Ready for Kindergarten

Last week was Katie's first day of kindergarten. Leading up to the day was a mix of emotions ranging from excitement to nervousness, which I imagine is pretty normal. Her first day went great, in part because one of her friends from pre-kindergarten was in her class. That night when she went to bed, she wanted nothing more than to go back the next day!

The night before I started school, we read a special bedtime story! 

In the morning, I was mostly excited to go to school! 

I can't believe I'm a big kindergartner!

A Find from the Zoo

Since we were at the zoo to celebrate Katie's birthday, I let her choose something from the gift shop to take home, and I loved what she chose. She chose an activity kit. It was a sandstone paw print that came with excavating tools, and she was able to dig a surprise animal out of the paw print. She was very entertained by it, and it took lots of patience to find her animal. It was fun to watch her persistence pay off!

I couldn't wait to see what animal was hiding in my paw print! 

I really wanted to find a giraffe or a zebra. 

I saw a small piece of the animal peeking out, but I still didn't know what it was. 

I was excited to find the animal but also excited to play with the sand that I was chipping off the paw print. 

I kept working and working until it got too hot on the deck to work. 

I got a bit more uncovered inside and guessed that it might be a rhinoceros. Then I took a little break. 

When I went back later, I found a rhinoceros! 

I had guessed right!

A Zoo Celebration

As I mentioned, Katie wanted to celebrate her 6th birthday at the zoo, so my mom, sister, and I drove her there yesterday and met Garyldine and Aunt Jody there. She loves to wander through and visit all of her favorite animals. It was a nice way to celebrate being six.

I was so excited to go to the zoo. I picked out my dress just so I could blend in with the animals. I was pretty sure when the animals saw me, they would want a dress like mine! 

I saw one of the black bears right away. 

We got to watch him being fed. He didn't like his food very much though. 

I was really happy to see the bobcat moving around. They are usually hard to spot! 

The polar bear was taking a nap, but I still wanted a picture with her even though she's hard to see! 

Garyldine and I like to hang out in this bubble to look for the animals. 

When I sat in the jeep looking for the cheetah, I thought I should take off my jacket. That way the cheetah could see my dress if it showed up. 

I found two of them when I left the jeep. I liked matching them! 

Garyldine took a picture of us before we went to see the lions. 

These statues are usually crowded with kids. I was glad to have them all to myself! 

They reminded me of seeing The Lion King the night before. 

I liked the two sleeping lions on the rock behind me. 

I absolutely cannot pass this cave without going in it! Who would pass up that opportunity? 

Of course, I had to stop to see my favorite giraffes! 

There weren't any flamingos when we got to their enclosure, but one finally made an appearance. 

The snow leopard was very happy to see my dress. I wish I could always match the animals! 

I can never leave the zoo without visiting my good friend, Squirrel!

Thanks for coming with us, Garyldine and Aunt Jody. You make my heart happy!

A Birthday Gift

One of the things Katie has been begging to do is to see the Broadway production of The Lion King. We took her for her birthday last night, and she was amazed. She loved the music, the colors, and the animals. It's such a good show!

Before the show, I went to visit the fountain!

It was so exciting to see the show! Some of the animals walked down the aisle right next to me!

Look Who's Six!

I can't believe that Katie turned six yesterday. Time moves so quickly. She was very excited about her birthday, but she's also pretty sure she's going to miss being five because it was so much fun.

This year, Katie wanted to go the zoo for her birthday, but she wanted to go on a weekend, so we'll be doing that tomorrow. She's so excited to go and see her favorite animals.

As she turned a year older, I asked her some of her favorites to mark this moment in time.

What is your favorite color?
Pink

What is your favorite toy?
My Barbies and princesses

What is your favorite fruit?
Watermelon

What is your favorite TV show?
Mickey Mouse Club House
Elena of Avalor

What is your favorite outfit?
Dresses

What is your favorite game?
Princess Pop-Up Magic Castle Game

What is your favorite snack?
Cucumbers

What is your favorite animal?
Giraffe and Bailey Boo

What is your favorite song?
"Let It Go" 
"Yankee Doodle"

What is your favorite book?
All of my Elephant and Piggie books and any princess book

What is your favorite thing to do at school?
Making friends

What is your favorite sport?
Dancing

What is your favorite thing to have for breakfast?
Pancakes with nothing on them

What is your favorite thing to do outside?
Going to the playground

What is your favorite drink?
Lemonade

What is your favorite holiday?
Halloween

What do you like to take to bed with you at night?
Collie, my stuffed dog

What is your favorite thing to have for dinner?
Fettucine with tomatoes and olives

What do you want to be when you grow up?
A princess fly-catcher big sister

First thing in the morning, I found a surprise from Garyldine, Jim, and Aunt Jody! 

I couldn't believe what I was seeing! 

What a fantastic way to begin my day! 

There were even cupcakes with my new bike! 

Later that day, I spent some time at Garyldine's house. We got to watch a Barbie movie together. 

When my mom got home from work, she took me to one of my favorite restaurants. I love to do all of the puzzles on my menu! 

I was going to wait until we went to the zoo to open my presents, but I decided I couldn't wait any longer! My mom let me start with what she said was the most special present.

She knew I'd laugh when I opened it up and found two tubes of toothpaste! That was a pretty funny, special present. 

My mom got me this book. I love Peppa Pig! 

Aunt Jennifer got me this Barbie. She came with a dog that I can feed treats to, and the dog poops, and I can pick it up. I love it! I picked up poop all night! 

I also got a package of Barbie clothes. 

Grandma and Grandpa got me this fun rhyming book. 

They also got me a new board game. It seemed like a celebration for the dogs too as they enjoyed all of the paper!

I couldn't believe when I opened Grammy Noreen and Grandpa Joe's card and found real money inside! 

I wanted everyone to see their card! 

Finally it was time to get my doll cake out that I requested. 

I made a special wish. Thanks for making my day special, everyone!

Catching Up on Mail

When we got our mail after our vacation, Katie was happy to have two cards. First, she found a card from our friend, Patty, and then she found a post card from my friend, Noreen. It made her day!

Patty was so nice to send me these cute stickers in a card! I shared them with everybody!

Grammy 'oreen sent me a postcard from Vermont too. I love getting mail!

Taking Care of Deer

When we were in Yosemite, I let Katie choose one toy to get, and she chose a deer. I wasn't too surprised with her choice since she was on the lookout for deer the whole time we were there. Ever since getting it, she has taken very good care of it.

Would you like some breakfast?