Second Year of Pre-school

Shaylah is an old pro at school now.  She is already into her second year of pre-school.  Most of the kids are the same in her class and she was very excited to see them all again.  I was unable to take her to her first day because of work, but thankfully Grammy and Grampy were in town and Daddy could take the morning off to make it very special for her.

Shaylah loves to pose for the camera.  She is wearing the special dress that Grammy bought her.

Walking the 2 blocks to school.

So excited to see her best friend Bronwen!

First Day of Pre-school

OK, this blog post is a little late, but our schedule seems to be so full these days!  Ashlyn and Caelan started pre-school this year at the same school their big sister goes to.  Ashlyn and Caelan go on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while Shaylah goes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  Three kids in pre-school....it just makes me hope that next year never comes, when Shaylah will be out of the house all day everyday at Kindergarten.  I am missing her already!

I was able to take a couple hours off work on their first day, so that I could walk the little ones school.  I wish I could have stayed with them (like all the other moms!) and picked them up too, but at least I got to see them off.

Ashlyn transitioned to school so easily.  She walked right in and sat down at the circle.  She was very excited about going to school like her big sister.

Caelan had a bit more difficulty.  He did not want to let me go and he cried for most of the morning (they were only there one hour the first day).  He has become quite a bit more clingy to his mom since school started, but it is already getting better.  Last week he walked in without difficulty....although I am told by the teacher that he stays very close to his little sister.

Shaylah very proudly helped walk them to school to show them the way.

We are THREE!

My little babies are officially out of the baby stage (sniff sniff!).  They have both developed into wonderful, caring and fun big kids, each with their own unique personality.  We are so proud of who they are becoming and what they have survived.  Hooray for 3 year olds!

Caelan is a goofy, energetic boy.  His favorite activity is running and he is starting to get pretty fast.  He loves to laugh and gives the biggest "cheese" grin whenever he sees the camera.  Caelan does not like to wear long sleeves, pants or running shoes, so I am little worried about what is going to happen once the weather gets colder.  His favorite shoes are his "Chocolate Crocs" and he has worn nothing else all summer.  Caelan will tell you that his favorite color is "brue" and that his name is "brudder".  His favorite saying is "You're too big!", which is yelled whenever he doesn't like something that is asked of him.  He is great at tackling his sisters and pinning them to the floor until they scream, he LOVES Diego and prefers his Mama to anyone else in the world.

Ashlyn is the sweet one of the family.  She is quiet around strangers, but does not stop talking when it is just us at home.  She loves to sing and dance and is really looking forward to starting her ballet and swimming lessons this Fall.  Her favorite color is pink...so much so that when she was allowed to pick out Jelly Bellies at the candy store, she would only allow the pink ones to go into her little bag.  She loves Dora and would wear her favorite Dora dress every day of the week if I let her.  Her favorite phrase is "Um, yep I do!", but she has a pretty fantastic vocabulary for a little one.

Johnny's Third Half-Marathon

We went to the Island this past weekend so that Johnny could compete in his third half-marathon race.  This one was called the Trail River Run in Port Alberni and was quite a difficult track....parts of the trail were washed-out and we saw a couple of people who left blood on the course.  It wasn't his fastest time:  I was told he had to slow down in several spots because of the dangerous terrain, plus the fact that the weatherman gave a forecast of 36 degrees for the day. 

The kids giving him a hug before the race.

Gearing up.

While we waited, we were able to check out some old cars, tractors and the McLean Mill.

The finish line.

Johnny made "medals" for the kids the night before to thank them for cheering so loudly and for supporting their Dad.  We were able to see him at one of the turn-around spots and at the finish.  We are all very proud of him!

Portraits

This is my attempt at getting portraits of the kids.  I sure wish I knew how to use my camera and and/or how to edit pictures!  One day, I will have time for some lessons.

The tractor

We were in Port Alberni visiting Johnny's parents on the weekend.  The kids had fun riding Grampy's "tractor"...and with the word kids, I include Johnny as well.  :)

Ashlyn's turn.

Caelan giving me a big wave.

"Look Mom, no hands!"

Sunset

We had the most amazing sunset last weekend.  This is a view from our front door, looking out over the Lions Gate Bridge.....beautiful.