Cousins

Eila and Teagan are just possibly the sweetest cousins there ever were.

 

Art party!

Today we had Piper's birthday party at the Maple Grove Arts Center.  The kids each created a canvas painting of a heart, led by an art instructor.  There were a lot of creative juices flowing in that room!  The space was beautiful - it has a very homey art studio/boutique vibe.  All in all, we'll chalk it up as another birthday party success.

I have to say though, I'm so glad it's over!  I always get anxious about birthday parties - wanting everything to work out perfectly and for everyone, especially the birthday girl! to have a fantastic time.  Piper seemed pleased, so I'm happy. :)

 

 

And then there were four

This week Piper had a summer school class called My Big Backyard.  It was about critters of all sorts that are native to MN.  Her friend from daycare Kellan was also in the class.  As a part of the week's plan, we worked out a detailed schedule with Kellan's parents to carpool the kids to and from the class and, at the same time, to carpool Teagan and Kellan's sister Calliope to and from daycare.  It worked out great!  The kids loved being dropped off and picked up by someone different, and as a fun group of four.  For the parents, it meant more work on your designated shift, but many fewer shifts throughout the week!

The final day of class, I picked up Piper and Kellan and on the way back to our house we stopped at a garage sale.  The woman who was running the sale asked if Kellan and Piper were twins, or just brother and sister.  It made me realize, all four kids do look like they could easily be siblings.  Later, Dan and I took everyone to a local tavern for dinner.  It gave me a glimpse into what life would look like for a family of six.  These kids are so good together.  But alas, we had to give Kellan and Calliope back to their parents.

In a few weeks we'll get to do the carpool again :) 

 

Happy Father's Day!

For Father's Day we went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art as a family!  It wasn't quite as relaxing as it had been a few weeks ago when Dan and I went there on a date, and we didn't really get to bask in the presence of great art and creativity, but it was fun to expose the girls to a place they'd never been.

Thanks to a wonderful, caring, compassionate and unconditional father who lets these girls shine!  We're lucky to have you!

 

Piper is SEVEN!

 Six was such a great year - so much to celebrate!  And so much more to look forward to. :)

Dressed for... chicken nuggets?

What to wear for a casual at-home dining experience?  Fancy white dress, cool polka-dot sunglasses and an attitude. 

I love it when Dan is in charge of the kids.  He has a way of really giving them space to 'exist' and show up as they want to.

Hail

Hawaiian day at school!

Pool's open!

Starting off the summer with some swimming at Grandma Soup's pool!

This morning we got doughnuts, and the girls ate leftovers at the pool.  Teagan's was quite a melty mess!  It made her grumpy that I was photo documenting the situation.

Mom & Me

First grade farewell, a green belt, and a play date - oh my!

Today was Piper's first grade farewell picnic followed by her class's production of Charlotte's Web.  The picnic was fun but hot!  We sat with Piper's best friend Sadie and her family.  It was a nice way to mark the end of a great year for this girl - she really lucked out with another PHENOMENAL teacher and they forged a very special bond.  Her teacher has had nothing but wonderful things to say about Piper - calling her the 'real deal' - smart with talents in many areas, humble, kind, and a good friend.  An all around top notch student and classmate.  We're very proud of who Piper is now and continues to grow into.

 

After the picnic we headed inside for Mrs. Wagner's class's play.  Piper was a narrator in the play.  We are, of course, very supportive of her thespian spirit.  She did a nice job.

 

  

 

That was not the end of the big day for Piper though.  After the play, we drove her straight to the dojo for her belt ceremony - Piper is now a green belt!  She broke an adult sized board - thicker than any she's broken before - on her first try with a solid kick - woohoo!  It was very exciting.  It all happened so fast, though, that we didn't catch it on film. 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 Teagan was a great spectator at the dojo, rocking her Jackie O look.

 

And then her punk rock face.

 

After tae kwon do, we picked up Sadie and headed to Noodles and Company to celebrate, capping the night off with some Yogurt Lab.  It was a good day to be Piper.  A day of graduations, looking back and celebrating growth.  And looking ahead to the awesome things that are coming up next!