School's Out!

Today was the last day of school for the girls.  It was also Field Day and a half day. 

Leighton has done so well in second grade this year.  She loves her teacher, Mrs. Anderson.  Mrs. Anderson is a wonderful teacher and we are very lucky that she has chosen to work at our school.

Leighton and Mrs. Anderson during Mrs. Anderson's first week.

(She came when school had already been in session for a couple of weeks.)

And on the last day of school after all the running and jumping of field day.

This was Carly's last year of elementary school.  She will be attending the middle school just down the road.  She (and I both) have some reservations about middle school.  Carly has had wonderful teachers at Royal who have helped to teach and guide her so much.  I am very sad that she will be leaving her Royal family and the 'bubble' they have formed around her.  They will all hold a special place in her (and my) heart.

Carly and Mrs. Moore on the last day of school.  They have a special bond, it was VERY hard to say good-bye.

Carly and Mrs. Small, her resource teacher for the last three years. 

Zoo with a Bunch of Animals

I have signed on to be the girls' Girl Scout co-leader this year.  Last year I was just a volunteer and wasn't officially a leader.  For our meeting this month we earned our badges at the zoo. Now, that's my kind of meeting! 

We got up early, or o'dark thirty, as my kids like to say.  When I woke them up and they were still in a state of confusion, they wanted to know if we were getting on the airplane. (Note to self:  try to cut down on those early morning flights!)

We took the two hour drive to the zoo and started our day with some photo ops.

 Then we moved onto the real animals.

 We took in some information.

 One of the things required for Carly's badge was to take pictures of animals in their habitat.  This is her photo of the elusive Homo Sapian (Connor) the only living member of the Homo genus.

 Ooh!  There he goes again!

 They rode the merry-go-round.

And Carly got back to taking pictures.

  She became so engrosed in her pictures that the rest of us left her behind with the other photographer in our group,

  Melissa, of the famous www.melissahollemanphotography.com

As I am going through the 163 odd pictures of animals I come across this...

Great picture, right?  I have no clue who these people are.  There are individual shots of each of them as well, equally as great.  After a little investigating, I found out that these are just some random people at the zoo who were nice enough to pose for SEVERAL pictures for Carly.  After her success here, most of the rest of the pictures are of random people.  Apparently, she prefers this animal in it's habitat.  My only regret is I don't know these people.  This, along with the other five pictures, are pretty awesome and I'm sure they would like a copy!

Side Note:  Dee chose not to attend.  He said,

1. It's a Girl Scout activity,
2. I'm not a Girl Scout, and
3. I have too much to do here at home.

We arrived home after walking around the zoo for nearly eight hours and four hours of driving, (we stopped at the McDonald's, threw happy meals in the back for dinner and were on our way.)  We walk in the door and Dee is just finishing up his meal of lamb chops and lobster tail.  REALLY!!!???!!! 

Click here for the link to Teacher Appreciation Day

First Day of School

This is the first year that I have not requested a teacher for the girls.  There is not a bad teacher in the whole fifth grade.   And, no I'm not just saying that.  They are all different, have different teaching strategies, different classroom standards, etc.  BUT.. they are all EXCELLENT.  So, it goes without saying that I am extremely happy with Carly's teacher this year, Mrs. Cindy Moore.  We are looking forward to an awesome year and Carly's last in elementary school.  (I am working on convincing her to let us hold her back, and it might be working!)

 Leighton was lucky enough to get the new male teacher (she was NOT happy).  She was in luck, he didn't show up for new teacher orientation!  No wonder his name was Mr. Loeser  (I think he must have added that extra e, but he's not fooling anyone.)  So, while they are trying to hire another teacher to fill that spot, Leighton has the pleasure of having one of Royal's retired teachers, Mrs. Billie Pittman.  Mrs. Pittman rushed home from her summer at the beach just to teach Leighton's second grade class.  I told you she was awesome.  We are very content with Mrs. Pittman and really don't care if the new teacher comes at all.  However, I did hear that she will be here in a couple of weeks. 

Why is there no picture of Jensyn?    Well, after careful consideration, I have decided that she will not be going to preschool this year.  I know that Ms. Ann, Ms. P-Nut, and Ms. Beth would love to have her and she would love to go, but she is my LAST baby and her going to preschool means that she is that much closer to 'real' school.  I'm just not ready.  So, I think I'll sign her up for a dance class or a motion class, or even an art class (yes, babies take art class.)  Ms. Ann, Ms. P-Nut and Ms. Beth will all still be there next year!


Click here for New 'Older' Post 'The Wall'

Teacher Appreciation Day

My kids have AWESOME teachers and I always want them to know that I think so.  I try to help out in the classroom as much as possible and donate those things they put on their wishlists.  I know that being a teacher is sometimes a thankless job (just like being a mommy!)  I have seen these boxes posted several times and after seeing them one more time on my college roommate, Sharon's blog, I knew I had found my gift. (Don't look too close at Sharon's, they are WAY better than mine.  I'm not sure why I am even putting the link to them...except that hers are soooo cute)

 Leighton's teacher's favorite color is pink, so she insisted that she get pink.

 The assistant in Carly's EC class is a man and he LOVES UNC, according to Carly.

 The ones with mostly pink had pink interiors, the ones with green-green, the ones with blue-blue interiors (you get the picture.)

 And we can't leave out all those specials teachers, Art, P.E., Music, Writing, and Library. 

Carly picked out chocolate bars for hers.

And Leighton picked Mint Chocolate Chip Dessert gum for hers.

I do appreciate all that the great teachers do for my kids.  I know it is not an easy job, but I'm glad they have chosen it.

Happy Easter from My Peeps!

Target doesn't sell Easter shirts.  So what's a mom to do?  Use her handy dandy Silhouette and make some, of course.  I used  Char at Crap I've Made 's tutorial on freezer paper stenciling.  I designed and cut it out using my Silhouette.

  Ironed it on.

 Painted it in.  Two coats, please.

 Peel off the homemade stencil.    Add the eyes with the handle of the paint brush.  Lay flat to dry.

The Result:  Happy Happy Children!

And bragging rights, when anyone compliments them on their shirt. 

Because remember, it IS all about me!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!



We thought they needed a little girly touch!



More Exciting than Christmas

My parents got here Tuesday night. The girls were so excited for their arrival. They had a hard time going to sleep. They knew that when they woke up Grandma and Grandpa Doll would be here. At about a quarter to five, Leighton came downstairs to ask if it was okay to wake up Grandma and Grandpa. She was followed by the other two, who were just as excited. I made them wait until 6:30, since my parents (or I) hadn't gone to bed until two. They ran in and there was a lot of jumping and squealing involved. Jensyn took a little while to warm up, but once she was warm she was in the bed and making herself at home.

The funniest part is that the girls never get up before eight on Christmas morning!


Side note: When Carly was little my parents would always take the late flight in and the early flight out. So Carly would wake up and they would be in the guest room and then she would go to sleep one night and in the morning they would be gone. I always wondered if she thought it was a magic room.

Beauty Parlor

Carly has been begging for a hair cut for a couple of months and I finally caved and had Britain cut her hair (pretty short.) She has had so many compliments and it is very easy to take care of.Leighton wanted very short hair and this is such a good cut for her. (It would look better, if she would let someone yank that hanging down tooth. It is hanging on by a thread.)This baby is very far off from getting a haircut. Her hair just keeps getting curlier, not longer.

Not Today

Now that Carly is in 4th grade we have made the switch from these.. to these..


She doesn't really have anything, but like my sister-in-law Megan says, all girls in 4th grade need to wear something. Carly was reluctant at first because she wanted one of these...
It took some convincing that they were actually bras and that she needed to wear them.

I must have done a lot of convincing because the other day as I was putting on her undershirt, Jensyn complained to me, "Mom, I don't want to wear my boobs today."

A Visit to the ENT

A.K.A.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Carly's audiologist tried to do a routine hearing test and found that the negative pressure in her ears was increased tremendously and that her tympanogram was nearly flat. This indicated that she either had a large amount of wax build up or a large amount of fluid in her ears. She recommended I see the ENT and have him check for both. I took her to see Dr. Gerber on Wednesday.

We got into the examining room and I told him what Dr. Marquis, the audiologist, had said. I asked him if while we were there he would mind looking in her nose as she had been a little more congested lately and I had noticed that her nose had been stinking on and off for a while. I thought she might have a sinus infection that wasn't presenting with any other symptoms.

Dr. Gerber looked into her ears and said they were pretty packed with wax, but they didn't look infected. He looked up her nose and said that he did see something up there. He said he would try to get it out. I was thinking it was some type of mucus plug or blockage and I do not do snot. I told Dr. Gerber that I wasn't going to watch. I put my head down and heard him say
"Carly, lean your head back. Aaand, I got it, it is a.........shoe!"
Dr Gerber is a pretty funny guy so I giggled a little and then looked up. Dr. Gerber had a completely straight face.

Me: You're serious.
Dr. G: Yes.
Me: There was a SHOE up her nose?
Dr. G: Yes.
Me: A shoe? A SHOE?
Dr. G: Well, not an actual person's shoe, but a doll shoe, I'm not sure what kind.
Me: There was a doll shoe UP her NOSE?
Dr. G: Yes.
Me: A shoe, up her nose?
Dr. G: Look.
He then showed me the shoe, a Polly Pocket shoe to be exact. He left the room to get the ear cleaning room ready and I quizzed Carly about HOW a Polly Pocket shoe got up her nose. Her excuses were:

1. I swallowed it and it went up there. (I asked Dr. Gerber about that possibility and he said, 'It is possible, but not probable. It is all connected, but that would be like a Letterman trick.) (See, funny.)
2. Daddy dared me to. (I reminded her that even though he wasn't there to defend himself, we were on our way home and he would be there.)
3. Someone else did it. (So, you laid down and let someone shove a Polly Pocket shoe up your nose?)
4. I have no clue! (Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! I think she was playing Polly Pockets and watching t.v. and zoned out. She had an itch or something else and up it went. She probably never knew that she did it.)


As I was quizzing Carly, I could see Leighton out of the corner of my eye inching her way over to Dr. Gerber's table. I looked at her and she asked if the shoe was in the tray on the table. I said yes and she kept going. I asked her what she was doing and she said, 'I want that shoe back, it matches one I have at home!' Dr. Gerber said, 'Not anymore, it doesn't.'

We moved into the ear cleaning room and he pulled out enough wax to make a large pillar candle. Her ears looked good and he gave us a prescription for the little infection she had around the shoe and sent us on our way. As he left the room, Leighton asked me, 'Why does he have to do all the gross stuff?' I could hear him laughing as he went down the hall.

We got in the car and I called my friend, Jessica. We had just been talking about Carly's nose and she said that there was probably something up there. I had to let her know that she had hit the nail on the head. Then I called Dee to tell him. Next, I started dialing my mom and Carly pipes up from the back, 'Jeez Mom! Are you going to call the whole neighborhood?'

It's That Time Again

The girls are selling Girl Scout Cookies. They are $3.50 a box. You pay when you get them. They freeze well so order enough to get you through until next January. Let us know how many you need. The sale ends March 11th.

It's a Pillow, It's a Pet

It's a Pillow Pet!

Carly had requested a unicorn Pillow Pet from Santa. She has been asking for a Pillow Pet since the first time she saw the infomercial. The type of pet changes but never the request for the Pillow Pet.

When she came downstairs Christmas morning, she saw the Pillow Pets and scanned them quickly for hers. She picked up her penguin, looked at me and said, "I'll get over it." I nearly started to cry. The first thing out of my child's mouth on Christmas morning is "I'll get over it."?!?!

I excused myself to consult Santa. Santa insisted that he didn't know she cared so much and promised to look in his workshop as soon as he got back to the North Pole. He would have the elves make the correct one and bring it back. I didn't tell her, in case the elves had all left for the season and there were no unicorns to be found.

Carly continued to open her presents. She seemed to forget about the penguin until bedtime. Then she said again, 'I'll get over it.' She was killing me!

MY CHRISTMAS IS RUINED!!!!

(family joke)

Santa got back to the North Pole realized his mistake and made a special trip back to leave it under the tree. He left Carly a note of apology. She was so excited and the unicorn Pillow Pet holds a special place on her dresser. I haven't seen the penguin since.

Real SNOW

On Christmas night it snowed nearly 8 inches.

That is real snow and we decided to go out and play in it the next day.

Jensyn, like a true southerner, immediately tried to drive in the stuff.And didn't bother to clean off her car before she left. Dee taught the girls how to have a real snowball fight.

Jensyn thought we were playing fetch and kept bringing them back to him.

Leighton would gather them up and try to throw them back.

Dee helped them make a real snowman.

Which promptly melted and fell over 15 minutes after we went inside.

Christmas

The stockings were hung by the chimney. The tree was up and decorated.

The carrots for the reindeer, cookies and milk for Santa were all laid out. Scratch that, sorry Santa, no milk. I was up before the kids and saw that Santa had left Pillow Pets, but unfortunately he didn't take the pet on the pillow. Leighton got the Baby Alive she wanted.

And the Legos. But no Go Go my walking pup. Santa left her a note on the tree. It said that he thought that her dog, Gus, would prefer her to play with him. She seemed satisfied with that.

Carly got her Wii Fit Plus.

And her Winter Games.

And Jensyn got her Little People.

Santa also brought them a new t.v. for upstairs. He must have felt bad for them. They have been watching a 20 year old tiny t.v.

Both sets of Grandparents gave Zhu Zhu pets along with many other things.

My favorite game that Carly got was a tie between Michael Jackson's Experience (I know you recognize the glove) or Disney's Sing It Pop Star (the microphone). We could be entertained for hours.

And Aunt Coree sent the girls some gloves and socks. They weren't sure which these were. I helped them figure it out. I think Leighton was a little disappointed. She was really hoping for some evening gloves.

This baby had a wonderful day, but crawled up into my bed and went to sleep long before bedtime.

My favorite, most wonderful, exciting, fun, fancy, amazing, cool, neat, etc. present?

My parents bought me a Silhouette SD cutter. I am so in love with this thing. I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head. Too bad Michael's isn't open on Christmas. Stay tuned for some projects I have in mind.