First day of Kindergarten

*sigh*

Wait a second. I have a kid in Kindergarten????!!! Where did the time go?
I drove Adeline to school on her first day. We had to park off campus because the gates were closed up so the buses could come in. Adeline was so excited.














Before Adeline went into her classroom, she said her goodbyes to us. Her and Norah hugged for awhile and when they were done, Norah said in a sad voice, "I'm really going to miss you Adeline!" It was so incredibly cute and made my heart melt a little bit. She will miss her. I will miss her.

Adeline got Mrs. Berlin and I couldn't be more happy. She is supposably the best and everyone wanted her!

A couple days after Adeline started school, she was BEGGING to ride the bus. I had major issues with her riding the bus. It's a 45 minute bus ride each way into the Netherlands and she rides with all ages (including High School). I decided to give it a shot and she has some rules she needs to abide by. She has to sit in the front of the bus and she is only aloud to sit with Preschoolers or Kindergarteners.

Adeline felt pretty cool waiting at the bus stop for her bus.



Adeline got right on the bus and didn't even look back at me. Geez this girl is so darn brave. Good thing or else I would be a mess. Norah stood at the curb bawling and waving at the bus while it drove away. I wish you could see her face in this picture.

Afterwards I picked her up and asked her what was wrong? She replied while crying, "I want to ride the bus with Adeline!"

Adeline has been loving school thus far. She does say that her school is crazy because it is long and she has 2 snacks, 3 recesses and lunch! She is making friends in her class and everyday I ask her what their names are and she says, "I'll tell you tomorrow!" She has one little friend that is in a different Kindergarten class and they find each other at every recess and play. That makes me happy. I put her on the bus at 8:13am and pick her up at 4:15 from the bus stop. I do wish that her school wasn't so long. I miss her a lot. Part of me wishes that she wasn't starting Kindergarten until next year. But like my mom says, Adeline is ready and sometimes what I want isn't what is best for her!

Gerardmer, France

The day after Adeline's birthday we decided to head down to Geradmer, France. It is kind of a random place to visit, but Abe had thought of it because it was in his area while he was on his mission. We rented a little apartment that was right across the street from the lake. It ended up being a nice little apartment and was in a great location. We have learned that traveling in Europe, it is almost impossible to get a hotel room that will accommodate a family of 5. You really would need to get 2 separate hotel rooms and sometimes even at that, I don't think 5 people would fit. So, the best way is to rent an apartment or a home and it actually ends up cheaper than a hotel.










We spent the weekend playing at the lake, paddle boating, playing at the park, walking around the darling town and eating.
















Pooped from all the action








We had some great food there and the pastries/bread were TO DIE FOR!! I want to go back their right now just to get some bread. Abe would go first thing in the morning to get bread and it was so yummy to eat warm and fresh out of the oven!




On Sunday we drove about 25 minutes to a little town called Saint Die. We were able to go to the branch where Abe served his mission. He warned me that we would probably double the branch with our family of 5, but I kind of thought he was joking. We showed up and there were 2 cars in the entire parking lot. We DID double the branch in total and our kids were the only kids. For the first meeting they brought me and the girls back into what was supposed to be the primary room. I don't think that room had been used in years. I colored and played with the girls back there, while Abe attended Sunday school. Since there really wasn't anyone that attended that branch, they only have 2 meetings instead of 3. After I played with the girls in the primary room, we went into the Chapel for sacrament. Our girls were being really good, but they were a big distraction since there were no other kids and hardly any other people. It was a humbling experience for me. I don't know how I could live in an area and go to church where there were no other kids/members. It would be rough. It is easy for me to be critical of our ward here, but it feels very functional and big after attending that branch. After church we were able to drive to see the cute town of Saint Die and let the girls run around for a bit. We found a little place there for lunch and the food was wonderful.





All in all, it was a great little getaway!

5 Years Old

I can't believe that I have a 5 year old!!



It scares me to think about how fast the time flies. Abe and I were watching videos of Adeline the other day when she was just a little peanut. It makes me remember that I really need to savor every moment with my little girls, because they are not going to be little forever.

We had Adeline's birthday party a couple days before her birthday at Blomland. Bomland is a little family owned farm in the village right next to us. The kids first got to search for chocolate candy in a disgusting little room filled with corn. That room also had a slide, hay bails and a swing for the kids to play on. After that the kids were able to go and see the animals, feed them, play on a big outdoor play area and have little pony rides. It was definitely an authentic German birthday with the french fries, bratwurst and fanta served for lunch. I regret not getting a picture of the whole group!



I have to say that I am pretty darn proud of this cake!








































On Adeline's actual birthday we went swimming, opened presents and she picked her favorite meal for dinner. She choose shrimp, avocado, watermelon and root beer.







Some things about Adeline at 5 Years Old


-Independent
-Brave
-Competitive. If this girl sets her mind to something, she is determined that she will do it... and she will!!
-Adventurous. She is always game for anything and everything and always up for a new adventure.
-Wants to be a good girl. I have always been told that 5 year olds are pleasers and want to be good. I can totally see this in Adeline right now. She is so fun right now.
-5 going on 12. This makes me so nervous for when she does get older. She refuses to use anything that is meant for a kid while eating or drinking. She wants glass plates, glass bowls and real silverware. I asked her why she wants to use all the adult stuff and she replied, "Because I want to be an adult!"
-very mature
-still into fashion
-Loves helping out with anything: cleaning, crafting, cooking, folding laundry, etc.
-loves dressing up and putting on shows. Her shows consist of mostly dancing around and doing tricks.
-Loves riding her bike and scooter pretty much every single day. She used to ride her bike to German Kindergarten, but it is too hard now that we are going to the bus. I can't carry her bike back! Now she rides her scooter to and from the bus stop. It is much easier to fold up and put in the stroller.
-Learning to read. She can make all the sounds and is starting to put words together.
-Loves puzzles, being read to, jumping on the tramp, dressing up, coloring, crafting, and baking.
-Asks in depth questions about everything.
-Has TONS of energy. She is still our energizer bunny. She also loves to talk.

I love this little girl!