Martha's Vineyard Weekend

 We made another trip out to Martha's Vineyard this summer staying with John's brother and his family.  We invited Bonnie (Izzy's BFF) to join us.  Beach fun included catching crabs with our left over lunchmeat from our sandwiches.

 Having Bonnie with us was fun on many levels.  The girls loved playing in the ocean together.  John and I couldn't resist showing off our water shoes from Six Flags.  The shoes we originally bought got lost.  We were left buying what was available inside the park.  Being the 4th of July, these were the only option.

 Boogie boards are always so much fun.

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 The older kids one evening headed out on John's brother, Jim's boat.  The girls drove the boat with very serious faces.  Izzy caught a sea bass.

 While the older kids were out in the boat, I stayed with Micah & Victoria.  We have learned quickly that Micah gets motion sick.  We decided to spend our time in an air conditioned arcade.  Leave it to Victoria to rack up mega points.  She willingly shared with Micah so that they each walked away with great prizes.

Riding America's oldest carousel, The Flying Horse and eating ice cream.  Can't beat that combination.

 One evening we fished along the shore line.  Bonnie caught the most amount of fish even compared to the adults.

 Micah and Victoria played in the sand.  I love these two pictures because they showcase each of their personalities to a tee!

This was probably my favorite part of the trip.  Izzy saw a shell in the shallow part of the ocean.  She couldn't quite reach it without getting her close wet.  Little did we know the chonch was still living in his shell!  Back into the ocean he went after many oohs and aahs.

Pre-K Graduation

One of many milestone is Pre-K graduation.  Micah & Victoria's school (Little Corner Schoolhouse) has an amazing celebration easing the transition into KINDERGARTEN!  Micah & Victoria have been attending LCSH since infants.  Similar to Izzy, they have bonds with peers that they have been with their whole lives.



 A cornerstone in my children's lives has been Wayne Potash.  What a singing local legend for young one.  He worked with the children on 6 back to back songs; two being in foreign languages (Spanish and Japanese).  Micah was so intense on the moves.  Victoria preferred to be mischievous with her red headed fiery friend, Ava.

I was asked to give a few words which was so meaningful.  I've been a part of the LCSH family for 8 years.  Izzy gave the opening remarks which was fun.  She did an amazing job standing up and speaking in front of the crowd.

 Part of Micah & Victoria's curriculum was theatre.  They spent weeks developing their play including costumes, music and lines.  Their play was about the animals of the rainforest.

 Completely not surprised Victoria was a butterfly.  She was in her element.

Micah was a monkey... a very cute one at that, bowtie and all.

 Despite rain, we all ventured outside for treats from the ice cream truck.  This was the perfect cherry on top for their graduation ceremony.

Micah & Victoria's 5th Birthday Party

As Micah and Victoria's birthday falls in August, celebrating can be an outdoor affair.  We returned to my friend's backyard, this time with a water theme given how hot it was for their birthday last year.  To our luck, it was actually cool.  This didn't stop any of the kids from taking the plunge!

 Superheroes' ruled this year.  Batman continues to be Micah's favorite.  Wonder Woman moved to the forefront thanks to her recent movie.

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 For those who didn't want to get wet, we enlisted the help of Celia, an amazing balloon artist.  She was able to create near anything that one of the party goers requested.  The birthday girl requested a unicorn and Ariel.

 Pokeman and a turtle

 Batman for Micah.

Adults could also request a balloon.  My choice... an octopus.

 The girls taking a break.

 We were able to celebrate with two amazing ladies; Kerry (may wonderful, giving friend) and Oma!

Micah & Victoria Turn 5!

 Micah & Victoria were "caked out" by the time their actual birthday arrived between cake at their birthday party and treats at school.  Nonetheless, blowing out your candles on your birthday is a must.  Turning 5 is such a milestone.... kindergarten is around the corner!

What I want to remember about 4 year old Victoria:

1.  You are my "jumping bean".  Even as a baby you were a mover and shaker.  At 5 this equate to non-stop jumping.  I can definitely tell when you are excited about something to show or tell me.

2.  You are my fashionista!  Buying dresses, shoes, jewelry, hair accessories, etc is so much fun.  You loved this necklace that John bought you from Martha's Vineyard.  You seem to know where the camera is at as well, posing at any given opportunity.  Oma even commented that I should have you try out for modeling.

3.  There is a reason for the saying "paybacks are hell".  You continue to be a challenge and are strong willed.  Yet I find myself smiling watching you take on the world.  I have no doubt the world is your oyster and you will succeed in whatever you put your mind to.

4.  You want to be an artist when you grow up.  Your drawings are so detailed and are beyond Izzy's at your same age.  You can be found drawing over watching TV.  You've tried to sneak Izzy's markers often enough that you now have your own.  The pink is often the first one to run out of ink.  Not surprising! 

5.  You are my Sleeping Beauty.  You still sing or talk to yourself at bedtime while Izzy and Micah are softly snoring fast asleep.  Blankie is a must and comes with us wherever we go if staying overnight.  You would prefer to get up at 8am if you had your way.  The tone of the day is set by how you wake up.  I think you inherited those genes from Oma!

What I want to remember about 4 year old Micah:

1.  You continue to have intense relationships with your toys.  This year has been slightly painful for mommy.  Lightning McQueen has taken a back seat to Superheroes and Ninjago.  Cars 3 helped mommy close the chapter on Lightning McQueen.  I know he'll always a have a special place in your heart from your childhood memories.  Moving on hasn't been as rough given that you LOVE Batman.  Upgrading your bedroom for your birthday was super fun.  The night you slept in your new bed you didn't wake up till after 7am.  I should have done this a year earlier!

2.  You are the SWEETEST boy!  A hug is all that is needed to fix a boo-boo, hurt feelings or tiredness.  You tell me you love me as often as I tell you.  Holding your hand never gets old.

3.  I love sitting in the living room watching you re-enact TV shows or movies with the toys you have.  When one scene changes you run off to get the other characters that are needed for the next scene.  This can be with Paw Patrol, Transformers, Superheroes and (yes) Lightning McQueen.

4.  You are a boy.  Having two sisters can be tough as you are outnumbered on what to play or watch on TV.  Thank goodness for our neighbor (Feno) who plays nonstop sword fights with you.  Amazingly there are not many injuries.  You have your group of boy friends at pre-K and ask when are you having a playdate.  You were ecstatic when you found out two of your boy friends were coming to our Christmas and Easter party.

5.  You are a meat and carb kid.  The only fruit that crosses those lips is a banana.  Trying new foods creates many tears and retching.  We are working on trying 1 new food a month.  You will get down to the last day of the month before trying something.  Good thing you are clueless to what we hide in your meals.  If you only knew.....

Micah & Victoria's 5th Birthday Treats

 Celebrating a 5th birthday is bitter sweet when it comes to treats to share with your school friends.  Once you enter the public school, long gone are bringing any sort of treat for fear of allergies or other unwanted ingredients.  However, you can still bring treats to daycare to celebrate.  Similarly to when Izzy turned 5, Micah & Victoria picked out what they wanted me to create.  Micah wanted shark cupcakes and Victoria wanted butterflies.

 These were super fun to make and involved Twinkies, Oreo cookies and melting frosting.

 There was a learning curve for making the butterfly wings.  I was lucky to have the help of Oma & John making an assembly line to produce them before they hardened.  We got better over time.

Two happy 5 year olds!