First day of preschool!

My main goal this morning (besides getting the kids ready to leave the house on time!) was to get a picture of them together with their backpacks. Well, that didn't work out as well as I had hoped. Imagine that! Ryder was eager to smile for the camera, but Harper refused to stand up, smile, or put down her taggies and pacifier. So instead of the kids standing side by side smiling happily, this is what I got instead:

Ryder was proud to model his new backpack...

...while Harper mastered the vacant stare.

And this is what happened when I tried to get a picture of her without her pacifier in her mouth.

But wouldn't you know, once I put the camera down and started ushering them out the front door, Harper said, "Camera! Picture!" I grabbed my phone and snapped a couple of her in an upright position--still with taggies and pacifier, of course. Hey, I can't win every battle!

Both kids had a great morning at preschool! Drop-off was easy and tear-free, and I even got to spy on Harper's class while they were on the playground and saw her swinging in a big kid's swing for the first time. I was just glad she hung on and at least looked like she knew what she was doing. :) Overall, things went so smoothly that it was pretty uneventful. I guess that's a good thing!

Back to School Night

As a teacher, I attended "Back to School Night" or "Open House" every year for eleven years. I spent hours decorating bulletin boards, rearranging desks, organizing bookshelves, xeroxing and putting together welcome packets, and practicing what I would say to the anxious parents of middle school students. This year the tables turned. Last night Andrew and I attended this event, and for the first time I was the PARENT, not the teacher. Both of my babies start preschool on Tuesday, so Andrew and I got the chance to meet their teachers and visit the classrooms. Since I work at the Family Center, I was already pretty familiar with everything, but I wanted Andrew to see where I'll be taking the kids every day. We signed up for the classroom blogs so we can always have the inside scoop, got a short list of school supplies, and found out our assigned week to bring snacks for the class and make play dough (all of the parents take turns). Both of the kids also have their first homework assignment--an "All About Me" activity/collage that we have to help them make and take in on their first day of school. This is intense! And of course I'm taking these assignments seriously because the teacher side of me knows what the teachers expect, and I don't want to be that parent. :) So this Labor Day weekend will include some homework and play dough-making in addition to our usual time in the pool.

Ryder and Harper's first backpacks!

A day with Daddy

One of the requirements for my new job is to be CPR/First Aid certified. I've taken the course before, but it's been a few years and my certification had lapsed. And let's face it, even if I didn't need it for my job, it's a great refresher since I have kids of my own. My employer covered the cost of the class for those of us who attended, so all I had to give up was some of my time on Saturday. It worked out that Andrew didn't have to work, so for the first time in a couple of months, he was home alone with both kids for the day. They had a great time doing some painting, pool time, and a picnic lunch, and the house was still standing when I got home. :)

"Is anyone going to fix my hair for me?"

painting in her pj's

"Do I really have to smile for the camera?"

poolside lunch

Her red nose isn't sunburn--Andrew said Harper managed to get red kool-aid in her hair and on the tip of her nose. It was back to normal today. :)

"Hmmm...what's in here?"

"Mmmuuaaa!"

Ryder was frustrated with all of the picture-taking until Andrew showed him this shot...

which he thought was funny, so he cheered up! 

Ryder's "cheese!" smile

the cautious nibbler

the not-so-cautious chomper

sprinkles on his lips

ice cream headache? or still practicing his "stressed out" pose?

going for a corn-on-the-cob approach

Dog days of summer

We've had a lot of down time and lazy days lately, so I haven't really had anything to post on the blog. The kids and I have the month of August off before we head back to work and preschool after Labor Day. It's been nice to not have to leave the house every day by a certain time, but that has also made for some very long days. We had all gotten used to our new routines and time away from each other every day--now we are together all. the. time. I find myself wondering how I stayed home for an entire year and still maintained my sanity, because in the past two weeks I've definitely reached my wit's end more than a few times. I have refereed enough "mine" and "my turn" fights to earn myself a striped shirt and whistle. Just this morning I heard Ryder complain to Andrew, "Harper's looking at me!" Ahhh, good ole' sibling rivalry. I'm so lucky to have two kids who honestly do get along 95% of the time, but they're also strong-willed and independent enough now that they are bound to butt heads and get on each other's nerves from time to time. Thankfully we've been able to have a few "Grann days", and that recharges all of us. :)

Does she look mischievous, or what?

sibling toilet time

Harper has started showing some interest in using the big girl potty, so I set up Ryder's old potty chair in the bathroom so she can sit by herself. One day after lunch she wanted to join her big brother for his regularly scheduled visit to the bathroom, and he was happy to hand her a book to read to help pass the time. :) They sat together for probably 10 minutes, and when Harper finally dribbled a little bit into the potty chair, we all clapped and cheered. (The rest of that day, she was obsessed with the toilet. She didn't want to wear a diaper, and she ran to the potty chair every minute or so). Like with Ryder, I'm just kind of following her lead. She's still young, but if she learns quickly because she wants to be just like her big brother,  I will gladly support that!

A new Sesame Street

The kids have both gotten into watching Sesame Street lately, mostly because Andrew and I figured out when it came on and started recording it. (Our DVR list this summer consists of Sesame Street, The Cat in the Hat, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. There might also be one show for Andrew, but that's it. Can you tell we have young children and no time to watch TV??) Anyways, I like watching it with them; a lot of it is the same show I grew up watching, but there are also several new characters and a lot more music than I remember. When Harper wants to watch it, she'll excitedly say, "Street! Street!" Ryder and Harper both love Elmo, and Harper also loves Abby...probably because she has pink and purple hair. :) A couple weeks ago while riding in the car to and from the preschool, Harper would randomly start saying, "Elmo! Elmo!" I couldn't figure out what was prompting it, but she was saying it at the exact same spot each time. I started looking around at the buildings and signs along the road, and sure enough I spotted what she was calling Elmo:

the sign for SweetFrog! I pointed at the sign and asked her if that was Elmo. She said, "Yes!" She was probably thinking, "It's about time you caught on!" I guess it's the huge eyeballs and the fact that the building itself is a dark pink/almost red color. After a few days she started saying, "Elmo Abby!" each time we passed it, so we see Elmo and Abby Sweet Frog every day.

Ryder's first school pictures

A couple weeks ago I was told that Ryder was having pictures taken at preschool camp. I made sure he was wearing one of his nicer t-shirts that particular day and even combed his hair a second time when we got out of the car. When we walked into the family room at the center, we discovered that the photographer had taken over the area with his equipment: a huge screen, lights, props, and two garment racks of clothing. Ryder was kind of clinging to my leg, and I asked him what was wrong. He said, "Mommy, I don't know what's going on in here." Ha! My little man loves routine, and this was definitely not part of it. The preschool director happened to be standing nearby and explained that the photographer was there for the older kids' classes but that the kids in Ryder's class could have their pictures taken if they wanted to. I figured Ryder would opt out since the whole set-up was a little overwhelming, but he surprised me that afternoon when he told me he had dressed up in a costume and smiled for the camera. I found out later that several kids in his class did a photo shoot, so I guess Ryder wanted to see what it was all about. When I asked him what he wore, he told me he wasn't sure, so I was even more intrigued. The pictures were available to purchase on Thursday morning, and the suspense had been killing me! Guess who had to buy the entire package?? Between how ADORABLE Ryder looked and the great employee discount I got, I just couldn't resist. 

Losses

I don't like to devote an entire post to sad events, but unfortunately the past month has contained a few for us. Both of Andrew's grandmothers passed away exactly two weeks apart. Nana was 102 and Mammy was 95, so they both lived long lives and had many wonderful years. I am thankful that I was able to know and love both of them for so long; there are so many wonderful memories!

spring 2012

spring 2013

Mammy with brand new baby Harper

one of my favorites!

On July 17 while Andrew was up in VA for Mammy's funeral, our black lab Ashley died. I can't say we were surprised: she was 13 and had been having a harder time getting around and controlling her bladder over the past several months. But she was part of the family, and the timing made it even more difficult. When the mobile vet service came to the house to pick up her body, Ryder asked me who the people were. Since we had already had the conversation with him about Nana and Mammy dying,  I decided to explain it in a similar way and just answer any questions he had for me. I explained to him that Ashley's body had too many problems for the doctor to fix, and that these nice people would take her to doggy heaven. He looked out the window at their van and said, "I bet there's a lot of food in there for her to eat. Is Cody puppy in there too? Maybe they're playing ball together." I got teary-eyed that he made the connection between the two dogs in such a sweet, innocent way. I told him I thought he was exactly right. I don't know how much he truly understands right now, but that's ok since it seems to make sense to him.

2013

2014