Last day of Lion Friends

 Sydney LOVES her teachers Miss Allegra and Miss Jane.  She certainly will miss being a Lion Friend but it has been a great year with her friends and she loved going to school every day.

 Sydney holding up her school picture from the beginning of the year and then standing with her school bag-just like the first day.  My what a difference a school year makes...

This was a picture I took on her first day of school back in September...i can't get over how much she has grown and changed this year.  What a wonderful year it has been!

Field Trip to Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary

 Me and the girls at Sydney's class field trip

The Lion Friends at Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary. Sydney and her friends raise money to support these rescue animals and every year the school takes a field trip to visit the animals.

 Feeding the goat

LOLA!  

 Hoping to catch a glimpse of Lola-the class bunny

 Sydney and her teacher Miss Allegra; Sydney had just brought her a bouquet of "flowers"

Sydney and Miss Nancy-the director of the preschool

 The girls checking out the oversized pigs. Olivia was fascinated by all the animals and Sydney wanted to reach out and touch every one of them?!!

Olivia attempting to feed one of the horses

Dance recital!

Sydney's dance recital

Sydney had her dance recital last night at Northwest High School.  Our dancing star got up on stage and had an absolute blast dancing her heart out!  Enjoy this cute video of Sydney dancing in the finale to one of her favorite songs by the Fresh Beat band: Reach for the Sky

Happy Mother's Day 2012!

Mother's Day 2012...

Family photo at Grandma and Poppie's house.  Grandma wouldn't let us take any pictures of her since she is recovering from surgery but we'll have a mother's day do-over and get some family picture another time.

Jason and Poppie were playing around and teasing Olivia--and she was having a great time!

 Olivia loved the cupcake Aunt Beth brought over!

Taking a walk with my girls on mother's day...

Brunch at the Cheesecake Factory-yum!

We LOVE Beaches Turks & Caicos!

Somehow this picture did not get published before and it just too cool not to share...one of the neatest family pictures.  We were spoiled by all the characters and i think the kids will be very disappointed when we go to Sesame Place next month and don't get easy access to everyone.  But we've got this cool photo to treasure...

Vehicle Day at school

The favorite part of Vehicle Day at school was definitely the ice cream.  All the kids couldn't wait to eat their yummy treats!

 Olivia LOVED her ice cream!

Yeah Vehicle Day!  Sydney and her class friends showing off their ice cream!

Handing in the tickets to the ice cream man.  What a thrill!

Going up in the cherry picker-one of the other highlights 

Good thing Sydney won't be behind the wheel for a long, long time!

 Hanging out on the school bus with Olivia, Sienna and Sydney plus Sydney and Eli below.  Sydney still talks about next year being in the Panda Pals, then she'll be a Rainbow Friend and then she's going on the school bus with her friend/next door neighbor Emma to Kindergarten.  So it was very exciting to be on the school bus.

One of the cool class projects of the Rainbow Friends (pre-K) ...each of the kids drew a picture of the Lion/Froggy Friends.  So here is a picture that one of the little girls drew of Sydney.  I thought it was pretty remarkable that both of the girls each drew Sydney with the beads in her hair (this was done right after we got back from Turks and Caicos).  Such a cute picture!

Olivia was hanging out with her friend & future classmate Luke.

Olivia loved running up and down the aisle of the bus

Olivia wasn't too crazy about the firetruck or ambulance...but couldn't resist snapping a picture anyway.









Hard to believe that last year after vehicle day was when we discovered Sydney's tree nut allergy...we did have a repeat allergy appointment and it is fascinating how the numbers have slightly changed.  Her numbers have gone down for cashew nuts yet increased for walnut. But luckily it wasn't anything too significant and the plan hasn't changed at all.  Until next year...

Animated family

The photographer was able to take some of the pictures and turn them into animation.  We just thought they were pretty cool and had a few copies made of our cute kids : )