There's not a lot of news to write about. Things have calmed down at school. Rachel's doing fine and enjoying it. She especially likes art and music class, and on the days she has those classes, I hear all kinds of details about what they did.
She's really into her art these days. She's always liked to draw and color, but lately she's drawing more and more. She told me yesterday she wants to be an artist when she grows up. And she's decided she wants to be an artist for Halloween.
Yesterday she opened an "Art Stoodeo" in her bedroom (that's how she spelled it). She spent all afternoon up in her room cleaning it, and when she came down she invited me to come up to her art studio (sometimes she calls it a museum, but she also calls it her studio). She had taped all kinds of drawings all around her room.
Today she decided she wants to sing in the children's choir at our church for their Christmas performance. I'm thrilled, though really surprised, because she's never had any interest in it in the past. She's always said she's too scared to sing on stage. So I'm excited that she brought it up all on her own and wants to do it. Yay!
Rebecca has a new "Handy Dandy Notebook," (a different little notebook that used to belong to Rachel, and now Rebecca has claimed it). But today she brought it to me and said, "See my iPad, Mommy?" How she knows what an iPad is, I'm not sure, since I don't have one. My mom just got one, and had it here the last time she came to visit, so maybe that's why she knows, but still....a two year old talking about an iPad? She keeps telling me that she's drawing a zig zag line in her handy dandy notebook. That was one of the clues once on Blue's Clues, so I guess that's where she got that, but she really doesn't know what a zig zag line is.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
caterpillars and such
Today I went outside with Rebecca, and while inspecting my tomato plants for any new ripe tomatoes, I came across these obnoxious, ugly things attached to my plants:
Later I came inside and looked them up. They're called Hornworms, and they eat tomato plants. They also attract a certain kind of wasps, who lay their eggs inside them. Yuck. The white things on the outside are the larve of the wasps. Gross.
Yesterday was our church picnic. It was a fun time, but right at the end, the kids were thrilled to see this rising above the trees.
It wasn't a part of our picnic. It just happened to be nearby, and it's the closest I've ever been to a hot air balloon. Rachel was thrilled because she had never seen one before.
And while I was taking picture of the ugly caterpillars, Rebecca wanted me to take her picture.
There's my sweet little stinker!
Later I came inside and looked them up. They're called Hornworms, and they eat tomato plants. They also attract a certain kind of wasps, who lay their eggs inside them. Yuck. The white things on the outside are the larve of the wasps. Gross.
Yesterday was our church picnic. It was a fun time, but right at the end, the kids were thrilled to see this rising above the trees.
It wasn't a part of our picnic. It just happened to be nearby, and it's the closest I've ever been to a hot air balloon. Rachel was thrilled because she had never seen one before.
And while I was taking picture of the ugly caterpillars, Rebecca wanted me to take her picture.
There's my sweet little stinker!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Dandy Dandy
Rebecca's really started loving Blue's Clues in the last few weeks. She asks for it now almost as much as she asks for the Wiggles, though I think she still likes the Wiggles better. The problem is, finding Blue's Clues stuff is pretty much just as hard as it is to find Wiggles stuff, since Blue's Clue's isn't made anymore, so they don't make anymore Blue's Clues books, clothes, toys, coloring books, etc. The only way to find them is used.
I was excited to find a $1 Blue's Clues DVD at the baby sale this past weekend where I sold my stuff, but that was all I found. I have a couple of Blue's Clues puzzles from when Rachel was little, but they're too hard for Rebecca (and she's not really into puzzles, while Rachel really was). I did find a pair of Blue's Clues PJs in my stash of clothes (someone gave them to me as hand-me-downs for Rachel, but they were too small for her when we got them, so she never got to wear them), so Rebecca got to wear them the other night for the first time when it got chilly (since they're long sleeved). She was thrilled!!
She carries around her "Dandy Dandy Notebook" (it's actually Rachel's princess coloring pad, but she took it over as her own and calls it her dandy dandy notebook (instead of a "Handy Dandy Notebook," which is what it's called in the show, for those of you who aren't familiar with Blue's Clues!) and a crayon for much of the day, and periodically sits down and says to me, "Wet's Fink." (Let's Think) Sometimes she'll bring the notebook up to me and say, "Mommy, we have all free cwoos!" (all three clues)
She greets me by saying, "Oh, hi!" (Because that's what Steve says on the show.)
Whenever she sees a picture of a paw print she yells, "A Cwoo! A Cwoo!" (A clue, A clue!) Every week Rachel brings home a class newsletter, and since her school's mascot is the Cougars, there's always a cougar paw print on the newsletter. Rebecca always wants it because it's, "A cwoo! A cwoo!" but I need it because it has Rachel's spelling words for the week on it. So I've started saving the old one and letting Rebecca have it after the spelling test is done rather than giving her the new one.
That girl cracks me up.
I was excited to find a $1 Blue's Clues DVD at the baby sale this past weekend where I sold my stuff, but that was all I found. I have a couple of Blue's Clues puzzles from when Rachel was little, but they're too hard for Rebecca (and she's not really into puzzles, while Rachel really was). I did find a pair of Blue's Clues PJs in my stash of clothes (someone gave them to me as hand-me-downs for Rachel, but they were too small for her when we got them, so she never got to wear them), so Rebecca got to wear them the other night for the first time when it got chilly (since they're long sleeved). She was thrilled!!
She carries around her "Dandy Dandy Notebook" (it's actually Rachel's princess coloring pad, but she took it over as her own and calls it her dandy dandy notebook (instead of a "Handy Dandy Notebook," which is what it's called in the show, for those of you who aren't familiar with Blue's Clues!) and a crayon for much of the day, and periodically sits down and says to me, "Wet's Fink." (Let's Think) Sometimes she'll bring the notebook up to me and say, "Mommy, we have all free cwoos!" (all three clues)
She greets me by saying, "Oh, hi!" (Because that's what Steve says on the show.)
Whenever she sees a picture of a paw print she yells, "A Cwoo! A Cwoo!" (A clue, A clue!) Every week Rachel brings home a class newsletter, and since her school's mascot is the Cougars, there's always a cougar paw print on the newsletter. Rebecca always wants it because it's, "A cwoo! A cwoo!" but I need it because it has Rachel's spelling words for the week on it. So I've started saving the old one and letting Rebecca have it after the spelling test is done rather than giving her the new one.
That girl cracks me up.
Saturday, September 08, 2012
toothless
The other one came out!
Daddy wanted to wiggle it, just to see how loose it was, and it came out! No tears, no drama this time. Yay!
It'll be a toothless school picture in a couple of weeks....
School seems to be going better. I hesitate to say that, because as soon as I do, something else will happen, but she's had several good days in a row, so we're all happier.
Daddy wanted to wiggle it, just to see how loose it was, and it came out! No tears, no drama this time. Yay!
It'll be a toothless school picture in a couple of weeks....
School seems to be going better. I hesitate to say that, because as soon as I do, something else will happen, but she's had several good days in a row, so we're all happier.
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
road trip
Since my husband didn't have to work on labor day, and it was supposed to rain most of the weekend, he suggested we go somewhere new and fun for the day. We decided on the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland (mostly because we get in free with our membership to our science museum). It was a little bit of a drive, but we left early in the morning in order to get there by the time they opened, and drove back during Rebecca's nap time, so she still caught a decent nap in the car. It worked out great and we all had fun.
The Great Lakes Science Center is on the lake, and is right next to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Cleveland Air Show, which was going on this weekend, too. The weather was beautiful (not at all rainy, like was predicted at home this weekend) so we ate our lunch outside, walked over to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just to look around outside, and watched the planes in the air show (the highlight for my husband--he LOVED it).
Both girls loved all of the hands on exhibits. It's a lot like our science museum in town, which they both enjoy. Rebecca spend her time running from place to place, touching as many buttons as possible.
It was a fun family day.
The Great Lakes Science Center is on the lake, and is right next to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Cleveland Air Show, which was going on this weekend, too. The weather was beautiful (not at all rainy, like was predicted at home this weekend) so we ate our lunch outside, walked over to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just to look around outside, and watched the planes in the air show (the highlight for my husband--he LOVED it).
Both girls loved all of the hands on exhibits. It's a lot like our science museum in town, which they both enjoy. Rebecca spend her time running from place to place, touching as many buttons as possible.
It was a fun family day.
Sunday, September 02, 2012
drama queen
I don't know how I'm going to handle these next 12 years of Rachel's life. The drama in these first few weeks of first grade is enough to last me the rest of my life. I don't want to go into too many details, but it seems like every day Rachel comes home with another story of something that happened at school that makes me want to pull my hair out in frustration. Either I'm completely aghast at something she's said or done, or in tears because she's hurt, which hurts me, or ready to email the teacher for more clarification about something she's told me. I'm not one of those "helicopter moms," and before this year I'd never contacted the teacher about something that happened at school or preschool, but this year has already been full of it! And this is only the beginning. My mom said it's like I have to whack another mole every day after school, just like playing that game at Chuck-e-Cheese, and that's exactly what I feel like!
In addition to school drama, there's been tooth drama. Rachel's two front teeth have been loose for months. I've written before about her aversion to the dentist, doctor, and any sort of touching when there's the tiniest bit of pain involved. Even brushing snarls out of her hair elicits tears and yelling. So when it came to these teeth, she wouldn't let us touch them. We've wanted to pull them out for months, but she wouldn't let us, and unless we held her down, which would result in tears and a huge fit, they weren't going to come out, so we just let it go. For the last week or two, one of them has been hanging by a thread. You could tell that the permanent tooth was pushing down on it because her teeth started to look crooked. She wiggled it every morning and evening, but wouldn't pull hard enough to get it out. All it would've taken was a little twist, and it would've come out, but she was too afraid to do it.
Yesterday she finally decided to do it.
There were tears (happy tears, she told us), but it's finally out. The other one is pretty loose, too, but I'm sure it will be a number of weeks before she works up the courage to get it out.
But wait, there's more drama. Last night she woke me up around 11:30 because she said her sheet was wet because she had been crying in her bed. She woke up and had to go potty, but was afraid to get up because she didn't want to see the tooth fairy, because she's not supposed to see her (I never told her that, by the way--she came up with that all on her own--I say as little as possible about the tooth fairy...and Santa...I don't want to lie to her, but I also don't want to crush her imagination, so I just listen whenever she has something to say about either of them). Anyway, she laid there and cried because she was afraid to get up, so her sheet was all wet with tears. I assured her it was okay to go potty. So she did, and we went to go take care of the wet sheet--she covered her eyes all the way back to her room because she didn't want to see the tooth fairy if she was in the house (little did she know that the tooth fairy came around 10:00 pm and there was a dollar bill on her bedside table already).
I honestly did not create this drama queen. I don't give in to her drama, thus perpetuating it, I do everything I can to ignore it, and to my knowledge I do nothing to encourage it. I don't coddle her in the least. I guess this is just Rachel. And I somehow have to learn to deal with it for the next however many years. Oh my.
In addition to school drama, there's been tooth drama. Rachel's two front teeth have been loose for months. I've written before about her aversion to the dentist, doctor, and any sort of touching when there's the tiniest bit of pain involved. Even brushing snarls out of her hair elicits tears and yelling. So when it came to these teeth, she wouldn't let us touch them. We've wanted to pull them out for months, but she wouldn't let us, and unless we held her down, which would result in tears and a huge fit, they weren't going to come out, so we just let it go. For the last week or two, one of them has been hanging by a thread. You could tell that the permanent tooth was pushing down on it because her teeth started to look crooked. She wiggled it every morning and evening, but wouldn't pull hard enough to get it out. All it would've taken was a little twist, and it would've come out, but she was too afraid to do it.
Yesterday she finally decided to do it.
There were tears (happy tears, she told us), but it's finally out. The other one is pretty loose, too, but I'm sure it will be a number of weeks before she works up the courage to get it out.
But wait, there's more drama. Last night she woke me up around 11:30 because she said her sheet was wet because she had been crying in her bed. She woke up and had to go potty, but was afraid to get up because she didn't want to see the tooth fairy, because she's not supposed to see her (I never told her that, by the way--she came up with that all on her own--I say as little as possible about the tooth fairy...and Santa...I don't want to lie to her, but I also don't want to crush her imagination, so I just listen whenever she has something to say about either of them). Anyway, she laid there and cried because she was afraid to get up, so her sheet was all wet with tears. I assured her it was okay to go potty. So she did, and we went to go take care of the wet sheet--she covered her eyes all the way back to her room because she didn't want to see the tooth fairy if she was in the house (little did she know that the tooth fairy came around 10:00 pm and there was a dollar bill on her bedside table already).
I honestly did not create this drama queen. I don't give in to her drama, thus perpetuating it, I do everything I can to ignore it, and to my knowledge I do nothing to encourage it. I don't coddle her in the least. I guess this is just Rachel. And I somehow have to learn to deal with it for the next however many years. Oh my.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
a rocky start
Rachel is enjoying school, but there have been some bumps along the way these first few weeks. I've requested my first conference with her teacher because of some behavior issues she's having--I've never had to request a conference before, and it's a little daunting. It's tomorrow morning before school, so we'll see how it goes. In addition to that, the girl drama I was afraid of has already started, and she's in the middle of it. I'm doing my best to help her to navigate it and trying to help her choose better friends to play with instead of the ones causing the drama, but it's hard because she wants to play with them, but she's getting hurt in the process. And I know this is only the beginning, and nothing compared with what is probably to come. My natural instincts are to tell her not to play with them, but I know this is a lesson she needs to figure out for herself. Sadly, that means she's going to continue getting hurt before she learns. The last thing in the world I want is to watch my child get hurt.
Rebecca's having a rocky start, too. Fussy, fussy, fussy. She misses her sister and doesn't know what to do with herself, so she either fusses or asks for food (what she does if she's bored). If we go somewhere in the mornings she's usually happier, and I'm usually happier, too, because she's contained in her car seat, a stroller, or a grocery cart, and busy looking at the things around her, but we don't really need to go somewhere every day. I find myself thinking up errands I need to run just so we have somewhere to go in the morning.
My husband's had a rocky few days, too. Yesterday he locked his keys in his car at work, and realized it right before it was time to come home. The police came and got him in, so I didn't have to go rescue him (it's a 50 minute drive one-way, so I was really glad I didn't have to drive there in rush hour traffic!). But then he had another interaction with the police this morning when he got a speeding ticket on his way to work. Ugh.
Watching the rest of my family struggle is a struggle for me, too, so I'm having my own rocky start as I try to figure out how to make life better for all of us. Here's hoping things get easier.
Today's errand is to go get a key made for my husband to keep at work, just in case he locks himself out again. Solves two problems in one....his and Rebecca's fussiness! :) If only Rachel's problems could be solved so easily....
Rebecca's having a rocky start, too. Fussy, fussy, fussy. She misses her sister and doesn't know what to do with herself, so she either fusses or asks for food (what she does if she's bored). If we go somewhere in the mornings she's usually happier, and I'm usually happier, too, because she's contained in her car seat, a stroller, or a grocery cart, and busy looking at the things around her, but we don't really need to go somewhere every day. I find myself thinking up errands I need to run just so we have somewhere to go in the morning.
My husband's had a rocky few days, too. Yesterday he locked his keys in his car at work, and realized it right before it was time to come home. The police came and got him in, so I didn't have to go rescue him (it's a 50 minute drive one-way, so I was really glad I didn't have to drive there in rush hour traffic!). But then he had another interaction with the police this morning when he got a speeding ticket on his way to work. Ugh.
Watching the rest of my family struggle is a struggle for me, too, so I'm having my own rocky start as I try to figure out how to make life better for all of us. Here's hoping things get easier.
Today's errand is to go get a key made for my husband to keep at work, just in case he locks himself out again. Solves two problems in one....his and Rebecca's fussiness! :) If only Rachel's problems could be solved so easily....
Monday, August 27, 2012
water fun
Yesterday we used our free water park tickets. It was a perfect day for it--90 degrees and bright and sunny. We knew we had to use them this weekend, because next weekend is the last chance before it closes for the summer, and the tickets expire, and we didn't know if the weather would cooperate next weekend, so it was now or never.
We took everything we needed with us to church (because the water park is lots closer to church than our house) and I got the girls ready in their suits before we left the church. While I was getting them ready, my husband was talking to Rachel's best friend, Taylor's mom (they go to our church), and it turned out that they had free tickets to the water park, too, which also expired next weekend! On the spur of the moment they decided to go too, so they met us there later and we hung out with them much of the time. What a happy surprise!
It was a really fun day, and I wish we could have stayed longer, but it was after 2:00 and Rebecca was having trouble keeping her eyes open (she usually takes her nap at 1:00). Rachel really didn't want to leave. She was so happy that Taylor was there, and was just really enjoying the water, which I was both surprised and happy to see. The last time we were in a big pool was at Disney World, when she was not quite five, and she was terrified of the water. She wouldn't even go in for more than a few minutes with my husband or me holding her. I purposely haven't put her in swimming lessons, because I was convinced that she'd cry and carry on and it would be a complete waste of money. But yesterday gave me hope that maybe she's not as scared anymore, and maybe next spring we can do swimming lessons in anticipation of next summer. She loved the wave pool, lazy river, and kids' areas. She even agreed to try a water slide with me, even though she was scared. She doesn't have a good track record of trying things when she's scared, so I was sure we'd get up there and she'd chicken out, but she didn't! We went down and she LOVED it! I was so proud of her. She went down it again later with Taylor, and wanted to do it some more, but we didn't have time.
While the steep price of admission means that we likely won't go again for quite awhile (we thought there wasn't enough there to justify the cost, until the kids are older and can enjoy more of the park for a longer period of time), for free, it was a super day of family fun! I wish we could have taken two cars and Rachel and I could have stayed longer (my husband isn't the water-lover that I am, so he would've been perfectly happy taking Rebecca home to nap while I stayed with Rachel).
We didn't take a camera (because trying to keep track of it and keeping it dry would've been very difficult!), so I don't have any pictures to share, unfortunately. You'll just have to imagine lots of wet, happy smiles.
We took everything we needed with us to church (because the water park is lots closer to church than our house) and I got the girls ready in their suits before we left the church. While I was getting them ready, my husband was talking to Rachel's best friend, Taylor's mom (they go to our church), and it turned out that they had free tickets to the water park, too, which also expired next weekend! On the spur of the moment they decided to go too, so they met us there later and we hung out with them much of the time. What a happy surprise!
It was a really fun day, and I wish we could have stayed longer, but it was after 2:00 and Rebecca was having trouble keeping her eyes open (she usually takes her nap at 1:00). Rachel really didn't want to leave. She was so happy that Taylor was there, and was just really enjoying the water, which I was both surprised and happy to see. The last time we were in a big pool was at Disney World, when she was not quite five, and she was terrified of the water. She wouldn't even go in for more than a few minutes with my husband or me holding her. I purposely haven't put her in swimming lessons, because I was convinced that she'd cry and carry on and it would be a complete waste of money. But yesterday gave me hope that maybe she's not as scared anymore, and maybe next spring we can do swimming lessons in anticipation of next summer. She loved the wave pool, lazy river, and kids' areas. She even agreed to try a water slide with me, even though she was scared. She doesn't have a good track record of trying things when she's scared, so I was sure we'd get up there and she'd chicken out, but she didn't! We went down and she LOVED it! I was so proud of her. She went down it again later with Taylor, and wanted to do it some more, but we didn't have time.
While the steep price of admission means that we likely won't go again for quite awhile (we thought there wasn't enough there to justify the cost, until the kids are older and can enjoy more of the park for a longer period of time), for free, it was a super day of family fun! I wish we could have taken two cars and Rachel and I could have stayed longer (my husband isn't the water-lover that I am, so he would've been perfectly happy taking Rebecca home to nap while I stayed with Rachel).
We didn't take a camera (because trying to keep track of it and keeping it dry would've been very difficult!), so I don't have any pictures to share, unfortunately. You'll just have to imagine lots of wet, happy smiles.
Friday, August 24, 2012
days with Rebecca
I've mentioned that Rebecca's been pretty fussy since Rachel went back to school. But here are some pictures of some of her happier moments from the last couple of days (she's been a little less fussy these last couple of days, too).
Riding her bike (she wanted to wear the hat out, and it was too funny not to take a picture)
Taking a picture, just like Mommy
Cheesy grin (this is at our neighbor's house)
Her new pool (courtesy of our neighbors who just moved and didn't want to move the pool)
Tired with the pool, she moved on to the tire swing
Riding her bike (she wanted to wear the hat out, and it was too funny not to take a picture)
Taking a picture, just like Mommy
Cheesy grin (this is at our neighbor's house)
Her new pool (courtesy of our neighbors who just moved and didn't want to move the pool)
Tired with the pool, she moved on to the tire swing
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
the latest
This morning I was talking to a neighbor at the bus stop. His daughter is in Rachel's class, and was last year, too. He told me his daughter wasn't enjoying 1st grade, and wanted to know if Rachel was. I told him yes, that she was. I asked why his daughter wasn't enjoying it. He said she said it was "boring," but he didn't know what she meant by that, and wondering if there was something more going on. He said it didn't sound like she was being picked on or anything like that, but he wasn't sure what she didn't like about it. It just made me really thankful for my happy girl who is just enthusiastic about everything.
Yesterday she got off the bus bubbling over with excitement because they had music class! In kindergarten the only special class they had was gym, so this was her very first music class, and she just loved it. She went on and on about what they did (listened to the music from the Olympics and did some motions, and played some rhythm games with scarves and bean bags while listening to music).
She's even more excited about having art class this year, which she hasn't gone to yet. She loves to draw and color and has expressed some interest in taking an art class somewhere, but I can't find one, and even if I did, it would likely be too expensive, but I'm happy that she'll get to have art class at school. Last year our school district had a levy which failed, and then passed the second time, but if it hadn't passed, there would've been no art (or music or gym). This fall there's a group trying to repeal a previous levy, which would make lots of drastic cuts again. I'm so nervous. Seeing how excited she is about these specials, I know it would break her heart (and mine) to have them taken away. Ugh. I hate money and levies and everything having to do with it.
Rebecca had her second dentist appointment this morning. You may recall that I didn't take Rachel until she was five (at the advice of my own dentist) and it was horrible, so to avoid this with Rebecca, I started taking her at 18 months, at the advice of Rachel's pediatric dentist. That time she cried the whole time. I wasn't expecting much better this time. But she did go with Rachel and me a couple of weeks ago when Rachel had her checkup, so she saw Rachel sit in the big chair, lay back, get her teeth cleaned, etc. When we told her this morning that she was going to the dentist, she was happy about it, and talked about it all morning until it was time to go. She got a little nervous (I know because when she gets nervous she puts her hand over her mouth!) when we started walking in, but she talked to the hygenist a little and even sat in the big chair by herself. The hygenist had me pick her up before she laid the chair back, because she said that usually freaks little kids out, and then had me lay her down on the flattened chair. She was a little skeptical at that point, but she laid there and held my hand. She liked the sunglasses they put on her before they turned the light on. She let the hygenist clean the top half of her teeth before she started crying this time. The hygenist then had me pick her up, put her on my lap, and lean her back into the hygenist's lap, like we did last time, to finish up the cleaning. Rebecca hated it from that point on, but the crying at least kept her mouth open so she could finish cleaning. But both the hygenist and the dentist said it was a huge step for a two year old to lay in the chair and get half of her teeth cleaned. So hopefully we're on our way to avoiding a repeat of Rachel's issues. I think the fact that she saw Rachel go through it a few weeks ago was helpful, because a couple of times she said, " Just like Rachel!" So she definitely remembered. Yay!
Yesterday she got off the bus bubbling over with excitement because they had music class! In kindergarten the only special class they had was gym, so this was her very first music class, and she just loved it. She went on and on about what they did (listened to the music from the Olympics and did some motions, and played some rhythm games with scarves and bean bags while listening to music).
She's even more excited about having art class this year, which she hasn't gone to yet. She loves to draw and color and has expressed some interest in taking an art class somewhere, but I can't find one, and even if I did, it would likely be too expensive, but I'm happy that she'll get to have art class at school. Last year our school district had a levy which failed, and then passed the second time, but if it hadn't passed, there would've been no art (or music or gym). This fall there's a group trying to repeal a previous levy, which would make lots of drastic cuts again. I'm so nervous. Seeing how excited she is about these specials, I know it would break her heart (and mine) to have them taken away. Ugh. I hate money and levies and everything having to do with it.
Rebecca had her second dentist appointment this morning. You may recall that I didn't take Rachel until she was five (at the advice of my own dentist) and it was horrible, so to avoid this with Rebecca, I started taking her at 18 months, at the advice of Rachel's pediatric dentist. That time she cried the whole time. I wasn't expecting much better this time. But she did go with Rachel and me a couple of weeks ago when Rachel had her checkup, so she saw Rachel sit in the big chair, lay back, get her teeth cleaned, etc. When we told her this morning that she was going to the dentist, she was happy about it, and talked about it all morning until it was time to go. She got a little nervous (I know because when she gets nervous she puts her hand over her mouth!) when we started walking in, but she talked to the hygenist a little and even sat in the big chair by herself. The hygenist had me pick her up before she laid the chair back, because she said that usually freaks little kids out, and then had me lay her down on the flattened chair. She was a little skeptical at that point, but she laid there and held my hand. She liked the sunglasses they put on her before they turned the light on. She let the hygenist clean the top half of her teeth before she started crying this time. The hygenist then had me pick her up, put her on my lap, and lean her back into the hygenist's lap, like we did last time, to finish up the cleaning. Rebecca hated it from that point on, but the crying at least kept her mouth open so she could finish cleaning. But both the hygenist and the dentist said it was a huge step for a two year old to lay in the chair and get half of her teeth cleaned. So hopefully we're on our way to avoiding a repeat of Rachel's issues. I think the fact that she saw Rachel go through it a few weeks ago was helpful, because a couple of times she said, " Just like Rachel!" So she definitely remembered. Yay!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
week one and other news
Week one of first grade is in the books. Rachel had a good week, overall, and is looking forward to going back tomorrow.
I still only get bits and pieces of what she does each day. They've written in their journals a couple of times, made some graphs, and had gym. She loves eating lunch in the cafeteria and having a full recess (in kindergarten they hardly ever had recess, since the day was so short and there was so much to fit into the morning). One day they even had two recesses. Friday she came home all excited because she found out that her teacher got to scuba dive in the aquarium at our zoo over the summer.
Friday night we went to a party with a few first grade families. Rachel had the time of her life and really, really didn't want to leave. I wish I had taken some pictures. The kids had a great time.
Yesterday Rachel told me, "I'm the happiest girl ever!" She had a great day. We had an impromptu garage sale, as part of our community garage sale weekend. I hadn't been planning on selling because I was supposed to be selling at the community center Baby Boutique Sale, which they hold twice a year. But they moved that sale to September, so I just stuck out everything I was planning on selling at that sale, and everything that didn't sell yesterday, I'll take to the Baby Boutique Sale. So anyway, we had a garage sale. And as soon as Rachel heard "Garage Sale," she started asking if she could have a lemonade stand, like last year. We told her she could, but also warned her that she'd have to pay us for all of the supplies I bought out of whatever she earned. Well, everyone must've thought she was cute, because they sure bought her lemonade and cookies! Even after paying for the supplies, she made around $30! She knew just what she wanted to use the money for. She's been wanting the new Brave game for her Leap Pad (based on the Disney movie, Brave, which came out in June--she went to see it with Grandma while she was visiting Grandma's house). I told her she could ask for it for Christmas, but she really, really wanted it, so as soon as she realized that she had enough money for it, she begged to go to Target to get it. So while Daddy and I manned the garage sale and Rebecca was taking her nap yesterday afternoon, Grandma and Grandpa, who were visiting for the day, took her to buy it. And it was even on sale! So she got the game she wanted, has money left to spare, and is "the happiest girl ever." Not only did she have a great time with the lemonade stand, she had a fun day with Grandma and Grandpa, and got to spend time learning to play her new game she earned herself.
In other news, earlier this week I won 4 tickets to the water park in town. We've never been, and Rachel's always wanted to go, so I'm excited. The only thing is that they have to be used before labor day! So hopefully we have a hot weekend between now and then--only a couple left!!!
Rebecca's not really enjoying having her sister gone at school all day. She asks me multiple times a day, "Where's Rachel?" She gets so excited when it's time to walk to the bus stop at the end of the day. She continues to talk up a storm, and says some of the funniest things. She likes to combine nursery rhymes. Something we've heard a lot lately:
"Eenie Meenie Mo, Tiger Toe, Ashes, ashes, fall fall down!"
or
"Raining, Pouring, Ashes, ashes, fall fall down!"
(she likes Ring Around the Rosie, can you tell?)
One of her favorite things lately is swinging on the "big girl swing" instead of her regular baby swing. It started one afternoon when we were waiting for it to be time to go to the bus stop, and she was antsy and fussy, so I was looking for something different to do with her for a little while. I put her in Rachel's swing and she LOVED it. But now she wants to swing that way all the time. Guess this is probably the last season for the baby swing.
And in other swinging news, Rachel's been practicing really hard and has finally learned to get herself going and pump her legs on the swing, so she needs absolutely no pushes anymore! She's very proud of herself. Every day after school this week, after she told me about school, finished her lunch (because she hasn't once finished it at school!), and changed her clothes, she's gone out to swing.
As a result of being at school all day, Rachel's a lot more tired. She's been sleeping at least 30 minutes longer in the mornings (one day it was an hour longer!), she's woken us up twice with what we think are night terrors, which usually only happen when she's sick or over tired, and she's had lots of moments of severe crabbiness. This morning she was crying about everything.
And despite having to wake up for night terrors and Rebecca's unexplainable mid-night crying as well this week, I can't seem to sleep past 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning lately. This morning I woke up at 3:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. I'm so, so tired, but don't know why I can't seem to sleep. Yuck.
Rebecca's become obsessed with snuggling in the last few months. If I'm sitting, she climbs up onto me constantly, digs her head into my shoulder, and says, "I wuv you." Or if I'm standing, she'll run over and throw herself into my legs and say, "I give you a hug! I wuv you!" In the grocery cart, in the middle of the grocery store, she'll start fussing and say, "Mommy, I want you," and what she wants is to hold my arm or have me lean over and give her a hug and a kiss. We've determined that her love language must be physical touch, because she just can't seem to get enough of it. I love her to death, and love hearing her tell me she "wuvs" me, but it can feel smothering to have her wanting to be on me all day long. Now that Rachel's gone all day, she seems to be even fussier and more clingy.
I still only get bits and pieces of what she does each day. They've written in their journals a couple of times, made some graphs, and had gym. She loves eating lunch in the cafeteria and having a full recess (in kindergarten they hardly ever had recess, since the day was so short and there was so much to fit into the morning). One day they even had two recesses. Friday she came home all excited because she found out that her teacher got to scuba dive in the aquarium at our zoo over the summer.
Friday night we went to a party with a few first grade families. Rachel had the time of her life and really, really didn't want to leave. I wish I had taken some pictures. The kids had a great time.
Yesterday Rachel told me, "I'm the happiest girl ever!" She had a great day. We had an impromptu garage sale, as part of our community garage sale weekend. I hadn't been planning on selling because I was supposed to be selling at the community center Baby Boutique Sale, which they hold twice a year. But they moved that sale to September, so I just stuck out everything I was planning on selling at that sale, and everything that didn't sell yesterday, I'll take to the Baby Boutique Sale. So anyway, we had a garage sale. And as soon as Rachel heard "Garage Sale," she started asking if she could have a lemonade stand, like last year. We told her she could, but also warned her that she'd have to pay us for all of the supplies I bought out of whatever she earned. Well, everyone must've thought she was cute, because they sure bought her lemonade and cookies! Even after paying for the supplies, she made around $30! She knew just what she wanted to use the money for. She's been wanting the new Brave game for her Leap Pad (based on the Disney movie, Brave, which came out in June--she went to see it with Grandma while she was visiting Grandma's house). I told her she could ask for it for Christmas, but she really, really wanted it, so as soon as she realized that she had enough money for it, she begged to go to Target to get it. So while Daddy and I manned the garage sale and Rebecca was taking her nap yesterday afternoon, Grandma and Grandpa, who were visiting for the day, took her to buy it. And it was even on sale! So she got the game she wanted, has money left to spare, and is "the happiest girl ever." Not only did she have a great time with the lemonade stand, she had a fun day with Grandma and Grandpa, and got to spend time learning to play her new game she earned herself.
In other news, earlier this week I won 4 tickets to the water park in town. We've never been, and Rachel's always wanted to go, so I'm excited. The only thing is that they have to be used before labor day! So hopefully we have a hot weekend between now and then--only a couple left!!!
Rebecca's not really enjoying having her sister gone at school all day. She asks me multiple times a day, "Where's Rachel?" She gets so excited when it's time to walk to the bus stop at the end of the day. She continues to talk up a storm, and says some of the funniest things. She likes to combine nursery rhymes. Something we've heard a lot lately:
"Eenie Meenie Mo, Tiger Toe, Ashes, ashes, fall fall down!"
or
"Raining, Pouring, Ashes, ashes, fall fall down!"
(she likes Ring Around the Rosie, can you tell?)
One of her favorite things lately is swinging on the "big girl swing" instead of her regular baby swing. It started one afternoon when we were waiting for it to be time to go to the bus stop, and she was antsy and fussy, so I was looking for something different to do with her for a little while. I put her in Rachel's swing and she LOVED it. But now she wants to swing that way all the time. Guess this is probably the last season for the baby swing.
And in other swinging news, Rachel's been practicing really hard and has finally learned to get herself going and pump her legs on the swing, so she needs absolutely no pushes anymore! She's very proud of herself. Every day after school this week, after she told me about school, finished her lunch (because she hasn't once finished it at school!), and changed her clothes, she's gone out to swing.
As a result of being at school all day, Rachel's a lot more tired. She's been sleeping at least 30 minutes longer in the mornings (one day it was an hour longer!), she's woken us up twice with what we think are night terrors, which usually only happen when she's sick or over tired, and she's had lots of moments of severe crabbiness. This morning she was crying about everything.
And despite having to wake up for night terrors and Rebecca's unexplainable mid-night crying as well this week, I can't seem to sleep past 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning lately. This morning I woke up at 3:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. I'm so, so tired, but don't know why I can't seem to sleep. Yuck.
Rebecca's become obsessed with snuggling in the last few months. If I'm sitting, she climbs up onto me constantly, digs her head into my shoulder, and says, "I wuv you." Or if I'm standing, she'll run over and throw herself into my legs and say, "I give you a hug! I wuv you!" In the grocery cart, in the middle of the grocery store, she'll start fussing and say, "Mommy, I want you," and what she wants is to hold my arm or have me lean over and give her a hug and a kiss. We've determined that her love language must be physical touch, because she just can't seem to get enough of it. I love her to death, and love hearing her tell me she "wuvs" me, but it can feel smothering to have her wanting to be on me all day long. Now that Rachel's gone all day, she seems to be even fussier and more clingy.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
goodbye forever
Those are the heart-felt words Rachel shared with our neighbors two nights ago as she hugged them and told them goodbye before they moved away: "Goodbye Forever!"
She actually was really sad (she told me when we came in the house, "I'm super-duper sad that they can't come over to my house to play anymore."). It just sounded so hilariously flippant when she said it--we were all laughing. Not, "Goodbye, I'll miss you," but "Goodbye Forever!" Oh, Rachel....
We'll all miss Maddi, Reed, Izzy, and Penny, and their wonderful parents so, so much.
And just because Grandma bought her two cute back to school outfits (yesterday's and today's), and it's too cute not to share, here is a picture of her this morning, on her second day of school.
The first day was "GREAT!" she told me when she got off the bus. I got little bits and pieces of what happened during the day, but oh, how I would've loved to have been a fly on the wall. It was the LONGEST DAY EVER, in my opinion, and I looked at the clock SO many times to see if it was time to go pick her up. I'm sad to report that my daughter was the only person in the whole class to have to pull a card on the first day of school (they use different colored cards as their method of discipline--pulling one card is a "warning," so that's what she got). Way to start the year off, Rachel. UGH! She was messing with someone's supplies when she was supposed to be listening to the teacher. We drilled the rules into the ground last night and this morning, so hopefully today will be better! But I'm still happy that she enjoyed it and was excited to go back this morning.
She actually was really sad (she told me when we came in the house, "I'm super-duper sad that they can't come over to my house to play anymore."). It just sounded so hilariously flippant when she said it--we were all laughing. Not, "Goodbye, I'll miss you," but "Goodbye Forever!" Oh, Rachel....
We'll all miss Maddi, Reed, Izzy, and Penny, and their wonderful parents so, so much.
And just because Grandma bought her two cute back to school outfits (yesterday's and today's), and it's too cute not to share, here is a picture of her this morning, on her second day of school.
The first day was "GREAT!" she told me when she got off the bus. I got little bits and pieces of what happened during the day, but oh, how I would've loved to have been a fly on the wall. It was the LONGEST DAY EVER, in my opinion, and I looked at the clock SO many times to see if it was time to go pick her up. I'm sad to report that my daughter was the only person in the whole class to have to pull a card on the first day of school (they use different colored cards as their method of discipline--pulling one card is a "warning," so that's what she got). Way to start the year off, Rachel. UGH! She was messing with someone's supplies when she was supposed to be listening to the teacher. We drilled the rules into the ground last night and this morning, so hopefully today will be better! But I'm still happy that she enjoyed it and was excited to go back this morning.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
first day - first grade edition
Last year I found a poem which perfectly described how I was feeling as I sent my treasure of a little girl out into the world on her first day of kindergarten. It still makes me cry to read it.
This year I found another, as I send that same little girl off to a FULL day of school for the first time. This one isn't quite the tear jerker, but I've still shed plenty of tears leading up to this day.
(Author Unknown)
I wonder what you're doing right now
And if everyone is treating you kind
I hope there is a special person,
A nice friend you can find.
I wonder if the teacher knows
just how special you are to me.
And if the brightness of your heart
is something she can see.
I wonder if you are thinking of me
And if you need a hug.
I already miss the sound of your voice
and how you give my leg a tug.
I wonder if you could possibly understand
How hard it is for me to let you go.
On this day, know that my heart breaks,
For this is the first step in letting my baby go.
This isn't the first step, as the poem says....but it's another big one, letting her go all day long. Today she'll be eating lunch in the cafeteria--I packed the first of many school lunches this morning. She left at 8:33. And she won't get off the bus until 4:01! What a LONG day!
She's ready. She's so excited. I'm excited for her, but I'm also missing my little girl. I can't wait to pick her up at the bus stop this afternoon and hear all about her day. Our bus stop was moved this year to farther away, which will stink come winter (and rainy days), but I'm looking forward to the walks home on the nice days, hearing all about her day at school. Actually, a few days ago she started crying out of nowhere one night, telling me that she had been so excited about Taylor being in her class that she forgot about how much she's going to miss me! I reassured her about how much fun school would be, and she's still mostly excited, but she's a little bit scared, too. She's cried when talking about it a few more times since then. But this morning it was all excitement. Seeing all of her friends at "Meet the Teacher" day yesterday helped build the excitement, I think.
The part of the poem that really gets me is the line about if the teacher knows how special she is to me and whether she sees the brightness in her heart. When I was a first grade teacher, I wasn't yet a parent, and though I was kind, loving, and nurturing to them, it never really dawned on me that these children in my care were their parents' precious treasures. So it makes me sad to think that her teacher likely won't see her that way, either. She'll just be another little girl in the class. Cute, or sweet, or talkative, maybe. But she won't be thought of and treated as my beloved pride and joy! I guess that's what makes it so hard to know she's going out into the world on her own--that she's just another girl to everyone else. People will be mean to her. People will hurt her feelings. I know it's all part of life. But she's mine! And I just want to shield her from all of that. Maybe it'll get easier to let go as she gets older. But somehow I doubt it.
So she's off on another adventure.
First Grade, here comes Rachel!!!
This year I found another, as I send that same little girl off to a FULL day of school for the first time. This one isn't quite the tear jerker, but I've still shed plenty of tears leading up to this day.
(Author Unknown)
I wonder what you're doing right now
And if everyone is treating you kind
I hope there is a special person,
A nice friend you can find.
I wonder if the teacher knows
just how special you are to me.
And if the brightness of your heart
is something she can see.
I wonder if you are thinking of me
And if you need a hug.
I already miss the sound of your voice
and how you give my leg a tug.
I wonder if you could possibly understand
How hard it is for me to let you go.
On this day, know that my heart breaks,
For this is the first step in letting my baby go.
This isn't the first step, as the poem says....but it's another big one, letting her go all day long. Today she'll be eating lunch in the cafeteria--I packed the first of many school lunches this morning. She left at 8:33. And she won't get off the bus until 4:01! What a LONG day!
She's ready. She's so excited. I'm excited for her, but I'm also missing my little girl. I can't wait to pick her up at the bus stop this afternoon and hear all about her day. Our bus stop was moved this year to farther away, which will stink come winter (and rainy days), but I'm looking forward to the walks home on the nice days, hearing all about her day at school. Actually, a few days ago she started crying out of nowhere one night, telling me that she had been so excited about Taylor being in her class that she forgot about how much she's going to miss me! I reassured her about how much fun school would be, and she's still mostly excited, but she's a little bit scared, too. She's cried when talking about it a few more times since then. But this morning it was all excitement. Seeing all of her friends at "Meet the Teacher" day yesterday helped build the excitement, I think.
The part of the poem that really gets me is the line about if the teacher knows how special she is to me and whether she sees the brightness in her heart. When I was a first grade teacher, I wasn't yet a parent, and though I was kind, loving, and nurturing to them, it never really dawned on me that these children in my care were their parents' precious treasures. So it makes me sad to think that her teacher likely won't see her that way, either. She'll just be another little girl in the class. Cute, or sweet, or talkative, maybe. But she won't be thought of and treated as my beloved pride and joy! I guess that's what makes it so hard to know she's going out into the world on her own--that she's just another girl to everyone else. People will be mean to her. People will hurt her feelings. I know it's all part of life. But she's mine! And I just want to shield her from all of that. Maybe it'll get easier to let go as she gets older. But somehow I doubt it.
So she's off on another adventure.
First Grade, here comes Rachel!!!
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
gearing up
I'm still staying up too late, watching the Olympics. I'm a little tired of them, but I told my husband it's like a train wreck. I just can't stop watching. I'll be kind of relieved when they're over and I can go to bed earlier and not feel drawn to the TV so much!
But in other news, we're gearing up for the start of school. Rachel's first day is next Wednesday, and she can't wait. This morning we went to school to pay fees and find out who her teacher will be. It doesn't mean a whole lot to either of us, since we don't know any of the three first grade teachers, but she was absolutely THRILLED to find out that her best friend, Taylor, is in her class! Another friend from our Girl Scout troop is also in her class. That's all we know so far. A couple of her other friends were there, but they're in different classes. I was most worried about Taylor, because I knew how badly they both wanted to be together, and I was afraid they'd both be in tears if they weren't. So I'm both relieved and excited that they will be together.
More good news--I found out today that they're allowed to bring peanut butter to school. I had heard rumors that it wasn't allowed (because of peanut allergies), and I was wondering what in the world I would send for her to eat, since she pretty much lives on peanut butter sandwiches. Thankfully I don't have to worry about it.
So school shopping is done (her shoes arrived in the mail this morning, and she tried on her first day of school outfit with them--she was giddy, looking at herself in the mirror!), haircuts are done, and we're just trying to squeeze in a last few summer activities (going to the science museum, going to have lunch with Daddy at work, and things like that). It's getting close! She was bouncing up and down this morning at school, just so excited to be there.
I'm mostly looking forward to it, but boy, am I going to miss her!
But in other news, we're gearing up for the start of school. Rachel's first day is next Wednesday, and she can't wait. This morning we went to school to pay fees and find out who her teacher will be. It doesn't mean a whole lot to either of us, since we don't know any of the three first grade teachers, but she was absolutely THRILLED to find out that her best friend, Taylor, is in her class! Another friend from our Girl Scout troop is also in her class. That's all we know so far. A couple of her other friends were there, but they're in different classes. I was most worried about Taylor, because I knew how badly they both wanted to be together, and I was afraid they'd both be in tears if they weren't. So I'm both relieved and excited that they will be together.
More good news--I found out today that they're allowed to bring peanut butter to school. I had heard rumors that it wasn't allowed (because of peanut allergies), and I was wondering what in the world I would send for her to eat, since she pretty much lives on peanut butter sandwiches. Thankfully I don't have to worry about it.
So school shopping is done (her shoes arrived in the mail this morning, and she tried on her first day of school outfit with them--she was giddy, looking at herself in the mirror!), haircuts are done, and we're just trying to squeeze in a last few summer activities (going to the science museum, going to have lunch with Daddy at work, and things like that). It's getting close! She was bouncing up and down this morning at school, just so excited to be there.
I'm mostly looking forward to it, but boy, am I going to miss her!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
up too late
I've been staying up way too late this week watching the Olympics. I don't know what it is about them, but I just can't stop watching. For two weeks out of every two years (winter and summer), I become a huge sports fan. I could care less about sports the rest of my life.
But it's not just me this time. Rachel, who doesn't want anything to do with any sport EVER (and even cried a month or so ago, out of the blue, telling my husband, "I don't ever want to have to play soccer,") is LOVING watching the Olympics with me! And I'm loving it, too. I've been letting her stay up until 9 to watch each night, then I record the rest and she watches them off and on the next day.
She likes swimming and gymnastics the best, but surprisingly, she's almost just as excited about water polo, rowing, and kayaking--oh and today she saw her first diving and loved it, too! She also has some interest in beach volleyball, and watched almost a whole match with me yesterday.
She's always more excited when the women are competing. And she likes to watch and figure out what the rules are. She comes up with interesting ideas about what a certain line is for and so forth.
I've had to explain to her over and over what a heat is, and that every race is not for a medal. I think she's finally understanding that sometimes they're racing for a medal and sometimes they're just trying to get into the next race, but it's taken a long time for her to get that.
But it's been a fun bonding experience, watching them with her. So I guess we'll just be closet sports fans every two years together.
Oh, and she's decided that she wants to be a rower. "Because I don't want to get my face wet like the swimmers." She was excited to hear that our town has a rowing team (it's a club team) but was sad to find out she'd have to wait until high school to give it a try.
Oh how I love my little olympic lover.
(Just as an aside....I have a huge bone to pick with NBC. They're making us wait until prime time to watch the big stuff...swimming and gymnastics. I understand why, but wish I could watch it live. But everywhere I look, I see spoilers in the afternoon, telling me who wins. Even on MSNBC, which is my homepage online--so every time I get on the computer, there it is in a huge headline! You would think that if they were going to make America wait to watch, they wouldn't give away the ending on their own webpage! Ugh. I don't WANT to know who wins until I watch it! Even if I stay off the computer, yesterday afternoon when my husband got home from work he turned on Sports Center, and there were the results on the bottom of the screen. No warning, no chance to turn my head.... It's really frustrating. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a big deal, but it's just one of those little things that drives me crazy.)
But it's not just me this time. Rachel, who doesn't want anything to do with any sport EVER (and even cried a month or so ago, out of the blue, telling my husband, "I don't ever want to have to play soccer,") is LOVING watching the Olympics with me! And I'm loving it, too. I've been letting her stay up until 9 to watch each night, then I record the rest and she watches them off and on the next day.
She likes swimming and gymnastics the best, but surprisingly, she's almost just as excited about water polo, rowing, and kayaking--oh and today she saw her first diving and loved it, too! She also has some interest in beach volleyball, and watched almost a whole match with me yesterday.
She's always more excited when the women are competing. And she likes to watch and figure out what the rules are. She comes up with interesting ideas about what a certain line is for and so forth.
I've had to explain to her over and over what a heat is, and that every race is not for a medal. I think she's finally understanding that sometimes they're racing for a medal and sometimes they're just trying to get into the next race, but it's taken a long time for her to get that.
But it's been a fun bonding experience, watching them with her. So I guess we'll just be closet sports fans every two years together.
Oh, and she's decided that she wants to be a rower. "Because I don't want to get my face wet like the swimmers." She was excited to hear that our town has a rowing team (it's a club team) but was sad to find out she'd have to wait until high school to give it a try.
Oh how I love my little olympic lover.
(Just as an aside....I have a huge bone to pick with NBC. They're making us wait until prime time to watch the big stuff...swimming and gymnastics. I understand why, but wish I could watch it live. But everywhere I look, I see spoilers in the afternoon, telling me who wins. Even on MSNBC, which is my homepage online--so every time I get on the computer, there it is in a huge headline! You would think that if they were going to make America wait to watch, they wouldn't give away the ending on their own webpage! Ugh. I don't WANT to know who wins until I watch it! Even if I stay off the computer, yesterday afternoon when my husband got home from work he turned on Sports Center, and there were the results on the bottom of the screen. No warning, no chance to turn my head.... It's really frustrating. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a big deal, but it's just one of those little things that drives me crazy.)
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Rebecca-isms
Rebecca's got her chatty sister beat for how much and how well she talks at barely two years old. She talks non stop from the minute she gets up until the minute she goes to sleep, and the things she says are so clear (and cute and often hilarious).
Here are some phrases we hear from Rebecca on a regular basis:
-"Make my warm." (Make me warm--Rachel used to say this same thing when she was cold!)
-"Seck it out." (Check it out--she says this at the library when she sees a book, video, or CD that she wants. While Grandma was here watching her she kept saying this while holding a book and making a beeping sound, and she finally figured out that Rebecca was pretending to check things out at the library--the beeping sound was the sound the computer makes when it scans the bar code.)
-"I want ice water!" (self explanatory....but she says this ALL the time--the girl drinks all day long, and it can't be just plain water anymore--Daddy introduced her to ice and now it always has to be ice water.)
-"I hiding Becca!" (She says this while covering her eyes. She wants us to say, "Where's Rebecca?" and play peekaboo, which she calls "peekie-boo." She calls herself Becca, but if we remind her that her name is Rebecca she'll say, "Uh-becca" instead of just "Becca." Sometimes she'll say, "Uh-Becca Doy" for "Rebecca Joy," which I call her when she's in trouble!)
-"I wanna watch the Wiggles!" (I hear this many, many times daily. But lately she's become very interested in Blue's Clues. She sits pretty still to watch it, and sometimes Curious George and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, too.)
-"I in tubble," she says with a serious look on her face. (I'm in trouble. She says this when she knows she did something wrong.
-I always marvel at her longer sentences. Lately I've counted a few seven word sentences, like "I wanna take my shoes off now," or "I wanna put dat in my mouth," when talking about some sort of food she likes. I just shake my head in amazement. At this age I think I was lucky to get a couple of words out of Rachel, I think. At some point when she was two her language exploded, but Rebecca's seems to have done that a lot sooner. It's so fun to watch her language develop.
Oh, and I almost forgot our very favorite.... Guess what she calls "Humpty Dumpty?"
"Dumpy Dumpy!"
I'll be sad the day she finally gets that one right. It makes me smile every time I hear it.
Here are some phrases we hear from Rebecca on a regular basis:
-"Make my warm." (Make me warm--Rachel used to say this same thing when she was cold!)
-"Seck it out." (Check it out--she says this at the library when she sees a book, video, or CD that she wants. While Grandma was here watching her she kept saying this while holding a book and making a beeping sound, and she finally figured out that Rebecca was pretending to check things out at the library--the beeping sound was the sound the computer makes when it scans the bar code.)
-"I want ice water!" (self explanatory....but she says this ALL the time--the girl drinks all day long, and it can't be just plain water anymore--Daddy introduced her to ice and now it always has to be ice water.)
-"I hiding Becca!" (She says this while covering her eyes. She wants us to say, "Where's Rebecca?" and play peekaboo, which she calls "peekie-boo." She calls herself Becca, but if we remind her that her name is Rebecca she'll say, "Uh-becca" instead of just "Becca." Sometimes she'll say, "Uh-Becca Doy" for "Rebecca Joy," which I call her when she's in trouble!)
-"I wanna watch the Wiggles!" (I hear this many, many times daily. But lately she's become very interested in Blue's Clues. She sits pretty still to watch it, and sometimes Curious George and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, too.)
-"I in tubble," she says with a serious look on her face. (I'm in trouble. She says this when she knows she did something wrong.
-I always marvel at her longer sentences. Lately I've counted a few seven word sentences, like "I wanna take my shoes off now," or "I wanna put dat in my mouth," when talking about some sort of food she likes. I just shake my head in amazement. At this age I think I was lucky to get a couple of words out of Rachel, I think. At some point when she was two her language exploded, but Rebecca's seems to have done that a lot sooner. It's so fun to watch her language develop.
Oh, and I almost forgot our very favorite.... Guess what she calls "Humpty Dumpty?"
"Dumpy Dumpy!"
I'll be sad the day she finally gets that one right. It makes me smile every time I hear it.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
the good, the bad, and the ugly
I'm done with camp! HOORAY!!!!
-26 cute, sweet, WHINY six year old girls
-Temps in the 90s with VERY high humidity for four of the days
-3 hours of thunderstorms the other day.
-Only one picnic shelter which is grounded (so lots and lots of girls crammed in a very small space, singing lots and lots and LOTS of songs for hours)
-Pit toilets
-Whiny six year olds forced to use said (smelly) pit toilets
-One leader who sat and did nothing all week
-Another leader who helped clean and carry things, but wouldn't take charge or make decisions
-This very soft spoken, indecisive leader who was forced to make all decisions and be in charge every day, ordering others around...definitely not in my comfort zone
Put all of that together and what do you get?
The longest. week. ever.
The first day was complete chaos. We had a rough idea of what we were going to do that day, but no real idea of what to expect, or how long everything would take. We underestimated how much time it would take to accomplish the organizational aspect of everything, which resulted in lots of time for the girls to sit and get in trouble while I tried to get things organized and the other two leaders looked at me to take charge. I came home exhausted and in tears that night because I felt like the girls were bored to tears, I didn't know how to get everything done, and I didn't want to be the one in charge. But I finally realized that I didn't really have a choice. I had to take charge and do the best I could, or it would just keep being chaos. That night I came up with a better plan for the next day.
It got a tiny bit better after that. Once I knew that I HAD to be in charge, and approximately how long things would take, I could plan for it. I didn't like it, but at least we got some things accomplished and the girls started enjoying it. Each night I came up with a plan for the next day, and while things didn't always go according to plan, we were mostly able to stick to it.
The kids whined A LOT. About the toilets. About the hiking. About the heat. About whatever we were doing at the time.... But all of the feedback I got from parents and directors was positive--the girls were having fun, despite the whining, and they said I was doing a good job with SO many girls (26 was larger than any other unit--they usually cap it at 20, and last year there were only 6 Daisies!). So that made it a little bit better, knowing everyone (but I) was happy.
But it was hot. And sticky. And so, so exhausting. I came home each night and collapsed, so grateful for air conditioning! And for my mom....who listened to my own whining and moaning every night and took good care of Rebecca every day. I couldn't have made it through the week without her. She washed my dishes and took us out to dinner so I didn't have to cook, and made my coffee every morning. She even cleaned my refrigerator, a job I NEVER have time for! I love you, Mom!
Last night I collapsed a much happier woman, knowing I didn't have to get up this morning and do it again! I didn't get out of my PJs until 9:30 this morning, which was wonderful. I did what I wanted (well, as much as you can do what you want while taking care of two little girls!). I enjoyed my two sweet girls, rather than 26 whiny ones (even though mine was often part of the whiny contingent throughout the week!!!) I didn't even make dinner--I had enough points from Papa Johns for a free pizza and we had that for dinner.
BUT....even though it was hard and I never want to do it again, there were some good things about it. Rachel, after initially complaining about it, enjoyed camp. It was fun to hear her singing the songs, talking about the things we did, and be excited to go each morning. She's already asked to go creeking again. After the lesson on rocks, she now wants to grow her own crystal. When an older Girl Scout came to teach the girls some old time Girl Scout songs, Rachel was thrilled to hear a few of the songs her Grandma and I have taught her through her childhood.
I also enjoyed getting to know the girls from our own troop a little better. Our whole troop was there this week, and I usually only see them for an hour every other week, so to see them all day, every day, I had a chance to get to know them all a bit more.
So I'll have some good memories to take away from the week.
(I'm just glad I won't be making any more!)
-26 cute, sweet, WHINY six year old girls
-Temps in the 90s with VERY high humidity for four of the days
-3 hours of thunderstorms the other day.
-Only one picnic shelter which is grounded (so lots and lots of girls crammed in a very small space, singing lots and lots and LOTS of songs for hours)
-Pit toilets
-Whiny six year olds forced to use said (smelly) pit toilets
-One leader who sat and did nothing all week
-Another leader who helped clean and carry things, but wouldn't take charge or make decisions
-This very soft spoken, indecisive leader who was forced to make all decisions and be in charge every day, ordering others around...definitely not in my comfort zone
Put all of that together and what do you get?
The longest. week. ever.
The first day was complete chaos. We had a rough idea of what we were going to do that day, but no real idea of what to expect, or how long everything would take. We underestimated how much time it would take to accomplish the organizational aspect of everything, which resulted in lots of time for the girls to sit and get in trouble while I tried to get things organized and the other two leaders looked at me to take charge. I came home exhausted and in tears that night because I felt like the girls were bored to tears, I didn't know how to get everything done, and I didn't want to be the one in charge. But I finally realized that I didn't really have a choice. I had to take charge and do the best I could, or it would just keep being chaos. That night I came up with a better plan for the next day.
It got a tiny bit better after that. Once I knew that I HAD to be in charge, and approximately how long things would take, I could plan for it. I didn't like it, but at least we got some things accomplished and the girls started enjoying it. Each night I came up with a plan for the next day, and while things didn't always go according to plan, we were mostly able to stick to it.
The kids whined A LOT. About the toilets. About the hiking. About the heat. About whatever we were doing at the time.... But all of the feedback I got from parents and directors was positive--the girls were having fun, despite the whining, and they said I was doing a good job with SO many girls (26 was larger than any other unit--they usually cap it at 20, and last year there were only 6 Daisies!). So that made it a little bit better, knowing everyone (but I) was happy.
But it was hot. And sticky. And so, so exhausting. I came home each night and collapsed, so grateful for air conditioning! And for my mom....who listened to my own whining and moaning every night and took good care of Rebecca every day. I couldn't have made it through the week without her. She washed my dishes and took us out to dinner so I didn't have to cook, and made my coffee every morning. She even cleaned my refrigerator, a job I NEVER have time for! I love you, Mom!
Last night I collapsed a much happier woman, knowing I didn't have to get up this morning and do it again! I didn't get out of my PJs until 9:30 this morning, which was wonderful. I did what I wanted (well, as much as you can do what you want while taking care of two little girls!). I enjoyed my two sweet girls, rather than 26 whiny ones (even though mine was often part of the whiny contingent throughout the week!!!) I didn't even make dinner--I had enough points from Papa Johns for a free pizza and we had that for dinner.
BUT....even though it was hard and I never want to do it again, there were some good things about it. Rachel, after initially complaining about it, enjoyed camp. It was fun to hear her singing the songs, talking about the things we did, and be excited to go each morning. She's already asked to go creeking again. After the lesson on rocks, she now wants to grow her own crystal. When an older Girl Scout came to teach the girls some old time Girl Scout songs, Rachel was thrilled to hear a few of the songs her Grandma and I have taught her through her childhood.
I also enjoyed getting to know the girls from our own troop a little better. Our whole troop was there this week, and I usually only see them for an hour every other week, so to see them all day, every day, I had a chance to get to know them all a bit more.
So I'll have some good memories to take away from the week.
(I'm just glad I won't be making any more!)
Friday, July 20, 2012
twenty years
My 20 year high school reunion is this weekend. I can't go (I wasn't even sure I wanted to go anyway, but then I found out I couldn't have gone if I had wanted to because I have somewhere else to be all day tomorrow), but high school friends have been posting about it on facebook, so it's been on my mind even though I won't be there.
Twenty years!?!? It feels like a couple of years ago.
Of course, a lot has happened since then....four years of college, two years of graduate school, teaching school for 10 years, getting married, having children....I guess it makes sense that all of those things would need many years to occur, but still, twenty years sounds like a LONG time. It just doesn't feel like a long time.
I remember when my parents had their twenty-fifth reunion because my mom helped out with it. And I remember thinking they were old. Does that mean I'm going to be old in five years? Because I don't feel old. And most people tell me I don't look older. But the calendar tells me differently, I guess!
There are some people I wish I could see, but for the most part, I already keep in touch with most of the people I would be interested in talking to. Facebook is a strange phenomenon, because I feel like I know enough about what a lot of people are doing with their lives and can see their pictures, so I don't feel a huge need to go back and see them in person. Big social gatherings are not my favorite things, plus my husband leaves the country tomorrow, so I would be going by myself, so I'm actually pretty thankful that I have something else going on and can't be there. But I'm still a little bit curious and anxious to see the pictures people will eventually post.
These are the only pictures I have from my high school graduation. That particular roll of film was double exposed, so they were all ruined. :( This black and white one was one the school took and gave me--it's me giving my valedictory speech (I was scared to death, can you tell?). I don't have a clue what I talked about, though I still have my speech written on note cards somewhere.
This one is my friend and next door neighbor growing up, Jennifer. Do you have any pictures from that day, Jennifer? Maybe I should try and get some from you.
And this is one of my dad and me which really didn't turn out. My dad was my government teacher (though my best friend, Maro, and I took his class "independent study," during our study hall, and spent most of our study halls in his room goofing off, instead of learning about government. But we got A's on all of the tests, so we learned something, right Dad?)
So apart from the big bangs, how much older do I look? Twenty years???
Twenty years!?!? It feels like a couple of years ago.
Of course, a lot has happened since then....four years of college, two years of graduate school, teaching school for 10 years, getting married, having children....I guess it makes sense that all of those things would need many years to occur, but still, twenty years sounds like a LONG time. It just doesn't feel like a long time.
I remember when my parents had their twenty-fifth reunion because my mom helped out with it. And I remember thinking they were old. Does that mean I'm going to be old in five years? Because I don't feel old. And most people tell me I don't look older. But the calendar tells me differently, I guess!
There are some people I wish I could see, but for the most part, I already keep in touch with most of the people I would be interested in talking to. Facebook is a strange phenomenon, because I feel like I know enough about what a lot of people are doing with their lives and can see their pictures, so I don't feel a huge need to go back and see them in person. Big social gatherings are not my favorite things, plus my husband leaves the country tomorrow, so I would be going by myself, so I'm actually pretty thankful that I have something else going on and can't be there. But I'm still a little bit curious and anxious to see the pictures people will eventually post.
These are the only pictures I have from my high school graduation. That particular roll of film was double exposed, so they were all ruined. :( This black and white one was one the school took and gave me--it's me giving my valedictory speech (I was scared to death, can you tell?). I don't have a clue what I talked about, though I still have my speech written on note cards somewhere.
So apart from the big bangs, how much older do I look? Twenty years???
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
out of the routine
These last couple of weeks have not been normal ones around here. Last week, as I wrote before, I was at my parents' house for a few days and then babysat the twins for three days. I also watched them on Monday and yesterday of this week, and will watch them on Friday as well. In addition to that, Rachel's been going to VBS this week with the neighbors--our wonderful neighbors who are moving away in a few short weeks. :( Rachel is LOVING VBS (this is the first time she's ever gone to one and was a little apprehensive, but she absolutely loves it), loving having the twins here, and just loving life right now (well, except for this very moment because I'm making her have her first rest time in a week, since the twins have been here and she hasn't had to have one while they've been here). We also had a Girl Scout get together this week to make sit-upons for Girl Scout day camp--the first Girl Scout event all summer.
Day camp is next week. It will be yet another abnormal week. My husband leaves Saturday for Honduras, my mom is coming that morning, and I have an all day training to go to that day at the camp because I'm volunteering. She'll be here for the week, because I need her to watch Rebecca while I'm at day camp with Rachel. I'm really regretting ever signing up to volunteer, though. It's turning into a nightmare. First, there's the weather to contend with. Who wants to be outside all day every day when it feels like a very humid 100 degrees? With 26 six and seven year olds? I'm scared. Neither my partner nor I really know what we're doing. I'm hoping this training on Saturday will clear things up a bit. But the people doing the trainings we've had so far have been doing this camp for years and it's all old hat to them. They seem to forget that it's all new to us and we don't have a clue.
My husband is happy he'll be gone next week and won't have to listen to me complain every night. My poor mom will have to listen to me instead.... I'm trying to have a positive attitude about it, but I'm not succeeding very well. I'm really nervous and dreading it, actually. He keeps telling me, "What's the worst that can happen? Whatever it is, you only have to deal with it for five days and then it's done."
I'm really, REALLY looking forward to the following week, when things finally get back to normal. No more babysitting. No more camp. Just a couple of regular weeks to enjoy--I can't wait!!! Then it'll be time for Rachel to go back to school. (Part of me is really looking forward to that. Part of me is hating the fact that she's going to be gone ALL DAY--I'm going to miss her!! And part of me is thinking, "What in the world am I going to do with just Rebecca ALL DAY LONG!?")
Day camp is next week. It will be yet another abnormal week. My husband leaves Saturday for Honduras, my mom is coming that morning, and I have an all day training to go to that day at the camp because I'm volunteering. She'll be here for the week, because I need her to watch Rebecca while I'm at day camp with Rachel. I'm really regretting ever signing up to volunteer, though. It's turning into a nightmare. First, there's the weather to contend with. Who wants to be outside all day every day when it feels like a very humid 100 degrees? With 26 six and seven year olds? I'm scared. Neither my partner nor I really know what we're doing. I'm hoping this training on Saturday will clear things up a bit. But the people doing the trainings we've had so far have been doing this camp for years and it's all old hat to them. They seem to forget that it's all new to us and we don't have a clue.
My husband is happy he'll be gone next week and won't have to listen to me complain every night. My poor mom will have to listen to me instead.... I'm trying to have a positive attitude about it, but I'm not succeeding very well. I'm really nervous and dreading it, actually. He keeps telling me, "What's the worst that can happen? Whatever it is, you only have to deal with it for five days and then it's done."
I'm really, REALLY looking forward to the following week, when things finally get back to normal. No more babysitting. No more camp. Just a couple of regular weeks to enjoy--I can't wait!!! Then it'll be time for Rachel to go back to school. (Part of me is really looking forward to that. Part of me is hating the fact that she's going to be gone ALL DAY--I'm going to miss her!! And part of me is thinking, "What in the world am I going to do with just Rebecca ALL DAY LONG!?")
Sunday, July 15, 2012
backpack, backpack
Yesterday we ran a million errands. One of them was to Target, where Rachel fell in love with a backpack for school. We didn't buy it because my husband and I figured it would go on sale soon, but I was worried that they might not have it when it did go on sale. But I decided to chance it and not buy it yesterday.
So today I opened the Target ad, and there was the backpack, on sale!
Tonight Rachel and I went back to Target--since it had been on sale all day I was a little worried that there would be anymore left, but I needn't have worried. There were a few left.
I've never seen a little girl more excited about a backpack! She wore it all through the store, took it off reluctantly so the cashier could scan it, then put it right back on again. "You don't need a bag, huh?" the cashier asked her. All through the parking lot she said, "I'm so excited!" She took it off to get in the car, and on the way home she hugged it and said, "I've ALWAYS wanted you!"
As soon as she got home she put her school supplies in it, which we bought yesterday. She can't wait to go back to school. (Just a few days ago she didn't want to go back. Now she's excited.)
One month from today is her first day....
She's ready!
Oh, I should add that Pinkalicious is one of her favorite books. And you can't really tell from the picture, but the icing on the cupcake is 3D, made out of tulle, and the bottom of the cupcake is sparkly. Pink, Sweet, and Sparkly. Can't get more Rachel-y than that!
So today I opened the Target ad, and there was the backpack, on sale!
Tonight Rachel and I went back to Target--since it had been on sale all day I was a little worried that there would be anymore left, but I needn't have worried. There were a few left.
I've never seen a little girl more excited about a backpack! She wore it all through the store, took it off reluctantly so the cashier could scan it, then put it right back on again. "You don't need a bag, huh?" the cashier asked her. All through the parking lot she said, "I'm so excited!" She took it off to get in the car, and on the way home she hugged it and said, "I've ALWAYS wanted you!"
As soon as she got home she put her school supplies in it, which we bought yesterday. She can't wait to go back to school. (Just a few days ago she didn't want to go back. Now she's excited.)
One month from today is her first day....
She's ready!
Oh, I should add that Pinkalicious is one of her favorite books. And you can't really tell from the picture, but the icing on the cupcake is 3D, made out of tulle, and the bottom of the cupcake is sparkly. Pink, Sweet, and Sparkly. Can't get more Rachel-y than that!
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