Little A's First Day Of Preschool

Today was another big day in our house, as Little A started a new year of preschool. She was up and at 'em with a smile on her face ready to start the year (for those of you who've been around her lately, you know that the smiles are few and far between outnumbered by the whines and cries!).


She ate breakfast, put her shoes on, and was out the door before I could get pictures! I had to clear the walkway (Grandma and Grandpa, Sherry and Scotty-Finn) and the doorway (Daddy and Big A) and herd her back inside to get the customary first day of school doorway picture.
Here she is with her friend Mallorie. Mallorie and Little A are not in the same class this year, nor will they be next year, but they will start Kindergarten at the same time.

Since Little A was in the same classroom last year, she knows the protocol for what to do when they get to class in the morning, and made herself right at home. She was in the door finding something to play with before the rest of us even got inside.

Here she is with her friends Bailie (Mallorie's big sister) and Joe. She and Bailie started school together last year and are in class together again this year but Bailie will be going to Kindergarten next fall while Little A will still have one more year of preschool.

Here's to a great year, Little A! We can't wait to watch you grow and learn and blossom! We love you!

The Story Of Big Foot

Once upon a time there was a little boy and a little girl camping at Hendy Woods State Park with their family. The little boy had a fascination with Big Foot, and the little girl, wanting to be JUST like her big brother, decided that she did, too.


One morning the kids began asking people in the park if they'd ever seen Big Foot. They asked big campers and little campers, old campers and young campers, camp rangers and camp maintenance people and FINALLY they found someone who knew of Big Foot. Rhonda, the camp host, had seen TRACKS from Big Foot, but she's never actually SEEN Big Foot. The kids also learned that Big Foot only likes to eat bearded fir cones, the more beards, the better.


That day they went exploring with their dad and their grandpa. They searched the forest, the river and the beach but they didn't find any sign of Big Foot. However, when they returned to camp, they saw something...

Why... It was a Big Foot track! And then they saw something else....

ANOTHER Big Foot track!

This got them thinking... They knew he'd been around Hendy Woods so they devised a plan to see if they could lure him into their campsite.

First they worked with Grandma to gather a bucket full of bearded fir cones. Then they sorted through the cones to find the ones with the most beards. Next they cleared a spot so that they'd be sure to get a good foot print, put the best of the best bearded fir cones in the center, and wrote Big Foot's name with sticks.

When the area was set and they were ready for Big Foot to come, they called anyone who would listen over to show them the Big Foot food.

Camp host Rhonda was SO excited to see what would happen! She couldn't wait until morning to find out if Big Foot would come.

That night, the kids ate their dinner, sat by the campfire, and went to bed to dream about Big Foot. When they woke up the next morning they couldn't WAIT to get dressed and get outside to see if he'd come.

As soon as they were dressed they ran out of the tent and...

HE CAME!!!

He ate most of the bearded fir cones and left one, huge, not-so-photographable footprint RIGHT in the center of their feeding area!

The kids were SO excited! They ran to the road to wait for Rhonda so they could show her (and everyone else who walked by their camp) that Big Food had indeed been there. It was the talk of the campground!

The sticks are to show perspective...

Showing the footprint to the host from the other loop of the campground (who walked over specifically to find the kids who had left food out for Big Foot)

More perspective...

So if you're ever out in the forest, watch out for Big Foot! He does indeed exist, but don't worry... Like Santa Claus, he won't come if you're awake. He's more afraid of you than you are of him and he only comes for the food.

Happy Camping!

Kindergarten Care Package

Today Big A came home with this in his back pack...

We opened it to find all of these goodies and a special note from his teacher...

Kindergarten Care Package

* Starburst: You are a star in my class!
* Lifesaver: I am here for you at any time.
* Eraser: We will make mistakes this year, and that’s okay!
* Sticker: We will all stick together this year.
* Rubber Band: We will need to be flexible and work together this year.
* Pencil: Be sure to list the things that you are grateful for.
* Toothpick: Pick out the positive qualities in others.
* Cotton Ball: This class is a comfortable and safe place to be.

I am looking forward to a great year with you! Thank you for being a part of our wonderful class. Mrs. H

What a cute idea! This is going to be a GREAT year!

Big A's First Day Of KINDERGARTEN!!!

Well folks, we made it! Big A started kindergarten today and we all made it through tear-free! (Okay, so that may or may not be ENTIRELY true. There may or may not have been some tears last night and a few this afternoon when I picked him up. I'll never tell!)

He was SO excited! He got right out of bed this morning, got dressed, ate his breakfast, gathered up his backpack and lunch and was out the door almost before I could slow him down to snap some pictures!



Of course Softie Dog had to come along for the car ride and waited faithfully for her boy while he was at school today. She was SO excited to see him when he got out of school!

Lined up and ready to go to class...

"BYE, MOM!"

After school Grandma and I picked Big A up and were THRILLED to hear that that school was "AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME"! I guess it couldn't have gone any better, huh? *WHEW!*

To celebrate, we headed to a local smoothie shop with some friends. The kids weren't crazy about the Root Beer Float Smoothies, but they LOVED hanging out together!

The only problem I'm having with school so far is that it's keeping me up WAY past my bed time! This packing lunch, setting out clothes, making notes for Daddy stuff is killing me!

Oh well.... Here's to a GREAT Kindergarten year! We love you, Big A, and are SO proud of you!

The Last Hurrah (And Good Kids' Meal Toys)

Today was our last Monday together before Big A's big day! We made a last minute trip to Target to pick up a few things, took Little A to her 3 1/2 year check-up (which was fine by the way), and had a 'End Of Summer Hurrah' at the park with 3 other families. We all brought our own pizza dinner (I got in trouble for not playing by the rules... My family had Taco Bell.) and drinks and the adults visited while the kids played. It turned out to be a HOT day which resulted in above average warm night. It was PERFECT and we all had a great time!

In our rush to get to Big A's doctor appointment and because it was the one place we had coupons for, we stopped at Jack In The Box for a quick lunch. Now I'm NOT a fan of Kid's Meal toys, but I must say... Jack In The Box has some GOOD STUFF! Right now they have Crayola items in their Kids' Meals. There are Pip-Squeaks, Broad Line Markers, Color Wonder Markers, and Model Magic. Each meal comes with only one of the things above, but still... AWESOME, and something that doesn't get throw away at the first opportunity!

Both kids got a package of yellow Model Magic and let me tell you... That stuff provided HOURS of entertainment. We made everything from birds, to balloons to mermaids to pancakes to...


Well.... Dog bones and clown noses, OF COURSE!

Anyhow, Model Magic doesn't stick everywhere like Play Doh, doesn't leave little bits everywhere like Play Doh, doesn't smell like Play Doh and it just dries up eventually. I even let them play with it in the car! I think this might be something worth investing in!

Sunday Adventures

Today the kids and I drove up to Lake County to check out our cousins' new house and to visit Grandpa Jim and Sinda. We drove up after church (and I prayed the entire time that there would be no throwing up), spent an hour at the Ely's housewarming party and then headed up the mountain to Grandpa Jim and Sinda's.

The kids played with Kristi's two wiener dogs, Rex and Lucy, played in the hot tub, and had a yummy dinner followed by ice cream sundaes. Spoiled much? OF COURSE!

After dinner the kids got jammies on and we headed home, but not before Little A (and Big A after the fact) checked to see it there was anything under the rug. Okay.... So that's not really what they're doing...

"Little A, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to see my shirt glow in the dark!"

It was a beautiful day with family and friends. Now it's off to catch up on Big Brother!

Productive Saturday!

Today the kids and I ran errands while B was at the orientation for his credential program. We got donuts, went to the dance studio to pay Little A's tuition, went to Lowe's to buy a little grill and some propane, and then headed to Costco. We also planned our camping trip with Grandma and Grandpa and took LONG naps! Productive, I'd say!

In the car Little A was singing "I'm A Little Tea Pot" but she gets it mixed up with "I'm A Little Snowflake" which her class sang for the Christmas show at school last year. The song came out something like this... "I'm a little tea cup short and long, I fall from the sky and I don't make a sound."

I gently tried to correct her, explaining that it is a tea pot, not a tea cup and that it didn't fall from the sky, and also trying to explain that she was confusing the two songs but she wasn't having it. Big A, being the wiseacre that he is, asked, "Where did the tea cup fall from then? The window?"

While we were in Costco, Big A and I were talking about school and the fact that he's in elementary school to which he replied that he'd HEARD of elementary school, but didn't realize he was IN elementary school. (That must somehow be more prestigious than kindergarten???) We talked about which grades are considered elementary, which grades are middle school, and which are high school and I told him that after high school he goes to college. He said, "Then I get a job. WOW! That's SOOO fast! It seems like just an hour until I'm a grown up!"

DAMN! He's right! Stop the train, I want off! I'm having a hard enough time accepting the fact that he's starting kindergarten next week, but being a working adult?!?!? SLOW DOWN!!

Later in the day Little A was telling B about our errands. "DAD! We saw Christmas and Happyween stuff at Costco! There were lots of ghostas!"

Oh man... Those two sure keep me on my toes! I love them SO much!

Girls' Night

GIRLS' NIGHT! YEAH! Our friend, Sherry, needed a night on the town so being the good friends that we are, Tracie and I gave up our Friday night to help a friend in need (Big sacrifice! HA!).

I wasn't feeling well Thursday so I decided I'd let Tracie and Sherry be the DDs and I'd drive. What's that? DD is designated driver? OH! I thought it was designated drinkers! Well... Anyhow, they were sure good at what they did!

We ended up at The Cheesecake Factory and were all STARVING by the time we arrived. We ordered six 'small plates' and by the time we finished them, we had no room left for dessert but we all took cheesecake to go.

We had an awesome time talking and laughing and relaxing. We covered so many topics it was crazy! And how a conversation jumps from one thing to another so far removed is beyond me! I suppose it could be the Sangria talking???

Where should we go next, and who's driving??

Until next time, Cheers, Girls!! I love you!

It's The Last Day Of Swim Lessons....

....and I'm SOOO proud! Both kids have come SO far!

Big A can swim across the pool (long way and short way) on his front AND on his back, is able to get rings from the bottom of the pool in 11 1/2 feet, is beginning to dive and jumps off the diving board and goes down the slide with NO fear. Little A can float on her front and back, is beginning to do arm strokes and will jump in anywhere in the pool. She even goes down the slide if you start her at the vary last turn.

Operation Beautiful

Yesterday morning I was listening to K-Love on the way to work and I heard a story about something called Operation Beautiful. Operation Beautiful "is a viral community effort to increase self-confidence and stop negative self-talk. Operation Beautiful has nothing to do with how much you weigh; it’s about who you are intrinsically as a person – and that is BEAUTIFUL!" Operation Beautiful encourages women to encourage other women with post-it notes placed on mirrors; Notes that simply say things like, "You are beautiful just the way you are," or "You are gorgeous."



Take it from 'the fat kid', this is an AWESOME idea. Now I KNOW I'm a beautiful person. I may not be eye candy to the average Joe on the street, but that makes NO difference. I'm surrounded by family and friends, I have a good job and am active in my church and my kids' activities. I LOVE MY BEAUTIFUL LIFE!

However... I also know that there are people out there who don't have it as good as I do. The world is filled with people of all shapes, sizes and colors who are unable to SEE that they are truly beautiful people. Society and our peers put so much pressure on people to 'look right' that we forget what is really important... INNER beauty.


That being said, why not join Operation Beautiful? How hard could it be to throw a stack of post-its and a pen in your purse/diaper bag/car/pocket and plaster the world with messages of beauty? You never know when one of YOUR notes might change a person's life forever.


GO FORTH AND POST-IT!

Back To School Time!

Oh yes, it's that time again... BACK TO SCHOOL time! And let me tell you, the kids are SOOO excited! Big A has a mental countdown to kindergarten going and tells me every day how many days he has left. For the record, there are SIX days before he starts kindergarten (OH MY GOODNESS! My baby boy is SO grown up! Boo hoo....) Little A has 11 days before she starts back to preschool. She'll be going three days a week this year. And B? Well... B has been assigned to a local school for his first semester of observation in the teaching credential program. He'll be teaching reading to first graders every Monday.


In preparation for back to school...

The practice books are being worked on feverishly....

The school supplies have been purchased...

The school clothes are ready...

The lunchboxes have been chosen...

And the lunch-packing shopping has begun...

Bring it on, school! We're ready for you!

Bundle Of Energy

I love this girl more than anything in the world but sometimes I just can't figure out where she gets all of her energy. This is just a two minute snap-shot of my day. She talks, sings, dances, moves, etc.... NON-STOP!

How in the WORLD can she keep up like this??? She wears me out just watching the video!