Beginning Pre-K4

It has been a new kind of week for this crew; Ella has officially started school! She is in Pre-Kindergarten Age 4 (Pre-K4). She goes to a wonderful school just down the road from us called Cedarcrest Academy. They have 2 campuses, one for Pre-K and Kindergarten and the other is 1st-8th grades.

Her teachers name is Mrs. Buss. There are 17 kids with one teacher and 1 assistant. Mrs. Buss is so warm and friendly - Ella said on the first day that she really loves her class.

It definitely feels like a new chapter for us. She attends school 3 days a week 8-3. It's an early morning and a very full day, but she is ready beyond doubt.

She has already met a new little friend, Juuna. Juuna is a very sweet little girl. I see many playdates and birthday parties ahead. Rick and I are very proud of Ella - she will be a great student and good friend for sure.

We have Ella enrolled in just one extracurricular activity: dance! She twirls and whirls around anytime she can and loves listening to Mozart ( I'm not kidding!) - it's ballet music :):) This is a picture of her with her dance teacher, Miss Kristin.

The following are some other pics taken recently.

The above photos include swimming lessons (she is a fish!) and beauty day. The photos below are from her longest bike ride this summer...I think 3 miles with training wheels is pretty good for a 4 1/2 year old. Go Ella!

We hope anyone reading this blog is stopping to enjoy life's little moments. I have learned that the laundry will always be there and trying to keep windows free of smudges could be a full time job. Sitting down to color a picture, share a snack or make cookies are truly the most precious moments for me during this season of life. Enjoy yours :)

Rockin' and Rollin'!!

Greetings All!

It is darn cold here, but we are tough Minnesotans...doesn't slow us down one bit ;-) We warm up the car and dress for the weather - no big deal to us! We are all healthy and happy; warm and cozy. One of our favorite family activities is to start a fire in the fireplace, pop some popcorn and watch a good old fashioned family movie. It's so awesome to be all cuddled up together - I know it won't last forever, so we sure are enjoying those times now.

I think most of you know that I am no longer employed outside the home aside from my fitness classes at Life Time. Rick is taking on a lot of responsibility with his job, as well as working on an additional project, so he has been EXTRA busy and full to capacity. Sometimes things just work out as they should - it's been nice that I've been able to focus on the homefront while he is working so hard. Ella still goes to daycare a few days a week to see her very best friends - it's a really good balance. I am casually looking for my next adventure - likely to be a lower key position with flexibility...we shall see.

Ella is doing awesome!! She is so fun at 4. We love communicating with her and listening to her discussions with her make believe friends. She likes to be in charge, yet tends to be the sensitive and emotional one at daycare vs. the more aggressive type. She LOVES her friends deeply and really enjoys her activities. She takes ballet and tap at a local dance studio - she loves it so much. We will let her go as long as she is having fun - so far, that is the case. We will have her pick up swimming again this spring so she will be ready for the MN summer with the lakes and pools. We count our blessings every day to have such a happy and healthy fun-loving little munchkin. She really has a sense of humor and loves to laugh - it's so much fun watching these qualities develop.

We just got back from AZ where we visited Rick's folks. We also got to see Ella's GREAT grandma and grandpa - it was fun to see her genuine joy when she was with them. Rick and I enjoyed a date night in Scottsdale to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of our very first date while Ella was busy at the zoo and having a slumber party with Nonni and Papa. Ella joined us in Scottsdale on our last day/evening; we enjoyed a really nice family day and made some fantastic memories.

Enjoy the pics!!




Stay warm wherever you are, and, take some advice from our wise 4 year old...be sure to laugh at least once a day, it really is the best medicine.

Love,
Team Adams
Rick, Molly, Ella and Goldie