Mio’s last day at preschool is April 10 (since we’re moving her to a full-day daycare), and she had a birthday celebration on April 8, the first day back from spring break. It was bittersweet because it was like a birthday party and farewell party in one! Her teachers and classmates all told her they’d miss her very much and were sad to have to say goodbye.
Birthday cookies we baked for Mio’s class.
Mio couldn’t contain her excitement while we were baking the cookies:
The happy birthday girl with her birthday crown!
At preschool, parents are allowed to bring a birthday treat and a book to read to the class on their child’s birthday. I chose Me… Jane by Patrick McDonnell, which is one of Mio’s favorites, and it seems like the class enjoyed it, too!
The next day, Mio got a birthday card from one of her classmates!
Such an adorable card handmade by Mio’s friend Elizabeth and her sister Emma
Mio was elated to get a birthday card from her classmate and friend! So sweet of them to think of her.
Mio has also said she’ll miss her preschool and her teachers and friends there, but she’s also expressed excitement about her new daycare! We’ve had a great two years at the preschool, and are so thankful for all the wonderful teachers and classmates there that have made it such a great experience for Mio and our family.
We celebrated Valentine’s Day a little early this year, because I had plans to visit my best friend in Philadelphia with my girlfriends on February 14th. I took some photos of the girls matching in red to commemorate Valentine’s 2015!
It was impossible to get them to both smile in one shot! Sigh.
Smiling sweetly for the camera! ♥
Mirei’s expressions look so mature lately…
Dan and I got to have an early Valentine’s dinner date on Thursday, thanks to my sister watching the kids for us! We dined at Maple Ave Restaurant, which we had heard so many good things about! We were pretty excited to have a quiet romantic dinner together, and the food did not disappoint. Everything was so incredibly delicious!
Steamed PEI mussels with saffron coconut broth, chinese sausage, and crostinis as an appetizer.
I ordered the duck leg confit with caramelized brussel sprouts, truffle aioli, and apple cider gastrique.
For dessert, we had the chocolate dumplings with fried pastry shell, melted chocolate ganache, vanilla ice cream, and chocolate sauce.
…and the “omg” flourless chocolate cake. Both were amazing!
Love you hubby! Thanks for a lovely and romantic evening.
When we got home, Mio delivered surprise Valentines gifts from Dan!
A sweet Valentine’s card from Dan and the girls!
Mio signed her Valentines to her classmates this year! This was actually her first time writing her name out. We’d been encouraging her to write her name for a while now and she always resisted so we’ve tried not to push her… but she willingly wrote it this time. So proud of her!
Mio’s Valentines haul from her classmates. She loved it, and has been treasuring her bag of Valentine’s cards in the days since!
On the same day (Friday), we received this card in the mail. Mio’s preschool class has been learning about the post office, and apparently they sent their Valentine’s to their parents out in the mail in time to get to us by Valentine’s Day! I will treasure this always.
Mio telling us about how she sent the Valentine in the mail.
Thank you sweetheart for such a beautiful Valentine! We love you and your sister so much!
Mio’s preschool had a Halloween parade and performance for parents and siblings to come see last Wednesday. All the kids wore their Halloween costumes, and Mio decided to dress up as Minnie Mouse, to mix things up a bit and she declared that her sushi costume was strictly “just for trick-or-treating.” Here are some video and photos I took!
Holding hands with the assistant teacher during the parade around the school.
As soon as she spotted Mirei and I, she tried to run towards us!
Sitting down inside the Fellowship Hall for singing.
Some video of the performances and the kids exiting afterwards:
The kids got a kick out of the inflated ghost outside the class.
Wednesday was Mio’s first day of school in her 3’s class at preschool! She has missed going to school over the summer, and was very eager and excited to go back to school. She had a great time meeting her new teachers and classmates last Friday at the sneak peek orientation, and didn’t shed a tear when I dropped her off! She didn’t look back and went straight into the classroom.
Here are some photos I took to document her first day of her second year at preschool!
“It’s my first day of school…”
“another school year…”
“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous…”
“…but I’m mostly brimming with excitement!”
Waiting in front of the school for the doors to open. She looks so mature and grown up in some of these shots. Our little Mio is growing up before our very eyes… :’)
We look forward to another great school year for Mio, full of fun, learning, and forming great relationships with her teachers and classmates! 🙂
