Second Grade Awards.

Each year, Gage has end of the year awards. Gage was thrilled last year when his sister attended, but she was sooooo little and brand new (about 2 weeks, I think). This year, she's much older, and much more interactive!
He was thrilled to share this day with her, and she was just thrilled to see Brother (who happens to be one of her favorite people).

He loves to show her off. What a sweet big brother.
:)

Some of Gage's school work that was on display.....

{And you don't have to go to school and that's great!} hahahaha. Honest boy.

All the kids got a candy award. Gage's was the Snickers award for always making his peers *snicker*. Funny boy.

Now, we've got ourselves a third grader. Goodbye, Second Grade! He's so ready to move on. He says that he's not going to miss second grade at all.

Chaperone. "Honey, I signed you up."

Chaperone a school field trip?
No, thank you.
"Honey, I signed you up."
Yep, that's what I did. I signed my husband up to chaperone the school field trip to the Arboretum.
"Why can't you do it?"
"Because I'm nursing a baby." That was my rationale....
But Eliette and I did actually go on the trip, and it was hot, and a lot of walking, and CRAZY in the children's part....but so totally worth it. And all the kiddos just loved Miss E!

Some of the pics from the day....

There was some general exploring, and the kids went in groups to the "Bug U" class. Gage said it was fun. During that time, a few of the chaperones, Eliette, and I grabbed lunch. Eliette did a little exploring of her own...

....and then the children's garden. So interactive and cool. In our short allotment of time there, we couldn't have taken it all in. It was too much! So cool. Can't wait to take the kiddos (mainly Gage) back. Eliette's a bit small for the interactive displays....

Oh look, even Mommy kicked off her shoes and gave it a try...

It really was a lot of fun. I'm so glad that we ALL got to do it together, and can't wait to do it again.
:)

At the end of the day, Miss E proved to be quite popular...

Why, yes, there are three boys filling the role of the court jester. Just there for her entertainment. (ha!) {Really, they were all very sweet to her!}

Our Little Honey is One!

Well, if you hadn't heard the buzz, we had a bee-themed party when our little honey turned ONE! {She is sweet as can bee, if I do say so myself!}

Pics from the party:

Cookies by Jess. Cake and cupcakes by Darnin & Mommy. We also served Eliette's favorite: jello. Sweet thing! And, she was still on the MSPI diet then, so the whole party was friendly for her diet. Yay!

We partied outdoors a bit, and she showed her grandparents that she loves her new little roller coaster.

But first, outdoor party decor:

Coaster girl:

"Weeeeeeeeeeee!"

She had so many gifts for it being a teeny-tiny party.  Not spoiled at all.... {wink*wink!}

Before we knew it, it was cake time. Yummmmmm!

If one more picture were taken just after the one above, it would show our sweet baby girl extinguishing a candle with her fingers. OMG, it happened so fast. It really put quite the damper on things, and there were many tears shed over that one little act. (And Eliette wasn't the only one shedding tears!)

But alas, we moved on. We moved away from the whole concept of cake eating, and Daddy took her into the pool.

Most of the company left after eating and watching the kiddos swim for a bit. When things were kind of winding down, we tried the birthday cake again. Eliette sat, in a diaper, in her highchair, with this big birthday cake in front of her. Nothing. No forward motion for a cake-tastic mess....In fact, she just cried and cried. 

UNTIL: Daddy got a fork. He's so smart!

 "Daddy, I can't eat a cake with my bare hands. I am a lady."

{Hey, Gage, I think you're over shooting the whole smile thing in this one, buddy.}

So, in the end, all was well that ended well. She got to eat all of her favorite foods, got lots of hugs and snuggles, got a ton of gifts, got to swim with family and friends, got new shoes and jewelry {two of her favorite things already}, and had minions feed her cake. Sounds like a pretty great day, right!?

Right!