The understatement of the world is saying "don't blink, it goes by so fast". I mean, lightning speed. Some days really drag on, but I really don't know how it all goes by so quickly. Not long ago, were we deliriously feeding two babies in the middle of the night.
I've always dreamed about the day we sent them off to Kindergarten - watching two sweet girls with their oversized backpacks getting on big yellow school buses. And then, COVID happened. Very early on in the pandemic, when they were talking about school in the fall being hybrid of virtual learning and in-person instruction, I just knew that wouldn't be an option for us. We couldn't both work full-time jobs while helping two little girls, who can't even read or use a computer, do Kindergarten on a small screen. To us, Kindergarten is about fostering good social skills, eating lunch that you've packed, playing on the playground. It's not learning letters from a teacher through a computer. And knowing this, coupled with the fact that we would need TWO spots if we chose a private option, I knew we had to get on a list early. Daniel thought I was crazy (and now he'll say in a heartbeat that I was right....). I did some research, and knowing we aren't religious didn't want to go the religious private school route. There is a Goddard School right down the road for us, so I called and fell in love with the owner Debbie. She was a true gem, and assured me she would put us on the list and look out for us. Fast forward a few months later, and the school board voted to send the entire county back 100% virtual. I did have a mini panic attack, moreso because of the reality of the situation for all the kids, but also over the cost of private Kindergarten. Living in a good county, I truly never imagined private school was in our future. I actually joked about being SO RICH when we no longer had to pay for daycare when the girls started Kindergarten (*sobs into bowl of ramen noodles*). To do our due diligence, we did go tour one person's home who was offering to help with virtual school, but we left her house and immediately confirmed our spots for the Goddard. We knew we would be poor but happy (and I'm typing this from February, and I can confirm we are, in fact, poor but HAPPY).
The Goddard was offering two small Kindergarten classes this year. They would have one main teacher with two teaching assistants, and the teachers would all swap back and forth. We've always toyed with the idea of separating them, but in our world, this is ideal for separating. They would get the exact same environment and communication from the same teachers, just be able to have their own independence and set of friends. So after we thought about it for about a day, we decided it would be best to separate them. Ms. Debbie assured me we would have a solid plan B if they didn't do well separated, so this momma's heart felt good with this decision.
So, alas, here we are. Ella and Sydney are off to Kindergarten, in separate classes, in a private school, in the middle of a pandemic.
You shouldn't be surprised - outfits, shoes, bows, and memory boards ready to go.
Sweet baby A, Ella Grace. Ella is five years old and on September 8, 2021, she will be on her way to Kindergarten at the Goddard School with teachers Ms. Evers, Ms. Williams, and Ms. Cruickshanks. Ella's favorite food is watermelon, she loves the book The Wizard of Oz (pop-up book), and she wants to be a queen when she grows up. Ella loves to be in charge (read: bossy/leader). She's very, very emotional, which means she has lots of highs and also lots of lows (but we are working hard at that!). She loves her momma, she loves swimming, and she really enjoys arts and crafts.
Sweet baby B, Sydney Ann. Sydney is five years old and on September 8, 2021, she will be on her way to Kindergarten at the Goddard School with teachers Ms. Evers, Ms. Williams, and Ms. Cruickshanks. Sydney's favorite food is spaghetti (and meatballs), she loves to read Little Red Riding Hood, and she wants to be a pony when she grows up. Sydney loves to play outside, she's competitive, and she's incredibly empathetic. She loves her daddy, loves to be moving, and she's always willing to go with the flow.
When we decided to separate them, Aunt Anna told us about a book about twins separated in Kindergarten, and I ordered it right away.
squeaky clean and reading Twindergarten before we tuck them in the night before school
everyone is getting ready for the day, including daddy
look at them with their oversized bookbags and lunch boxes
Here's a fun story about their bookbags and lunch boxes. My mom said she'd buy them for school. I had the girls, one at at time, in front of the computer to pick out their own stuff. I was truly hoping they'd pick different things, but alas - they did not, even completely separate from each other.
And here they go! Off for their first day. And yes, I SOBBED in the car.
Thankfully I was off work that day, so I went off to run errands and spend money with retail therapy. Daniel was going into the office every now and then (for the most part we were working from home), so he met me for a celebratory lunch+margs. We couldn't believe our girls are in Kindergarten, and couldn't wait to hear all about Ella and Sydney's first day!
Sydney was all done! And we were waiting for Ella!
The "after" hahah
This was the first time the girls have really been separated for very long, especially after a summer quarantined together. Sydney came out first, and thankfully I was able to pull out my phone and record their sweet, sweet reunion. I love the bond they share.
Since the girls were small, we've tried to vacation just the four of us. The first two years we went to the mountains in the fall, then the next two years we did fall beach vacations, and with two Kindergarteners this year, we had to move our fall vacation up to the very end of summer. We've heard a lot about Cape Charles and how it's good for families, and truly wish we would have listened sooner - it was AWESOME! We love going to the OBX, but the waves are always just too rough for our little kiddos, and the water temp is unpredictable. Cape Charles as sand like a beach, but really shallow warm water that makes it RELAXING! We were able to sit in our chairs and not stress about someone drowning. Really, 10/10 would recommend. You get around on golf cart, so it doesn't matter how close you're staying to the water, on a golf cart it's easy to get around. We did lots of take out from all the cute local restaurants, and ate way too much. We had SUCH a fun week! A perfect sendoff to our COVID summer, and soaking up our sweet girls before they become Kindergarteners.
Here's our week filled with finding hermit crabs and playing mermaids, while trying to soak up this goodness-
We made it!
Our first morning, we stayed in PJs and took a golf cart ride to a bakery for freshly baked breakfast goodies.
Easy like Sunday morning
Ready for a week in the sun!
they sat forever digging in the sand for hermit crabs
We took our golf cart to the brewery for a socially distant, outdoor dinner! A gorgeous night.
after dinner, we headed to the beach to watch the sun set
picture perfect view... they were searching for more hermit crabs
we sent them to bed and had a steak dinner on the porch
I'm reading a book, they're playing... this is bliss.
we went down the block for the best ever fried chicken!
here's some lip gloss, sis
italian ice for dessert
we loved our beach house's front porch... we spent a lot of time rocking and enjoying the town. we were in a duplex, and our neighbors were from PA, so we spent a lot of time chatting with them!
another post-dinner sunset
we had a slow morning and decided to take a break from the sun and went to the candy store (with money from grandma!)
we took a nap to try to stay up later that night
We decided on a late afternoon/evening swim and pizza on the beach for dinner!
can't get enough of this guy
they had so much fun feeding the birds
this view never gets old
Our beach house had two queen beds, so E&S had to sleep together. Historically, they don't do great sleeping in the same bed, but thankfully this week they did awesome!
As we wrapped up our week, we went out to eat inside a restaurant (a COVID rarity), and had to soak up one last sunset
happiness summed up in one photo, what an amazing week
We had a much, much needed break from reality, and were recharged and ready for whatever's up next in this most unpredictable pandemic.
