Our school had its first Boosterthon Fun Run and it was a blast! Dad and Abigail even came to cheer Audrey on :)
She ran 18 laps!
Water break :)
Al the kids did great and we raised a lot of money for our school. Later we had a picnic lunch and ice pops...such an awesome day with them!
On Thursday my dad had an appointment and wasn't able to pick up Audrey from school. So I took the afternoon off. Audrey came into my room at noon and sat quietly as I worked with my class until my sub arrived at 12:15. Then we busted out! We went to Chili's for lunch (and dessert!), then shoe shopping. She is such a blast to hang out with.
Yeah, she rocks preschool :)
Audrey started her new dance class yesterday. Abigail will turn 18 months at the end of October, so she'll start her class at the beginning of November. How cute is she going to be in tights?!
Waiting patiently during Audrey's class...
This year she doesn't need my help in class :( But she does get to be in the recital!
She's so yummy & squishy :)
I'm back to cherishing my weekends! I can't get enough of these girls...
We just finished up week 2 of school and it's been wonderful!
She woke up extra early on the first day...made my life easier :)
Audrey LOVES school. Her teachers have said she's an excellent peer model. I just love seeing her there...walking in the hallway, playing at recess, and being so engaged in her classroom. She did a painting project the very first day of school and her yellow school bus is hanging outside the classroom door. The teacher in me was super excited to see this, lol. She gets a little report sent home each day. It talks about her favorite part of the day, how much of her lunch she ate, and any other little details. So far each day has been "happy." She likes to sing some of the songs they're learning..."Rise and shine and welcome to school today!" I'm so happy for her.
She does pretty well in the mornings, getting up and dressed. She eats her breakfast (a biscuit) in the car or when we get to school. She hangs out in my class for about half an hour until her teacher (and a few little friends) come to pick her up. She is quite entertaining to my big kids :) She's already been to the nurse once (fell and hit her head- which matched the nasty, nasty bruise on her cheek that she got the night before school started!) We went to our first Spirit Night and it was a blast- she even braved the playground with the help of one of my boys :)
Speaking of my 2nd graders...WOW! What a bunch of sweethearts. I am soooo blessed this year. I already adore them all!
The only sucky thing about this year so far is dismissal at the end of the day- the busses are so freaking late picking up the kids. By the time I get Audrey from my Dad's house it's nearing 5:00. And by that time the traffic blows. I'm hoping they get their stuff together soon.
Also, it's been difficult getting to Audrey's dance class on time. Originally I had planned on having Abby take a class the same night so we could free up our Saturdays. Unfortunately they cancelled Abby's class due to low interest. I'm thinking about switching Audrey back to Saturday mornings...I don't see Abby at all on Wednesdays! By the time we get home it's bed time and I'm just not cool with that :(
I love Open House at my school. I've loved it since I was a student myself...we'd ride our bikes to the school every day to check if the class lists had been posted yet. Meeting my teacher and seeing my new classroom was so exciting to me. I've always loved school, especially the beginning of the year.
As a teacher I'm even more excited! And nervous. Making sure the room is perfect, meeting new parents and making kids feel comfortable all while loving on the old kiddos that stop by to see you. The two hours just fly by!
Luckily Audrey's Open House started at 5:00. Chris was helping our friends move and there was just no way he would be able to rush back and make it in time. So he dropped her off with me at school around 11:30. We left to run a couple of errands and then she played in my room while I finished getting everything ready. She even got to meet her teacher a little early! We were walking in the hall and Mrs. Laura ran out with her camera and introduced herself to Audrey. She took Audrey's picture and then our picture together. Audrey even spelled her name for Mrs. Laura :)
At 5:00 she was itching to get into her classroom. We got to meet several families, even one that Chris is building a house for! All the kids were adorable. I have a great feeling- this is going to be a wonderful experience for our girl.
Uncle Scott came and picked her up so that I could greet my new 2nd graders at 6:00. I have a very small group this year (praise baby Jesus!!) so thankfully it wasn't a mad house. Open House always goes one of two ways for me; I have a great night meeting the parents but then I get a feeling- and it sets the tone for the rest of the year. There have been times (only a couple) where I've left feeling ominous...yes, Open House went well, but I just didn't get a super wonderful vibe. Then, the other times, I've left feeling a natural high...just a feeling of pure joy and excitement. Don't get me wrong- I always end up loving my class, just some more than others! It's basically the difference between crying or jumping for joy the last day of school, lol.
I have a GREAT feeling about this class. For one, it's a small group...one of the best ways to be an effective teacher is having a small class size (it's beyond our control though, so that's very frustrating!) My new kids are SO DARN CUTE! I have to remember how young they are compared to the babies I had just a few months ago. The families were warm and friendly and I got to meet everyone except one little guy whose family is still on vacation. I left Open House feeling absolutely drained, in a good way. I really hope I'm not jinxing myself by posting this, lol. I just have a fantastic feeling about this group.
Tomorrow is the first day of school! I feel double anxious with Audrey starting school. I think she'll be amazing. I think we both will :)
I had an awesome summer. I could have definitely used another 2 weeks, though :) There's nothing better than being able to spend these last few weeks with my precious girls!
TIDWTF:
When you tell Abigail that she needs a diaper, she turns and walks straight into her room and goes to her changing spot.
When we ask her, "How old are you?" She puts up her pointer finger and says, "One!"
She seems to like puzzles more and more. She'll sit and do them by herself, then bring them to me, looking so proud!
She has mastered the lock on my iPod. She knows to touch the button on the bottom to turn the screen on...then she figured out how to swipe the screen to unlock it. I finally had to put a password on it (at first I used 0000 and she magically figured it out. I know, she's smarter than me.)
She's crazy in the bath. I'll pretend to leave and then she'll stand up...when I pop my head back in she sits down right away and laughs, lol. Rotten :)
She's becoming more and more a Daddy's Girl. When he's home she just wants to be up on the couch, crawling all over him.
Giving Dad a kiss goodnight :)
Ghost baby
She's a bully. She will take out her frustrations by pulling Audrey's hair or hitting her. We just tell her, "Be NICE!" and we show her how to nicely touch Audrey. She repeats, "Niiiiice," and pets Audrey, lol. What's kind of weird is that when she pulls Audrey's hair, she'll grab a fistful of her own at the same time and smile...WHAT?! I always thought I'd have to worry about Audrey being gentle with the baby...boy was I wrong!
They do play nicely together sometimes!!
Audrey loves using big words. She'll say she's disappointed or frustrated. She describes things as being marvelous, magnificent, and gorgeous. She'll tell me that something is ridiculous. Her newest phrase is, "Oh mom/dad, that's embarassing!" She's living proof that if you simply use bigger words around a kid, they'll pick them right up.
She's been building amazing things all summer...she has different names for them; sometimes it's a birthday party, other times it's a carnival. Or a picnic. Or a celebration. I need to start taking pictures....she uses all sorts of toys (princesses, Lala Loopsy dolls, Hello Kitty figurines) positioned on building blocks or giant Legos or mini cardboard books that have been stacked into a large tower. She's incredibly patient...when something (or someone) falls, she doesn't get the least bit discouraged. She loves doing this is her room with the door closed so that Godzilla (aka Abby) doesn't interfere.
She loves to draw. She mostly draws rainbows and happy face people. Once I drew her a plain smiley face and she added a nose, "so he can breathe!" LOL
She likes to sit in her bed at night and read for a few minutes. I leave and she calls me back in when she's done. I tuck her in with her blanket, water, and whatever toys she's sleeping with (currently it's Hello Kitty and 4 small Disney princesses.) As I'm walking out the door she jumps out of bed and runs to me for "one more hug and kiss!" Of course I make a HUGE deal about how sweet she is and she just glows :)
She and I had a girl's day out a couple weeks ago. We had breakfast at Panera, did a bunch of shopping for new school clothes (for me and her!) and got haircuts. It was so wonderful to spend time with her and we're going to do it every year to celebrate going back to school.
I swear the summer goes by way too fast. I'm going to miss the fact that my hardest decision throughout the day is which book to read next or what to make for dinner, lol. Gone are the days where I'm only thinking of my own babies- tomorrow I'll be meeting 20+ new babies to fret over 24/7! I am SO excited to meet my new kiddos, though! I moved back to second grade (and hopefully I'll get to loop up to 3rd again.) I'm on the school SIP team and taking over as CAMP Coordinator (mentor program to our new teachers.) So...yeah it's going to be a very crazy & busy new year with all the changes going on. I'm ready!
Maybe it's her size, maybe it's her personality...but it seems like she is so much older!
Check up info: She's 24 lbs and 31 inches long. Perfect in every way! It seems that she's gone from being in the 90th percentile down to the 75th.
Words: Mama, Dada, that, fishes (sounds like "shishs" and she says it when she sees yummy Goldfish crackers, lol), up, Ri (for "Riley, Grandma's dog), No. She's very good at repeating our words and sounds and has even said "Audrey" very clearly!
She knows a few body parts...hair, eyes, nose, mouth, belly, toes.
She eats extremely well, anything we give her. I was pleasantly surprised when we went on vacation...she was willing to try everything. When I'm making her something I'll tell her that it's time to eat or I'll ask, "Are you hungry? Want some food?" and she goes right to her chair and says, "Up!"
She has a great routine. She wakes anywhere from 7-8 but it's hard to tell because she is perfectly content to stay in her crib and play until we go get her. She naps 12-2 (often until 3.) She's in bed between 7-8. She continues to be an amazing sleeper. I put her in the crib and turn on her sea horse and ocean sounds (the ocean sounds play all night.) I don't hear a peep from her until morning. I go in to peek at her before I go to bed and she likes to cuddle up with her blanket.
Nothing gets past her. She is insanely perceptive. She cannot be fooled. I think she's going to give us a run for our money, lol.
She is still a pistol, a firecracker, a force to be reckoned with. When something displeases her she is not afraid to show it. This makes it very hard to discipline her (and with her only being 15 months I use the term "discipline" very loosly!) When we're stern with her she smiles (and sometimes laughs) at us. WTF?!? She doesn't really take us seriously and she'll go on doing whatever it is she wants to do (standing on the couch, climbing and sitting on top of the coffee table, opening drawers/cabinets, touching things she's not supposed to, etc.) I'm pretty much at a loss on how to get her to adhere to and understand limits. I swear this is payback for having it so easy with Audrey :) For now distraction is the best technique...removing her from a situation. It's not always easy (she forgets nothing!) and it's not always convenient, but usually it works.
We've been so careful to not use the word "No" with both girls for fear that it would be quickly thrown back in our faces. Worked like a charm with Audrey! She never tells us no...she might tell us that she doesn't want to do something, but she's so sweet about it! Abigail not only tells us, "Uh-uh!" but she's starting to say "No," having learned that word from Audrey. She's strong-willed and I'm thinking that is actually something I love about her.
She can't get onto the couch by herself yet. This pisses her off royally.
People weren't kidding when they said that the girls would be different. They are different in every way, except for sleep. Audrey despises food, Abigail will eat anything. Audrey is compliant, Abigail is defiant. Audrey is blonde, Abigail is brunette (lol.) But seriously, they are very different and I can only hope they learn to accept and respect each other's differences...eventually :)
She is so squishy and adorable and I'm overcome with love for her. Sometimes I can't control myself from smothering her with tickles and kisses because she's just the most delicious baby!!
Audrey started her new dance class yesterday. Abigail will turn 18 months at the end of October, so she'll start her class at the beginning of November. How cute is she going to be in tights?! 
She's so yummy & squishy :)
She does pretty well in the mornings, getting up and dressed. She eats her breakfast (a biscuit) in the car or when we get to school. She hangs out in my class for about half an hour until her teacher (and a few little friends) come to pick her up. She is quite entertaining to my big kids :) She's already been to the nurse once (fell and hit her head- which matched the nasty, nasty bruise on her cheek that she got the night before school started!) We went to our first Spirit Night and it was a blast- she even braved the playground with the help of one of my boys :)
She can't get onto the couch by herself yet. This pisses her off royally.
