Getting a good look at her new cousin!
That smile says it all - she's in heaven.
Rylan wasn't interested in taking pictures, so I bribed him.
One more kiss for Elliana!
Monday, February 25, 2013
Meeting Elliana
Before we left for Mexico, we stopped over at Rach and Andrew's so Nick and the kids could meet Elliana. Mackenzie had been looking forward to this day since we found out there was a bun in the oven!
Getting a good look at her new cousin!
Getting a good look at her new cousin!
A Week In Paradise
We are just getting home from an amazing week in Mexico, thus the blog lull. I will be posting photos from our trip all week, but here are a few I took on my phone on the way there before shutting my phone off for 7 days! It was awesome!
It was a good call to bring an iPad for each kid loaded with new games, movies, and cartoon episodes. They both traveled so well and were perfect in the plane.
We only had to remind Mackenzie a few times that she couldn't respond to Dora on her iPad. It's hard for her not to interact when Dora keeps asking you yell louder- dang you Dora! Oh well, it was pretty funny that out of nowhere a little voice would yell out "rapido"! Even though it was 6am, I don't think anyone cared - we were all on our way to paradise after all.
Rylan got all his math homework done on the way there too. He was such a good worker and when a kid loves math like he does, it wasn't homework, it was fun!
He also wrote in his journal every day as well, but wanted all his pictures in color, so we probably won't get that turned in tomorrow.
I will post pictures all week and also my tips for traveling -most of what I learned from this trip and will implement next time! Buenos noches!
He also wrote in his journal every day as well, but wanted all his pictures in color, so we probably won't get that turned in tomorrow.
I will post pictures all week and also my tips for traveling -most of what I learned from this trip and will implement next time! Buenos noches!
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Craft Of The Week
This week we worked on Valentine's for our project. One fun thing we did was send "hugs" through the mail to grandparents. The kids used paint to make handprints, then when they dried I cut them out and taped on a piece of yarn that was as long as their arms. We wrote a little message and sent them on their way with all our love!
I was in a hurry to get the done, so I forgot to take a picture of the final product.
We gave the kids a new stuffed animal for Valentines's Day. Rylan had seen this monster at the grocery store a while back and was in tears that day because I wouldn't buy it for him. I went back the next day to get it and I got a purple one just like it for Mackenzie. When they got them for Valentine's Day, Mackenzie didn't like hers. So I took her to the store and she picked out this little dog named Nacho. Rylan named his monster Mugsy.
We had breakfast for Valentine's dinner and I made heart shaped blueberry pancakes and bacon. My plan was to make heart shaped hash brown patties, but they didn't stay together.
I also found silicone heart molds in the dollar section at Target so I made red milk cubes to add to their milk - how cute is that?!
I was in a hurry to get the done, so I forgot to take a picture of the final product.
We gave the kids a new stuffed animal for Valentines's Day. Rylan had seen this monster at the grocery store a while back and was in tears that day because I wouldn't buy it for him. I went back the next day to get it and I got a purple one just like it for Mackenzie. When they got them for Valentine's Day, Mackenzie didn't like hers. So I took her to the store and she picked out this little dog named Nacho. Rylan named his monster Mugsy.
We had breakfast for Valentine's dinner and I made heart shaped blueberry pancakes and bacon. My plan was to make heart shaped hash brown patties, but they didn't stay together.
I also found silicone heart molds in the dollar section at Target so I made red milk cubes to add to their milk - how cute is that?!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Happy Valentine's Day!
Last year I made non-typical school Valentines for the kids to bring to school. Since we don't eat a lot of candy and the boxed up character Valentines are boring for me - I hit up Pinterest and did things differently. Go back here to check it out.
I was excited to do something equally as fun this year. I went back to Pinterest to start looking for ideas. I gave Rylan a few choices, and this is what we did.
I designed my own tag using Word. A little printing, cutting, folding, name writing, and tying and we were done!
I found a free printable here, then just stapled each one on a bag of Goldfish and that was it. It looks super cute, but was super easy too.
I was excited to do something equally as fun this year. I went back to Pinterest to start looking for ideas. I gave Rylan a few choices, and this is what we did.
Oreos and a crazy straw!
I designed my own tag using Word. A little printing, cutting, folding, name writing, and tying and we were done!
I knew Mackenzie would love whatever I did, so I made this using one of her favorite snacks:
Goldfish!
I found a free printable here, then just stapled each one on a bag of Goldfish and that was it. It looks super cute, but was super easy too.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
First Broken Heart
Yesterday was the first time I've truly had a broken heart for one of my kids, for Mackenzie. Attached to the skating rink where she has lessons is an indoor playground, so after skating yesterday morning we went there to play to kill some time before preschool. I was hoping there would be other kids there so I wouldn't have to go climb in all the tunnels with her, but now, oh how I wish it had just been the two of us.
There were four other moms there, with 6 children, and based on their conversation and body language it seemed as though they had all come together.
Mackenzie is our social butterfly and will attempt to make friends with everyone, so when they all started climbing up together it didn't surprise me to hear Mackenzie's voice say, "you can be my fwend!" I'm not sure if something happened up in that tunnel, but all the other kids came zipping down the slide following each other saying, "she's coming, let's hide." At first I thought it was a game, but then it was quite obvious that they were avoiding Mackenzie, purposely leaving her out of their little group. For the rest of the time there, those kids made a point to hide from her or go the opposite direction whenever she came close. It totally broke my heart and I wanted to scoop her up and leave but she didn't seem to notice their behavior, so we stayed. I climbed up in the tunnels with her and we had fun, even if I was on the verge of tears the whole time.
How does that happen, that preschool kids are so quick to exclude an outsider? Was it because she looks different with glasses? Or that she sounds a little different with her speech? Or just simply because she wasn't part of the play date?
I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, knowing this won't be the last time it happens, but hoping I can spare her from the pain of peer rejection for a little longer. When she does notice, how do I handle that? Do we just sit and cry together? Tell her that those kids aren't worth being friends with even though that doesn't lessen the pain? Please can I keep her from ever growing up? I really hate this.
There were four other moms there, with 6 children, and based on their conversation and body language it seemed as though they had all come together.
Mackenzie is our social butterfly and will attempt to make friends with everyone, so when they all started climbing up together it didn't surprise me to hear Mackenzie's voice say, "you can be my fwend!" I'm not sure if something happened up in that tunnel, but all the other kids came zipping down the slide following each other saying, "she's coming, let's hide." At first I thought it was a game, but then it was quite obvious that they were avoiding Mackenzie, purposely leaving her out of their little group. For the rest of the time there, those kids made a point to hide from her or go the opposite direction whenever she came close. It totally broke my heart and I wanted to scoop her up and leave but she didn't seem to notice their behavior, so we stayed. I climbed up in the tunnels with her and we had fun, even if I was on the verge of tears the whole time.
How does that happen, that preschool kids are so quick to exclude an outsider? Was it because she looks different with glasses? Or that she sounds a little different with her speech? Or just simply because she wasn't part of the play date?
I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, knowing this won't be the last time it happens, but hoping I can spare her from the pain of peer rejection for a little longer. When she does notice, how do I handle that? Do we just sit and cry together? Tell her that those kids aren't worth being friends with even though that doesn't lessen the pain? Please can I keep her from ever growing up? I really hate this.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Book Reviews
Here's what we got from the library this past week:
For myself, I got three books all by Ree Drummond. Ree has a blog called The Pioneer Woman - go check it out, you won't be disappointed. It's full of delicious recipes and stories about her families life on a cattle ranch. She's real, honest, and incredibly funny - seriously, you'll love her.
We checked out 12 children's books this week - here are my favorites of the stack.
For myself, I got three books all by Ree Drummond. Ree has a blog called The Pioneer Woman - go check it out, you won't be disappointed. It's full of delicious recipes and stories about her families life on a cattle ranch. She's real, honest, and incredibly funny - seriously, you'll love her.
The cookbooks are amazing! Not only are there recipes for delicious food, but there are pictures of each step to make it super easy to follow. I also love how there are pictures of their ranch life and little stories interspersed throughout as well. I will probably buy these cookbooks, I just love them.
The story of how Ree met and fell in love with her husband - it's adorably sweet and endearing.
We checked out 12 children's books this week - here are my favorites of the stack.
A cute book written by astronaut Mark Kelly - it was inspired by a mouse that was brought into space on Kelly's first mission on space shuttle Endeavour. There were 18 mice on board, but only one, the smallest one, let go of the cage sides to experience weightlessness - and seemed to enjoy it. The story is cute, the illustrations are adorable, and I found the afterword especially interesting. It contains the inspiration for the story, a brief history of space travel, and taking animals into space.
A story of a little girl who likes to be different and how eventually everyone appreciates her for it. It reminds me of my Kenzie-Girl. :)
A familiar story of a runt chick who can still do great things - but the illustrations will make you melt - the most adorable baby farm animals!
Mackenzie has been into the Fancy Nancy books lately and we really liked this one. It teaches how to handle a disappointing situation with grace, while also acknowledging the disappointing feelings.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Library Lover
I have fond memories of going to the public library as a child - marveling at all the books available and deciding just which one(s) would be checked out that time. When I attended home daycare at Theresa's house (a wonderful, wonderful lady whom I still have much love and respect for), we would load up the little kids in a wagon and walk the few blocks down to the public library and check out books. I can still remember the smell of the old library - one which evokes feelings of comfort and happiness. The children's section was in the basement and it seemed like a huge magical room full of the best books ever written. We knew where our favorites were of course and as many kids do, often checked out the same ones over and over again. My very favorites were Betsy books by Gunilla Wolde (I just googled that because I had no idea who the author was). I also remember the paper library card with a metal plate that was placed in a big machine, and when the book card was inserted, the loud noise it made as it stamped your library number onto the book card. I always wished I could use that machine.
When our little public library moved to a new building it lost a little of it's magic for me, but eventually became a new place of comfort, with a smell all it's own. The children's section was indeed bigger, but at that point I spent most of my time looking for tween books like The Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley High, and then later many by Lurlene McDaniel and Caroline B. Cooney. I also learned how to research at that library, spending time there with friends working on school projects.
In high school, I can't say I spent much time in the library. I didn't read much for fun in high school - what a waste!
My college years in the library were spent studying. I didn't do any pleasure reading in college either - too much academic reading I guess. Many many hours were spent in the library studying - often in one of the study rooms on the highest floors for the fewest distractions, or on the computers typing and researching. I'm pretty sure I took a few naps in those study rooms too - and visited the bathroom a lot as I tended to drink insane amounts of water while studying. But again, many good memories of the library.
After Nick and I were married, we moved to the Chicago area as he had gotten a job there. He worked full time and I did not, so I was very lonely in a new place where we didn't know anyone and the public library became my lifeline. We didn't have internet at our apartment so I would go to the library at least 3-4 times a week and hang out there for hours at a time. I would email and then look at book after book on whatever I could find. I browsed through lots of non-fiction - parenting, baby names, home decorating, remodeling - much of what I hoped we would be doing in the next 5 years. There were two libraries that I frequented - one downtown which was much smaller and busier, but I liked being in the downtown area to walk through shops and along the river walk greenway. The other library was further away, but it was a large, beautiful, brand new library that was pretty impressive. There were many comfy places I could find to hang out and forget how lonely I was.
When we moved back from Chicago, I went to our public library a few times, but after getting a full-time teaching job I found no time for pleasure reading anymore. It wasn't until after Mackenzie was born when I realized I had neglected to use such a wonderful community amenity. I took the year off of teaching when Kenzie was born and staying home all day with a newborn and a toddler can make you go crazy sometimes. I began taking both kids to story time during the week and it was a much needed outing for us. When I went back to work the afternoon story times obviously didn't work for us anymore, and we kind of stopped going to the library for a while. Life was busy and it was one more thing we didn't have time for.
Now that I'm retired :) Mackenzie and I have a good routine going. We don't make it to story time as she has skating those days, but it's probably just as well, she can't be quiet during a story to save her life - she might be too much of a distraction. Every week after her gymnastics class we head to the library. Mackenzie carefully places all our returning items in the designated bin, making sure each pile is even, sometimes painstakingly even! Then we head upstairs to the children's section. It's a beautiful space with murals on the wall, a pirate ship to play in, a fire truck to read in and many many books to choose from - all at a child's level. Usually she will go play in the pirate ship for a bit while I browse the books and DVD's, then she goes to the computers where we find the Dora game to play. It amazes me how quickly she picks up on computer games - my tendency is to show her how to do it all, but she just figures it out on her own. There is a wonderfully comfortable chair next to the computers that I get to take a break in while she plays. I do logic puzzles, read, or Facebook while there - it's so relaxing. Often times she will pick a book and I'll read to her in that comfy chair too. We check out our books and movies, then go downstairs to find something for me. After checking out my items, we have to spend a few minutes talking to the fish before we can go. I love our library trips and look forward to going each week. I hope I'm helping to create those fond library memories for my children and they'll always have a love for books.
When our little public library moved to a new building it lost a little of it's magic for me, but eventually became a new place of comfort, with a smell all it's own. The children's section was indeed bigger, but at that point I spent most of my time looking for tween books like The Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley High, and then later many by Lurlene McDaniel and Caroline B. Cooney. I also learned how to research at that library, spending time there with friends working on school projects.
In high school, I can't say I spent much time in the library. I didn't read much for fun in high school - what a waste!
My college years in the library were spent studying. I didn't do any pleasure reading in college either - too much academic reading I guess. Many many hours were spent in the library studying - often in one of the study rooms on the highest floors for the fewest distractions, or on the computers typing and researching. I'm pretty sure I took a few naps in those study rooms too - and visited the bathroom a lot as I tended to drink insane amounts of water while studying. But again, many good memories of the library.
After Nick and I were married, we moved to the Chicago area as he had gotten a job there. He worked full time and I did not, so I was very lonely in a new place where we didn't know anyone and the public library became my lifeline. We didn't have internet at our apartment so I would go to the library at least 3-4 times a week and hang out there for hours at a time. I would email and then look at book after book on whatever I could find. I browsed through lots of non-fiction - parenting, baby names, home decorating, remodeling - much of what I hoped we would be doing in the next 5 years. There were two libraries that I frequented - one downtown which was much smaller and busier, but I liked being in the downtown area to walk through shops and along the river walk greenway. The other library was further away, but it was a large, beautiful, brand new library that was pretty impressive. There were many comfy places I could find to hang out and forget how lonely I was.
When we moved back from Chicago, I went to our public library a few times, but after getting a full-time teaching job I found no time for pleasure reading anymore. It wasn't until after Mackenzie was born when I realized I had neglected to use such a wonderful community amenity. I took the year off of teaching when Kenzie was born and staying home all day with a newborn and a toddler can make you go crazy sometimes. I began taking both kids to story time during the week and it was a much needed outing for us. When I went back to work the afternoon story times obviously didn't work for us anymore, and we kind of stopped going to the library for a while. Life was busy and it was one more thing we didn't have time for.
Now that I'm retired :) Mackenzie and I have a good routine going. We don't make it to story time as she has skating those days, but it's probably just as well, she can't be quiet during a story to save her life - she might be too much of a distraction. Every week after her gymnastics class we head to the library. Mackenzie carefully places all our returning items in the designated bin, making sure each pile is even, sometimes painstakingly even! Then we head upstairs to the children's section. It's a beautiful space with murals on the wall, a pirate ship to play in, a fire truck to read in and many many books to choose from - all at a child's level. Usually she will go play in the pirate ship for a bit while I browse the books and DVD's, then she goes to the computers where we find the Dora game to play. It amazes me how quickly she picks up on computer games - my tendency is to show her how to do it all, but she just figures it out on her own. There is a wonderfully comfortable chair next to the computers that I get to take a break in while she plays. I do logic puzzles, read, or Facebook while there - it's so relaxing. Often times she will pick a book and I'll read to her in that comfy chair too. We check out our books and movies, then go downstairs to find something for me. After checking out my items, we have to spend a few minutes talking to the fish before we can go. I love our library trips and look forward to going each week. I hope I'm helping to create those fond library memories for my children and they'll always have a love for books.
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