Kid Updates

Sarah:

Do you know the boys in my class? {No, I only know a few of the girls. Which boy is cutest?} I like Michael. {Is he nice?} Yeah. Well, but he doesn't really play with me. But he is young and looks handsome.

Good thing she's got her priorities straight.

Make sure I have a shirt for Spirit Day. Otherwise, I'm the only one who doesn't and it's embarrassing!

Goodness. Already? Although she does have a point. The past two weeks when I've dropped her off on Friday, there has been a sea of school shirts. Seriously, I think I could count on one hand the kids who didn't have one. Poor Sarah. She will go to school tomorrow properly attired and hopefully unembarrassed.

Noah:

Spent the first two or three days of school asking every 15 minutes when Sarah was coming home. Then the light bulb went on. If Sarah's not home, he gets to pick all the movies to watch and gets all the turns on the computer. He's still ready for her to come home by 2:30, but he's enjoying being the oldest at home for a little while.

I love watching his brain work too. He asks some interesting questions...which I can't remember right now, of course. He's figuring things out all the time.

Karen:

Girly girl. I don't know where she's gotten this obsession, but she is into toiletries every chance she gets. I thought I'd succeeded in convincing her that deodorant is not chapstick, and then I caught her putting it in her hair today. It's progress, I guess. She does love her "chappie" though.

My little singer can sing a good portion of the song "The Call" from the Prince Caspian soundtrack. (I think we may have listened to it a few times or something.) She just grins when she does it too. Her verbal skills are a runaway train these days. Tonight she was stringing words together to make complete thoughts if not quite sentences.

Seepy? {It's not quite time for bed. Did you want to go for a walk?} Walk. Walk...back, seepy.

Yes, when we get back from the walk it will be time for bed.

Sarah's First Day of School

So, we got the call that a space opened up at Great Expectations Academy, and we are so excited that Sarah got to start first grade today! Her teacher is Mrs. Trella. She says her first day was fine. "It's not at all like preschool. It's harder. And it took a long time." Here's the rest of her report:

"My first day of school was good. It was good. My teacher was nice. My teacher was fun. I was good in school, and I liked it. I was second in being good. Recess was the most fun of all. I love you, Sarah."

I tried to prompt a few more details, but she must have been going through computer withdrawal because she's glued to the monitor and not paying much attention to me. She told me on the ride home that she had two recesses plus lunch. She talked a lot about her lunch and what she did and didn't eat. She said they eat outside, and there are sprayers around the tables (to keep it from getting too hot). They played Bingo with classmates' names, and Sarah got a Christmas tree eraser. They wrote lower case letters, and Sarah wrote her name with lower case letters. They had 'math minute,' but she forgets what that was. They also read Chicka Chicka 1 2 3.

Going, Going...

Gone.

I wasn't quite expecting this yet, but Sarah woke up the morning of the 2nd asking if her teeth were loose. Lo and behold, the bottom two were. One came out that evening, and the second followed soon thereafter.

She scored an extra 50 cents over the standard dollar from the tooth fairy for the first one, since the tooth fairy was late. She left a note that she had a pickup in Alaska... Oops. Second tooth was right on time with another dollar. She's currently hoarding the cash.

Memory Game

Memory Lane

Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn’t matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

It’s actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I’ll assume you’re playing the game and I’ll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don’t want to play on your blog, or if you don’t have a blog, I’ll leave my memory of you in my comments.So let’s have it! Don’t be shy! What do you remember? Anything funny, embarrassing, silly…

Kid Updates

The kids all love to use Mommy's mp3 player. I just think it's hilarious that Karen will carry it slung over her shoulder with the armband. And she has to hold the ear buds up to her ears because they're too big for her bitty ears.

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You know there's something wrong with the picture when the 20-month-old comes complaining "Diapey!" and requests a diaper change while the 3 1/2-year-old will wear a soggy diaper until it's dripping down his legs if I don't catch him first. He really has no interest in potty training. At all. He can do it. He will do it if bribed with a treat or something. But he just doesn't care, and ongoing rewards like sticker charts or big prizes or big kid underpants have no motivational power. Kids don't usually go to kindergarten wearing diapers, right?

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And if I didn't know it already, I think this clinches it. We're in trouble.

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The kids have almost filled the rewards jar (finally). Almost time for an outing to McD.

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Sarah quoting Monsters, Inc. on why you don't leave the door open behind you: "It could let in a giraffe [draft]?"

You get what you ask for

Karen is becoming a talking machine. Aside from her latest favorite word, two/to/too, she is mastering lots of words.

Foods: milk, cheese, cookie, cracker, cup
Commands: up, more, hep (help), op[en], down, "do it!"
People: MomMEEE!, DAddy!, Mememe (Who's a big girl? Mememe!), Ba-pa (Grandpa)
Animals: Kitty-meow, puppy-oof oof, duck-quack
Basics: Yes, no, pease, thanks

She's getting better at asking for things too. It's always frustrating to have her come ask, "Pease? Pease?" And then play the guessing game called "Please what? What do you want?" Her new, improved request: "Pease? I want! Pease? I want!" That's very helpful Karen.

Our trip to Utah

Mr. Zebra Goes to Utah

Sarah's Dance Recital

Sarah with dance friends Kiya and Jasmine.
And hamming it up outside before going backstage.

If you're up for a slightly longish video, here's the dress rehearsal (she's fourth in the line behind the teacher). Karen helped with sound effects a little toward the end:

It actually might have been better than the performace for Sarah, because during the performance, Sarah kept turning around to admire the fog coming from the machine at the back curtain.

Karen: 18 months old!

Karen in her cute summer dress and sandals.

And, of course, her Cinderella phone.

Who is soooo adorable? Karen, that's who!


She is so cute in the sunglasses. She kept taking them off though.


Oooh. She has some good pouts. We see them a lot. Usually accompanied by "Noo!"


Sarah wanted to get in the picture too. She made the little yellow hair thing herself.
The second picture is "Give Sarah a kiss Karen!" When she doesn't want to give kisses, she offers you her cheek to kiss instead. Unless she pouts and says, "Noo!"

Cruising

We already did a detailed summary of the cruise for our weekly email, but here are some pictures and highlights.

Formal night, and a sunset at sea

Catalina Island:

The captain of the glass bottom boat took the picture for us, and let me touch the steering wheel...er, helm. I didn't notice that one side of my necklace had broken and all the beads slid down to the center. I wore it that way all day before I discovered it. The island is very pretty, but I won't bore you with all the pictures of cool houses and things I took. Just this one shot of the coast and the birds posing for me. Very cooperative of them.

Look! Rich is all relaxed and happy! We must be having fun!

These towel guys were way fun. They appeared in different incarnations every night, usually wearing my sunglasses. You can tell how giddy I was from so much relaxation and sleep because I was posing with them. We'll spare you the rest of that reel too...

Best thing about the cruise: Food. Nice formal dining without having to find a babysitter, ordering random stuff like roast lamb and Caprese salad. Buffets open just about any time. Desserts of all varieties.

Close second: Freedom to get up and go do anything we wanted without having to spend 1/2 hour finding everyone's shoes, pack a diaper bag, make sure everyone's used the bathroom, fixing snacks first... Spontaneity. That's what that's called. Remember that?