Lots of fun with Miss Mya.
And lots of fun between sisters too.Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Preschool!
This last Friday marked Olivia's sixth day of preschool. Alas, this entry was, of course, supposed to have been written and published her very fist day, but, oh well, I should stop berating myself for late posts - this is life - at least it's my life.
Anyways - preschool, I think I can say, has been a positive experience. I have just the right amount of time to pick Olivia during my lunch, and I've really enjoyed doing this. She's always quite jaunty as she walks out the classroom doors, running to hold my hand and show me whatever is in her backpack - we frequently stop to do this before even walking to the car. She waves goodbye to her teachers who, after week one, she would tell people are Mrs. Kane and Mrs. Bohr, and she frequently talks about her friends Kelby and Dannika. So far it seems like her favorite activities include playing kitchen and being outside on the playground. I don't really get much else out of her besides this and what she had for snack. Her least favorite activity - ironically enough - is quiet "reading" time. I guess she resists this a little bit which surprises me as she likes to do this at home. Otherwise, her teachers say she has been very cooperative and a bit shy but slowing opening up.
Brian does drop-offs in the mornings, and, although Olivia hasn't fully embraced this part of school yet, we're told that the "tears" don't last long. I say "tears" because they really don't qualify as such - they're just some watery eyes that I have no doubt are gone by the time Brian is back in the car. Her excitement about school otherwise makes me feel like she's in the right place - and really, I'm not surprised to have her be a bit hesitant - that's my Livy.
Independence and maturity have been growing tremendously with Olivia this last month. I'm not sure if this is because of preschool or just because - probably a combination. Olivia's been much more apt to get dressed on her own (well, with a little help still), put her coat on and truly try to zip it, and even leave her silky at home during daycare hours on occasion. She's shown a lot of interest in picking out her clothes too, and we've had some dry night-time diapers. During the day potties happen pretty much completely on her own - a major step forward after the brief chaos we had this summer when we had a couple weeks worth of accident-central around here - not what you'd expect for a girl who'd been potty-trained for over a year. Olivia has become the please and thank-you queen (finally!), and frequently positively rewards herself by making sure I've noticed her usage of the words. She also has been really insistent on walking in to daycare completely by herself after school. The fist time she wanted to do this I told her I'd just come to the door - no, that wasn't okay, so I told her I'd stand by the truck. Her reply - "Mommy go in the truck and close the door." Well, okay! So, since then, that's what I do after getting just about the sweetest hug and kiss goodbye.
My little girl is growing up, that's for sure. I remind myself to remember some things - how she still calls popcorn, hopcorn and the elevator, the elligater. I don't ever want to forget going school shopping with her, seeing how excited she was about her Tinkerbell folder or how proud she was to show her daddy the "Sneezknexes" she picked out for school. Of course, I could just about lose my mind sometimes like when she threw a tantrum for 20 minutes about wearing socks for the first time this fall or when she gets out of bed for the 4th time at night, but the good far out-weigh anything else. The random "Mommy, I love you's" are, as cliche as it sounds, truly music to my ears.
Well, I see this entry has gotten a bit side-tracked from its title, but I guess that's what happens when you post an entry only once in a blue moon. Enough for now.
Anyways - preschool, I think I can say, has been a positive experience. I have just the right amount of time to pick Olivia during my lunch, and I've really enjoyed doing this. She's always quite jaunty as she walks out the classroom doors, running to hold my hand and show me whatever is in her backpack - we frequently stop to do this before even walking to the car. She waves goodbye to her teachers who, after week one, she would tell people are Mrs. Kane and Mrs. Bohr, and she frequently talks about her friends Kelby and Dannika. So far it seems like her favorite activities include playing kitchen and being outside on the playground. I don't really get much else out of her besides this and what she had for snack. Her least favorite activity - ironically enough - is quiet "reading" time. I guess she resists this a little bit which surprises me as she likes to do this at home. Otherwise, her teachers say she has been very cooperative and a bit shy but slowing opening up.
Brian does drop-offs in the mornings, and, although Olivia hasn't fully embraced this part of school yet, we're told that the "tears" don't last long. I say "tears" because they really don't qualify as such - they're just some watery eyes that I have no doubt are gone by the time Brian is back in the car. Her excitement about school otherwise makes me feel like she's in the right place - and really, I'm not surprised to have her be a bit hesitant - that's my Livy.
Independence and maturity have been growing tremendously with Olivia this last month. I'm not sure if this is because of preschool or just because - probably a combination. Olivia's been much more apt to get dressed on her own (well, with a little help still), put her coat on and truly try to zip it, and even leave her silky at home during daycare hours on occasion. She's shown a lot of interest in picking out her clothes too, and we've had some dry night-time diapers. During the day potties happen pretty much completely on her own - a major step forward after the brief chaos we had this summer when we had a couple weeks worth of accident-central around here - not what you'd expect for a girl who'd been potty-trained for over a year. Olivia has become the please and thank-you queen (finally!), and frequently positively rewards herself by making sure I've noticed her usage of the words. She also has been really insistent on walking in to daycare completely by herself after school. The fist time she wanted to do this I told her I'd just come to the door - no, that wasn't okay, so I told her I'd stand by the truck. Her reply - "Mommy go in the truck and close the door." Well, okay! So, since then, that's what I do after getting just about the sweetest hug and kiss goodbye.
My little girl is growing up, that's for sure. I remind myself to remember some things - how she still calls popcorn, hopcorn and the elevator, the elligater. I don't ever want to forget going school shopping with her, seeing how excited she was about her Tinkerbell folder or how proud she was to show her daddy the "Sneezknexes" she picked out for school. Of course, I could just about lose my mind sometimes like when she threw a tantrum for 20 minutes about wearing socks for the first time this fall or when she gets out of bed for the 4th time at night, but the good far out-weigh anything else. The random "Mommy, I love you's" are, as cliche as it sounds, truly music to my ears.
Well, I see this entry has gotten a bit side-tracked from its title, but I guess that's what happens when you post an entry only once in a blue moon. Enough for now.
Monday, August 15, 2011
The Motorcade
Decorah, a small town of 8,000, made the news today! President Obama spoke at a local business - Seed Savers to a crowd of 500 people. I wish I could have been lucky enough to be one of the 500!
However, even though we weren't part of the audience, we were not disappointed as we got a close up of the motorcade as it drove by our house taking the president from Seed Savers (located north of town) to the Hotel Winneshiek. The road was completely blocked off for a half hour before it came through, and as we waited for the official motorcade numerous Secret Service vehicles drove by - the agents wore suits or shirts with bullet-proof vests (at least I think that's what I was seeing). They all had black sunglasses too - just like the movies! :) Just kidding - well, they did have sunglasses on, but maybe that was because it was actually quite sunny out!
If you look closely at the first bus (left side) you can see President Obama's arms - he was standing up looking/waving out the windows. Want to know what he was looking at - scroll down to see the sign the neighbor's made!
However, even though we weren't part of the audience, we were not disappointed as we got a close up of the motorcade as it drove by our house taking the president from Seed Savers (located north of town) to the Hotel Winneshiek. The road was completely blocked off for a half hour before it came through, and as we waited for the official motorcade numerous Secret Service vehicles drove by - the agents wore suits or shirts with bullet-proof vests (at least I think that's what I was seeing). They all had black sunglasses too - just like the movies! :) Just kidding - well, they did have sunglasses on, but maybe that was because it was actually quite sunny out!
If you look closely at the first bus (left side) you can see President Obama's arms - he was standing up looking/waving out the windows. Want to know what he was looking at - scroll down to see the sign the neighbor's made!
And a few pictures of the girls and their neighborhood friends. Clearly they were focused on "better" things like playing babies and eating freezies. :)
I went walking downtown with my friend Jamie later on...Snipers on the roof and Secret Service in front of the Hotel Winn. Gigantic construction vehicles blocked all the cross streets downtown and cement road blocks blocked main street. As my step-dad said, Decorah might be the safest town in the country tonight!
I went walking downtown with my friend Jamie later on...Snipers on the roof and Secret Service in front of the Hotel Winn. Gigantic construction vehicles blocked all the cross streets downtown and cement road blocks blocked main street. As my step-dad said, Decorah might be the safest town in the country tonight!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Bug Day
Back in July while Olivia was participating in the Wahlen Cabin play-group, she came home one day with a fancy "bug hat." It had been "Bug Day" at camp and before going exploring for cool bugs like ants, all the kids got to decorate a visor to wear. After their bug-hunt, each kid also made their own bug using construction paper. At this point in the play-group Olivia had finally gotten over her "I don't decorate anything" period, and came home with a pretty impressively decorated hat and an even more interesting looking bug. Not only was she quite proud of these at the time, but she still talks about her bug which is hanging up on the fridge and she and Gracie both enjoy wearing her hat on occasion.
Swimming Lessons
We signed both our water babies up for two sessions of swimming lessons this summer. Grace was a part of the "Mommy and Me" lessons, and Olivia completed two sessions of the "Pre-School" level lessons (without Mommy in the water). There's never been any doubt in my mind that the girls love the water and are on their way to becoming "pool-rats" especially considering our proximity to the pool, but it was interesting to see how they acted in lessons with teachers who they didn't know.
Gracie did great (although we did have a couple of trantrums when it was time to get out!). She continued to be her adventurous and independent self - showing off by pouring water over her head and refusing to hold my hand even though she was neck deep in water. Gracie stressed a little each day because the slide wasn't on, but thankfully was pretty cooperative despite this very upsetting fact (in her world at least) and made great progress with kicking and blowing bubbles. I'm not sure what we'll do next year - she'll be a little too old to repeat but not quite old enough for pre-school without special permission.
Olivia made awesome progress from week one to week two. Week one I was at the pool sitting on a bench watching her. She did okay, but didn't do a lot of the things I knew she could like putting her face in, laying back and kicking, etc. She also always wanted to hold her teacher's hand and sit on her lap. Week one ended with a recommendation to repeat the pre-school level, no surprise. Week two I came up with various excuses to "leave" her at the pool with her friend Lilah's mom when really I was watching from the nearby park as I played with Grace. The difference was amazing - Olivia was way more out-going and not nearly as clingy to her teachers. She passed week two with flying colors and was so proud of herself! I was proud of her too. I think it's important that she learn to be comfortable in the water with someone besides Brian and me, and it was great to see her take directions from others and dive into new activities increasing her abilities in the process.
The slide on the last day of lessons was a huge hit.
I love the progression of facial expressions as they hit the water.
The last picture is the girls running to get back in line.
Sorry no pictures of Grace!
Gracie did great (although we did have a couple of trantrums when it was time to get out!). She continued to be her adventurous and independent self - showing off by pouring water over her head and refusing to hold my hand even though she was neck deep in water. Gracie stressed a little each day because the slide wasn't on, but thankfully was pretty cooperative despite this very upsetting fact (in her world at least) and made great progress with kicking and blowing bubbles. I'm not sure what we'll do next year - she'll be a little too old to repeat but not quite old enough for pre-school without special permission.
Olivia made awesome progress from week one to week two. Week one I was at the pool sitting on a bench watching her. She did okay, but didn't do a lot of the things I knew she could like putting her face in, laying back and kicking, etc. She also always wanted to hold her teacher's hand and sit on her lap. Week one ended with a recommendation to repeat the pre-school level, no surprise. Week two I came up with various excuses to "leave" her at the pool with her friend Lilah's mom when really I was watching from the nearby park as I played with Grace. The difference was amazing - Olivia was way more out-going and not nearly as clingy to her teachers. She passed week two with flying colors and was so proud of herself! I was proud of her too. I think it's important that she learn to be comfortable in the water with someone besides Brian and me, and it was great to see her take directions from others and dive into new activities increasing her abilities in the process.
The slide on the last day of lessons was a huge hit.
I love the progression of facial expressions as they hit the water.
The last picture is the girls running to get back in line.
Sorry no pictures of Grace!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Grace Elizabeth - 18 Months
To celebrate Gracie being 18 months old, here are 18 fun facts about her...
1. Loves ice cream but won't let anyone help her eat it.
2. Is a pool lover - "pool" is one of Gracie's favorite words. She says it every time the pool is in sight which is every time we step outside the house, and goes berserk at Livy's swimming lessons when I won't let her out of the stroller (We leave and go play at the park as a distraction.), and goes down the slide like it's the best thing on earth.
3. Still goes to bed around 7 without any qualms and generally sleeps 12 hours along with a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. Once she's awake and dressed, all I have to say to Gracie is "Do you want a pony" to have her running to the bathroom and waiting to be lifted up to sit on the counter. She brushes her teeth while I do her hair along with Liv's every morning. (Check out the last post if you've forgotten what Gracie looks like without her classic pony.)
4. Loves jumping - in the pool, in the crib, and on Liv's trundle bed should it happen to be out.
5. Most favorite words = pool, mommy, sissy, river, bike, strawberry, and ___. (There's more, but under the pressure of writing I just can't think of them.)
6. Enjoys playing "Simon Says" with Livy and isn't all that bad at it - she definitely understands more than she can say.
7. Nearly ate a pint of raspberries by herself in one day.
8. Loves playing babies and taking them on walks with Olivia.
9. Tells everyone, including the boy who kicked the soccer ball at the park with her for a full 10 minutes, that her babies have "poop." (I'm sure the boy really cared.)
10. Is loosing her little waddle run to more of a traditional looking one. (This makes me a little sad because it was so darn cute!)
11. Likes to put her clothes in the laundry basket and her diapers in the diaper genie.
12. Calls crackers "crackies" like her sister.
13. Really doesn't like ants, having sand stuck on her hands, or having grass stuck to her feet. However, despite her dislike for having sand on her hands, has taken a couple solid bites of the stuff.
14. Threw an absolute fit and cried like she was seriously injured when it was time to get off the carousal at the fair. Then, only minutes later, refused to come out of the bouncy house causing me to have to crawl in there after her. This, of course, resulted in another fit.
15. Colors on everything - the tile floor in the kitchen, her little picnic table, the carpet in the sun porch - thankfully all items that can handle it. I'm scared for what will come next - this wasn't an issue I had to worry about with Livy.
16. Is always scratching the upper backside of her diaper resulting in fingernail cuts no matter how short I keep them clipped.
17. Gets beads of sweat across her nose and cheeks when it's hot.
18. Threatens to hit me (and me only) when she's mad but often dives in for a cuddle instead saying "Mommy" which I take for "Mom, I'm really annoyed but know I'm not supposed to hit you, so I'm going to twist you around my finger by giving you a cuddle instead."
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
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