enrolled in a 4 year old, PreK class room. I am super nervous and excited for her at the same time. The school is very kid friendly and the teacher show true passion for their jobs. Alexa instantly connected with her teacher. She was able to explore the different areas of the room and met a few of her classmates. She starts school in 1 month. She has class Monday through Thursday for 3 hours a day. I know Addison and I will miss her a ton.
During Nana's visit we went to the zoo where Alexa and I rode a camel together. We went to the Water-park a few times and of course swim lessons. We spent a few evenings in the pool and even went to a Diamonback's Game. When we arrived downtown for the baseball game, Alexa was asked to be the "Play Ball Kid." Of course we accepted and then spent the next 2 hours practicing for her moment of fame. She had so much fun doing the interview and talking to the Diamonback's Entertainers (Cheerleaders?).
Alexa's swim lessons have been a huge success. She went from being a very beginner swimmer to going half way across the pool on her own. She is comfortable diving for rings, jumping in by herself and swimming 10-15 yards. We are very proud of her. I think we will move her into group class come the fall so she can focus on a new sport too.
The last week before we left for Ohio was super busy. Alexa continued swimming, we had to pack up clothes/wedding items for 12 days and had family photos. I really wanted photos that showed Arizona's unique scenery. Of course when the day came it was the hottest day we have experienced (116*) and a dust storm was moving in. The pictures turned out OK and we managed to avoid the storm. The rest of the summer will be spent in Ohio and then preparing for school to start. The last 2 months have flown by.
Friday, July 25, 2014
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Hello July!
The summer is going by way to quickly. I cannot believe it's been almost 2 month since we left Kansas. I haven't been apart from either girl in 8 weeks and we haven't seen a single rain drop in about that long. Life is good.
Alexa has really flourished at her summer camp. She is making friends and learning to get down and dirty. I am always amazed at how dirty her clothes are when she comes home. I am starting to think they just lay in the mud and roll around for 3 hours. Alexa's teacher, Ms. Chelsea always has great reports for me. Today she shared a story of Alexa's leadership skills. She assigned each friend a different animal they played farm. Ms. Chelsea was very impressed at how well Alexa recognizes her letters and even new words. It makes me feel like I made a good decision for her summer education. We will attend Alexa's Pre-K school opening house this Saturday. I cannot wait!
Addison and I have been continuing our music class for the last several weeks. The first week Addison enjoyed it but didn't really respond to the activities. Now after a full month I can really see the benefit of music at such a young age. Addison loves to tap her sticks, play drums, bang the triangle on the ground (lovely right?) and tries to repeat beats to the teacher. The social interaction has been great for both of us as well. We have been lucky enough to have Alexa join our class a few times as well. We will certainly continue the class in the fall.
On the weekends we enjoy visiting the water park, zoo and Chuck E Cheese. Justin keeps us very busy. Alexa has learned about soccer and recognizes the US flag wherever we go. I love listening to her chant "U.S.A." at the grocery store. We have watched lots of World Cup soccer. At the water park we always ride around the lazy river. Alexa usually does the "kid" slides a dozen times or so. She really has no fear when it comes to the water. We also try to convince her to do an adult tube slide with one of us. Alexa's favorite part of our water park visits is the wave pool. She loves that she can play in the shallow or be carried out to the deep end. Typically it's Justin who carries her during the wave time. Addison and I find a nice shallow place where we can let the waves bump against us slowly.
The Phoenix Zoo has been a new family favorite. It is a beautiful zoo with lots of water play areas for the kids. The zoo is very hilly which creates an unplanned work out for Justin and I. The great thing about our zoo now is how close it is. I am so glad we will be able to visit the zoo comfortably all year.
Alexa has been attending Vacation Bible School since we moved here. The group meets during Sunday night church for about an hour. Alexa is really starting to learn bible stories and the true blessings of Jesus Christ. I feel like although we have attended church most of her life this is one area were we have been lacking as parents. I hope between her new Sunday School, VBS and our intentional approach we can improve her spiritual side.
The first weekend in July we traveled to San Diego. Justin and I both have a huge love for the state of California and the Ocean. We spent July 4th with "Uncle Wheel" along the San Diego coast. We had several delicious meals, round the carousel (same one we did 15 months ago on a previous trip), did lots of jump toys, got our face (or arm) painted and then watched the fireworks on the back of a boat. It was a great day!
The next day, my 27th birthday we spent the day at Sea World. We watched EVERY show they had. It was hot and sunny. Addison was very upset being in the heat all day. We did our best to keep her in the shade but Sea World is not known for covered seating. Addison enjoyed the animals but really preferred the kids rides and bounce area. During the Shamu show Justin found us seats about 8 rows up. We got SOAKED! I had Addison covered by a blanket, under me and behind a larger man and she still was drenched. It was a bit dramatic as we were running out of there but makes for a silly memory for sure. Saturday night we cleaned up and went out to get ice cream and do some sight seeing. Will took us to sunset clifts and we took some pictures.
On Sunday we visited a national park on the coast line about 400 feet above the sea level. It was full of amazing history and beautiful scenery. It ended up being one of the best weekend getaways we have taken. On the way home we hit 2 dust storms. The first one was long and eerie. The second one came quick and scary. It was terrifying to have our vision completely blocked for a few seconds. I guess these are things we will get used to in Arizona.
Alexa has really flourished at her summer camp. She is making friends and learning to get down and dirty. I am always amazed at how dirty her clothes are when she comes home. I am starting to think they just lay in the mud and roll around for 3 hours. Alexa's teacher, Ms. Chelsea always has great reports for me. Today she shared a story of Alexa's leadership skills. She assigned each friend a different animal they played farm. Ms. Chelsea was very impressed at how well Alexa recognizes her letters and even new words. It makes me feel like I made a good decision for her summer education. We will attend Alexa's Pre-K school opening house this Saturday. I cannot wait!
Addison and I have been continuing our music class for the last several weeks. The first week Addison enjoyed it but didn't really respond to the activities. Now after a full month I can really see the benefit of music at such a young age. Addison loves to tap her sticks, play drums, bang the triangle on the ground (lovely right?) and tries to repeat beats to the teacher. The social interaction has been great for both of us as well. We have been lucky enough to have Alexa join our class a few times as well. We will certainly continue the class in the fall.
On the weekends we enjoy visiting the water park, zoo and Chuck E Cheese. Justin keeps us very busy. Alexa has learned about soccer and recognizes the US flag wherever we go. I love listening to her chant "U.S.A." at the grocery store. We have watched lots of World Cup soccer. At the water park we always ride around the lazy river. Alexa usually does the "kid" slides a dozen times or so. She really has no fear when it comes to the water. We also try to convince her to do an adult tube slide with one of us. Alexa's favorite part of our water park visits is the wave pool. She loves that she can play in the shallow or be carried out to the deep end. Typically it's Justin who carries her during the wave time. Addison and I find a nice shallow place where we can let the waves bump against us slowly.
The Phoenix Zoo has been a new family favorite. It is a beautiful zoo with lots of water play areas for the kids. The zoo is very hilly which creates an unplanned work out for Justin and I. The great thing about our zoo now is how close it is. I am so glad we will be able to visit the zoo comfortably all year.
Alexa has been attending Vacation Bible School since we moved here. The group meets during Sunday night church for about an hour. Alexa is really starting to learn bible stories and the true blessings of Jesus Christ. I feel like although we have attended church most of her life this is one area were we have been lacking as parents. I hope between her new Sunday School, VBS and our intentional approach we can improve her spiritual side.
The first weekend in July we traveled to San Diego. Justin and I both have a huge love for the state of California and the Ocean. We spent July 4th with "Uncle Wheel" along the San Diego coast. We had several delicious meals, round the carousel (same one we did 15 months ago on a previous trip), did lots of jump toys, got our face (or arm) painted and then watched the fireworks on the back of a boat. It was a great day!
The next day, my 27th birthday we spent the day at Sea World. We watched EVERY show they had. It was hot and sunny. Addison was very upset being in the heat all day. We did our best to keep her in the shade but Sea World is not known for covered seating. Addison enjoyed the animals but really preferred the kids rides and bounce area. During the Shamu show Justin found us seats about 8 rows up. We got SOAKED! I had Addison covered by a blanket, under me and behind a larger man and she still was drenched. It was a bit dramatic as we were running out of there but makes for a silly memory for sure. Saturday night we cleaned up and went out to get ice cream and do some sight seeing. Will took us to sunset clifts and we took some pictures.
On Sunday we visited a national park on the coast line about 400 feet above the sea level. It was full of amazing history and beautiful scenery. It ended up being one of the best weekend getaways we have taken. On the way home we hit 2 dust storms. The first one was long and eerie. The second one came quick and scary. It was terrifying to have our vision completely blocked for a few seconds. I guess these are things we will get used to in Arizona.
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