We all survived Addison and Fischer's first day of preschool yesterday!

After going back and forth for many months, we decided it would probably be best, and easier on everyone, if Scott took the kids while I stayed home. Addison has a much harder time watching me leave, so we thought it would take away some of the stress if I wasn't there. As hard as it was not walking them into school for their very first day, I know it was the right choice.

Scott walked them in, and said they started playing immediately. He took that opportunity to quickly leave. Their teachers said they did fine overall, but that Addison did get upset on and off throughout the day. This doesn't surprise me at all. Addison also told me later that she wouldn't sit in the circle during circle time. I'm sure the teacher let it go yesterday but she will be expected to follow the routine soon!

Fischer got upset once, apparently. They couldn't find the extra pull-ups I sent for him so they had to use one of Addison's pink ones. His teacher said that made him VERY mad...but I don't blame him! I will be sure that they know where his pull-ups are from here on out!

I'm a little worried about tomorrow because now Addison and Fischer know what to expect. They know that when they get to school, they will be getting dropped off. But they also know that we will come back and pick them up. And they know they will get to eat a snack and play on the playground. So, I hope it isn't too dramatic in the morning.

I'm glad the first day is behind us!

When Scott and I toured Addison and Fischer's preschool in December, it seemed like August was forever away. But now, tomorrow is the day! Addison and Fischer start school!  How did it get to be that time already?! Speaking of time going by WAY TOO fast - Addison and Fischer are 2 1/2 today! It's hard to believe they are only 6 months away from turning 3. They are growing up so fast.

They seem especially old lately - I guess because of all the school talk. And they seem really excited about school too, which is good!

Last night, Scott and I went to the Parent Open House. We got a lot of information, then got to meet their teachers and see their classroom. This morning, we took the kids back so that they could meet their teachers, Mrs. Ronnie and Mrs. Susan, and see their classroom. They had a great time playing, and along with the other kids, tore the room apart in a matter of seconds. The teachers assured us that one of the first things they teach is classroom rules, in order to keep the room a little cleaner. I'd love to see how that goes. :)

I went ahead and took backpack pictures this morning, incase we run out of time tomorrow morning. I found a website with these animal backpacks, and let the kids pick their own animals. They both love wearing them around the house.

Fischer picked the elephant...

And Addison picked the puppy...

 Now, they are all packed with extra clothes, shoes and pull-ups! Stay tuned to see how tomorrow goes....

Well, we had to do it. We had to get Addison's bangs cut. I kept holding on to the dream that she'd let me put bows in her hair to keep her bangs out of her face, but it just never happened. I'd say once every couple weeks she'd keep one in for about an hour. The rest of the time, she'd have a big fit if I even tried to put her hair up!

Her bangs were so long, she could barely see, so I knew it was time. Fischer was due for another haircut too - his hair grows so fast! So we made the trip to see Miss Yolanda. Fischer went first, since he's a pro. This was only Addison's 2nd hair cut (her first was last November) and we weren't sure how she would do. She played in the playroom for a little while, then started saying she was ready to go home. I started to worry at that point!

But, when she hopped the chair and got her cookies, she was fine! She didn't cry at all, even though she was a little unsure at times. Miss Yolanda works so fast, and does such a good job. I don't know how she cuts hair when they are wiggling all around!

When she was all done cutting, she asked Addison if she could put a bow in her hair. Addison said "Yes!" That's not fair! She won't ever let me do it! And then, she even let her use a curling iron on her little pig tails. But, she looked adorable, and looks so grown up with her new cut!

They each got a sucker afterwards. This was Fischer's first sucker ever, and he sure enjoyed it. So much so that he felt like he needed to rub it on his face. :)  Notice the first picture of Addison - she isn't quite sure about the whole process.

Last year, Addison and Fischer received gift cards to an online toy store. We held onto them (which was very hard for me to do!) since we knew we would be moving. My plan all along was to buy them a play kitchen. A few weeks ago, I finally found one that looked sturdy, and fit into the decor of our house!

Scott put the 2 pieces together the day before we left for vacation so that the kids would have something new and exciting to play with while we were gone! They've played with it on and off, and seem to enjoy cooking! It's so funny to watch because they will use a lot of the phrases that Scott uses while cooking. They really do take everything in! We also got them them pots and pans set, along with some food.

Here they are making us a delicious meal! I love how the kitchen set is white, and blends right into our cabinets and trim. Fischer prefers to cook without pants on. :)

We were in Key West for about 5 1/2 days. When we left home, we'd only schedule one activity during our trip. We were planning to go with the flow for the rest of the trip. And we did. It was SO relaxing and just what I needed for this vacation.

We hung out a lot at our rental house, which was really cute and in the perfect location. I got to lay by our little pool a lot, read a lot, talk to adults a lot, and sleep a lot!! When we weren't relaxing at our house, we were out riding around town on our rental bikes and eating lots of yummy food. We loved being able to hop on our bikes and go wherever we wanted - we were so close to everything!

Our one scheduled activity was a snorkeling/sunset cruise combo on Tuesday night. Scott and I snorkeled when we went to St. Lucia, and I remember that being a much better experience. I have to say, I did not like it at all in Key West. I think it was partially because the water was really rough and the waves were big because of a storm that was heading in our direction. I just never got comfortable in the water. After about 30 LONG minutes we headed back to the boat to enjoy the adult beverage portion of our sunset cruise.

More trip updates to come...

Last week, Scott and I went on a much-needed vacation! We went with another couple to Key West and had a great time. Thanks to my parents for keeping the kids so we could go!  I hope to do updates about our trip, and other things, soon!

But for now, here is my favorite picture from our vacation. We watched the sunset from a rooftop bar on our last night. I wish we would've gone every night - I loved it!

I am struggling to keep up with things... this blog, the laundry, the dishes, potty training, everything!!!

Just wanted to do a few quick updates. I was going to post a few new pictures but just remembered that my camera is upstairs, and I am not chancing going up there during nap time to get it!

"Grandmommy" Komarnicki was here for a visit from Friday until yesterday. It's always great having extra hands around - especially this time since we were right in the middle of potty training! :) We didn't do too much while she was here. We did, however, take the kids to their first movie. We went to see Winnie the Pooh. They seemed to enjoy it, and loved eating the popcorn. However, the timing probably wasn't the best given our potty training situation. We put them in Pull-Ups for the movie because we knew they wouldn't be able to go the entire movie without any accidents. However, they still asked to go potty, so I spent almost half of the movie in the bathroom with them. The good news is that they both actually went on a public toilet!!  I'm excited to go to another movie with them soon though.

Unfortunately, we had a not-so-fun experience while Grandmommy was here. On Sunday, she and Scott took the kids out to play in our backyard while I was changing their sheets. I heard screaming coming from downstairs, so I came down to see what was going on. Addison had been "attacked" by fire ants, and when I was finally able to count, she had at least 25 bites on her legs. We gave her Benadryl right away and I immediately called the doctor's office to see if there was anything else I should do. Thank Goodness for weekend nurse hours!! She said to make sure the swelling went down within 30 minutes (it did) and that Addison didn't have any trouble breathing (she didn't). Her legs still look pitiful though.

Potty-training is going ok. I started Fischer last Thursday, and he is doing great. The first couple of days were messy, but he has caught on really quickly. He still has an accident here and there, but for the most part he goes on his own, does his business, and goes back to playing. However when I start Fischer, Addison seemed to take a few steps back and we are still recovering from that.  She will go when she feels like it, but has accidents the rest of the time.  If I ask her to sit on the potty, even with a reward, she will only do it if she's in the mood. I know she's capable of doing it, and I feel like her accidents are deliberate. She's just being stubborn and she is definitely making me work hard! I'm trying not to stress over it though, because I know it will come with time. I feel like the groundwork is done, and we will just keep working at it!

Those are the big things going on around here. Will update again soon!