Acorns, September Preschool Snacks!

I just love coming up with creative snacks for Lexi’s class each month.  This month I had the help of Disney’s Family Fun Magazine and BFF Lissa!

I thought with Autumn so close this would be so cute! And it was! I am going to be doing this activity with some of my Kindergarten friends soon!

Happy Birthday to YeYe!

Here’s a song just for YeYe!

Don’t even ask for what bribery it took to get this song!

Finally able to take a breath…

The new school year has begun (over a month ago now!) with a blast!  I am finally feeling as if I can breathe at home during the week and get something done over the weekends (as of LAST weekend that is!). I’ve been learning a new version of Windows Movie Maker and using my favorite subjects, of course!

Here is a movie of tonight before Lj’s bedtime when we decided to try out a new website that I found to use with my Kindergarteners.  She certainly held her own! TV shows could certainly take a backseat now that she can use the mouse all by herself!

That’s our girl!

Lexi Theatrics! Will She be famous someday?????

Lexi Made Up Her Mind!

We purposely did not get Lexi’s ears pierced she was younger.  We wanted her to be old enough to ask to have them done.  Well a few weeks ago, she came home and was talking about her new friend Makayla.  Makayla had “sparkly” earrings and she wanted some.  She told me that she was going to ask her Daddy to take her to get some “sparkly” earrings.  Need I say more?  Just the fact that she wanted her Daddy to take her was all it took.  So on August 28 after church she asked again and off to the mall we went.  Lexi marched up to the store, took a seat and very bravely got her ears pierced.  She’s such a drama queen I expected her to cut up at least a little but oh, no!  This girl has already got the “it hurts to be a girl” down pat!

What happens after school…

It’s scary to admit sometimes the crazy stuff we do after school. Lexi never allows for a dull moment and certainly keeps us entertained!

Sometimes she’s an “Angel”…

And sometimes she’s “Monster”. 

Both looks posted here were purely her doing.  The “Monster” look really got me!  She did this while watching TV, reading a book (that conveniently came with a dry erase marker), drinking “chocky milk” while I dozed BESIDE her! 

I asked her why she colored her legs and was told that she wanted to be a monster.  When I told her that I was not happy with her she repeated back to me “Well, I’m not happy with you either!”.  Thankfully it was NOT a Sharpie!

White Lies?? Really??? Already!!!!!

 

Just look at our little cutie, complete with hair long enough for TWO pig-tails (well, pretty close!) just before school last week.  I swear there are not too many days that go by that Lj does not amaze us.  Last week was no exception.  She cried the first day of 3 year old preschool and then the rest was history.  She just could not wait to get there!  Well, last Thursday when Mom picked her up and began to ask about her school work, she noticed that Lexi’s usual very good coloring had reverted back to scribbling.  Mom asked her shy she scribbled and she replied that her friend #1 scribbles so she did too. 

What???  Well, Mom made her redo her paper and then when I arrived told me about the issue. I took little Lj home and had a conversation with her about doing her best and then made her color a page in a coloring book for me.  She did awesome!  

So when her dad came home that night I struck up a conversation about school during dinner.  Lexi began her usual aversion tactics!  First she avoided the question of what she did a school.  So I brought in her papers.  Then her Daddy asked her what kind of shape she had colored… (no answer).  Then he asked her what color her shape was and she replied, “ I don’t know.”  It was then I stepped in out of sheer maddness to let her know that if she continued to play “clueless” she would get to watch no night-time tv.  Yea… it worked.  She quickly told her Daddy what shape it was but then when asked the color, she again replied “I don’t know”.  I jumped in again and she told him, “It’s a secret.”  AGAIN I told her you either tell your father what shape and color on the page or we will spend the rest of the night reading books about shapes and colors.  FINALLY, she looked at him and said “it’s red!” 

Now for the really amazing part… after she finally told her Daddy the color of the shape, he made a comment that if she continued to not do her best at school, he was going to call Mrs. Linda and tell her that she could do better.  Well, Lexi pipes up and told her daddy, “well, she does not have a phone!”.  I swear we both just about fell out of our chairs but needless to say after over 2 years of parenting her, we both knew that a straight face was in order.  All I can say now is “HOLY COW!” If her 3 year old brain can now make up such excuses Heaven help us when she is 16!

Here’s our dilemma. . . how far in the name of getting her to become her own person and not be a follower do we go?  And if it is short, how do you teach a 3 year old that skill?  She’s clearly very bright and so much of the time, we think she is much smarter than we are!

T’was the Night Before “pre” school . . .

Cool as a cucumber!!!

Backing up…

A Princess’ answer to plain ole’ tee-ball uniforms!

A style all of her own!

And to top it off, she DID play better!

PM 1st Day of 3 year old Preschool…

Just let me say… we tried!  For the last two nights, Lj has fought sleep at night so we thought withholding her afternoon nap would help get her to sleep.  Let’s just emphasize “thought”!  Before I could get her home we had this….

and then after bringing her in, we still had this….

tomorrow will guarantee a nap after school!  Notice, she is NOT in her school outfit.  Regardless of how cute she was, it WAS NOT a dress so as soon as she came home, she changed BACK into the dress she slept in last night.  So… again… who is the boss of this family???

Lexi’s First Day of 3-year old Pre-school

It’s very hard to believe that the new 2011-2012 school year is here and that Lj officially started Pre-school today!  For one… it’s too daggone HOT for school and for another… she is growing UP too soon!

I’ve been back to work for a week now and have had students for 4 school days.  This morning our very family oriented principal covered a Kindergarten class for me so that I could go with Lj to class for her first day.  I really hated to leave a class that I had yet to spend a full period with but then again, this is a first for Lexi that will not be repeated. 

I got there before Mom and Lj and once they arrived took a few pictures.  Gracious, it’s hard to not notice the difference between last year and this year.  She did put up with me taking a few pictures but I still did not manage to get really great ones. 9:00 am is not a great time for photos but here they come…

Proud little 3-year old preschooler… fearless!!

 

Taking the steps into the building complete with new book bag!

One final “photo-opt”!  This outfit sponsored by Aunt Carolyn by Crazy 8’s!

The next thing that happened was not documented due to an unprecedented appearance of “Lexi who wants her Mommy” act.  (She was just fine as soon as Mommy left the room and then her best friend Rachel came in!)  Not only did she manage to cry, she made Mommy cry as well.  What happened to the easy first day of last year???

I promise an update of the afternoon events later….

Last Weekend before “Back to School!”

I can’t believe it is the eve of the end of Summer vacation.  I have really not posted like I should and have no excuses except that I just needed a break in routine and have just enjoyed our daily life without being connected to a computer every day. 

This last week has flown by with last minute appointments and rainy days (also filled with much smokiness from the local fires that have plagued us this year).  Last Saturday was Lj’s last day of t-ball.  She never totally warmed up to the idea of playing in a group but her last bat was awesome!  She did it all by herself and whacked it out there good!  She even ran the bases. 

Here with teammate Brennen… two reluctant players!

 

I got Brennen’s big hit, but missed Lj’s! Brennen has all the makings of a very talented ball player!

After church on Sunday, we went to lunch and then headed back to the fountain at Ellis Square so that Geoff could see Lj play in the water.  Lj had other ideas.  She really just wanted us to get wet with her.  But gracious, just look at that tan!  I promise I put 70+ on her every time we go outside!

Then today I had a hair appointment and afterwards we came home and took a long lazy summer afternoon nap together.  Talk about pure bliss!  Snuggling with my little snuggle bunny in the cool air conditioning is awesome!  After we woke up, Lexi said that she needed some “chocky-milk and her t-B (aka… tv)”.  I told her that I could do that if she would give me one thing… a kiss on each cheek.  So she jumps up heads to my face and then sticks out her tongue and LICKS my cheek!  Lil’ Stinker!  She knew exactly what she was doing. She has her own ideas about everything!

Summer has been awesome but I also like routines.  Lexi and I will both be getting back into the swing of things come Sunday night.  I do hope to find some time for fun between now and then.  As I type this she has just provided one more story.  The other day we were at Mom’s and I didn’t have her “blankie” so we borrowed the one we keep at Mom’s for the ride.  Her “blankie” from home has not been washed in a few days so it is much more “fragrant”.  The one from Mom’s was freshly washed and clean.  So we’ve ended up with both “blankies” at our house this week.  Lexi prefers the “dirty” blankie to the clean one.  She says it smells better… to us it is just nasty grossy-grossy! But today she has been asking for the dirty blankie.  She just asked her daddy to hand her the “dirty blankie” and he was confused.  I had to let him in on the dirty vs. clean blankie.  Needless to say… both blankies need a bath at this point and will get one over the weekend.  I just pray that she will not be taking “blankie” on her honeymoon someday!

A Lazy Day of Summer

I know… it’s been too long between posts!  I’ve been enjoying my summer and miraculously have managed to avoid my computer! I need to get caught up on some posts but for now, I’m going to talk about today.

All summer we’ve been talking about me bringing Lexi up to Savannah to have lunch with Daddy and while we were all there open a savings account for Lexi.  She had 4 banks full of money so today was the day.  This simple day turned out to be one of my favorite days of the summer.  I sort of expected Lexi to get upset about leaving her money at the bank but she didn’t.  She was just a few coins shy of $240!  She helped put the coins in the coin counter and then was rewarded with a Money Monster stuffed animal to help her remember to save her money.

After we left the bank we went to the Wild Wing Café’ (YUM!) for lunch.  After Geoff left Lj and I went to the fountain at Ellis Square.  Lexi was a bit apprehensive at first because she really didn’t want to get her “pretty dress” wet.  I had brought her a change of clothes in anticipation of visiting the square so I talked her into it.  As hot as it was sitting there watching her play, I have to say it was SOOOOOO much fun!  If only all of life was so easy as watching a child play in the water on a sunny day!  Here are some of my favorite pictures.

apprehensive girl…

warming up…

surprised…

soaked to the bone…

I thought I’d never get her out of the water but finally she was ready.  We then walked around to a few shops.  We lucked up on this one shop where everything was 50% off.  I found Lj a cute little dress made in India  and one for me to match.  We’ll have to work on a picture together.  She could NOT wait to get that dress on!  We went back to Geoff’s office and changed her.  She then entertained everyone in the office calling them “coconuts”.  Yes, she even called Geoff’s boss coconut!  LOL!

When Geoff walked us back to the car and buckled her into the car seat she said in her best pouty voice “I really miss my Daddy!”  Lexi couldn’t wait for me to get my “pretty dress” on once we were home.  I told Geoff I looked like I had on a Moo-Moo (sp??) and Lexi piped up with “Mommy you look like a Moo Cow!”  Such is the life in the day of the Mother of Lj!  Precious.  We enjoyed our day so much that I can’t wait to go back again with Sara and the boys! 

 

Dear Jesus…

There are some moments in time that just no pictures can capture.  Tonight as I put Lj to bed was one of those moments.  We’ve been growing as a family spiritually over the last 6 months.  We can’t say enough about the guidance and support we have received since attending Savannah Christian.  One of the things we have taken to heart is to pray with and for our children.  So tonight as I put Lj to bed, I once again let her pray her prayer from her school and then began to pray over her.  I prayed that Jesus would ease her fear over swimming and bring her peace as well as let her know how much we love her.  As soon as I finished praying with her, she asked me “Why are you talking to Jesus?”.  It was a special moment for us.  I was able to tell her that she can talk to Jesus anytime she wants and that Jesus loves her as much as we do.  My parents raised me loving Jesus and trusting in the Lord.  I feel so blessed to pass this on to her and of course even if I had a picture, nothing could do capture the spirit of the moment. I felt very blessed to share this moment with Lexi and then share it with her Dad. 

Swimming Lessons Day 2

I have to say trying to figure out a 3 year old is a challenge!  Lexi was very excited to go back to swimming lessons but did not want to go unless I went in the water with her.  I’ve been trying to adhere to the YMCA rules and stay back but needless to say that has NOT happened.  I don’t really feel bad about it because once I broke the rules yesterday, today there were 3 parents in the pool with their scared children (including me) as opposed to the other 3.  Lexi responds well to me but not Drew.  She really does not like him although he has a friendly face and means no harm.  I had not planned to go in but after I sat her down by the pool and she cried and cried for me, I went and changed into by swim suit and headed in.  Then it was much better.  She kicked for me and made bubble in her mouth (something I picked up from the kindergarten teachers at school).  She never did go under or try to swim to me but she would kick and even smiled.  She even let me get out and snap a few pictures.  Drew and one of the other parents both told me that it was progress and I agree judging from her smile. My main goal is to help her learn a valuable life skill of swimming but enjoy it as well.

One thing I know is that we can’t force her to do it but we can encourage her and let her know how proud we are of her when she does make a milestone. 

After swimming lessons, I called Geoff and got him to stop by WalMart on the way home to pick up an inexpensive above ground pool.  It’s not so deep she can’t stand up in it but yet it is deep enough for her to kick her feet and use her arms.  She is very excited about the new pool even though we need to get it up and full of water.  I hope to do that tomorrow and our Southern heat wave it will warm up in no time at all!

I hope to take her back to the pool tomorrow morning after my water aerobics class.  I missed my spin class this morning since last night my summer insomnia took over and literally kept me up most of the night. These are the days of each year I dread the most.  I can sleep like a baby during the day but at night there is no such luck!  If I believed in vampires, I know for sure that I’d be one!

And one more catch up… it was a nostalgic day!

One day last week… suddenly Geoff hears a familiar sound from childhood… THE MUSIC FROM THE ICE CREAM TRUCK!  I told him he had to let her experience something we had from our childhood so out they went to greet the “truck”.  Needless to say it was not as cool as our day in time but still it had ice cream and she loved it!

Yea… Geoff said the guy looked like a “carnie” and I agree.

She was still happy with the sour popsicle! And most of it got melted away anyhow! 

But she still got a green tongue!

Backtrack to yesterday… Father’s Day and our 12th Anniversary

Yesterday was our 12th Anniversary.  We have decided to celebrate it next weekend together since it was also Father’s Day and not to mention that Geoff’s back started acting up on Saturday and we ended up in Urgent Care that afternoon.  But it was still a very nice Father’s Day and Anniversary.  God has brought Geoff and me  together and together we will raise her to love and cherish him as we do.

I did manage to get a few pictures when Mom and Dad brought Lj home from church with them. I love to see Lexi with her grandparents.  I miss my own grandparents and am so happy Lexi has all of hers to love.  I just wish that Lexi could have spent her day with her YeYe and Grandma as well. 

(And on a side note… Thanks Lanie for the dress!  It’s two years since you gave it to us but the wait was worth the wait!  She was so cute in it and just thought she was a princess for sure!)

And then a pictures with Nana and Papa!

And finally with her dear Daddy!

What did any of us do without her?  Thank God he brought her to us!

Swimming Lessons 2011

Last Friday, I signed Lj up for swimming lessons.  We played in the pool on Friday after my water aerobics class to make sure she was okay with the pool.  She thought it was “beau-T-ful” and was looking forward to swimming lessons.  So today we got ready and headed to the YMCA (Or ABC as Lj sometimes calls it!) She was doing just fine testing the water before lessons until the instructor Mr. Drew came over and took her into the deeper water.  From then on it was just horrible!  I struggled as I watched trying to figure out where real fear came from, whether it was the unfamiliar man holding her or her fear of being away from her Mommy who is her protector.  I eventually let mother instincts take over and headed into the pool.  I did not want her to leave the pool afraid.  I wanted to make sure she knew that I would be there to soothe her and protect her so we stayed at least 45 minutes after I took her out of the class.  No way am I willing to give up on her learning to swim.  With us living so close to the water, it is so important and I know our little miss will be an awesome swimmer one day with patience and time.

Here she is before she got scared by Mr. Drew testing the water without a care.

T-ball

Okay… so Lj and Brennen are on the Reds Team.  We missed all pre-game practices and began with the first game.  Lexi immediately began with her “nervous” look (i.e. tongue hanging out of open mouth).  During the first game she would virtually do nothing.  Geoff had to help her bat and pretty much drag her from base to base.  She does not like her uniform.  In NO way is it a pretty dress!  We had practice last Thursday and she did a bit better.  On the other hand, the shy Brennen came alive and was the star of the practice!  So last Saturday on game two, Lj announced that she could do it “all by myself!”.  That lasted until we arrived on the field.  She and Brennen took turns deciding who would participate.  Needless to say they were not the only 3 and 4 year olds who had moments of showing who was really in charge! We were actually proud that by the end of the “game” Lexi was running more on her own. One thing is for sure, Brennen can whack that ball with the best of them!  Lexi on the other hand would probably do better if she could wear a pretty dress while hitting and running!  She is the smallest player on any team that we have seen so far so we just take that as one reason to be intimidated! LOL!  Game 3 is coming up on Saturday… maybe the third time will be the charm!

 

A few picts to help catch up

I’m beginning to think catching up is just impossible!  I’m going to attempt to post a few pictures of our vacation and do an update.  My computer is bogged down to a pace of beyond slow most likely due to the enormous pic files that I have loaded.

These are from our Sesame Place Visit:

Cookie Monster Breakfast:

Meeting Ernie

Meeting Burt … (he definitely is NOT her favorite!)

Meeting Abby!!! (Lexi’s favorite!!)

Meeting Big Bird! (He is really big!!)

And after breakfast we went on the coolest Carousel with Grandma and YeYe…

And later having a tea-party with YeYe and Daddy…

And finally meeting Elmo!

We had a GREAT time at Sesame Place and can’t wait to go back.  Of course there are more fun photos but if I’m really catching up… I have to stop somewhere!

Welcome June, even if it is already half the way through!

Gracious where does the time go??  I officially began the summer vacation on June 2nd.  We flew off to Virginia that day and spent a week with family and having fun.  We have been back a week now and slowly things are settling in for a summer schedule.  I’ve now been to the YMCA 3 whopping times!  Lexi loves it and now thinks of it as her new school.  I guess it is especially appealing since she only spends a little more than an hour there but nevertheless, she really loves it!  I’ve been working out and trying to get into a routine.  I already have shin splints from over working but am not letting it slow me down. 

However, we have been slowed down by car issues!  On Saturday right after Lj’s first t-ball game, our Xterra just shut off while driving.  We learned today that it was the timing belt and a few minor other issues and $593 later, we now have the old truck back.  This leads me to my story of the evening…

Yesterday on the way to the Y, Lj got into Uncle John’s car (my old Mercedes) and very dramatically said, “This car is BEAU-tiful!!!  It smells like Apple Pie!”.   Okay… so have we ever fed her Apple Pie??? That would be a NO!  But yet the story continues…

The next time we get in the car, she no longer likes it.  Now she does NOT like it because it “smells like Apple Pie”.  Trust me it does not!!  If only we could figure out where she gets this stuff! 

I’ll post pictures of our vacation in VA and PA as well as first t-ball picts in the next few days!  Needless to say, the entire summer so far has been memorable Lj style!