Our Five Ring Circus: August 2015

Monday, August 31, 2015

Back to School with Netflix

We just enjoyed a wonderful week at the beach! We had a great vacation and we didn't really want to go home and face reality.

BUT...we reluctantly arrived home on Saturday evening, and tomorrow is our last day of summer vacation. It's officially Back to School time!

The first day of school outfits and new backpacks are ready to go. The lunchbox packing station is set up. School clothes, school shoes, and school supplies were already purchased. The kids got their teacher assignments in the mail and they know their bus schedule. It's go time!

On the day before we left for the beach, we toured the schools to find their new classrooms.

Lexie's was an easy one.  She's in the same school, and is just moving up to 3rd grade and moving up to the top floor. She feels confident about her first day!

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Dylan, however, is going into 5th grade, which means he's moving up to a BIG school.  He met his three (!!!) teachers and he even has a locker.  Although he's a bit nervous about being in such a big school, he's also looking forward to going back. He likes his teachers, he likes the classroom setup, and he's really excited about having a locker!

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The biggest change will be Lily starting school!  Yes, my sweet BABY is starting Pre-K 4.  I honestly can't believe it!

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I know a lot of moms are really excited to send their kids back to school, but I'm not.  I really do enjoy their summers at home (MOST of the time...just keeping it real!). I'm not quite ready to get back to a structured school schedule and go back to seeing them for only a few hours a day!

Netflix has been a daily part of our lives all summer (Thanks for solving all the sibling squabbles, Netflix.  I owe you.) and it will continue to be a part of our lives during the upcoming school year.

Netflix #StreamTeam

Over the summer, our most watched shows on Netflix were Jessie (the big kids LOVE this show!), My Little Pony (Lily's other obsession after Frozen), Sense8 (a Netflix original that Grant and I loved), and Gilmore Girls (our 5th time watching the entire series...a total guilty pleasure!).

In addition to our favorites, we checked out a few more titles. 

The girls still love Ever After High, so they were thrilled when they discovered Ever After High Way To Wonderland (season 3).


I couldn't WAIT to introduce the kids to Reading Rainbow. I was so excited to find out that one of my childhood favorites was going to be on Netflix! It's a total blast from the past, and let me just say, the theme song still gets stuck in my head!


Our entire family loves to read, and we kept up with our reading through the summer.  I started reading The Magic School Bus books to Lily to get her excited about school.  They were always Dylan and Lexie's favorites, and Lily loved them, too.  After we read several of the books, we watched a few episodes of The Magic School Bus on Netflix!  Just for the record, Lily is super excited to go to preschool!


Finally, we watched Project Mc2, which is a Netflix Original.  Lexie and Lily loved this show, and even Dylan watched it!  It's about a group of girls who team up to do some investigating. They use their intelligence while doing their spy work. There's an episode called "Smart is the New Cool" and I truly love that title!  Lexie thought it was a great show, and she was in spy mode after she watched it!



Thankfully, Netflix sent an awesome package of #PROJECTMC2 goodies, so the fun could continue!

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Lexie couldn't wait to dig in and try everything, and Lily was disappointed that she had to wait to use the goggles!

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Lucky for her, Lexie is a good sharer!

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We only had time for one experiment before leaving for the beach, so Lexie choose the Glitter Tornado in a tube.  She gathered her supplies, wrote down a few notes about what she thought would happen, and got to work!

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Project Mc2 is a great show for young girls! Thank you, Netflix, for the "Smart is the New Cool" message and for providing my girls with hours of fun!

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Lexie can't wait to try the other experiments!

For more "smart" titles, check out:


     




 
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                   The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!


                                                                    Dinotrux

What are you watching on Netflix this month? 

*I'm a member of the Netflix #StreamTeam.  All opinions are my own. I was given a free year of Netflix Streaming and promotional items in exchange for my monthly review. The Netflix programming images  were provided by Netflix.  Thank you, Netflix, for sponsoring this post!

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Thursday, August 27, 2015

A Tale of Two Elsas

As a mom of a 4 year old girl, I can say that the Frozen obsession hit when the movie came out and it never left!

My Lily is still obsessed with Elsa and Frozen, and her best friend, Lily, is, too! In fact, there are often little arguments about which one of them is really Elsa! We always tell them that there can be two!

On August 2nd, we dressed in our Frozen dresses/colors and we headed to (friend) Lily's house for a Frozen-themed 5th birthday party!

We met Lily when she was just over a year old, and it has been so much fun watching her grow.  I really can't believe she's now 5 and just started Kindergarten!

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My dear friend, Steph, did such a great job on the decorations, food, activities, and cake!  All the kids had a great time! 

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Lily's Party
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Snow Table

We are so happy we got to celebrate with the sweetest 5 year old girl we know!

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When we arrived home, the girls posed for a quick sisters picture for National Sisters Day! I love having sisters and I hope they always love and appreciate each other.

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AND because it was the eve of my Lily's birthday, I took a few final pictures of Lily at 3 years old!

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Lily started her year as a 3 year old in this dress and she ended it in this dress. It just seemed fitting to document it.  I love my sweet little Elsa!

Is the Frozen obsession still going strong in your home?


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Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Reunited

So many things change every year, but I always know exactly where I will be on the first Saturday of August!

My dad's family has been gathering for a family reunion on the first Saturday of August for decades.  This year, it happened to be on August 1st, and it was extra special, because my family from Texas was in town!

My dad has a HUGE family.  Not only that, but they are a fun, loving, supportive family.  It's always so nice to see them. Although the majority of us live in the same general area, I only get to see my extended family once a year.  It's definitely not enough!

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We had a lot of fun at the reunion this year!  It was held at a park right next to my parent's house, and everyone seemed to enjoy having it there.

There was delicious food.  That's a given!

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Everyone just kept eating, the matriarch of the family rode Lexie's bike, and my dad repeatedly put Liam to sleep.

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Liam showed everyone his creepy trick of sleeping with his eyes open.

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Dylan caught a tiny toad...

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...and a REALLY big frog!

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The kids spent the day playing in a ginormous pile of mulch.

Kids in mulch

Liam shoved an earring up Great Aunt Jackie's nose, met a distant baby cousin, and fell asleep (again) on my mom.

Liam and family

When he woke up, he spent some time in the coolest swing ever and bonded with Great Uncle Milt from Texas!

Liam swings

When he tired of that, he moved on to sidewalk chalk with his beautiful cousin, Julia, and the bow-tie wearing dog. They totally coordinated!

Liam Chalk

All that sleeping was for a reason.  Unfortunately, Liam was really out of sorts that day.  Teething and diarrhea was making him feel awful.  I felt terrible, because it was the first time my aunt and uncle got to meet him. Despite the fussiness, he still had his moments of sweetness, and they were smitten!

Uncle Milt Aunt Susie and Liam

The sun began to set, which meant it was almost time to say goodbye.

Liam and Papa

Saying goodbye is always so hard. It's hard enough knowing I won't see most of my relatives until the following August.  BUT..we went two years between visits with my Godparents and my cousin from Texas.  Everyone is just so happy and excited when they come home. We don't get to see them nearly enough and it was so difficult saying goodbye!

Family Reunion

Goodbyes are never easy, but we made some great memories at the family reunion this year! Until next year...

Do you have a family reunion every year?

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