Back to School!

The kids enjoy “Week of Summer” every year when the school closes to transition classrooms and do teacher training. Right before their week of time off, the director called and suggested they were thinking Ben might be a better fit in the Kindergarten class instead of Pre-K. There were a lot of positive advantages, so we decided to go for it and let him give it a try. Ben was really excited (even though he had no idea what kindergarten was).

Elizabeth also moved ahead a couple of classes and is in the same class Ben was in when he turned three. Both kids are just down the hall from each other rather than on separate floors as before, so that is nice for drop off.

They were both excited to start in their new classes and did great on their first days. Ben is showing off his new backpack full of supplies!

Drop off is a cinch and has never gone better for either kid – yea! Elizabeth is so smitten with her new teachers already, it is funny. She talks about them on the way to school, on the way home and claims they are her new friends. She told me she wasn’t going to one of the extracurricular programs anymore so she could stay with one of her classroom teachers longer. Guess she likes her new class! Ben’s class is unique as it is joined with the Pre-K class and he can roam between rooms when it is free time. So he sees lots of old and new friends and has more responsibility and freedom this year.

We’re off to a good start!!

Disney Unveiling

After the Branson trip we had gathered some Disney toys and trinkets to give to the kids to announce we were planning a trip to Disney World this fall. We have been planning the trip for a while, but haven’t wanted to tell them until much closer. Enough time to get excited, but not so much that they are asking for months on end when we are going.

They opened their surprises and Mom gave them clues as to what the prizes were for. Ben guessed after a couple of clues and they were so excited that they were going to meet all of their favorite characters and ride more rides. Elizabeth is looking forward to Mickey and princesses while Ben has scoped out which park Phineas and Ferb live in as well as the Cars characters.

After it all started to sink in, Ben quickly turned into the mini trip planner. He was concerned about where we would eat and if he approved. He wanted to make sure he saw Cars before princesses and that we only saw princesses one day. It is hysterical the things he is coming up with. He is planning to be on certain rides, watch certain shows and what everyone will pack. He is also telling everyone he sees and it is like a Superbowl commercial each time – “We’re going to Disney World!”

We are starting our countdown and enjoying looking forward to this trip!

Silver Dollar City

The kids finished up their last week of school with parties, lunches and all sorts of festivities. They were excited about all of those things, but Ben kept announcing as soon as those things were over that we’d be leaving for Silver Dollar City. He was very excited about our long weekend. The kids were going to be off for a week of school while the teachers got ready for their new classes and participated in training. We decided to do a short family trip and then the kids would spend time with Grandmas after that.

We drove Friday night and were ready to hit SDC as soon as it opened Saturday morning. We first headed to the measuring station as that was recommended for smaller kids so they wouldn’t have to get measured at each ride. Thinking this was just a small stop before our day began was not quite true. Ben did fine and got his bracelet with his height marked on it. Elizabeth wanted nothing to do with the process. She refused several times, and Ben and Mom ended up going on a roller coaster while Dad and E sorted out what she was going to do. Poor Dad ended up having to hold Elizabeth against the wall while the employees measured her. Then she was not a fan of the bracelet (which we put on her ankle), but at least the worst was over.

Ben loved the roller coaster and was ready for everyone to go on rides after that. We rode so many things! There was an elephant ride, a boat ride that was like a giant swing (E’s least favorite ride), a jumping frogs ride, and many more. The kids even did the water rides where the round raft goes in rapids and where the log boat goes down a hill into a giant splash. They loved them and begged for more. They also enjoyed the giant tree houses and playgrounds, and we made sure to take an ICEE break each day among other snacks and meals.

We were able to push the kids pretty hard and went without naps for two days straight. This made for some less fun bedtime routines, but overall they did so well and had a wonderful time. Ben even tried some new places to eat and surprised himself that he liked trying these new places.

We did SDC for two days and then the third day we hit the outlet mall and stopped by a cave on the way home in Arkansas. The kids did really well in the cave. They were both nervous about being in the dark, but did a great job. The tour guide was a little windy and ended up talking an extra 30 minutes or so, but they still hung in there. The guide even held Ben over the railing to touch a special formation that they allow visitors to feel. Mom was not a fan of that, but Ben came back in one piece.

This was all a weekend for fun, but it was also a test to see how the kids did in this setting in preparation for a Disney trip. They passed with flying colors!

A beautiful start to our trip - we saw a double rainbow on our drive to Branson!

Their new best friend

Our daily ICEE break

Fun on the splash pad