Daddy comes home!

Even though we weren't expecting him just yet, I found out the wonderful news that Chuckolate was coming home!  The girls and I went on base for a welcome home sign making and cookie wrapping part, where they briefed me on details of when to expect him and where we could meet him when he arrived.  It was on a school morning so I spoke with their teachers and let them know that the girls would need to miss a day of school!  I could've had their Daddy just surprise them and pick them up at the end of the day, but I thought they shouldn't miss the fun of seeing him arrive and welcoming him home.

Together again!

The girls were even interviewed about having their Daddy come home!  You can see the clip on youtube, although their speaking segment was cut very short!  Maybe because they rambled and rambled and rambled...



Fancy Nancy Tea

The RAF Lakenheath library had a Fancy Nancy Tea Party!  Sophia and Tessa LOVE Fancy Nancy, so I knew we couldn't miss it, even if it was on a school night.  After school, I picked up Sophia and Tessa, raced home for them to take their uniforms off and put their fancy things on, then went to the library for some fun!

Tessa is looking very silly.

Tessa is looking very serious.

They were just finishing a Fancy Nancy book when we arrived (we had to wait in the parking lot for the National Anthems to play, so we were just a minute late, but apparently they started promptly!)


Now she has her gloves and fancy sandals!

Sophia is also wearing a fancy dress!

She even has a fur collar and pearl hair accessories!

Tessa with a tilted tiara makes me laugh!

The girls received some fancy bracelets  and rings and then there were several fancy crafts to do. They made a fancy paper tiara with sticker jewels and did a scratch design on a fancy bookmark!




Sophia is making a scratch design on her bookmark.

After that came the tea of course! Actually, it was pink lemonade I think. There were cookies and cupcakes and chocolates! The girls thought it was fabulous! It would have been nice if we could have arrived a little earlier and sat at the bigger table with the girls their age, but they sat at a little table with a few much older girls, and enjoyed themselves anyway! Maybe next year I'll figure out how to get them to change clothes faster, or just add fancy things on top of the uniforms!



Tessa is excited about the cupcakes!

Sophia has a nibble.

Tessa loves it!

Sophia demonstrates the proper way to drink a cup of tea (or pink lemonade).

Riding lesson and a park at RAF Lakenheath

Giddy-up pony!

Today was such a beautiful day that I brought the camera to the riding lesson again and we decided to go to a new park afterwards. We needed to go to the base for a few things, and I had heard about a park next to the post office that we hadn't seen so we decided to check it out.  The girls and I enjoyed it, although there wasn't much there.

Gappy gumdrop!

A mini stage for Tessa to stand on and pose?

Or perhaps give a concert?

Sophia found a few semi-decent climbing trees.

Tessa found one just above the ground...perfect!

They met a friendly worm.

Tessa is supposed to be the horse and Sophia is in a coach?  Or something like that...

 Just at the entrance to the park, there are large statues with jets on top of cement supports.  Of course, Sophia decided that if you ran up the supports, you could quickly turn around and slide back down.  It looked like a lot of fun!

Sesame Street is coming to Town!

A Sesame Street Workshop travels around military bases, giving free shows to the children.  I took Sophia to one at Yokota Air Base, Japan, when she was one.  They never came to Kirtland, that I know of, but they came to Lakenheath this month!  It would have been a lot easier if it happened during the summer school holiday, but instead I picked the girls up from school and we went straight to the base, got some subway sandwiches for dinner and went to wait in line.  I was expecting a huge line for hours in advance, but actually it wasn't bad at all.  We were one of the first people there, only 30 minutes before the show.

Sophia and Katelynn played with the free spinning toys that every child was given.

I wondered if Sophia would be excited about it because she is a little out of the Sesame Street phase, but she said she was and I know that she loves all plays, musicals, or any type of live performance.  I knew Tessa would still love it, as she was so excited to meet the characters at DisneyWorld and is still a fan of Sesame Street.  Sophia's friend Katelyn came also, so Sophia was extra excited to have a friend to watch with her.

Tessa got one too, and was super excited about the show!

The show was about military life for kids and how hard it is to move.  They encouraged kids to keep in touch with old friends and explained how exciting it is to go to new places and make new friends.  I thought it was a great message for my girls that had just dealt with a big move and were still not entirely settled. Most importantly though, Tessa got to touch Cookie Monster's hand and was so excited!  We all went out for an ice cream afterwards, though the girls and I had to head home early because it was getting late and they had to go to bed early for school the next day!

Rosita!

Tessa was so thrilled!

Singing a song

The military girl, Katie

Everyone tried to make Katie feel better about moving.

Katelynn's brother Nathan and their Mom, Jamie

Sophia and Katelynn wearing their USO bandanas

Elmo up close!

Tessa tried to get his attention

Cookie monster came and said hi!

It made her day!

Everyone singing a goodbye song!

First day of school

It is always hard to decide if we are very excited to go back to school or very sad that our holiday of fun, relaxing, and being together ALL THE TIME has ended.  I think each of us was a little undecided but we tried to focus on the excited part!  The girls helped me to bake an apple cake to bring to their teachers on the first day of school.  Then we picked out which new uniforms to wear, set out their new shoes, choose how to do their hair and what to pack for lunch, (including some apple cake for dessert)!  I painted their fingernails and put in new earrings.  At bedtime, we read all of our books about starting school or going back to school.  I don't think we could have done any more getting ready!

Sophia was used to going to school all day, but I was a bit worried about Tessa.  After all, she is only four and until the day before she started nursery last January, she was still taking an afternoon nap!  Fortunately, she was really excited about being in Reception and eating lunch at school (although NOT hot dinners because she does NOT like to eat in the dining hall)!  She didn't cry or cling to me or anything.  She just gave me a kiss and walked into her class.  It was the first time I wasn't able to bring her into the classroom and help her with her bag and coat, also.  It was a little shocking how abrupt it felt.  Even on Sophia's first day of kindergarten (click to read that blog post), the parents were able to go into the room and stay for a few minutes, and she was already five!  Of course, she did fine.  She has been wanting to go to school since that first day of Sophia's kindergarten.  She was noticably tired after school but still excited to go back the next day!

Of course it was raining, so they needed raincoats and wellies!  Their new school shoes are tucked inside their school bags for in the classroom.

Last weekend before school starts!

With Tutu gone and Daddy still gone, and school starting soon, I asked the girls what they wanted to do.  As usual, more dress-up!  Also, we hadn't played wii for awhile, so some JustDance was on the list too!  We had a day or two of just hanging around the house and relaxing and having fun, so here are some photos of one of those days!  Yes, it was actually warm enough for their summer outfits (for a few days anyway)!

Cowgirls! 

Cowgirls with horses (Tessa has super short shorts, but they are there!)

Sophia trying to turn her sister off?  Or just turn her volume down?

Dancing queens!