Singing at Preschool

For awhile now, I have been excited for when Atticus would start to sing songs. I think watching little kids sing songs is so fun and I like to sing with him. As soon as he entered preschool, he finally started picking up on songs more. I love that the ones he has learned have been church songs as well as fun preschool songs. At Christmas, they had a program at school where each class sang a Christmas song. Once he saw me in the crowd, he was far more interested in coming to me than singing and he looked kind of sad and miserable, not being with me, and didn't do much singing. But, recently, he has come home singing "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart". Apparently, they have really been practicing songs for the end of year program. Sometimes, throughout the year, when I hear him sing part of a song, I will ask him to sing the entire thing. He will get shy or decide he doesn't want to. But, with these songs, he has gladly sung to me. And without knowing why (until preschool end of school program night), he would sing loud and proud. So, one day, I actually got it all on video. I had to do a little prompting here and there, but I love this little memory. You can go to this link to hear him...

https://youtu.be/vS7NMFhLpzo 

This was him at home of course. But, at school on this past Tuesday night, I got a different glimpse of his singing. When it was his classes turn, he shouted the words to "Jesus Loves the Little Children". And by shout, I really mean more shouting than singing. I was so shocked! Mrs. Meghann told me a couple of weeks ago at his end of year parent teacher conference that he was no longer the shy, reserved little boy he had been in the fall, but instead jumped right into things. In fact, she told me to think in a "teacher's mind" and not a "parent's mind", but that she had to get onto him regularly because he is always pretending to be a dinosaur. She said he wasn't doing anything the other kids weren't (did I tell you he had 14 boys and 4 girls in his class - she had a LOT of boys to work with this year!) and it was very age appropriate. At the time, I as glad he had finally gotten comfortable, although of course I want him to behave.

But, when I saw him shout the song instead of just sing it, I half cringed and half thought it was fine. I am reading a book right now by James Dobson called Bringing Up Boys and he assures us that boys are wired differently than girls and this is normal. Anyways, you can see that video here. I wasn't in a great spot to get video footage but you can see him on the far left. Oh and when he came to sit with us at the end, do you know what he said? He told us one other kid was louder than him. So, I'm thinking that over the past couple of weeks, they have encouraged the kids to sing loudly and he went into competition mode. I don't know. It was an experience!

https://youtu.be/Oh1zzc_OQFc

And here is a comparison picture of his first and last day of school this year. He has changed more than I expected!

What's Up Wednesday

1. What we are eating this week: The normal stuff - meat, vegetables, pasta. Oh and I made Dinosaur Jello Jigglers. I needed two boxes but only had an orange and a lime green. I decided to mix them and they turned into a really terrible green color. Atticus wasn't convinced until I told him I did it because that was more of a dinosaur color. Oh and Atticus calls them "Jelly Jigglers" and assures me he needs two because if he just has one, then he needs another one to be the enemy. Goodness.

2. What I'm reminiscing about:  the beginning of the preschool year when I was so sure that Atticus would cry many days before getting comfortable in Mrs. Meghann's class. But, he didn't and he has had a good year.

3. What I'm loving: I'm loving my new Day Designer planner that Mary gave me. I LOVE making lists and plans and being organized.

4. What we've been up to: Vic has been really busy with the call committee at our church. Lots of meetings, interviews, and this weekend he had a dinner and formal interview with the candidate that our church is going to make an offer to!!

5. What I'm dreading: The humidity of summer in College Station. It's been rainy here and not that hot yet, but it's coming...

6. What I'm working on: I'm making summer plans. Atticus, Grace and I are going to make a list tomorrow of things they want to do this summer. I'll be sure to post our list soon.

7. What I'm excited about: I'm excited for Atticus's end of year preschool program tonight!

8. What I'm watching/reading:  I just started watching the Bachelorette last night!! And this week, I've only read books to Atticus and Grace.

9. What I'm listening to: Quiet. Ahhh. Grace is napping and Atticus is playing in his room for quiet time.

10. What I'm wearing: My house clothes - shorts and a t-shirt and houseshoes. I feel so comfortable when I get into my old, sad, soft clothes when I get home. And I rarely go without houseshoes. I think I'm on my 5th pair this year. Yes that means I go through about a pair per month.

11. What I'm doing this weekend: This weekend should be calm. I might take Atticus for a mommy/son outing on Saturday. And I hope to scrapbook some - got my room all setup and ready to be productive. And we are going to get together with Chris and Katherine and Olivia for some Memorial Day Fun!

12. What I'm looking forward to next month: I'm excited for summer activities - movies, snow cones, swimming pool, Sanger, VBS, etc.

13. What else is new: Exercise, eat right, weigh in. That is "new" because I can't seem to stay consistent. So, we are working on that every day!

"Momfessions"

A blogger I follow, Andrea, at http://www.momfessionals.com/ has a post up today about her "momfessions" or confessions as a mom. So, I thought I'd post a few myself because sometimes you just have to laugh at how ridiculous things can get when you are a mom..

1. No matter how much I try, getting kids out of the house and into the car with all of our necessary items for that particular outing, takes much longer than it should and is ridiculously detailed. So, my best method is to put the kids in the car, buckle them in, turn the car on, push the button for "Shake It Off" to start playing and then go into the house to gather diaper bag, sippy cups, snacks, my purse, and whatever items we need for that day: backpacks, lunchbox, swim items, store returns, mail, etc. I sometime make multiple trips to the car, which usually warrants one or both of the kids telling me of something they forgot (a toy, a book, a snack). But, I much prefer them telling me and letting me find it than them running around the house to find said item. This also allows me to say "no" without as much of a fuss because they are already strapped in. Sometimes, this even means I finish getting dressed really fast or use the restroom or clean up a little in the house while they are in the car. I don't spend very long doing these things, but goodness it's nice to have a few minutes to do what I need. On the other hand, when we get home, I prefer to get everything out of the car and put away before I get the kids out. If I buy groceries, I sometimes leave the car running while I put every grocery away before getting the kids. Time management and multi-tasking is hard enough to do all day long. If the kids are already in secured, I take advantage.

2. Sometimes I lie at Sonic. I LOVE to stop and get a delicious unsweet tea at Sonic. And I don't mind, when we are out all day, getting them some tator tots or a slushy for Atticus. But, they don't always need anything....at least not as much as I need my iced tea. So, sometimes, I will say no. And sometimes, I just tell them Sonic doesn't have tator tots or slushy's or whatever that day.

3. Sometimes I LOVE to do an entire day and night time routine all by myself. Normally, I am itching to see Vic at 5:30 and want help! But, if I know in advance that I'm on my own for that entire day and night, I love the feeling of filling up our day and getting through dinner, dishes, cleanup, baths, stories and bedtime and ending it by sitting on the couch to the quiet house to watch TV. It just makes me feel SO productive and like I've really got this mom thing down. I like it even more if we've had a day of ups and downs and I've gotten through them with 100% patience and not losing my mind. It feels like I've just won first place for the day! Even if I had zero competition in my category of "Atticus and Grace's Mom".

4. I take pictures as if I am going to scrapbook every single one. Or put it on Instragram. 9 times out of 10 when I take a picture on my camera or phone, I am already, subconsciously planning to put it on Instagram or thinking about how to creatively scrapbook it. I don't know why I do that. I know I am not going to do something with every picture I take. But, I have this desire to give instant access to our daily lives as well as this desire to put my kids memories down on paper so they have them long from now. Sometimes I get annoyed with myself because I need to live in the moment more instead of just take pictures. But, I also know that if I don't take the picture, nobody else will either. So, I have this constant tug-o-war inside my head.


5. Sometimes, I like it when the kids are sick. Okay so not completely. I don't want them to be sick, but if they are going to be sick, I am going to enjoy the cuddles and the downtime and I don't even mind throw-up or snotty noses or when they need to be up at night because they can't sleep. I feel like they need me and it makes me feel like a better mom when I can make them feel better.

6. My last momfession, at least for today, is that one time I put both kids in their rooms for almost 3 hours in the morning while I sat on the couch to watch mindless TV and have quiet time. I was at the end of my patience. Atticus knew something was wrong but I just told him to go play in his room. Grace was young enough that she still took morning naps so she just played awhile until she fell asleep. Atticus probably came out at least 4 or 5 times, but I would tell him to go back and he just did. I remember taking him water and a snack at one point. But, I needed quiet time. I just needed it. So, I did what I had to do. I remember feeling SO much better and ready to get back to business after those 3 hours.

These are fun!

What's Up Wednesday

So, in case you didn't know, I LOVE to read blogs. Typically, I like the mom blogs because that is just the stage of life I'm in now, although I love any blog written by someone I know! I don't know these bloggers but I pretty much think I could be friends with tons of them. Anyways, they are always doing "link-up parties" where they will post about something and ask everyone else to post about it using their link. Then, say they were writing about their favorite brand of kids clothing, you could read a ton of other posts linked together and learn all about kids clothing. So, one particular link-up a group does is called "What's Up Wednesday". I have no desire to link to them because my blog is just for family and friends, but I like this one. So, here you go!

1. What we are eating this week: We have 4 nights in a row of church meetings or events that Vic or I one are going to. So, we ate crockpot shredded chicken and leftovers of it a couple of nights; we are eating this new recipe where you just put your chicken breasts in a dish, cover with a jar of pesto sauce, a slice of tomato on top of each chicken piece and cover with a little shredded mozzarella cheese. Put it in the oven and done! That's about it - I may do cheap pizzas with the kids on Friday night because Vic has a dinner to go to.

2. What I'm reminiscing about: definitely the year 2008 when I worked out a lot and ate super healthy and wondering why it's so hard to get back into that habit!

3. What I'm loving: I am loving Kids Club at Gold's Gym because I can put the kids in it while I workout! That means I get at least 2 mornings a week to workout during the day.

4. What we've been up to: We have been up to birthday parties, baby showers, and baptisms! It's been fun attending and/or planning and shopping for both kids parties, Olivia's baptism, and Mindy's baby shower!

5. What I'm dreading: I can't think of anything right now.

6. What I'm working on: I'm working on "living simply" which was my New Year's resolution. Vic and I are trying to learn to say no to certain things, live on a smaller budget, spend as much quality time as possible with our kids, and not be so busy that we get frustrated or don't have fun. Since January, we've done a really good job of this!

7. What I'm excited about: I'm excited that Grace is saying so many new words and sounds!

8. What I'm watching/reading: I am still in the middle of reading a biography of Julie Andrews. When the 50th anniversary of The Sound of Music happened a couple months ago, I got super interested in learning all about her. The entertainment industry back then was very different than now - I'm loving it! And I should be embarrassed, but I am loving watching "The Royals" on E! It's all about a fictitious Royal Family in England and is just a big soap opera...but I'm very into it.

9. What I'm listening to: Quiet. Ahhh. Grace is napping and Atticus is playing in his room for quiet time.

10. What I'm wearing: My workout clothes from my 9:30 class this morning. And no, I haven't showered yet either. And yes, it's 2:00. This is the life of a stay at home mom to 2 little ones.

11. What I'm doing this weekend: Well, Vic is on the Pastor Call Committee at Church so he has a dinner with a candidate Friday night and the interview all morning Saturday morning. So, I'm likely hanging out with kids at home and maybe get to do a little scrapbooking Saturday afternoon. And our last day of Sunday School, for the year, is on Sunday, so that will be a fun day too!

12. What I'm looking forward to next month: I'm excited to go to Sanger in June for Camp Erwin!

13. What else is new: Exercise, eat right, weigh in. That is "new" because I can't seem to stay consistent. So, we are working on that every day!

"I hope you dream about dinosaurs" and other conversations

Atticus has said some hilarious things lately. He is just very articulate when speaking about certain topics and can get into a conversation about anything. A few winners lately:

Awhile back, one night as I put him to bed, I told him I hoped he dreamed about dinosaurs. Now, each time I put him to sleep, he will say so sincerely as if he really hopes that I do, "I hope you dream about dinosaurs" and it is just sweet and thoughtful and you can tell that he thinks that would be the BEST thing to dream about. And then tonight, he embellished it a little. As I started to close his door, he said "I hope you dream about stegosauruses riding bicycles and dinosaurs dancing in the rain!" with the sweetest, most sincere grin. Hmmm...I love that little boy! 

He's recently started noticing commercials on TV and remembering them. In the past month, he has come across three that totally caught Vic and I off guard.

1. Recently, when he was having lots of allergy issues, he heard a Nasacort commercial and they used the word "allergies". Well, as soon as he heard it, he told me we needed to get him some Nasacort to help with his allergies. Ironically, Vic was bringing home new eye drops for him that night, so we just called them Nasacort. Occasionally, he will tell me he needs some Nasacort to help make his allergies better. Then, just today, he pinched his finger in the car window (it was no big deal but it scared me to death so he reacted to my fright more than any pain) and when he started to cry, he said "Mommy, all of my Nasacort is coming out of my eyes!" I explained to him that it wasn't the Nasacort coming out, but just tears.

2. One day I was in the bathroom about to wipe his bottom. As I reach for the toilet paper, he calmly asks "Mommy, is that Charmin Ultra Soft?". Why, yes, Atticus, it is.

3. Vic was putting some clothes in the washing machine, and Atticus told him "If you want your shirts, shorts and underwear brighter, you should be using Oxi-Clean." What? Who is this kid? And where did that thought come from?

So, clearly, if he is in the midst of our TV shows on regular channels (as opposed to kids channels), we are going to have to start paying more attention to the content. He hears EVERYTHING! And he remembers it!

He is also a bit of a copycat. My legs were really sore from working out this weekend and Vic said, at one point, he got up and said in a strained voice, "My legs are really sore from exercising!" He has also mimicked Vic and told us his "back is really hurting today!".


He and Vic were playing with his toy cash register which he calls his "cashery bank" and he said they had "pennies, nickels, diamonds, and quarters." 

When sitting down to eat cauliflower and broccoli, he said "but I don't want to eat that garlic and broccoli!" Vic corrected him and said that he was not eating garlic and Atticus replies: "What is it? cauliflower or something?" Oh Atticus - you are "or something".

He also really likes telling Grace what to say lately to help her learn to talk, so all day long I hear things like:

Atticus: "Gwacie! Say Applesauce!"
Grace: "Bah!"
Atticus: "No Gwace! Say Apple. Sauce."
Grace: "Bah!"
Atticus: BIG Sigh as if he just doesn't know what to do with that girl.

I'll try to keep this kind of post happening more. They are both too hilarious!

Atticus' 4th Birthday

Atticus loves birthdays. He likes everyone's birthdays as long as he gets a piece of cake. And this year from age 3 to age 4 has been no different. All of our birthdays are in the spring from February to April, with his being last. So, when he started asking about his birthday last fall, I had to explain to him that he had to wait for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Daddy's Birthday, Mommy's Birthday, Grace's Birthday and then his birthday and I can't tell you how many times we had to discuss the list of events to get to his birthday. After becoming obsessed with dinosaurs after after Christmas, he decided he wanted a dinosaur birthday party. Again, I decided the specifics of his party a couple weeks before. We decided to invite some of his friends and a few of our adult friends and then GG also came, as we thought she was the only family member that could come (still so sorry Ana!!). So, we set our birthday party for our house on May 2nd, at 10:30 am.

First, I should tell you that he enjoyed white powdered donuts for a birthday breakfast on Thursday, his actual birthday. He had preschool that day, which also happened to be the "Mud Day" so he had a really fun day at school. We ended his school day with a dinosaur cookie cake for his class. He opened a few gifts that night.

For his birthday party, the three of us (Vic, GG, and myself) made a banner and dinosaur garland. We decorated the back porch with dinosaurs wearing party hats and laminated dinosaurs stapled on the back fence. We served pizza, dino chicken nuggets, fruit and veggies, dinosaur eggs, iced sugar cookies, and of course cake. Vic made clay volcanoes with baking powder inside them. During the party, one of our events was to let each kid pour red food colored vinegar into the volcano so it would erupt. We also dug for fossils in the sandbox and filled up some posters of dinosaur skeletons. We also made dinosaur eggs filled with little plastic dinosaurs that we hid for the kids. Vic and I made them a couple of nights before - they were a mixture of salt, flour, top soil and water and we just molded them around the plastic dinosaurs. They dried well enough to hold together and after the kids gathered all the eggs, they got to break into them and find the toys. And to fill a few minutes of time, we played "Carnivore, Herbivore, Fossil" - a dinosaur themed game of freeze tag! WE opened gifts and Atticus was given so many nice things. And we blew out birthday candles. We had little goodie bags of sticker books, stamps, dinosaurs, and fruit snacks. I LOVE a theme party and it was so much fun to put together with GG and Vic. It was also really fun to visit with some of my mama friends that I don't see often enough! Those in attendance were: Meghan/Lizzy/Lane, Megan/Cole/Nathan, Heather/Gage/McKenna, Katie/Kirsten, Katerina, Chris/Katherine/Olivia, Russell/Austin/Aubrey and Wei/Xiaoling/Patrick/Nini/Daniel. It was a really fun group!! Atticus was so excited and it was too funny that he was helping us decorate that morning. He kept asking for jobs and wanted to help. And I was very proud of him during the party for saying thank you and sharing his new toys. It is so hard for him to share his dinosaurs - I mean, he loves them all so much! And he got so many fun new ones, but with some help and coaxing, he did a good job. It's tough to have so much going on and be the center of attention and remember to say thank you and be gracious. But, I was proud of him. Here's some fun photos to show you the party! The first two are of him opening gifts on his birthday  night.

 

 

 

 

Atticus had a really great birthday party! And I cannot tell you how happy he is to be 4 now! He tells everyone he "is four now! I passed three!"

Birds and Bird Feeders

So, I have said before that Grace and Atticus both love to be outside and both have an interest in animals. Well, this also applies to the birds and squirrels in our backyard. About a month or so ago, Atticus and Vic set out some birdfeed in a pot for the birds, as we hadn't had time to buy a feeder to hang yet. So, at any point during the day, one or both of the kids will point out the birds at that temporary feeder. A couple of weeks ago, Atticus and Vic went to Lowe's and picked out a bright yellow feeder to hang in the tree. And, now they love even more to tell me when there are birds at the feeder! In fact, they shout it out with happiness each time! And what is more is that we have a pesky squirrel who also likes to climb up on the feeder to eat. And every time they will tell me a squirrel is out there. Grace just yells "Skewl" and Atticus opens the back door to throw porch shoes at the squirrel and yell at it to "get out of here!" They are hilarious. Well, a few days back, we were all outside looking for mud and puddles after a big, windy rainstorm that afternoon, and we came across a little bird that Vic thinks might have gotten knocked out of it's nest in the storm and into our backyard. It wasn't flying but didn't look hurt. So, we were thinking maybe it was still a baby? Not sure. But, the kids followed it around until Vic could catch it and put it back over the fence in hopes that it would find a safe place. Since then, Grace will run around the backyard where the bird had been and say "buh?". She is always looking for that little bird. Here are a few pics of the bird adventure plus a potty break, a motorcycle ride and Atticus showing Daddy some bugs he trapped in his truck claw. All in all - a good day.

It was one of those fun days with kids!

Grace is 2 years old!

I'm posting this almost two months late, but here are some facts about Grace at this age:

• At 24 months, Grace weighed 27 lbs (60th percentile) and in the 70th percentile for height.
• She is generally happy. Although she likes things a certain way sometimes, she is at the age that she does whatever you ask and when we explain something, she is listening and understanding. So, that is helpful when she gets upset over something. 
• But, other than just happy, she is the sweetest, most loving little girl! She LOVES to snuggle and cuddle and be held and some of my favorite things about her are when she puts my face in her little hands or wraps her arms around my neck when she pretends to be scared. I love that little tiny girl!
• As far as her speech, we have been going to speech therapy for about 5 weeks now. At her 2 year appointment, I voiced my concern over her minimum vocabulary and mostly the fact that she wasn't saying anything without prompt. Although we only go to therapy once per week and she just plays with the therapist for the 30 minute session, I think it is helfpul to me to watch how the therapist talks to her and repeats words and focuses on vowels. I am trying to do it at home on a regular basis and overall, things are definitely improving. She says a few more words now: wa-wa (water), pease (please), different forms of Grace such as jashe and ga, ca (car), WHOA! (whoa), sky & chase (from paw patrol), and many other forms of "ba" and "pa" that reference one thing or another. I'm noticing more sounds and I just keep encouraging the words. So, progress is happening!
• She goes in and out of squealing phases that are SO high pitched, my ears are ringing by the end of the day.
• Currently, she loves playing with her paw patrol toys, the kitchen, and even recently Atticus's animals and dinosaurs, if he lets her. She has also, with Atticus and myself playing with her, plays with her baby dolls! Hooray!! I love playing baby dolls with her, but she is just now interested. She likes puzzles and loves books. She LOVES to be outside playing and will find any ball anywhere to pick up and throw. She loves hide and seek and playing any games with me and Atticus. She also has no fear of animals so far. Grace really likes all of her other toys too - she is happy to just pick up somethign and play. But, one thing she does not stand for at all? ANYTHING except her pillow and two blankets in her bed. Keep in mind, this is the opposite of Atticus who needs no less than a dozen stuffed animals in his bed each night. Oh and one of her favorite things to do is dance. Each evening, if there is any music on the TV (singing or dancing competition shows), she wants to spin and dance and really wants us to join her. It is adorable.
• Not having a reason to move her out of her crib (meaning no new baby at our house yet), she still sleeps happily in her crib.
• Grace goes back and forth between needing afternoon naps or not. Sometimes, if she is happy and playing, I let her skip them.
• She has a definite bedtime routine. She only wants me to put her down if I am home. She closes the bedroom door, motions me to sit in the rocking chair, grabs her blanket for me to hold, and then chooses one book at a time for us to read. When I am done reading, we turn the lights off, turn her CD player with her little "Grace" lullaby CD on, and we rock for 2 or 3 songs. Then, while she typically does not fall asleep in my arms anymore, I then lay her down in her bed and cover her up. Depending on the night, she either stays tucked in and goes to sleep or other nights, she stands up to cry for a couple of minutes to express her anger towards me not rocking her longer. :)
• Her favorite TV show is Paw Patrol and she still loves Frozen and now likes the Tinkerbell movies. 
• She is in 2T clothes and just this week started to cut her final molars. 
• Her hair is kind of a mess sometimes - so fine and getting longer, but not very thick. It's cute and soft though and looks really cute up in a ponytail. 
• The best part of Grace's hair? She lets us put bows in it! And by let, I mean, she demands them each morning and after nap and wants to choose them herself. I usually have to switch what she picks out with the correct matching bow before we leave the house. But, I always let her pick the first time.
• She also has a love of shoes. She has her favorites and I have to find ways to convince her to try new pairs. She loves shoes!
• She is kind of a picky eater, off and on. She likes granola bars and toaster strudels, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (no crusts), chips, apples, oranges, goldfish, sweets (of course), chicken, porkchops, black beans, green beans, ground beef, spaghetti type meals, tortillas, cheese, rice and cheesesticks. She still only drinks water. And on any day, she will decide she doesn't like any of the above. 
• She loves to brush her teeth. EVERY time we walk into the bathroom, she will say "teeth" and want to brush. 
• She loves going into Atticus's preschool to drop off and pick up. This makes me happy for her to go to a summer camp this year for a week and then to school this fall!
• She is just at a really fun, cute age where she will do what we ask and loves to help and play and cuddle and snuggle and giggle. She is independent but still very much in need of her mommy time. We just love her so much!!