On A Roll

We're on a roll! Two park days in a row! Someone was being especially cooperative for the camera today.




I think Sophie looks just like a little old lady in these pictures.

End of Summer

According to the calendar, summer is about to end. Although where we live, we're likely to continue having 90 degree days for another couple of months. I am really looking forward to long sleeves and sweater weather so we can return to some of my favorite places like the zoo, the farm, the pumpkin patch, and the park.

Luckily, this morning we had a little break from the heat, and  I was able to take the wonder twins to the park for a while. It's a lot more convenient now that Sophie is getting to an age where she can do the things Maddie can do.  Now if we can just keep these cooler temperatures around . . .

Pictures from the Week, Finally!

Finally, a couple of pictures of the girls. They spent a record 45 minutes getting along while playing various computer games on the lap top Thursday evening. They were using my work computer . . . that's obvious, right? I wanted to post some videos of Maddie and her navigational skills, but I just didn't have the patience for uploading tonight. Who knows, maybe this weekend I'll get inspired . . .

Here's a picture of one of Maddie's dinner plates this week: a turkey burger with tomato eyes, a pickle nose, and two eyes made out of coal. Just kidding about that last part; she finished it off with a green bean mouth. Creative and tasty.  

Vowels and Musings

As I mentioned in my previous post, I haven't taken very many pictures lately.  However, I have been feverishly trying to pry information out of my oldest daughter regarding her days at school.

Today, while eating a popsicle (her reward for completing her homework which this week included writing her name about 9 times using the lined first-grade-type paper, writing and illustrating 10 nouns: 5 that name people, and 5 that name animals, and a math worksheet), she said, "You know mom, A and E are special letters." We then had a short conversation about vowels, and Madeline proceeded to recite from memory all five vowels:  A, E, I, O, and U.  Not bad for only three week of official schooling.

Now for a review of some recent conversations with Sophie.  This week, as we were leaving Betty's, she reached her hand out to me and said, "Momma.  Hold my hand, Momma."  It was so cute!  She can also respond to "I love you" with, "I love you too, Momma (or Da Da, depending on who she is talking to). She also seems to have a fear of unusual things eating her.  It's a bit strange, but very amusing.  Here are a few of her concerns:

Yee-why eat me.  (Leroy )

The sky eat me. 

Twa Twuck eat me (Trash truck)

We're Back!

Peek - A - Boo! We're back!

I know. I have neglected my poor little blog over the past couple of weeks. But, we have been so busy getting back into the swing of things with work, kindergarten, daycare, after school programs, drop offs, pick ups, homework, packing snacks, packing lunches, signing papers, gymnastics, and on and on and on . . . Unfortunately, I don't really see things settling down for at least a month since I know there will be two back-to-school-nights (mine and Maddie's), parent conferences (mine and Maddie's), and at least two doctor's appoinments (both Sophie's). I have barely picked up my camera in the last two weeks; it's so sad! Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of the girls:

Maddie posed before class in one of her new birthday leotards:

Enjoying a cooler than usual morning:

Sophie wearing her Titans cheerleading uniform in honor of football Sunday:

The First Day

According to Madeline, kindergarten is "great."  Although she doesn't divulge as much information as a certain mother would like, the bits and pieces that are revealed seem to imply that all is going smoothly.  Kent takes her to school at 8:00, she's picked up at about 2:30 by her after school program (on campus after school care), then she stays with with that group until I pick her up around four.  Above, she poses before her first day with some of the kids she already knows: Sarah Jane, Andrew, and Hannah.  Below, she is walking towards her class, and finally being greeted by her teacher.

NEWS ALERT!! NEWS ALERT!!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled internet surfing to bring you this important information:

MADDIE CAN SWIM!  Yes, this breaking news is just in, Madeline can SWIM.  Even more exciting, she mastered several different strokes all today.  It's unbelievable.  She can swim with her face in the water, out of the water, she can even swim on her back.  Stay tuned for some video footage . . .  

Maddie's Fifth Birthday, The Party

I am a bit too tired to create a video with music like last year, but I did want to post some pictures from Maddie's party this evening.   I also want to wish a speacial husband "Happy Birthday" and to say THANK YOU for working so hard on your own birthday-day. 

Maddie wanted a bug theme this year.  The kids went on a bug hunt for little plastic bugs that I had hid around the yard, they painted a bug mural, and we got a ladybug pinata.

 Maddie knocked the pinata off its string with her first smack, but after we re-hung it, it took quite a beating:  plastic bat, wooden bat, golf club,  . . . repeat, repeat, repeat.

Ice-Cream Social

Today we all attended Madeline's kindergarten orientation (sniffle, sniffle)  and ice-cream social.  She can tell you the name of her school, her teacher's name, and what class she's in (Room #1, how fitting!).  We know where to drop her off, at what time, and how to package her snack separately from her lunch.  

I have been thinking about Madeline's first official day school since she was about three months old.  That's because,  as I was preparing to return to work full-time from maternity leave, I was constantly thinking about all of the things I'd be missing as a working mom. As a teacher myself, with my own "first day," I have always known that the first day of school would be something I would miss out on.  Now, five years later, it's going to happen, ready or not.  

Luckily, Kent has agreed to document the event for me. And luckily, I was able to see her teacher, her classroom, and her friends today.  And luckily, Maddie and I both know several kids that will be in her class.  And, even though I am going to miss that first day, I am excited that it will be a moment that Kent and Maddie will share and create together.  Besides, even though I'll miss that first day, I do have every summer, holiday, and afternoon to spend with my "baby," and I can't complain about that.  

Weekend Happenings . . .

We started off the weekend by having a mini-celebration for Madeline's 5th birthday. Since we're having her party next weekend, we opted for a pancake-cake on the 23rd.

After breakfast, we all went out and got Sophie her second pair of glasses, then spent the remainder of the weekend trying to keep them on her face.

Sunday, I began painting the exterior of our home, and Kent and Maddie climbed onto the roof to oil our air conditioner. I know, all of this sounds very exciting.

Finally, we we spent more time trying to coax Sophie into wearing her glasses, sometimes with luck and sometimes without . . .

Little Four Eyes

                                      Look what they've done to me now!!!

Our 22 month old daughter has her first pair of glasses. We picked them up this evening, and I am just not sure what to think about them. I am thinking that, perhaps, I should have done a bit more research before filling her prescription rather than letting the "professional" guide my decisions.

The glasses seem a bit large on Sophie's face, and I think a more rounded pair would have been a better choice. Anyway, I am sure this is the first of many pairs,  as they will no doubt become scratched, broken, lost, etc. . . .   

The jury is still out for me on whether they help her see better or not. She knows a few letters and can identify them at close range, with and without the glasses . . .  

The jury is also still out on whether Sophie is going to be agreeable to wearing the glasses or not. In the store, she seemed to accept them. She pointed to them, smiled, and said "Mine?" followed by "Mine." several times.  During  the car ride home, she took the glasses off and didn't want to put them back on. Once we were home, Sophie showed her glasses off to Daddy and Maddie (Maddie said, " It's not fair. Mommy, Daddy, and Sophie have glasses, and I don't."), but then, she refused to wear them. So I took out my lenses, put on my own glasses, gave Maddie a pair of shades, and tried to convince Sophie that wearing glasses was super cool, which is seeming to work, at least for the moment . . .

Cool chicks wear glasses.  Everybody's doing it.

San Diego and Pacific Beach

We decided to take a mini-vacation down to San Diego before our summer officially wrapped up. Since we missed our big trip this year, I really wanted to get away, even if only for a couple of days. We had a fantastic time! We went to the beach and SeaWorld, and Kent got to see his good friend Andy. Coincidentally, Sophie had a medical emergency that kept us from Andy's wedding a year an a half ago. Kids, they can really complicate your plans!  Anyway, like I said, we had a great time.




Our first stop was Pacific Beach, a really happening part of San Diego. Since it was evening, we thought we'd just walk along the beach, then get a beer at a beach front restaurant. Since we didn't bring bathing suits or towels, we asked Maddie not to get too wet, and so, of course, she drenched herself. To top off the event, she practically made a snow angel in the sand afterwards. Let's just say, she was quite uncomfortable the rest of the evening, but we persevered, and rewarded her with ice-cream. See the next post . . .

On the Boardwalk . . .

After running around the beach, Kent wanted to treat the girls to some ice-cream.  

Ahhhh . . . Sophie and her crazy eyes.  I hope her glasses are ready this week!