First Week of School

It's official, Ruby is a 4 year old kindergarten student! 4K Started this past Tuesday and the anticipation of the big day was exciting for all of us in the Muniz household. Tuesday morning bright and early, Ruby was up and ready to get to her school day checklist.  After breezing through her list, it was "Photo shoot" time! Ruby did a few poses that cracked us up (see photos) and then hopped in the car.  We walked into the building with all the other nervous parents...didn't see a nervous kid in sight....and waited outside of Mrs. W's class.  Once the doors opened, Ruby ran right in and that was it, she was a student! I managed to snap a quick shot of her with her name tag, before she gave me the "are you really still here?" look. Giving her one last good-bye, I turned and left my first born, not only symbolizing her first day of school, but a step forward in her journey to being a big kid.  She didn't cry, I didn't cry, but the moment was not without nostalgia for her baby days.  When I got home I turned on Sesame Street for Adrian, it was nice.  By the end of the week I was in the groove of the quiet mornings, while Adrian has been enjoying playing with all of Ruby's toys :)

I did sneak a quick chat with her teacher to see how she was doing...in a word "chatterbox"...yep, that's my girl!

Countdown to the First Day of School!

15 days and counting to Ruby's first day of school! We have been busy getting her organized, supplied and prepped for this monumental day.  A family trip to Target with supply list in hand made me grateful that she is only going to be in 4k, therefore her list was significantly shorter than the grades above her. She got to pick out her box of kleenex, some glue sticks (Elmer's only, as instructed) and a box of crayons, while an 8oz bottle of Elmer's remained elusive. She has her backpack, courtesy of the Pearson's, new school shoes, and her own enthusiasm only the first day of school can bring.

In order to get her prepped for the big day, we have been having her complete a morning checklist.  Ruby's class starts at 8 am, meaning she has to get all her morning business done in a timely manner.  She has taken to her checklist just as any child of my precise and orderly husband would..she loves it! She wakes up excited to get to it and is pleased when her list is complete.  She is very independent, so in order to give her control over her clothing, without complete control over the selection, we have created a hanging rack with the days of the week on it with outfits chosen Sunday night.  She'll be able to get dressed on her own without the struggles of her matching sense...no just because it' a shade of pink does't mean the entire outfit matches.  There is no school on Fridays...this day will be reserved for her own style choices.

Ruby's school holds a "Sneak-A-Peek" the week before where the kids bring their supplies, meet the class and teacher, and get acquainted with the playground. Ruby is hoping for monkey bars. Mommy is hoping she doesn't cry...glad school is only 3 hours this year!

Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Oh What a Beautiful Day.....

The weather couldn't be more perfect these last few days! After a truly sweltering last few weeks, Wisconsin was given a reprieve with weather in the 70's, clear skies (for the most part) and a nice breeze.  The kids and I took advantage of the great weather this past Wednesday and ventured downtown to the farmer's market with friends.  We spent the day walking around the Capitol, State Street, and enjoying baked treats from the market stands.
 Today we woke to 57 degrees and dewy grass.  After walking down to the garden with Ruby to pick whatever veggie was ripe, I knew we had to get out and enjoy this day as much as possible!  We all know in Wisconsin that summer is fleeting and when it's not muggy and relatively bug free, it's take it now or dream about it in the middle of January!  So, off we set on our adventure for the day!
Adrian has just this past week become more steady while sitting up.  This morning was a perfect chance for him to try out the wagon for the first time! I strapped him in and after wheeling him around in the garage a bit decided he was ready for his first trek with big sister.  We decided to pull them around on the trails behind our house since the prairie grass is high and offers a wilderness-like experience.
I can't tell you how cute both kids looked or how excited they both were as we dragged the wagon through the overgrown mini-trail to the real trail.  Unfortunately I didn't grab the camera, but as you can imagine, for them it was probably like the start of a Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Ruby of course being the one to grab or instruct me to grab all flower specimens, while Adrian grabbed at anything that came within reach of the wagon.
The highlights of the walk included crossing over the bridge, checking out the prairie info signs, and a little trailblazing with Daddy after he entered what he thought was the narrow pass back to our yard. It was a great day!

Something New

I thought I would try my hand at a family blog now that we have two kiddos.  I have found that keeping up with two babysites has been a challenge and time seems to be in short order these days!  I will continue to up-date the babysites for now and slowly phase them out in favor of this blog...that's the plan at least!  I will be highlighting each child of course, but also the happenings of the entire family.  Hopefully this will streamline everything and being free doesn't hurt either!