Gabby's First Day of School

Gabby had her first day of school two weeks ago.  Telling you she is excited would be a huge understatement.  She LOVES everything about school.  It is a French immersion school, so she finally gets to see that French is not just a language that mommy made up to confuse her.  Some moments to remember:

• On the way to school on her first day, she said, "Mommy, my school is really far away."  (We were only 10 minutes into a 30-minute drive.)
• Upon arrival, Gabby informed her teachers and friends that her name was "Ariel" (as in The Little Mermaid).  She still insists she be called Ariel at school.
• I was warned that there would be tears from her and from me.  But while tears streamed from the other children, my child was happy to be on her own and I think I may have heard the phrase, "good riddance" in French as I walked away....
• She made a best-friend within her first five minutes and they have since been inseparable:

• Her teacher was impressed with her identifying written numbers up to 20 in French and being the first to respond to questions.
• When I returned for pick-up, the other children rushed to the door to greet their moms.  Gabby told me she wasn't finished yet and I eventually had to start counting to three before she would leave her beloved classroom.
• Her owl backback is now attached to her nearly 24-7.

The Power of Peas

Forgive me - I know this is disgusting.  But I am perplexed.  How can a system that creates such a stinky, gooey mess as it breaks things down leave peas shiny and untouched as they exit?  My biggest fear when I woke Claire and discovered her diaper like this was the fact that her hands had a little poop on them.  Please, please don't tell me that you ate your favorite vegetable twice....

Cannon Beach

Our family decided it was time for a beach trip, so we spent a week in Oregon at Cannon Beach.  It is only four hours from Seattle, so it seemed like a doable car trip with toddlers.  The week was awesome and we are already talking about going back next year.  Who knew sand and water could entertain children for 6 days straight?  We really need to consider exchanging the grass in our backyard for a little more dirt....

We spent a whole lot of time digging, building and eating sand.

Some days were a little more gray and cool than others, but that didn't discourage our girls.

Luckily, they had an indoor pool for the cooler moments.

We enjoyed the breathtaking view from our balcony

and watched many sunsets.

We drove down the Oregon Coast

where we enjoyed the many picturesque moments.

We couldn't come to Oregon without making a stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory, where we watched them make cheese, ate yummy samples, and most importantly had some delicious ice cream.

Back at the beach, Gabby flew her first kite

while Claire "borrowed" her sister's hat.

Thank you, Cannon Beach!  Save us a spot next summer!