Berry Delicious

On the way home from school today we stopped by the strawberry stand. Boy do we love Strawberries fresh from the field! The fresh farm produce has got to be one of my favorite things about living where we do: Peaches, plums, melons, apricots, strawberries, garden veggies...mmmm.

For lunch we decided to have what Grace called a "strawberry feast." We enjoyed parfaits and little strawberry sandwiches. We've got to take advantage of strawberry season before its over soon. Which means making jam, freezing strawberries for smoothies, and having strawberry-filled meals like this!

Soccer

Grace had her first soccer game on Saturday. She was reluctant at first, but as soon as she decided that she was ready she really hustled! It was so entertaining to watch a soccer game between two groups of four and five-year-olds! There were kids dribbling toward the wrong goal, trying to take the ball away from their teammates, and completely missing the ball when going for a kick resulting in falls to the ground. It was adorable! But all of that aside, I was so impressed by these kids' gusto for the game. I'm definitely looking forward to the next few months of Saturdays.

Playgroup

Eve is part of a playgroup. Its pretty low-key, just a small group of moms that take turns having the kiddos over for a brief lesson on the ABC's and a lot of playing! It's so cute to watch them interact and start to do big-kid things like trace letters and make art projects. A couple of weeks ago when it was at another mom's house, she dressed them all up like bakers and made bread with them for the letter "B" lesson. Wow, was I impressed! My week was not quite as ambitious: For my letter "D" lesson we played doctor and then colored pictures of doctors, dogs, dinosaurs, ducks, dolphins...you get the idea!

Grandparents' Day

A couple of weeks ago (okay, so I'm behind) Grace's school had a special day for grandparents to come visit. Grace was so excited to have her Grandma Lewis at school with her. They spent time together in the classroom (singing songs, reading books, and writing in journals together) and then got to eat lunch in the cafeteria. Grace thought it was the coolest thing to be able to eat in the cafeteria (it was her first time; I always pick her up before lunch), and even more so because Grandma was right there with her! Afterward Grandma brought her home and visited with us a little more. What a fun day! The only thing that would have made it better is if all four of her Grandparents could have been there! Happy Grandparents day everyone!

100 Years Ago...

Our city celebrated it's centennial on Labor Day. They held a "Melon Carnival" and Kiddie Parade (Apparently they celebrated in much the same way 100 years ago!) The girls got to decorate their bikes and ride in the parade. It was really cute. They must have felt pretty important as people on either side of the parade route smiled and cheered! Afterwards we took a horse-drawn wagon ride, sampled local melon, watched Portuguese dancers, and got faces painted! It's fun to feel part of a community. Even though I wasn't born and raised here, it feels like home.