92 months

Our busy summer quickly came to an end when we got back from Georgia. We packed lots into our last week while also getting ready for school. We went bowling with friends who we hadn't seen all summer, it is amazing how these kids pick up right where they have left off after not seeing each other for a while. J did much better at bowling and didn't pitch a fit like she did when we were in Georgia! The girls got their back to school hair cuts, its amazing what taking off an inch or two does to their hair, and how much more tameable it is! We went shopping for first day of school outfits, we were a little late to the game and picking were slim in their sizes, but they both chose a cute dress (of course the same one) after trying on a pile of clothes at Old Navy! Maybe I just need to take them shopping and let them try on clothes when we are bored and have nothing to do!

They got to check off a "real" beach day from their summer bucket list. We went up to Clearwater Beach and spent the day with our friends at their beach condo, this is my idea of how to go to the beach! A pool to rinse off in and clean clothes for the ride home keep the sand out of my car! The kids attempted to dig to China, they didn't get there but they did dig deep enough to get to the water. We went looking for shells and to try and catch sea creatures but it was a little rough and we couldn't see in the water because the waves were coming too fast! Speaking of waves, since it was a little wavy J learned to ride a boogie board, at first she didn't get it but once it clicked she was a boogie master riding the waves in! The kids had a great day, having awesome friends to play and hang out with make it that much better!

The Thursday before school started was meet the teacher night. We were lucky to find out her teacher the day before but she was anxious to see what friends she had in her class. Mommy was working PTO so daddy got the excitement of her reading the class list posted in the hallway and realizing she knew five kids from the last two years. When they came to get me from the cafeteria to go and meet the teachers J couldn't wait to tell me who was in her class. First we went to C's room and then we headed to the second grade building (she thinks she is special because she is in the new wing of the school) to check out her class. By the time we got there most of the families had already stopped by so she didn't see anyone she knew but did get to meet two girls who were new to the school. We  found her desk, organized her supplies, turned in her paper work and met and talked with her teacher. Second grade seems like it is going to be another great year! That weekend we had a back to school BBQ at G&G's house, of course J had to get the rib, and mommy treated them to their first salon mani/pedi, J of course got hers painted pink with glitter on top and the color happened to be called "Kiss Me I'm Brasilian"! I am creating monsters!

The night before school we picked out their outfits for the entire week, it is something new we are going to do on Sundays to alleviate wardrobe drama each morning and everyone was back to bed at a decent time. The first day of school was a whirlwind! The girls were up bright and early, even before their alarms, everyone was dressed and had eaten breakfast by 7:30am which allowed plenty of time for the obligatory pictures. Since mommy had to volunteer at school all morning we drove up to school, snapped a quick picture of them in front of school, a quick family picture that turned out horrible and before I knew it we were saying goodbye to daddy and walking into school. There was so much commotion that I don't even remember kissing them goodbye, they just took off for the hallway and away they went into the sea of kids! They were excited to see me when school was over (we biked home) and had to take turns at dinner telling us all about their day. J talked about what she bought for lunch, she told us the names of the new girls in her class, that they are allowed to keep their backpacks now at their desk (they have a special hook) and that she had a good day. The first week went by in a flash, the girls settled back into their routine of going to bed early and reading, J was looking froward to her first library special so that she could check out a book, and to her surprise she can now get two since she is in second grade! The second week of school homework started, it still isn't much, a two sided math work sheet (she says math is her new favorite subject) and 15 minutes of reading which we do nightly anyways.

J is into College Game Day so when we found out that they were going to be broadcasting live from the Magic Kingdom for the Miami/Florida game there was no questioning that we had to go! We had already planned to spend the weekend in Tampa at the beach watching the game with friends so what was a little longer drive for the pre-party? Daddy had been out of town for the week so we picked him up Friday night at the Tampa airport, stopped for dinner and headed to Orlando so that we could get up bight and early. On our way to the airport we decided to stop at Walmart and pick up poster board to make signs, mommy was challenged with getting on TV! While the girls went to bed mommy and daddy stayed up making signs for the next day, I was ambitious in wanting to make four signs but after two we were exhausted and called it a night. When the girls work up the next morning they couldn't wait to see the signs, they were dressed faster than the speed of light and gobbled down their breakfast so we could head to the Magic Kingdom. It was our first time going without taking the stroller so they were super excited to be able to ride the tram from the parking lot, what a whole new experience Disney is without a stroller (it was just for this day since we didn't plan to stay long or venture very far from Main Street). We sweat like pigs waiting for the show to begin, we got there about 45 minutes before the show started and it was August in Florida! When the guys finally came out everyone was excited including J, she proudly sat on daddy's shoulders and waved her sign in the air! We waited through the first couple of commercial breaks, texting with everyone we knew watching to see if they had seen us on TV yet, and then headed off to cool down and ride a couple of rides. Daddy got back to the crowd before we did, it was so hot the girls wanted to ride the Carousel of Progress to cool down, and finally just before 11am we made our way back for the last part of the show, mommy was bound to get on TV, which I did, daddy had gotten on TV earlier in the morning.  When the show was over we waited around to see them all exit the set and got all but Corso to sign our sign, made all the sweating worth it, and J thought it was just the greatest! We stopped for a quick lunch and at Staples to have our sign laminated before heading back to Tampa for the game.

Two hotels in two nights was a first for the girls. They are quickly turning into hotel snobs and if we do not get a suite they complain! We spent the evening with our good friends (and their friends) at their beach condos club room watching the Canes game and crafting some pretty snazzy Canes flip flops. I don't remember much of the game, neither do the kids, they were too busy having fun and playing with their friends, I was too buys talking. In the end we lost but put up a pretty good fight trying. Sunday morning we had some donuts at the hotel and then headed back over to the condo for a beach day and lunch before we headed back home. The kids had a great time with each other, the waves were a lot calmer than when we were there a few weeks back, we got to dip net and found quite a few small sea creatures. But of course they decided they wanted to build them a pool in the sand and suffocated them all! It was a busy but great weekend, one the girls will be talking about for some time!

Here are the pictures for the month.