FIve Question Friday

1. What is an acceptable age for girls to start dating? Never would be the best answer b/c boys are nothing but trouble. But in reality I want to say 16 (for a date alone with a boy), I know I was probably younger than 16 and I turned out ok. But we are going to try to keep boys away for as long as possible b/c when you are a teenage girl, NOTHING else matters but boys!

 2. Do you think your kids should have summer homework? No, do teachers do this? I do think it is important to keep your kids thinking and learning over the summer but homework? No thanks

 3. Would you prefer to live without AC or heat? Oh, I'll live without AC. I hate being cold. I always have a jacket available. Even if it is 85 degrees, I bring a jacket b/c I know once that sun goes down I'm going to be chilly!

 4. What the worst thing about staying in a hotel? I actually don't mind it too much as long as you can't hear the people next to you or the people in the hallway! Probably b/c then I know that they can hear us yelling at Presley or hear her screaming at us!

5. So, do your kids really get "104 days of summer vacation"? We haven't hit his stage of school yet, so I have no idea. From the sounds of it the summer vacations are shorter but I don't think that is all bad.

Oh no...

I heard Piper talking to herself this morning so I peeked in, I noticed she was trying to pull herself up to the side of the crib....so like any good mother, I didn't go put her down....I went and got the camera.

Hello momma!

(notice the pacifier b/c that thing is rarely out of her sight!)

I then went to go get her and she fell backward and started crying. Guess it is officially time to lower the mattress on the crib. :(

Rain, Rain, Go Away

So Sunday was just gloomy...again. I got up with Piper at 7:15 while Steve slept in. Piper fell asleep about 9:15 in my arms, and I thought for a brief moment of going to lay her down in her crib. I changed my mind. We laid on the couch and slept. I know these moments are rare and I thought I should take advantage of it while I can! We slept and cuddled for about an hour. My parents dropped Presley off a little before noon and we hung out for a couple hours before getting ready to head to Indianola for a grill out, get together with our friends Eric and Megan. The amount of kids at this party was crazy! There were 7 little girls, Presley was the oldest and 4 boys. Both girls did so good playing and hanging out without too much 'stranger danger' issues! It was too bad the weather wasn't nicer to give them all more time to play outside!

Today I had plans to see The Great Gatsby with my friend Colleen. It was good, it was different with the way they filmed it and things but I love Leo! I got home about 2:30 and Steve headed to the grocery store. We decided to have my parents over for dinner, so while Steve got dinner ready we hung outside because the sun FINALLY decided to come out!

She insists on having each hand painted a different color.

Me and my girls

Piper in her other AC/DC onesie, b/c all good babies have 2 of them (not sure why)!

So cool.

Dinner with my parents was very nice, Steve did a great job, Presley was very good and Piper was a little whiny b/c she was tired due to her missing one nap today. Thank you mom and dad for coming over! The weather turned out to be beautiful! So at least we got a couple hours of sunshine over this 3 day weekend!

Hello Weekend!

Ahhh...I love a little girl time on a nice Friday night with my girlie Sarah. The night was perfect, we got sprinkled on a few times but it was a nice spring night so it didn't matter.  We had no plans for our Saturday, Piper and I slept in! I think her cold is still dragging her down b/c she slept until 9! We hung out for a while, played and then got ready to head to Gordmans. We have realized that we still haven't completed finished decorating our house, we were really motivated right after we moved in and it has kind of diminished over the last 5 months. We've always had luck at Gordmans and we hadn't been there in a while.

We got home, had some lunch, Presley and I had some quiet time. Piper laid down for her afternoon nap, Steve headed to Wal-Mart and then about 3:30 Grandma came to pick up Presley for the night. They've been watching Boston and decided that a sleepover might be fun (if they both behaved), so they went to a movie, went out to dinner and then P is staying the night.

I thought it would be nice to have a night with Piper....Steve and I could watch a movie and hang out...well that changed when he decided Hairball sounded more fun.

He left about 6:30 and Piper went to bed early at 7:30! I've watched a couple of my recorded Dr. Phil episodes, I watched the Ides Of March starring my boyfriend Ryan Gosling. I really should've been more productive, oh well, too late now.

Drinking wine, watching Pretty Woman and getting ready to go to bed! Goodnight!

This smile makes me happy!

Wearing Daddy's favorite onesie!

Five Question Friday

1. Do you wake before the alarm or stay in bed until the last possible second? Oh the last possible second for sure. That snooze button gets a work out most mornings and I love it! I try NOT to do this b/c I know it is my responsibility to get everyone up and out of bed in the morning and when we are rushed, we just yell and it's not a good way to start the morning. So I try to get up and ready before I wake up P...and that girl takes a good 1/2 hour to roll out of bed, get dressed and brush her teeth and hair.

2. Who should get a baby shower? Is it just the first baby or all babies? I say that baby showers should be for the first baby....unless, maybe your second is the opposite sex of your first baby...then I can sometimes understand another shower.

3. How will you spend Memorial Day? I'm actually seeing The Great Gatsby with my friend Colleen! I don't think either one of us goes to movies very often, but a year ago when we heard they were making a movie out of this book we planned to see it! We read the book in high school and even had to put together a video and act out a portion of it. That video will NOT be making it's way to this blog or FB if I have anything to say about it!

4. Do you have a Storm/Hurricane/Tornado/Fire plan for your kids, house..? No, we don't. But after the storms last week I think Presley now knows that if she hears the tornado siren going off (which is VERY close to our house) that we should go to the basement. Maybe we should actually have a 'talk' with her about these things to be sure.

5. What is your favorite morning drink? I love a nice, hot, apple cider from the coffee shop...however, I'm trying to limit my intake of them due to the price and the calories. Guess I'll just have to learn to settle for water.

Where did the week go?

Believe me, I'm not complaining that it is Thursday night and tomorrow is Friday. I just have a feeling that tomorrow is g-o-i-n-g to d-r-a-g. We had a MELT down to extremes with Presley on Sunday night and since then she has been SO good! The evenings have been pleasant and overall good family time.
Tuesday we took a nice walk, the girls went to bed and then I went for a run/walk/crawl. I would like to get back into running, it's just finding the time, motivation and energy. I ran 1/2 mile, which is a lot of me at this point and then I walked the rest of the way....it's a start.

Last night I actually worked late, overtime was opened up this week so I tried to take advantage of some of it. I got home about 7:30, ate dinner, helped put the girls to bed and then headed to bed about 9:30 with all intensions of going to sleep....then I got into my book. Damn.
Tonight, we had a nice night. Presley had time to play with the neighbors, Steve cooked a great dinner, we ate dinner on the deck, girls got baths, we had some time to hang out. Once the girls were in bed, I went for another run/walk. I ran a little further this time, I figure slowly but surely I can go a little farther each time.

Both Steve and I have been working hard this week, we have been lucky so far this spring/summer that neither one of our jobs has required too much overtime (even though the money is always nice), so we can't complain when we have to put in a little more than normal!

Like I said, Presley has been so good since Sunday...threatening to take her blanket away is the key to all things good! She has been eating like a CHAMP! I love that we eat dinner together at the table most nights! She has been going to bed fairly good too, every night she falls asleep a little earlier...but the weekend is sure to screw that up!

Piper still has her cold, but she is still happy and smiley. And most importantly she has been sleeping good (but now that I say that, she will be waking up tonight. Nice job, Jessica, totally jinx yourself!)!

Now off to our long weekend! Hope you all enjoy your time off!

Sunday Funday!

 

Oh Sunday, sometimes I wish you were two days long! Piper slept until 8:45! Steve got up about 9 and Presley didn't get up until 10! Once we got up, we were on a roll. The house was gross, dusty, dirty and just an overall mess! We thought we might be expecting visitors that afternoon which is the ultimate and perfect nudge to get the house clean! We got the house picked up, dusted, cleaned and vacuumed, the fridge cleaned out, the lawn mowed and the sandbox filled! P and I went to Target and got home in time to enjoy the afternoon heat!

Piper enjoyed some jumping time on the deck.......

while Steve watered the yard and Presley enjoyed the sprinkler.

actually, she ran from it. Until daddy pulled or carried her thru it! They said it was really cold, but she enjoyed it nonetheless!

Then of course, we had to fly our kite. We have the perfect yard for it, plenty of room and a good breeze. Presley did a great job holding on considering how strong the wind was!

She played in her sandbox, we painted nails, we filled a bucket full of water and she cleaned her cars as I read my book and daddy started dinner! Great afternoon!

We knew the weather was going to get bad, but we ate dinner on the deck until the fatty rain drops started! The girls got quick baths b/c the tornado sirens started going off! We gathered up our 'needed' items and headed to the basement. It was a brand new atmosphere for both of them, since we have been playing outside every chance we get, we never go downstairs anymore! We made it thru the storms, with only the charcoal grill lid and a sand bucket getting blown away for Steve to go chasing after!

Saturday birthday parties

 So after we got home from the CF walk we had about 2 hours to kill....have a snack, have some quiet time, and pack for the second half of our day. Sadie had a birthday party at The Little Gym, where Grace had her birthday party a couple months ago. Presley loved it the first time and we were hoping she would love it again....she did. Jumping bean!!!!!

 

The birthday girl Sadie and her little sister Grace.

I said it the first time and I'll say it again, this is the perfect place for a birthday party! I'm hoping we can have P's party there next year (look at me, planning 9 months in advance!) It's fun, they have great staff to help, the provide the cake and clean up, they help with the present unwrapping and even write down which kid brought what toys for you...so the parents have little responsibility! Maybe that is why it sounds so good to me!

Then we headed to Jerry and Holly's for his 32nd birthday party! It was fun, hanging out, eating, drinking, the weather was perfect. The kids were fairly good (Piper has had a cold and I just feel sorry for her runny nose and watery eyes!)

Here is the present that Holly got him...a Jerry bobblehead that she had made! How awesome is that?!

Five Question Friday

1. Do you have a doppelgänger? I do! Sarah Jessica Parker, not b/c I think I look like her but b/c I have been told I look like her multiple times in the last 10 years!

2. Do you keep your car cleaned up? Um....not really. They aren't terrible! And I will say that my car is definitely cleaner than Steve's car and work truck. If I eat fast food or gas station food, at least I try to hide the trash evidence! He does not.

3. What is a current fashion that drives you crazy? Well, let me tell ya....trying to find dresses for P to wear in the little girls section (unfortunately we are straddling the size charts between toddlers and little girls) is annoying. The amount of florescent colored clothes is slightly out of control!

4. How often do you go grocery shopping? We go for a big, overall grocery trip every weekend. But Steve will also stop at the store on his way home from work if he is going to make something for dinner. I hate making that trip to the store for one or two specific things!

5. What has been the best surprise of your life? How in the world am I supposed to choose just one? I'm surprised by the overall success in my career thus far. I'm surprised by the strength in our marriage over the last 5 years, everyone says the first year is the hardest and most couples end up divorced in the first 5 years and kids make that even harder! I'm surprised at how much Presley has grown in the last 6 months, it's so fun watching her learn and begin to socialize. I'm surprised at how much Miss Piper fits perfectly into our family!

Great Strides Walk 2013

Friday we headed to the mall after work, with the warm weather we have figured out that Presley needs more dresses (b/c that is all she wants to wear), Piper has no summer pj's, and I have no capris I can fit into and no clothes that I like to wear. We did some quick shopping and had dinner at Old Chicago and then headed home to get ready for our busy Saturday.

We know we had to get up and out of the house by 9 for the cystic fibrosis walk that started by 10. Originally we were going to try to get to P's soccer game at 11:30 but I had a feeling that the walk was going to take too long for us to make it and since we all know how much we enjoy this hour, we weren't all that sad to miss it. Steve and Jerry pulled P and Mary in the wagon and Piper fell asleep in the stroller for 98% of the walk! (awesome!). It was a good, long, hot walk but we made it....for a great cause. They raised a lot of money and SO many people attended. I think our Andreas Angels team was bigger and better this year!

The youngest angel in her perfect little 'Aa' shirt! LOVE IT!

We had a little time after the walk, lunch and auction to hit up the playground. Piper loved the swings and Presley played on the equipment so good considering the amount of other kids playing too!

Aren't they cute!

Living

Oh yes, little bird (with her mouth wide open) thinks she is rather funny rolling over on her changing table!

She is no longer my little baby, considering she takes up 1/2 of the crib now. :(

We tried a quick bath with both girls together. Presley was hesitant at first, she didn't want Pipers butt touching her! LOL! But after a couple minutes and Piper splashing her, P didn't want her to get out!

This past week was a blur. We actually weren't that busy but we just try to enjoy every night. We seem to have the same routine....get home, get dinner ready, eat, go for a walk (usually all 4 of us), baths (every other night) and then settle down and get ready for bed.

$550 Million

I don't even know how much money that REALLY is but it makes me happy to think about all the things I would do with it. What would you do with that much money (besides quit your job and payoff debt)?
- give my immediate family some ($1000 should be good enough, right? J/K!) and I'd probably help some close family and friends.
- buy Steve his dream car (or 10)
- give to charity, mainly Cystic Fibrosis, LLS, Alzheimer's
- travel, with a nanny :) I want the kids there but when it is bedtime the nanny can take over!
- have Steve open his restaurant (Quesadillas and Dreams...and pay a marketing person to encourage him to change the name!)
- help with education, housing and overall community development in a less fortunate neighborhood
- splurge on lipo, a boob job and lasik eye surgery!
- pay for Holly to have a nice wedding. That girl is freakin cheap (Facebook invites, Jimmy Johns and taking flowers off graves!) These are just some of her cheap ideas! LOL!

So many ideas, so little money. Wish me luck on Saturday night and if you aren't a close friend now, you better try harder in the next 48 hours!

Last Day!

Wednesday Presley had her last day of preschool! The parents were invited to join for the last 1/2 of class for a small 'program', where they sang some songs and we watched a DVD filled of pictures throughout the year (which we all got a copy of!). Presley participated in 1% of the songs, but as you can see she wasn't the only one (boy in blue and boy in plaid, I'm talking about you)! She looked from side to side at the other kids with her tongue out (her nervous twitch), almost as if she was wondering what they heck they were doing! It was really cute to watch the kids who were participating though!

We gave her two teachers a small gift and then Presley actually agreed to have her picture taken with Miss Cimberly. Presley and Miss Cimberly seemed to 'click' from the beginning, P would follow her around instead of playing with the other kids!

I'm sad in thinking this is my baby, done with her first year of preschool! I'm so happy that she had this experience and hope that her next preschool venture is just as good (with maybe some advances in her social skills!)

 

Here is the link from her 1st day of preschool! The baby face has disappeared!

http://www.thegoodlife-jgo.blogspot.com/2012/09/preschool.html

 

Happy Mothers Day!

Since I'm not on FB that often anymore I didn't officially get to announce my Happy Mother's Day post to the world (or my 400 FB friends). So Happy Mother's Day to the most amazing mother and grandmother we could ask for. We are so very lucky to have you as a part of our every day lives. We are so lucky to have you as our daycare for our babies. We couldn't ask for more and there is no way we could ever thank you enough for everything you have done for us and will continue to do for us. Whether it be daytime daycare, if I have to work late, if we have a night out or take a week long vacation you always come thru without a second thought (or you keep it to yourself!) I hope you never feel taken advantage of and I hope you always treasure this time with my girls, many grandparents don't get this time and I know we all appreciate it and would never have it any other way.We love you! Thank you for showing me what a being a mother is all about, the good, the bad and the ugly (and the really ugly, if we are talking about your other daughters!) 

Gamma with Presley (3 months old)

 

 Gamma with Piper (7 months), same park, same bench!

We love you and thank you!

Weekend Update

Oh man, we are exhausted from this weekend. I spent very little time at home so none of my usual housework got done. UGH. Friday night I went out with a couple girls from work and Holly and some of her work friends, it was a good time and I was still home around 10.

Saturday we had to get up and ready we had soccer (our favorite hour of the weekend). She didn't play. We had minimal tears, mainly b/c she did nothing but sit on the sidelines. I told her she didn't get the team snack afterwards, she didn't care. So that was that. We left and headed to Lake Panorama for the post-poned Cinco de Mayo party. We had all intentions of staying the night and packed for it. Packing for one night for two kids is dumb...there are just so many things you need whether it is for one night or five nights! We figured if the kids were good we would stay, if not we would just head home, no biggie.

Well the kids were great actually. Piper didn't mind the people and she went to bed early despite all the noise! Presley was very good too and actually played with kids that she had never met before (I should've recorded it and shown her preschool teachers!), had fun, ran around and then was TIRED about 10. We headed to our room and tried to get her to sleep. By the time she fell asleep, all three of us were in the bed sleeping by 11.....even though the party was still going strong! I don't think any of us (besides Piper) slept the best, all sharing the same bed, in a strange place, it was hot and noisy until about midnight.

The only sucky part about staying at some else's house overnight, is that the baby was up at 5:45 and I really didn't want her waking up anyone else. She was good though, she had her bottle and played on the floor fairly quietly (Steve and P were in the same room and slept thru it all!). We got up and left about 7:30. We got home about 8:30 and since it was Mothers Day, I took a nap! I got up about 11 and we all had to get ready and packed for our Mothers Day picnic at Thomas Mitchell Park (which is where we had gone last year too). It was chilly in the wind, but we went on our usual hike and did some fishing! 

 

 

 

I'm a bad mom and never got my pictures taken with my girls. That was my one goal for the day and I failed. We headed home a little before 4 and P fell asleep in the car, we put her in our room for 'quiet time' and she didn't move. We tried waking her up a couple times, I even laid in bed with her for a while and she was out! We had dinner, Piper had a bath and went to bed and about 8:30 Presley finally woke up.

We were just tired so she had cereal and fruit for dinner. Then about 9:30 we were so tired and just wanted to sleep, so she came to bed with us and watched a movie while we slept! HA! About 10:30 she was ready to head to her bed! Poor girl was all off her schedule!

Off to start the week with lots of housework to be done, laundry to be done (heck I still have a load from last Sunday to put away!) but the weather is supposed to be nice too so we want to make sure to enjoy it!



Five Question Friday (on Monday)

1. What's the one personal hygiene thing you will not do in front of your spouse? Go to the bathroom, neither one of us feels this is necessary. HA!
2. What's your favorite thing about a newborn? The smell (even though it's probably spit up) and soft skin! I want my babies back!!! :(

3. When is "too young" to have a Facebook account? The ages between 10-14 are questionable to me. I think kids are so different and have different maturity levels that it really depends on the kid. If my 10 yr old is on Facebook, I will have the password and I will have to OK every friend request!

4. What are your hoping for for Mother's Day? Nice weather and good kids! I don't think that is too much to ask for!

5. What was the best field trip you ever took in school? I don't really remember! Is that sad?

7 months

Miss Piper is still so sweet, happy and good. Though she is now constantly getting into everything. She scoots around to play with the computer cords or to play with anything of Presley's!

 

- she doesn't sit up! Presley sat up at 6 months and Piper has no interest in it. She can if she wants to  but she wants to tip over to go get the next toy!

- she doesn't crawl but is still moving all over. She pulls herself up and over things, she pulls herself up onto her knees.

- she's had her bottom two teefers for about two weeks, they look so cute with her big ole smile!

- she is wearing 6 month clothes. She can still fit into a couple 3-6 month outfits and some of the 6-9 month outfits are a little big.

- she loves walks! She'll sit in the stroller and play with the straps and is content!

- is getting more on a schedule with her eating/bottles and naps, we'll take it! She hasn't found a baby food that she doesn't like. She tried bits and pieces of the puffs and cheerios. And I'm pretty sure grandma has given her cheese, cookies and other goodies!

- she likes to play peekaboo. Though she is the one that throws a burp cloth over her own face and sits there covered until you say 'where is piper?' then she'll take it off with a big smile, thinking she is pretty funny!

- she is more consistently sleeping thru the night and I have no complaints since Presley still didn't sleep thru the night at this age!

- she is entering that stranger danger stage! It depends on the person but some people say hi and she just starts crying! LOL!  Oh well, we are hoping it just a phase and not a sign of another shy little girl!

- she really is one of those baby's who cries for an actual reason, usually she is tired or hungry! Again, I compare her to Presley who just seemed to cry for no reason at all...(hell, it seems she still cries for no reason at all!)

- Presley loves to help feed her, wake her up in the morning, pick out her clothes....in general she loves to help out with her probably b/c she feels in charge, now we just have to show her how to change diapers!

P

Oh my Presley Pie. I'm just amazed at how she is growing. I know I'll probably say this every year, but I really think she has changed SO much in the last year, mostly in the last 6 months. We might give Piper some of this credit?!
She just says some phrases that just makes me question how old she really is. Like when she looks at me and says 'um, I have a question.' or 'Mom, I was talking first!'. She remembers the weirdest things and has a great memory! She tells me what words rhyme and what letter daddy and mommy and so many other words start with but then she said words that she can't pronounce just right....Caleb is Cabub, yellow is lellow, crib is caribe and bottom is botjume. And I love the imperfections! It reminds me that she is still my little girl, my baby.
I think we obviously tell her how cute she is WAY too much b/c tonight she said "I'm more cuter than daddy, mommy and Piper'. Well, she is cuter than mommy and daddy, but I think Piper is giving her a run for her money! :) I just look at that perfect little baby face that is on my 4 year old and wonder where time went! UGH!

This was P, just about a year ago! Where did those chubby cheeks go?

Growing up into my smart, beautiful, challenging little person! :)

Day off!

Since my parents were out of town today, we didn't have daycare for Piper and since Steve stayed home on Friday it was my turn! Which definitely worked for me since the weather was perfect today!

Steve took Presley to Aprils in the morning, I originally had a lunch date and then was going to pick her up from there a little early but my lunch date got cancelled and Piper woke up (but not until 8!) with a super runny nose! UGH! I felt so sorry for her , she was gagging on her snot. I have sucked her nose more today than I have in the last 7 months! Piper took an awesome 2.5 hour nap from 10:30 to a little after 1! I got laundry and cleaning done. I sat on the deck and read my book. It was perfect!

Once Piper woke up and had a bottle we went for a short walk and then headed to Target. We picked P up from Aprils about 3:30 and headed home for some outdoor play time!

Even Layla came down to play, she is adorable but bossy....so I think she is good for P to play with!

Miss Piper just isn't feeling good. She was still happy but took a nap from 5:30 to 6:30 which is not good timing for parents who would like to have her in bed before 8:30.

Piper and I went on another walk and then daddy and Presley wanted to go on a walk, so we went on another one! The weather was perfect, the kids were good, there were so many neighbors out and about...it really should be Friday, not Monday!

Weekend Update

After the snowy, rainy week we finally made it to the weekend. My parents left for Wisconsin on Friday so Steve stayed home with the girls. He said he couldn't be a stay at home dad because it would be too boring. Funny how it was boring yet none of the housework was done!

Steve was tired of sitting around the house so once both girls were in bed he headed to The Boathouse (his new favorite bar, since it is close to home). I went to bed about 9:30, read a little of my book and I was out!

 

Presley was up early at 7, which is not normal and then the rest of us slowly got up and out of bed around 8 (even Piper). We made waffles for breakfast (chocolate chip waffles, though P had her chocolate chips on the side, not in her actual waffles) then got ready to go to the Bass Pro Shop. Since soccer was cancelled due the weather we thought going there would be a good way to pass some time and entertain P for a while. We decided to go bowling since they have a pretty kid friendly alley....and Presley refused to bowl. She wouldn't wear the shoes or roll the ball, nothing. What a waste of money. So we spent some more money and ate lunch there and then headed home.

We had some quiet time, which included me and P laying in my bed watching a movie...with me sleeping more than her. Our original plans had included going to Jason and Christie's lake house for Cinco de Mayo party but they postponed it b/c of the weather so we crashed Holly and Jerry's party. It was fun! Presley played with Mary and her friend Maya pretty good and even played with the 2 year olds with no problem! Piper was happy and content it was a good, fun night! Thanks guys!

 

We got home way too late, Presley didn't go to sleep until 10:45 and Piper was about the same.....however, Piper was up multiple times during the night. We did the pacifier about 6 times, a bottle once, crying it out once. We were all tired and exhausted. We all slept until 9 this morning! Woohoo! We needed it....and I think I figured out why Piper was so unhappy all night. A soaking wet diaper and terrible diaper rash! 

So sweet

So happy

So Piper isn't "crawling", however, she is getting around everywhere and getting into everything! See how she does push-ups. She gets up on her tippy toes, it is so funny! She gets on her knees, pushes herself up on her toes and then falls forward....but it works and she gets around just fine......and she'll have awesome baby biceps!

(I was hoping you could see her cute little bottom teeth!)

Today Presley and I went to Holly's to help her with some house stuff (let's just say that Holly and I trying to figure out a ladder and how we are going to get high enough to check her gutters was funny and probably unsafe. Then we headed over to Susie for a Cystic Fibrosis open house that she had! It was such a good idea and nice to see them. The CF walk is less than 2 weeks away......have you donated?



Five Question Friday

1. What is your next home improvement goal? We (as in Steve) is working on the railing for the deck, he still needs to do the railing on the steps, of course with this crazy change in weather and the inches of snow that are on the ground, it doesn't look like he'll be finishing that this weekend.
Steve has a list of things he 'wants' to do. My next project for him to put in a whole house humidifier.

2. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be? No religious texts (ie Bible, Quran, Torah, etc, etc)...It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita by Heather Armstrong. My friend Shannon turned me on to this book after I had Presley and it is awesome, funny and I want Heather to be my friend. Seriously, people, read this book!

3. What is on top of your refrigerator? I don't think we have anything up there. Dust and sawdust from when Steve put the handles on the cabinets....that I'm pretty sure neither one of us have cleaned up yet....7 months later.

4. What are your favorite or most used phone apps? Really I don't use my phone that much. I'll check Facebook on my phone, Presley plays a couple games on there but really, that is it. I have a nice phone, but not one of those big fancy phones that are like mini-computers.

5. What's the one thing you hate most about your spouses job? He actually has a pretty good gig going with his current employer. They are laid back, he has a work truck and gas card, hours are pretty flexible, he gets time off and they don't seem to keep track of how many days he has taken or has left! So I guess I could just want him to get paid more....typical answer huh?

Spring conferences!

So we had Presley's spring conferences at preschool this evening.  Nothing they said was really that surprising, she isn't social but she is doing great 'academically' (if you can call it academics for 4 year olds?).
She honestly seemed surprised and relieved that Presley does actually socialize and talk with her peers in other situations. P does talk to other kids, it DOES happen....just not at preschool...she doesn't talk to the other kids and has a hard time talking to the teachers.  And she was shocked that Presley talks a lot and is bossy at home! That seemed to be their main concern with her, was her social skills. She mentioned getting her playtime with other kids her age and basically just exposing her to more social situations, yeah, well we did that with soccer and look how well that is turning out! LOL!
But we were expecting this. This is our Presley.

She is doing everything they expect the 3-4 year olds to do plus some. She did good at rhyming (which is something she just really learned last week), she counted to 30, knew her upper and lower cases letters (only mixing up b & d), she improved her scissor skills (b/c she had NONE when she started), can write her name and most other letters, follows direction (sure!), knew her colors and shapes.
We have all noticed that she is interested in letters, writing and words in general (she now writes Presley and Piper on every paper at school!). She said the next step is to work on what each letter sounds like!
Basically besides not being social, Presley is one of the best kids in class! She listens, doesn't talk out of turn (mainly b/c she doesn't talk), follows direction....nice huh? Next Wednesday they have to bring an item from home that we use every day and then tell the class about it....to help with their public speaking skills! HOW CAN I WITNESS THIS? Miss Ronda said she would let me know how it goes!

I can't believe how much she has learned at this school since September! I love the teachers and the way they teach. I'm sad she can't go there next year but as I mentioned before, she really needs more exposure to enhance her social skills. I think being at a fulltime daycare/preschool will help her feel more comfortable around larger groups of kids....time will tell!