Walk-A-Thon

 The PTA decided to kick off the year straight into fund-raising.  You can imagine my enthusiasm.

Kids were excited to do the walk-a-thon as ever, and thankfully the weather held as well.

Jacqueline and Sofia were quick to spot Ms. Chan walking.

Ashton on the other hand appears to be more excited about the orange slices as the photos show...

AYSO Goofy Goobers

Soccer season this year only Ashton played.  She worked really hard this season getting the "golden gatorade" on more than one occasion for working hard on the field.

 Ashton was a solid team player, often recognized for listening and working hard both in the games and at practice.

 She played goalie for much of the season but by the end tended to prefer to play forward. 

S

And of course, what is a sporting event without fans?

Tae kwon do

 After several times asking we finally were able to get Jacqueline into Tae kwon do.  She is having a blast.

 Of course a big part of the appeal is having a BFF in the class with her.  Although it does appear this sport draws on a lot of her strengths.  Kicking, hitting, yelling, etc.  She really is a natural!

And then she was 8!

Theme for the 8th year was a sophisticated zoo.

With friends and hugs

And even a shared birthday girl (Brooklyn had her party right before)

And a few crazy stunts

and lots of sugar and smiles.  

First Day of school 2013

No first day of school would be complete here without a neighborhood photo.  It was during this photo that we began to realize that we had two different levels of enthusiasm for the first day of school.

The fifth grader struggled to contain the enthusiasm.  

 Proudly showing off her new backpack choice (get it?  California Bear...)

The third grader was feeling just a little more hesitant.  This was a new teacher and her BFF was in a different class.  She was pretty stressed out.

Luckily she could still walk together to school and after a plan to meet at recess was hatched we were off.  Look out 2013 -- here we go!

Paris

 Paris decided to have a little rain for us when we arrived.  This might have been an issue given one of our major plans was a bike tour but alas we decided garbage bag raincoats would solve the problem (and add that nice fashion detail to really set off the American tennis shoe look).

The girls taking a moment to reflect the history and beauty of their location (or plot for snacks..)

 Jacqueline was not thrilled to be riding the jump bike with her dad (although she was not at all stressed about the fact they tipped over).  She wanted to ride her own bike.  That said, mom and dad were a lot happier to not worry about her trying to cope with the crowds and the traffic and the photo ops were good.

 She was pleased to have worn her Paris shirt as well.

and the jump bike could be used in multiple ways to add back that element of danger.

 Some silliness when asked to pose.

 and of course, ice cream after the bike ride was necessary (if crazy expensive).

 Day 2 making up with mom for being bratty kids in the hotel..

 doing some shopping for a purse for Jaq near Sacre Coeur 

 Dad wasn't feeling too well so mom and the girls went to visit the Notre Dame alone

 as you can see the weather improved dramatically.

girls enjoyed the posh room dad got for us in Paris and took advantage of the robes.

Pirates

 The last day of our cruise was the pirate party.  The girls had planned ahead and brought a few small items to show their pirate spirit.

 They both were happy to get their photos with Pirate Minnie as well.

At the end of our dinner there was a dance party on the deck and fireworks.  Everyone had a great time and was not at all enthusiastic about packing for departure.