Movie Review: "Inside Out"

It's no secret that I am a Disney/Pixar fan and to me all most of their movies are just great...but in trying to be objective in reviewing their latest one, I will go ahead and say that it was AWESOME!!!
It is so refreshing to see movies that aside from being incredibly entertaining, also carry a powerful message that will likely stay in our minds for years to come...this is exactly the case with Inside Out.. we just loved it...
The plot is based on a clever look of Riley's emotions that basically control all of her moods, personality traits, etc.
These emotions are also in charge of her memories, whether happy or sad and they guard them with their lives...literally...
The movie is very colorful and extremely creative; it takes the viewer on a journey through Riley's brain and it provides a kid friendly explanation as to why all feelings and emotions are necessary because they compliment each other. I love the message of "feelings are what make us human" and there are no "bad feelings" just emotions that work together to make us who we are, to develop our personality and empower our relationships. The characters are fun and unique and the plot is developed smoothly, which helps capture the attention of both children and adults the same.  The movie also features jokes intended for adults (i.e. facts vs. opinions- you have to see the movie to know what I'm talking about!) that make it even more appealing for all audiences.
I could go on and on about how amazing this movie was, but I will let you see it for yourself.  This one gets 4 out of 4 stars from me.. We can't wait for it to come out on DVD! :)

End of school year and summer kick-off!

Another school year down for the books! I feel so proud of my girls for having finished Kindergarten and 2nd grade; they are such champs!

This school year was intense to say the least.. I lost count of many crazy projects Olivia had and how many activities we were part of this year and I know they are probably as exhausted as I am!

And now here are some pictures for funsies.. it has become a tradition for us to do First/Last day pictures and the girls really love it. The pictures really show how much they really change in the course of a school year; it's so crazy to see!

I think Gaby is the most changed this time around; she looks like a baby on her first day.. I can't believe she is a First Grader!!!

And to kick off our summer break, Olivia got braces on Saturday! The process was surprisingly smooth and very fast and she is very excited about her new look. 

Bye Bye Kindergarten

This week marks the end of Kindergarten for our "baby"; she is officially a "grader" now and we couldn't be more excited about her accomplishments!

Gaby is such a special little girl with a strong personality and strange sense of humor.  She is so incredibly mature for her age and never ceases to surprise us with her negotiating abilities. 

Kindergarten was such a great experience for her; we started the year thinking that she would have to be held back at the end and maybe re-do the year; she could barely read and didn't seem to have what it took to match up to whatever academic requirements were set for kids her age. Her birthday also happens to be in the summer so she is among the youngest in her class, so for us it was always a "play it by ear" kind of thing.. so we did!

I am proud to say that Gaby is now a star reader who has exceeded all academic expectations for kindergarten; she loves school and she loves to learn.  We are so blessed to have had teachers who dedicated themselves fully and were able to teach her everything she needed to learn and then some! Thank you Mrs. H and Mrs. V.. you two were amazing!

Yesterday the school held a special "Kindergarten Prayer Service" to celebrate the end of such special year.  The kids sang songs and recited prayers and we had such an awesome time!

Here are some pictures:

Gaby's "graduation" pictures! :)

And now we enjoy the last two days of school and as we get ready for summer break I can only thank God for his abundant blessings and a wonderful school year! :)