Hip Hip Hooray for Preschool!

Today was Grace's first day of the 4/5 preschool program at St. Ben's, and, WOW, was she pumped!  Ever since Olivia started school, Grace has been asking at bedtime...is tomorrow a school day, a daycare day, or a stay-at-home day, and when the answer hasn't been school, she's been so bummed.  So, needless to say, last night, she went to bed excited, and she was just as thrilled this morning that school was finally here!

This morning, Grace chose to wear her new shorts from Aunt Tara and wanted her hair in a braid so that it looked nice.  While I was doing her hair, she did tell me she might get a little nervous when she got to school.  Nervous is her new word, so I wasn't sure if she was serious or not, so we talked about her friends that she remembered from last year, and she was excited to see them and to see Livy at school too.

Brian said Grace got a little shy at drop off and that he had to go down into the room with her, but once the teachers got her distracted, all was well.  And, when Brian picked her up at 3:00, Grace was flying high!  She said it was awesome....they got 3 recesses, 2 snacks, and she took a nap for only 6 minutes!  She said she wanted to go back every day and never go to daycare!

I was gone this evening, so I haven't actually gotten to talk with Grace yet, but I certainly look forward to getting more details from her!  Overall, I'm so glad it was a fantastic first day for Grace, and I'm very thankful that she has such wonderful teachers who know how to make school a positive experience for kids.

And, finally, to make the day even more memorable, Grace started to learn how to ride without training wheels tonight, too!  The growth of independence is both wonderful and bittersweet.  :)

1st Grade (and other signs of growing up)!

Today was Olivia's first day of 1st grade!  Wow - I can hardly believe we have a first grader...I both love it and want to cry about it.  Olivia was pretty excited for school to start; since I started inservice last Thursday, she asked every day how many days until it was her turn.  I'm certainly glad she sees school in such a positive light.

Besides being a little nervous about transferring buses this year, Olivia was thrilled that today had finally arrived.  She had fun packing her backpack last night and bragging about how heavy it was to carry this morning!  Olivia rode the bus to the high school after school today like she'll be doing every day until September when our nanny starts.  Liv likes being in my room and is pretty good at occupying herself with my rolling chair, white boards, and art supplies.  When our nanny starts, Olivia will just do this two days a week because the others she'll get picked up along with Grace from preschool. 

Anyways, it was fun to watch Olivia get treated to a piece of candy from Mrs. Sheppard (my principal) along with the other kids who come to hang out while their teacher parents finish up for the day.  I asked Olivia a number of questions, but mostly she stayed pretty quiet telling me that she had a good day, was excited for tomorrow, liked unpacking her bag and putting things in her cubby, played with friends during recess, loved the chicken fajitas at lunch, wanted to wear her tennis shoes tomorrow because a classmate has them too, and liked Mrs. Uthoff.  Small details, but at least I got something.  Olivia was pretty tired out tonight, and I know we'll have to keep moving bedtime up to keep her feeling refreshed!

And...as long as we're on the topic of Olivia, here are a few other signs of her growing up:

 

Another (3 total) lost tooth - and a very noticable one!

Olivia lost this front tooth the later half of July.

Looking pretty up north at the cabin.

This would be a great senior picture spot some day, wouldn't it?

 Going off the boards at swimming lessons!

Miss Grace - 4 1/2

Before Grace, I don't think I knew anyone to get so excited about their half-birthday!  Pretty much since the moment Grace turned 4 she was looking forward to being 4 AND a 1/2.  Little stinker!  Ironically, even though we told Grace a million times over that you don't get presents on your half-birthday because it's not really your birthday, Grace actually got to open a present...Grandma Huinker spoiled her a bit as Olivia and Mya were getting to open some birthday presents together.  :)

And, since Olivia just got a blog post and Grady gets them rather regularly, I thought it was time for a little update on our Gracie Girl.  Here goes...

Dear Miss Gracie,

You have pretty much the biggest personality ever.  And I really do mean that.  You can be an amazingly silly, sweet, and sassy girl all in the same day.  Your smile is about a mile wide...seriously, you smile and show all your teeth - I love it.  If anyone is the epitome of having "a sparkle in her eye," it's you.  And, most often that sparkle is pretty darn mischievous!  You love to tell stories, claim you're "that girl/character" in whatever show/movie we're watching or book we're reading, and use the words "poop," (I know, I know - very appropriate, right?) "eyeball," or "____" (that stands for some made up word that nobody ever understands) as much as possible.  You've gotten your audience laughing pretty hard with your weirdness which has only encouraged you to exercise your silliness even more.  Sometimes you even crack yourself up to the point where you can't talk any more because you're laughing so hard.  Might I add, that you frequently toot when you laugh, get tickled, or even bend over....thus, one of the many nicknames you possess is "Toot Machine." Maybe not the best nickname, but, I'm afraid, it's quite accurate...I do try not to encourage this behavior of course, but sometimes, it's just impossible not to laugh.  Oh well, I'm sure you'll grow out of it once you realize there are such things as social norms...at least I certainly hope that'll be true!

Speaking of nicknames - I still call you Monkey a lot, but another random one your dad and Olivia have given you is Burns (or Burnsie).  Why?  Well, Olivia had a Grace in her kindergarten class...Grace Burns.  For some reason this confused you, so we had to clarify a bunch of times, and then Dad just started calling your Grace Burns too...which lead to Burns...which lead to Burnsie.  At first you protested this nickname, and that of course only caused it to be used even more.  Now, you respond to it just like it's your actual name!  Seriously, Dad and Olivia call you this all.the.time - Aunt Beth can attest to this fact.  I'll never forget the expression on her face when she asked me, "Why is Brian calling her Burns?"  She had tears in her eyes when I explained...or tried to, that is!

What else can I say about you, Miss Grace - well, like I said earlier, you have quite the imagination.  You love playing with your dolls and dollhouse.  You'll just disappear sometimes, and I can usually count on finding you up in your room playing alone with these or your stuffed animals.  You talk to them and play out little scenarios that you take quite seriously.  I'm pretty sure you have imaginary friends that you know are imaginary...the other day you told me that your younger sister was living with her grandparents for an entire year and you really missed her.  What?  You like to play dress up a lot too - ballet clothes and princess dresses are your favorite.  Otherwise, you enjoy coloring, drawing, and writing (pretend writing that is); dancing (you take ballet and tap); playing with your brother who you consistently call "Busty" - what's with these nicknames!; bossing Olivia around as much as she'll let you...but seriously, you guys have a great relationship; and, biking, swimming, swinging/flipping, and doing the monkey bars. Your favorite movie is by far Frozen, and you sing (badly but cutely!) along to every song, insist that you're Elsa, and get mad when anyone else tries to sing or quote lines.  Your best friend is Maggie and you play a lot with Brinleigh at daycare.

Writing Maggie's name made me remember that you have some pronunciation issues...you over enunciate Maggie's last name, still call your teachers "Missen" Kane and "Missen" Bohr, say "peas" instead of "please," and often call Olivia, "Wivia."  I don't have any concerns because you can say all these words correctly but just choose not to.  You have some other funny words too - you call the driveway the "garageway" and the firetrucks the "fireplaces."  Whatever - you'll figure it out eventually.  In the meantime though, the whole family has started using the phrase "garageway."

You still take a nap every day (well almost) because you're just a happier girl with it.  I rarely have to put you down for a nap - I usually just tell you it's rest time, and you go upstairs and play for a couple of minutes before going to sleep.  Sometimes you sleep on the floor - I guess you tire yourself out using that imagination.  Nearly all the time, you sleep surrounded by stuffed animals.  You, unlike your sister can just pop out of bed rejuvenated an happy. 

You're still a bit of a peanut though you're only a few inches shorter than Olivia.  You're skin and bones, but that doesn't slow you down!  You were so determined to learn the monkey bars this year, and you did it in the first few weeks of summer.  You're also a master at pumping on the swings and doing flips off the bar.  You're a pretty fast runner, a decent dribbler, and have a wicked backhand at tennis though your forehand needs some major work!  :) 

You've been getting in trouble lately for back-talking, trying out some white lies, and not using manners - you are oftentimes 4.5 going on 14.5, and your dad and I decided we needed to get you under control.  The other day you lost your Frozen poster and you've earned it back a number of times only to loose it again later in the day.  I think I may see some light at the end of this tunnel, but I know consistency is going to be key for you because you are a tester....and didn't I mention that mischievous glint in your eye earlier?  I frequently remind myself that your stubbornness and persistence have the ability to take you great places in the future!

You're one-of-a-kind as the following picture exemplifies - do you know anyone else who would leave their house looking like that?  You wear whatever makes you happy, and while I put my foot done when it matters, I usually go with it.  I've learned that you'll listen to me better when I let the small stuff slide.  We've been to the grocery store in a ballet outfit and puffy tutu, biking in rain boots and a swimsuit, and out for walks in bridal dresses.  You also still love to be naked and have pretty much zero embarrassment in this regard.

How have 4.5 years already flown by?  I can't wait to watch you grow as you start preschool in a week!  My final thought:  You're a keeper Gracie Girl, and I couldn't be happier that you're ours!

Lots of love,
Mommy

Remembering Camp DuNord 2014

As it is always one of the highlights of our summer, it's about time I get a blog written about YMCA Camp DuNord.  We visited this awesome family camp, located in Northern Minnesota, mid-June and were blessed with a week of wonderful weather, fun activities, and good companionship...and since all but my mom (and Grace who started it all) also got the flu while we were up there, it really must have been fun if we can laugh about the sickness and concentrate on the good times!

The girls were beyond excited for Camp this year.  It's fun to see/hear how they remember it now that we've been going for so long - this was Olivia's 5th year, Grace's 4th, and Grady's 1st.  Olivia and Grace were helpful little packers and were awesome on the car ride.  Grady was great too...especially considering I had him into the doctor before going to Northfield Friday afternoon because of a double ear infection.  He was quite the trooper considering that, two-teeth starting to show, and the longest car ride he'd ever been on!

 

Ready to go!

I'm very thankful that Grace's Thursday night flu was short-lived - she was her cheerful, sassy self pretty much the entire time.  Grace loved the beach (not the chilly water), the playground, and age group activities.  Usually the girls would have been together in a 4-5 age group setting, but because there were so many kids that age this year, they were in separate groups.  I was a little worried about this, but when I told them, Grace's response was, "That's fine with me."  Talk about seizing the moment.  Besides having a slight upset tummy, Olivia also had a great week.  It was great for me to see her comfort level heading off into age group activities, and I loved when I'd spy her out and about - she'd just wave and smile...a few years ago I'd hide when I saw her group anywhere because I worried she'd start crying!  Grace was the same when I'd see her - she'd run over, give me a kiss, wave, and run back to her group.  :)  Olivia definitely exercised her independence at camp - she thought she was hot stuff since she could find her way to most places by herself, and it made me smile to see her run ahead of us on the paths through camp.  Olivia loved the beach and the water (next year she wants to do the Polar Bear swim which means I'm going to have to do it too), the playground, and age group.  Both girls LOVED spending time at the Woitalla's cabin and getting special attention from their kiddos.

Grady was a sweetheart all week.  He did well with adjusting to a new location, and I was relatively happy with his sleeping.  He really enjoyed getting out and about in the stroller - he'd just coo and smile and everyone.  But, what really got him all excited was hanging in the Baby Bjorn - he'd just go nuts kicking and swinging his arms and legs.  I don't think anyone could walk past him without smiling at his total enjoyment of life! 

As always, many thanks to my mom, Mark, and Thyme for "dragging" us along and helping with the kiddos.  We had a blast and hope you did too!

Here's a recap of the week in pictures:

Clearly, the beach was a favorite spot!

 My mom, Grady, and I went for hike up to Ole' Baldy - beautiful spot!  Grady enjoyed it (but boy was carrying him tiring!) except for when I slipped on the way home...all was fine, but he didn't like the scare and didn't hesitate to let me know it!

 Only a shower in our cabin, but Grady LOVED his kitchen sink baths!

 Grady getting to know the Woitalla family.

Closing ceremony age group presentations.