Bittersweet Milestone (continued) - Lily Starts Preschool

The bittersweet moments just keep on coming here at the Partridge household. Lily has started her preschool. She goes two days a week for a few hours a day and she just loves it!

She has wonderful teachers that have known her since she was a baby because we've always had our kids involved in ECFE. I love that her award-winning preschool is so close to home and has so many wonderful, age appropriate activities.

The classroom is so cute! They have a very structured day of play time in the classroom, circle time, art project, snack, then gym and finally classroom cleanup before being dismissed. We were so blessed to get her into this program because there is a waiting list. I stayed up very late to register her as soon as registration was open and I'm very lucky we got a spot! :)

Lily is a social butterfly and she is making many classroom friends. Some of them are even in her gymnastics class! We live in a wonderful community that has a fantastic school district. We are in the top 20% in the state and I'm glad that my children will benefit from the schools here.


Although it was hard to let go and drop Lily off at preschool (I teared up a little again) I know that she is in good hands and that she will benefit greatly from it. Time has gone by so fast! I remember her as a rolly poley baby and now she is a big girl. Sigh.

Bittersweet Milestone - Logan starts Kindergarten

I really cannot believe that my baby is in Kindergarten. I know this day happens for moms all over the USA so I'm not unique in any way but I still can't help feeling that I'm somehow experiencing this uniquely! It was bittersweet for our family as we walked him to the bus stop. We made the day extra special with Daddy and Lily coming along.

I am happy that my son gets to go to Kindergarten and he is SO EXCITED about it. At the same time, I am a little sad. It just went so fast! I truly remember him being a baby, and I know I'm going to blink my eyes and be sending him off to college. I will say "But I just put him on the bus to Kindergarten yesterday!"

It is so true that time as a parent is extremely mind bending. On the one hand, it seems to move so slow. You know, when you were up all night with a sick baby or those long winter days when the kids are climbing up the walls and you just need a break. Then again, time goes by so very fast when you are a mom or dad. You find yourself remembering that just yesterday we were teaching him to walk and now he is riding a bike with no training wheels! I sit back and wonder, has all that time really passed?

So, I held it together and got him on the bus for his first day of Kindergarten. Walking back from the bus stop I got that lump in my throat and tears welled up in my eyes. I wiped them away quickly and smiled. A new chapter! We are blessed that we get more time that will fly by.

Partridge Family Field Trip - Como Zoo

Another funtastic field trip for the Partridge family! We took the kids to the Como Zoo and conservatory. It was a great day because we saw so many animal exhibits. Of course, we went to Logan's favorite place at the zoo, the Japanese Garden.


The Japanese garden is such a serene and peaceful place. The kids walked the paths with us over and over. One of the volunteers pointed out the "turtle" to us, which I had never seen before. The garden in the middle of the pond is shaped like a turtle and the bridges are it's flippers. Super neat, once you realize it!

Then we hit up all the main attractions, checking out the lions, monkeys, and the jungle animals. Lily loved the giraffes and zebras.

We also caved in and let the kids go to the Como Town splash pad and one ride each. Lily did the swings and Logan chose the train. They both loved the splash pad and played for an hour or so in it. It was a very hectic time for Mike and I because it is so hard to keep track of your kids in that thing!
It has a huge park and a splash pad with almost a zillion kids running around.

Partridge Family Field Trip - Munsinger Clemens Gardens

While Mike had some "time off" this summer we decided to make a few memories with the kiddos. Of course, since we didn't have a lot of money to spend that meant getting a little creative. One of our favorite places in Minnesota is the Munsinger Clemens Gardens in St. Cloud.

They are absolutely gorgeous, and best of all, FREE! They have so many beautiful flowers and plants to look at with winding paths and great view of the Mississippi river. Logan and Lily loved to climb on the big rocks on the river bank and watch the ducks swim by.

We also had to tour all the pretty flower gardens with wishing wells. The kids got a big thrill out of tossing their pennies in and making a wish. I made a wish too, and it came true a few weeks later! ;)


After we were done looking at the beautiful gardens we took the kids over to the park about a block away. It has a great playground and a splash pad. Since it was so hot out that day, we brought the kid's swimsuits. We changed them into them and then let them run around the splash pad for about an hour. They absolutely loved it!



Afterward, we stopped and got McDonald's and our children were so tuckered out that evening from running through the gardens and playing in the sprinklers. It was a very good and very cheap family field trip! :)