December 25, 2008



Merry Christmas Sweetie! As you can see from the picture Daddy got us matching Christmas sock monkey PJ's. Don't we look cuddly? You are not nearly as afraid of Santa this year, however you still requested someone sleep with you. Christmas morning you were very excited to dive right into present opening. It makes me a teeny bit sad. I miss the way you wanted to stop and play with every new thing you opened. This year, you're chomping at the bit to move on to the next one.

You said you got everything you wanted, so I guess Santa and your parents did pretty good. Sunday we went to Nana and Papa's house and had Christmas there, and today Grandpa and Grandma Denise came over late morning. He read you the "poop story" that Aunt Allison sent you for Christmas. It's about a little mole who has someone poop on his head, and he's trying to solve the mystery of whodunit. Both you and Grandpa were in stitches. I added the video of him reading it, I hope it works.

Once again you have been a very good girl this year. Daddy and I are so proud of you. I hope you weren' t dissappointed that Mama had to work on Christmas day. I was just happy I could be there in the morning to see you when you first took in everything. That's the best moment.

December 17, 2008

First I have to give a little background. Last year in Preschool, I heard about Max all the time. Max did this, Max had to go in timeout. Everyday, there was a story about all the bad stuff Max did. So when I found out he was going to be in your Kindy class I was a little annoyed and apprehensive. He was such a distraction last year, and I didn't really want to have that again. Well, I don't know what they did with him over the summer, but he is a different kid this year. He still doesn't listen real well, but it's more because he's too busy and not because he's trying to be obnoxious. He even gave me a hug at the Christmas party.

Anyway, your teacher, Mrs. Bowman, pulled me aside and said, "Did Elise tell you about what happened today?" I said "No". Well, apparently you and another student didn't hear the bell at recess and got left outside. When it was discovered that you were missing, the Aide went out and found the two of you still on the playground. You were a little upset because you realized that you missed the bell. But the funny part is, the other student was Max! When I asked you what happened you told me that you were having so much fun, you didn't hear the bell, and would I stop asking about it because I was making you feel embarrassed. Okay, so maybe it's just funny to me, but I felt like signing, "Elise and Max sitting in a tree..." You know the rest.

December 3, 2008

I had to quickly record this for posterity and to have this on record for future use. And because it was just too dang cute. Tonight when I tucked you in, we had this conversation.

E: I love you, Mama.
M: I love you too. Promise, you'll love me forever.
E: I promise.
M: Pinky swear.
E: Pinky swear. **pinkies entwined**
M: I hope so. Someday, you'll be a teenager, and you'll probably think I'm a big dummy.
E: Why?
M: Because when you're a teenager you'll want to do all these things, and sometimes I'll tell you you can't. And I'll make you do things you won't want to do.
E: What things do teenagers do?
M: Well, they have a lot of homework. And they play sports, and have jobs, and drive cars. They like boys.
E: I don't wanna like boys. **nose wrinkle**
M: But when you're a teenager you will. When you're a teenager, you'll probably even want to kiss boys.
E: **tears starting** I DON"T WANNA BE A TEENAGER!! I DON"T WANT TO KISS BOYS!! I ONLY WANT TO KISS MY DADDY!! **really crying now**

At this point, you are sobbing, and I'm trying to comfort you while I'm laughing. I called Daddy up there and related the conversation to him, and we both snuggled you and reassured you that you wouldn't be a teenager for a long time.

November 18, 2008


Woohoo! I am so proud of you. We had parent-teacher conferences last night and you got all ones on your report card! Mrs. Bowman said you are a very sweet girl, and kind of quiet. I am amazed at how many of the lower case letters you recognized. We haven't been working on those at home. Mrs. Bowman even commented on how you well you try to sound out words. I know you are going to be reading soon. Keep up the good work sweetie!


October 31, 2008


Happy Halloween! Look at what a beautiful Tinkerbell you made! I love this costume. Mom helped out at school for your Halloween party. You were very sad that we weren't in the same group for the craft, and I could tell you were feeling a little possesive of your Mama. You wanted to be on me whenever possible. Marking your territory I guess. You and I made a game to bring. We made a Spider with velcro feet and then we cut bugs out of felt. The spider hung from a fishing pole and you had to "fish" for the bugs with the Spider. However many bugs you caught was how many pieces of candy you could pick out of the bowl. I think it was a hit.

Halloween night we had the most beautiful weather I think I ever remember. It was warm enough you didn't even have to cover your costume with a coat. Unfortunately, communications got crossed and we weren't able to find Maddie, Karrie, and Nathen. So it was just the three of us for trick or treating. You made it 30 minutes. I think that was a record so far.


October 24, 2008

It has been a busy week. Saturday, we headed over to the pumpkin patch. We picked out some pumpkins, went on a hayride, petted some animals, toured the corn maze, and visited an Indian camp. The corn maze was your favorite, because they had pots with coins hidden through out the maze. For every coin you collected, you got to trade it in at the end for candy.

Thursday, we carved pumpkins. You helped take out the guts, and Mommy carved them. We made a giant SpongeBob pumpkin to enter in the Great Pumpkin Contest at your school. We spray painted it yellow and everything.

Friday, I felt like the world's crappiest Mom. I forgot I had promised to let you paint on Sponge Bob's eyelashes, so you were upset when you woke and found that it was all done. I really should have let you help with it more. I just got in my perfectionist mode, and it should have been a group effort. Then I forgot to pack Mini for you to take for show and tell. I could just picture you at school, going to open your backpack, and seeing that Mini wasn't there. I felt bad the whole day.

Friday night, we went to Octoberfest at school with Grandpa. SpongeBob Pumpkinpants won the Best Painted Pumpkin award. You were very excited about that. We went around to all the games. You won at Bingo, but came out of the leaf pile candy hunt crying. I think the other kids overwhelmed you with their fervor for candy. Overall, it was a good time though. We didn't get to see Grandpa much because all his old buddies from school kept grabbing him to talk. Just like old times for Mama.

October 15, 2008

We just got back from another vacation. Aren't you a lucky girl, two vacations in one year. This time there were no princesses or characters. We took a relaxing vacation to Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the Smoky Mountains with Grandpa Worman. We had a beautiful cabin up in the mountains that was named Little Rocky Top. It had a gorgeous view.

The first full day there it was rainy, so we went to Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, which was actually really cool. You got to pet a horseshoe crab and travel on a conveyor through a tunnel surrounded by fish and huge sharks. In the children's education section, they had sensory boxes. You were to put your hand in the box and try to guess what you felt. After 10 seconds, a light would come on and reveal what was in the box. Daddy had a shell, I had a piece of coral, and yours was a fake eel. Only you didn't realize it was fake and you ripped your hands out of the box screaming then started to cry. You were fine when we told you it was fake, and I don't blame you for being scared. Now you think that it's a funny story and asked me to write it in here for you.


That night Aunt Allison came, which was one of the highlights of the trip for you. Wednesday, we went on a hike to Laurel Falls. You hiked 2.5 miles of the 3 mile trek. I was very proud. The next day we took a chairlift ride up the side of a mountain and got to look out over Gatlinburg. You loved the chairlift. That night we went to Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede dinner show. At first you were not impressed, because they had us sit in a hall and listen to a band. Then we were herded into a large arena and took our seats. The lights went down and out came a herd of horses. You looked like McAuley Culkin in Home Alone. It was a pretty cool show and you were in heaven. You especially liked the chicken chase and the Native American portion of the show. We had to eat our whole meal with our hands, because they didn't let you have silverware. I think it was one of your favorite parts of the trip.



The next day, Dada, Mama, and you took the convertible on a drive around Cade's Cove. It was a valley in the mountains with all kinds of historical buildings. We stopped at a farm that was built in 1800's. You said it was spooky and made ghost faces for the pictures. Later on we headed up to Ober Gatlinburg. We took a Gondola ride up to a small amusement park with a fun house, bumper cars, and an alpine slide. We rode another chairlift to one of the best views I'd ever seen.


Later that night, when we went to put you to bed, we discovered that Mini was missing. This is a major thing, Mini is your sidekick. We looked everywhere. I had my suspicions that Mini took a ride out the back of the convertible. I sat you down and said, "Elise, I need you to think real hard. Where was the last place you remember seeing Mini?" You thought real hard and then you got a look in your eyes, like you had remembered and ran out on the porch to the chair we had sat in earlier. I knew Mini wasn't there, because I had already looked, but I could tell you really thought she'd be there. The look on your face when you saw she wasn't there broke my heart. We told you we'd look more in the morning when it was light, but I really didn't have any hope.

On the last day, Aunt Allison, Mom, and Elise took a horseback ride on a trail in the Smoky Mountain National Park. You were very worried about not getting a "pretty" horse. The man at the stable asked you which horse you would like to ride, and you said, "I like the spotted one." and pointed to the hugest horse they had. He suggested Toby, a small brown horse, and you said he was okay too. The guide that lead your horse was great and he knew all about SpongeBob, so you guys had lots to talk about. He told you he had a pet squirrel named Sandy Cheeks. I don't know if that was true or not, I think it was true. It was fun, and you looked so funny bouncing around on your horse. My horse, for some reason, thought it was fun to rear-end your hourse.

When we got back to the cabin, Daddy and Grandpa were packing up. We were just getting things in the car when Daddy ran screaming down the stairs. He found Mini!! She was inside the sleeve on my jacket that you had put on in the restaurant. Happy Day! Now we could leave little Rocky Top feeling like all was right with the world.

September 27, 2008


Oh your Daddy has really done it now. He bought you a quad. Nevermind that you can't ride a bike with training wheels, lets get you something gas powered instead. If you can't tell, Mommy is not so sure about this idea. It is very fun though. I'm happy to ride around on it with you, but the idea of you riding it by yourself makes me cringe. Watching Daddy drive it around is hilarious though. He looks so funny with his knees practically up to his ears. Who needs a sibling when their Dad still acts like a 9 year old.

September 8, 2008

I wanted to add an update post on Abu the hamster. He has become such an important figure to you. You think about him all the time. You take him out of his cage and rub him on your face. You like to have him near you all the time, so you have a little carrier that I call the hamster purse. It's a little plastic rectangle with a lid and handle. You put him in there and carry him all around with you. He usually falls asleep in there, frequently upside down so he looks dead. The other day, he even had a part in our make believe fairy tale reinactment of Cinderella. He had the part of Gus-Gus the mouse. He had a costume and everything, although I don't think it was true to the time period, but you work with what you have.

Abu had a second escape attempt too. Gave me a heart attack! This one was definitely Mom's fault. We had cleaned his cage and he was rolling around in his ball. I asked you to pick up some things, and you asked me to put him away. Well, my attention got distracted and I forgot. We went outside to play, and when we came in, we saw the ball sitting there, lid popped off. You began frantically searching for Abu, and I began frantically searching for the cats. I found all the cats and locked them up, and you found Abu! He was under Mom & Dad's dresser. He didn't really want to come out, so we had to employ the cheese cracker as bait again. Whew! Disaster averted. I don't know what were going to do when he "passes". You are going to be so sad. I've thought about the old hamster switcheroo, but that wouldn't really be right, plus very tricky to pull off.




September 6, 2008

Just a note, we discovered that you are allergic to Aspen trees. I was trimming one in the backyard, and you were being my "lumberjack" hauling away the branches I trimmed. Then you were crawling around in the big pile of branches and leaves. Afterwards, I took your clothes off to give you a bath and this is what we found all over you, from neck to feet. What's pictured is the spot we missed putting hydrocortisone on the night before, not a gratuitous butt shot. Itchy! So stay away from the Aspens.

September 5, 2008

Ohhh... you're all grown up! Your off to Kindergarten all on your own. It was so hard to put you on that bus this morning. You were doing great while we were waiting for the bus to come. Some of our neighbors walked down to our bus stop and got on the bus with you for moral support. All of the other kids got on first and you were about to step up on the bus, but then you turned around and gave me another hug and started crying. But I was so proud, because you got right on the bus and waved in the window (with big tears and everything). Ohhhhhh.. Daddy and I were doing so good until that point, but then we were a mess. That was so hard. At least with Preschool, I could wait and then peek in the window to make sure the tears had stopped. I didn't have any idea what happened after that until you got home from school. And then the afternoon bus was 15 minutes late. It was killing me!

You seemed in good spirits when you got off the bus. You were ravenous at lunch. I was trying to pump you for information the whole time, but I didn't get very far. I ended up having to tease out info through out the day. You said that you didn't cry the whole way to school and not at all once you got there. You sat with Emma Lee from across the street and Daddy wanted to know what you guys talked about. "Backpacks" was the response. The teacher was waiting for you when you got to school. You played with Lily and two other girls during freetime. You finally got to play in the house under the loft, you were so dissappointed that you didn't get to play in there during orientation. Your eyes were all sparkly when you said, "And guess who I got to be? The Mom!" You told me that "the girl with curly hair was the kitty, and the girl who looks like Zoei , except she's nice, was the sister." I asked if anyone was the Dad and you said emphatically No,
"but Max tried to come in our house without asking!" That Max, he's a stinker. You also had computer lab today, and you got to play some game. I don't remember the name of it. For a project, you made a storybook "like Brown Bear, Brown Bear". At circle time, you sang some songs and the teacher played the violin. I could tell you were impressed by that because you made your own violin out of sticks. For snack you had milk and crackers. I asked if you picked white or chocolate and you said white milk. I was shocked, but you said you didn't "feel like" chocolate.

While you were at school, Mama went grocery shopping and bought things to pack in the lunchbox. For some reason, this is really hitting me hard. Yes I have the "my baby is all grown up" feelings, but it's more than that. Before it always felt like I was just here to make sure you felt loved and cared for. Now it feels more like I'm responsible for molding and shaping you, making sure that everything for school is remembered, packing the lunch, getting you on the bus on time. I don't want to screw up! I hope some day you can read this when you are sending your baby off to Kindergarten and think, yeah I know what you mean Mom.

September 3, 2008

Today, we had a sort of orientation for Kindergarten. We were only at school for an hour and a half and both Daddy and I were there the whole time. You got to check out the bus first. The bus driver had the kids file on and you were so busy waving to us out the window that you were completely ignoring the bus driver's review of Bus Safety. When you got off, I asked you what the rules were and you said, "Don't run on the bus... I don't remember the rest." Oh, this is a great start!
Then we followed the bear paws to your classroom, and met your temporary teacher Mrs. Frey. Your regular teacher is off on medical leave for 2-4 weeks. Bummer. Mrs. Frey seemed very nice though. We had a scavenger hunt, so you could learn where everything in the classroom is, and while you toured the cafeteria, Daddy and I got a quick run down of all the important info. I could tell that you were a little bummed that there wasn't a play time. We did a quick activity and read a story though. Afterwards, we headed out to the playground for a little bit. But it doesn't seem real to me yet. We took your 'First Day of School' pictures today. You look so pretty. I spliced two pictures together so we could have a family picture too.


July 28, 2008


This morning, we went and had your 5 year pictures taken. We spent about an hour at a park and it was hot and you were very tired of having your picture taken, but you knew that after pictures we were going somewhere special. You had a special day with Daddy and you've been asking me when we can have a special day together, so today is it. I wouldn't tell you where we were going but you were hell bent on figuring it out. You finally guessed half way there... The Beach! We went to Tunnel Park in Holland. It was a very nice clean beach with park and playground attached. We had a picnic and you had a ball swimming.
The waves were very small but you were shrieking with laughter when the pushed you toward the shore. I was pretending that they were huge and knocking me over. We tried making a sand castle, but your bucket broke and cut your leg and you were done with the beach after that. We headed over to the playground, but didn't play very long because the sand was so hot. On the way home, we stopped at Captain Sundae and got some sundaes. They were amazing, with tons of hot fudge and candy in them. Yum! Within minutes of the car ride home you were out, and slept the whole way.


July 26, 2008



Party! Party! It's a Tinkerbell party! Today was your preschool friends party, and amazingly everyone we invited came. There was Samantha, Maddie, John, Tyler, Breeanne, Abby, and Lily. We had Tinkerbell balloons, plates, and napkins. We blew up the inflatable waterslide and had the little plastic pool set out. You guys ended up using that to warm up, since the slide water was so cold. It was a beautiful day though. We had snacks, drinks, and cupcakes for dessert. I thought the boys would be the most rambunctious on the slide, but Abby and Breeanne won that title. For gifts, you got a Cinderella doll with horse, Care Bear, $20, Mylie Cyrus doll with locker, bracelets, jewelry box and bead set, and Littlest Pet Shop Clubhouse. I think the Littlest Pet shop was your favorite. We had goodie bags and balloons for everyone. I think everyone had fun, I know you did!



July 20, 2008

Happy 5th Birthday Elise! Today was your family party day. The guests included Grandpa, Grandma Denise, Nana, Papa, Gigi, and Aunt Allison. There were presents, presents, and more presents, and a beautiful Tinkerbell cake. You got Blendy Pens, Magnetix, a Tinkerbell purse, books, a huge coloring book, art set, clothes, bubbaloons, bike helmet and kneepads, and more. I think you had a great time, and loved being the center of attention. Nana fell in the pond which was hilarious! You showed off your hamster to everyone.



July 14, 2008

Friday, we went to the pet store and picked up your 5th birthday present. Welcome home Abu the hamster! Before lunch, we went to V.I.Pets to look at their selection. You saw a hamster that you really liked, so we asked the lady if she could take it out of the cage. When she saw what hamster you picked, she said, "I don't know about that one, it's kind of ... sassy?" She tried to scoop it out with one of its toys but it jumped on to her lap. It then proceeded to bite her finger and pee on her pants. I said, "Okay, we don't want that one. Can we look at some of the others?" She brought down 3 separate cages before we found a nice buff colored teddy bear that seemed very friendly. Mom declared, "We'll take it!" Later we brought Daddy back to the store so he could meet Abu and we could take him home. We brought a little carrying cage to take him home in. Well when Mom tried to scoop him out of his cage he bit me sooo hard on the finger it drew blood. I started feeling a little panicky about bringing this thing home, but we did anyway.
When we got home you were so desperate to hold him. We sat you on a chair with a towel over your lap. I laid his cage on it's side to coax him out then I set him on your lap with a cracker for distraction. It seemed to work because we were all able to pet him without getting bit. When he started running all over you, we thought it best to let him get aquainted with his new home. So I picked him up and proceeded to take him over to his cage. I then tripped over your vanity stool and about threw him out the window. Luckily, the hamster didn't get hurt (Mom was another story) and he made it safely into his cage.

We've had Abu out a lot over the past 2 days and he's only tried to nibble at you once. You are doing so well with picking him up gently and holding him so he doesn't get away. He seems to like his ball and runs on his wheel ALLLLLLL night. I'm just relieved that it doesn't seem to bother you or keep you awake. The cats are curious, but so far have not tried to jump up on your dresser for a closer inspection. I had to go in there last night and cover his cage up with a towel though because Rossi was too close for comfort. You love your new hamster so much. I hope he sticks around for a while. I already told you to be prepared because they don't live a long time. You seemed to understand. Today, we clean out his cage for the first time. I'm going to make you do it. You're getting so big so fast!

July 9, 2008


Today, we went to the zoo with Maddie, Karrie, and Nathen. It was HOT. I wish we had a cooler zoo to go to than John Ball. There just isn't a lot there. We did get to ride the camel though, and that was cool. Her name was Sassy. She wasn't very sassy. We had a picnic, and we got to eat overlooking Monkey Island, which is where Dada always threatens to send me if I'm bad. My favorite were the Bears, they always seem to be up to something. Your favorite was probably the petting zoo, because you got brush the sheep. You guys also liked the mister, which was spraying today to keep down the heat. We stopped at the playground on the way out, but you guys could only muster about 10 minutes of playing cause it was too hot.




July 5, 2008



We had a great 4th of July last night and we didn't even have to leave the backyard. We started out with the traditional smoke bombs, sparklers, snakes, etc. Smoke bombs were surprisingly your favorite. You ran through the smoke cackling and got covered with soot. We did some small fireworks, then Daddy brought out the big guns from Indiana. The Salisburys and McKenzies came out to watch too. You bounced from Patty's lap to Anne's during the show, while Mom went over to shine the flashlight for Dad so he wouldn't blow up any appendages.
It was great fun and you loved being up late with the grownups. Usually the sound really bothers you, but this year we got smart and put in your earplugs that you use when you mow the lawn with Daddy.

June 25, 2008

Ahhhhh... summer is finally here, although it's not quite swimming time, much to your dismay. Yesterday, you tried anyway, but the water was only 68 degrees, so you didn't last long. How nice to have neighbors who let us use there pool! Dad and I are making a concerted effort to get you to ride your two wheel bike. I even went so far as to sell your tricycle. Sorry hun' you were just too big for it. We started out going down to the cul-de-sac and back, but you kept falling off because you go too slow! The falling off just made you more scared to ride it, so each trip was accompanied by much crying and whimpering. I'm writing this down for you, because I know one day you won't be able to remember ever not being able to ride a bike. Well, we were getting frustrated with all the fuss, so I took you to the school parking lot which is smooth and flat. We've been about 5 times now and there's been no falling. You are picking up speed and enjoying it 10 times more. I'm hoping we can try on the road again soon, now that you have some confidence back. Today we're going to the school playground with Maddie and Karrie, and you're going to show off your stuff.

The other new thing you've been up to is pretending to be a big sister, or a Mommy I can't be sure. You've dubbed one of your baby dolls "Nathen" and you want to take him everywhere. You do such a good job of taking care of him. It makes me very sad that you don't have a real sibling to take care. I know you would make such a good big sister.

June 17, 2008




Today we went to the strawberry patch to pick strawberries. It was great fun. We ended up picking 11 1/2 pounds of strawberries and I'm not sure what to do with them. You did quite a bit of tasting, and it took a while for you to figure out which ones to pick, but you got it eventually. Although quite a few yellow ones made it in our basket. Next year I think I'll get the stuff so we can can some jam, but with my work schedule this week that's just not going to happen. I guess we'll just have to find some other uses for them. The farm we went to is called Krupps farm. They also had some animals to pet and an ice cream shop where we bought a big cup of Strawberry Shortcake. Mmmmm....

May 16, 2008

A Conversation:

Elise: Where is your brain in your head?
Mom: It's takes up this whole part. On top is your skin, then your skull, which is bone to protect your brain, and then inside your skull is your brain.
Elise: What does it look like? Is it pink or red?
Mom: Well, it's gray. It kind of looks like spaghetti, or the inside of a squash.
Elise: Have you seen one?
Mom: Yes.
Elise: For real?
Mom: Yes.
Elise: Ummmm.... Did some kid's brain fall out or something?
Mom: No, in school we disected little pigs, so we could see what the inside of the body looks like.
Elise: That's cool.

"That's cool", you thought that disecting a pig to see it's brain is cool! Woohooo!! My daughter likes science!! Then we had a whole discussion about what happens to food after you eat it and where it goes, which ended with "Why is it sometimes hard to get your poop to come out?" I told you that we'll go to the library soon and check out some books about the body, so you could see what it looks like from the inside. I'm so excited to teach you all this stuff. I love it! That's so cool!

May 12, 2008

Saturday we got back from our week long trip to Walt Disney World! We had a really great time, but it is good to be home. I was so proud of you! When all the other kids were crying and throwing tantrums, you were your usual patient, sweet self. Even after 2 hours of driving, 2 1/2 hours of flying, and a 45 minute bus trip! We went to the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. Your favorite rides were It's a Small World, Peter Pan's Flight, and the Gran Fiesta Tour at Epcot. You really loved touring Minnie Mouse's house. We had to do that and It's a Small World 4 times! You liked the quiet side of Epcot too. You made crafts and checked out all the playgrounds. Everyday, we'd head back to the resort to go swimming and take a nap, which seemed to keep us all recharged. Another favorite was the parades. We did the nighttime Spectromagic parade and Mickey's Jammin' Jungle parade at the Animal Kingdom. They even recruited you to do crowd control!

Best of all, were the characters. You got to meet Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Belle, Ariel, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Dale, Donald Duck, Rafiki, Meeka, Dopey, and your favorite Princess Jasmine! We took tons of pictures and I made a little book for us to remember our trip. You even braved Big Thunder Mountain, The Pirates of the Carribean, and The Haunted Mansion with me. Although, we had to cover you eyes through almost all of The Haunted Mansion. We did tons of swimming, ate tons of sweets, but now it's good to be home! I'm only going to post a few pics on here, because we will have our nice book soon.



April 25, 2008

Today was a big day, Kindergarten Screening. It didn't work out at all like I hoped. I tried to get someone to switch days with me, but couldn't find anyone. So I worked last night and got out late, then came home in the morning to sleep a couple hours, then I was supposed to pick you up at Karrie's and take you to the school. Well I woke up, threw my clothes on and went out to find my car's battery had died. I had to call Karrie to have her take you. In the end, I think I was much more distressed about it than you were, but I was so dissappointed. I was really looking forward to taking you. You said you met some new friends but that you didn't know their names. You played babies, playdough, and what sounded like red light, green light. It sounded like you had a good time and that it went well. Now I just have to wait to find out what they say.

On a lighter note, you demonstrated your superior brain power again for me tonight. You are really working on getter your letter sounds down. I'll hear you sounding out words all on your own. Tonight we were reading The Foot Book and I asked you what word you thought was "feet" and you pointed it out without hesitation. I asked you how you knew that was right and you said "feet starts with F". Brilliant, I tell you!

March 22, 2008

You are so grown up now. You found one of our old portable CD players today and have been dancing around the house with the headphones on. You don't quite get that we don't hear the music too. It's fun to hear you sing at the top of your lungs with no background music. Not to bad actually.

In light of our kindergarten concerns, I've taken out some books from the library. What Every Kindergartener Needs to Know. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. We started doing more "school" at home. The success of the lesson seems to depend entirely on your mood. You do great if you are up to being taught, but if you have other things on your mind I get no where. I'm so glad we're not homeschoolers! I'm definitely not cut out for that. There are definitely areas that you seem to excel at; math and problem solving. For example, if I were to give you 5 pictures and tell you that this girl is trying to make a cake, you could put the pictures in order. The other day we were reading Caps For Sale which is your current favorite book. The man is carrying 12 caps on his head and he feels to make sure they are all there. In the picture, the caps are standing about 3 feet off his head, and you said "how can he feel all those caps, his arms are too short?" Funny I was thinking the same thing.

I'm including some of your latest artwork, which I really liked. The first one you painted at school. You said it was us driving cars around the sun. The second one is entitled "Spring" and features flowers, a rainbow, the sun, and a person catching a butterfly with a net. We brought it over to my Grandparents along with some cookie bars. Of course, they thought it was brilliant!



February 25, 2008

Tonight was our second parent teacher conference at school. It didn't go exactly like I had planned. I was very anxious to hear if your teachers feel you are ready for kindergarten next year, and instead of the resounding "Yes!" I was hoping for, I got "We don't want to say yet. Let's see how she does at Kindergarten Screening." They went on to say that academically you are ready, but that you lack self confidence and are not assertive. They said you don't do things independently and prefer to find another child to follow, usually Maddie.

I'm torn. I think you are ready, and that you are just so used to Maddie taking control that you just follow her at school because that's what you are used to doing at daycare. I also think that it's partly just your personality, you're not a very assertive child. On the other hand, I'd hate to send you next year and have you struggle the whole rest of the time in school. I guess we'll just have to see what happens at kindergarten screening and between now and fall. Here's a copy of your report card, and a paper where you drew a triangle, cross, and diagonal line.


February 9, 2008

February 9, 2008


What exactly do you have against your bed? It's a very nice bed, a double with yellow flannel sheets and a butterfly bedspread. Despite that you are currently taking a nap on a couch cushion behind the chair in your room. Dada calls it "Bugs Bunker". You slept there all last night. Most nights you start out sleeping in our bed and then when Dada and I go to bed we take you in the bathroom, have you pee, and then transfer you to your bed. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes you end up in our bed again, or on the floor in our room. You also like me to make a bed up for you on the couch downstairs for naps, excuse me I mean "rest", you're too big for naps. But you NEVER want to sleep in your bed. You also can't seem to stay still when you sleep. Not only do you toss and turn, but you go 360 degrees. I'm including a nice sleeping picture. You also require music, books, stuffed animals (the current favorites being Barking Dog, Chickie, Pink Bear, and Little Pink Bear, what can I say you're creative with the names), a glass of water, Patsy, and Mini. It's February now, but you are listening to a Christmas CD. Your favorite song is Jingle Bells, and you serenade me in the car on the way to school.

January 30, 2008

January 30, 2008



My God look how gorgeous you are. My big, grown up girl. Last week I picked up your packet for Kindergarten. I can't believe it! You are almost a kindergartener. I have to admit, I'm so nervous for you to go. Maddie won't be there to smooth the transition. It will be new kids and a new teacher, plus all day! I hope it goes well. In the packet there was a kindergarten readiness checklist. You checked out on all of them except two. The ones you missed were "Your child can button or zip their own pants or jacket." and "Your child can be separated from you for more than two hours without becoming upset." I still have tears when I drop you off at Preschool even though you seem to enjoy it.

Your main hobbies of the moment are cutting paper (as seen in photo), playing dress up (also seen in photo), and playing with soap and water. You cut up anything I'll let you, and I am constantly picking up little straps of paper. You received a vanity table for Christmas and you spend lots of time putting on your many dress up clothes and applying coats and coats of sparkely lip gloss. Like you need make-up! But I think you spend the most time in the bathroom, with the stool pulled up to the sink. You fill the sink with water and a generous helping of hand soap and then you cook or make a swimming pool for the Polly's. Your friend Samantha came over the other day and when her Mom came to pick her up you were both elbow deep in suds. Her Mom seemed a little panicked by the mess, but the bathroom actually comes out cleaner in the end.