School Days

It seems I might have failed in getting a picture of the first day of MDO last year.  Oops!  For reference, here's a picture taken around this time a year ago:

Look at those cute little baby hands!  And the chubby cheeks!

And here are Addison & Mackenzie on the first day back to school last week--their first day in the three-year-old class:

It's hard to believe how much they've grown and changed.  Looking at these pictures, I realize how much of the baby-ness has disappeared over the last year.  But man, I love these grown-up girls.  They are such little hams lately; they make me laugh like no one else can.  True, they can also push my buttons like no one else can...but that's just part of the deal, right?

The first week back to school went very well in our house.  They went for the short summer program, so they've really only had about a month without the school routine.  Still, I was a little worried, since they've spent most of the last three or four weeks staying in their pajamas all day and not having to even leave the house most days.  It was a relief that all three days went as smoothly as we could have hoped, and it seems A & M are going to love their year in the three-year-old class.

I always ask my youth group at church if they are ready to go back to school...it's usually pretty evenly split, with about half dreading it and half ready to get back in the swing of things.  I was usually one of the ready-to-go kind of kids, though I probably wouldn't have admitted it.  I loved school, and I particularly loved the first-day, new-year excitement.  Ahh, the memory of all the fresh and clean notebooks and school supplies makes me smile.  (Actually, new supplies still make me ridiculously happy...you never outgrow some things, I guess!)

Which camp were you in--looking forward to school or dreading it?  And I KNOW I'm not the only one who still stocks up for myself when school supplies go on sale, RIGHT?

And To Mackenzie...

Dear Mackenzie,

Last week you started your second year of "school" at Mother's Day Out, and I decided to start a tradition of writing you a letter at the beginning of each school year.  I just can't get over how much you grew and changed during this last year, and I want to make sure that I remember these precious days in the years to come.

When you started school last fall, you were still a baby in so many ways.  It's hard to imagine now, but you weren't even walking very steadily then...I remember worrying about the other kids knocking you over and wondering how you would navigate the playground!  As I watch you now run, jump, climb, and turn flips, those days seem so far gone.

Now, at 28 months old, you are a sweeter, funnier, and more sensitive child than I ever imagined you would be.  When you and Addison were babies, we thought you might run over her and try to always be "in charge".  Surprisingly, we have seen many changes in you over the past year or so.  Your speech came at a miraculous rate, and you have not stopped talking.  Instead of pushing your sister around, you are very much a little comforter, always checking to see if she is okay after a fall or when she cries.  You are a worrier at times, and if you get something in your head, you will ask about it incessantly until your mind is at ease.  I find that I remind myself to be cautious not to say things that might worry or upset you, because I certainly don't want to make you nervous about anything.  I think this cautious, sensitive side to your personality must be much like I was as a child.  (And I know you and Addison both get your incessant chatter from me!)

You are just such a sweet and funny girl, Mackenzie.  At two years old, you can make me laugh harder than anyone else I know.  You already have a wonderful sense of humor, and you LOVE it when you can make us laugh.  You also make me laugh with the unintentional funny things you do, like cautioning me, "Don't fall, Mama!" when I lean back in my reclining lawn chair, or singing the wrong words to "Tomorrow", your favorite Annie song ("I tickle my chin, and grin, and say....").   While playing in the yard tonight, you and Addison were pretending to push me around, and when I pretended to fall, you ran over to pat my back and ask if I was okay.  As usual, I told you that a good kiss would make me all better.  You give the best hugs and kisses, and I hope you are never too big to kiss your mama.  When you walk up and wrap your arms around my knees, I just melt.

Some things to remember about you at almost two-and-a-half...

Favorite songs:  Tomorrow, Jesus Loves Me, Happy Birthday (you'll sing to anyone!), Bunny Foo-Foo, Ice Ice Baby (but only the chorus, thankfully)
Favorite foods:  You will try just about anything, but you love Rice Krispy treats, goldfish, shredded cheese, macaroni & cheese, french fries, fruit snacks, and pancakes
Favorite books:  Goodnight Moon, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, In Case You Ever Wonder, and Llama, Llama, Mad at Mama
Favorite Activities:  You love to watch Thomas the Tank Engine and Toy Story (we call it "Woody") and America's Funniest Home Videos.  Yes, we are very mature and classy in our choice of entertainment here.  : )  You like to color and play with stickers, though you usually tire of it before Addison.  You like to dress up, and you are constantly asking for help putting on a tutu, sunglasses, random shoes, or hats.  Lately, you have really enjoyed wearing my shoes around the house and you will demand that I take them off so you can wear them...though since you have learned to get in my closet, you often go find a pair yourself!  You like to play in your kitchen, and you have recently begun asking me, "Do you need anything, Mama?  Something to drink?"  I wondered where you might have come up with this until I realized that's what the waitresses ask us in restaurants.  Maybe it's a sign we eat out too often?  You pretend to make coffee for me at least three or four times a day, and even though I rarely drink coffee at home, I can't resist yours!  You love to talk on the phone and play games or "draw" on our phones.
Dislikes:  The vacuum cleaner, for sure...you don't even want to talk about it, and when you saw one in Wal Mart the other night, you told me, "Don't take it home, Mama!".  You have also developed a fear of bugs and flies this summer, and you freak out if one gets in the car.  You had your first wasp sting earlier this summer (on the top of your head!), but you only cried for a minute and forgot about it, so I really don't think that's where the fear is coming from.
Mama's current favorite memory:  You have recently begun asking "Who bring me this?" or "Where I get this from?"  We tell you who bought the item for you, then you want to know where they got it and any more detail we will give you.  I love to watch you absorb all this and work it around in your mind.  You think hard about how to ask your questions, and it just amazes me to see your little mind working in such a big way.  I also love that you put my name at the end of all your questions..."Can you do it, Mama?"  "You need help, Mama?"  "You okay, Mama?"  Oh, my heart!

You have always been a mama's girl, but you are really developing an affinity for your daddy right now too, and I love to watch it.  You like to "work" with him outside, and you also like to sit in the driveway and draw with sidewalk chalk with me.  You love your NiNi and Jen-Jen something fierce...actually I feel like you have a very strong attachment to all of your "people", which makes you a perfect fit for this tight-knit family of ours.  You sleep long and hard, and I love to watch you in that vulnerable, innocent state.  I can still catch a glimpse of my baby Mackenzie when you're sleeping, even though you're such a big girl now.

I tell you all the time that you are beautiful, sweet, and smart, and I hope you know that I mean ALL of it.  I hope you stay snuggly and sensitive and caring, but I also hope that you always say what you think and stand up for yourself.  You are an amazing little girl, Mackenzie Ross, and I can't even explain how happy I am that you're mine.  I hope you have a wonderful school year, and I can't wait to see all that you accomplish this year!

Love, Mama

To Addison...

Dear Addison,

As you start your second year of "school" at Mother's Day Out, I can't help but marvel at how much you have grown and changed since this time last year.  When you started school last August, at 16 months old, you were still so much a baby.  I remember how worried we were about you adjusting to having only one nap every day and wondering how you would ever learn to sit at the table and eat from your lunchbox all by yourself.

Somehow you made it, and you adjusted to MDO and your new schedule quickly.  Your first teacher, Mrs. Misty, took very good care of you and Mackenzie and made your first year wonderful.  It was so fun to see all the little art projects and activities you brought home...I just couldn't believe that my tiny little baby could do those things all by herself!

Fast forward to August 2011, and the changes in you are just amazing.  You are now 28 months old, and many traces of your "baby-ness" are (sadly) fading quickly.  You are very much a little girl now, and you are spunky.  I can't pinpoint exactly when it happened, but you have really developed a huge personality in this past year.  You have become so much more outspoken and domineering than you used to be...and I absolutely love it!  We used to worry that Mackenzie was going to run all over you for much of your childhood, but it is now obvious that you can hold your own.

You have boundless energy that makes it hard to capture you in photographs that don't have the blur of a body in motion.  Tonight, you ran circles in the driveway at full speed, singing and yelling happily the entire time.  Then, after bath, you nuzzled yourself under my arm in your favorite spot on the couch and were perfectly content to sit quietly and read books until bedtime.  I love all these things about you.

To try and capture a bit of you at this stage, I thought I would list some of your favorite things....

Favorite songs:  Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Jesus Loves Me, Tomorrow (from Annie), and the songs from bible school this summer ("Big Apple Adventure")
Favorite foods:  Fruit snacks, goldfish, shredded or parmesan cheese, and hamburgers (You will eat a hamburger anytime, anywhere!)
Favorite books:  The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Peek-a-Boo Baby, a pirate alphabet book, and Dora's Bedtime Adventures
Favorite activities:  You love to sing and dance, especially to Annie or Yo Gabba Gabba.  You are constantly mimicking something one of us has said or something you saw on tv.  You LOVE America's Funniest Home Videos, and you like to pretend to fall down to make us laugh (I wonder what kind of lesson this show is teaching you, but you love it so much...).  You like to color and play with stickers.  I love to watch you write or color...you know how to hold your pencil the correct way, and you are SO intent and focused on your writing.  I can almost picture the little schoolgirl you will be in a few years, working hard on school assignments.  You like to play in your kitchen at home and take care of your stuffed animals.  After your first day of school last week, you told us that you washed clothes in the playhouse in your new classroom.
Dislikes:  The vacuum cleaner.  I don't know why this fear has developed...the vacuum is definitely not a regular occurrence in our house, but you absolutely hate it.  You won't even walk down the hallway if the hand-vac is charging.
Mama's current favorite memory:  For whatever reason, you are not pronouncing the letter "f" right now.  Anything that starts with "f", you say with a "p" sound.  We have noticed it more in the last few weeks, and it never fails to tickle me.  You ask for your "poot snacks" (fruit snacks), want your shoes on your "peet" (feet), etc.  I laugh every time, especially when whatever you say sounds borderline dirty...Mama is not always so grown-up, you see.  : )

You are a funny, sweet, and snuggly girl right now, Addison...and we love every bit of you!  You often take longer to go to sleep than your sister, and once she is asleep, you will sometimes call out for me.  Occasionally, I come in to get you and let you sit up for a few extra minutes of snuggle time.  That happened tonight, in fact, and after about five minutes on the couch with me, you happily went right back to bed...where you demanded, "Cover me up again!" as I tucked you in.  I treasure these quiet moments with you, my precious little headstrong girl.  I can't wait to see what an amazing lady you will become one day.

I hope you have a wonderful year in the two-year-old class, Addie-bug.  I can't even imagine how grown up you will be at this time next year!

Love, Mama

A Gift Dilemma

Back at Halloween, the girls' MDO class had a little Halloween party with special snacks and all that good stuff.  I sent the snack we signed up for, and Mackenzie and Addison wore their cute little Halloween shirts.  I thought we had fulfilled all the 'obligations' for the day.

When they got home from school that day, they had little baskets with small treat bags and Halloween books.  I didn't think much about it, just assuming that the teacher had given it out to the class.  Upon closer inspection later that night, I realized that the little treat bags and books were from the other kids in the class, who apparently brought small favors for their classmates.

My kids were the only ones who didn't bring treats for their friends.  MOM FAIL.

I didn't get too bent out of shape about it, as we are new to the whole MDO thing and two of the three others in the class have older siblings so they have done all this before.  I did, however, resolve that Addison and Mackenzie would most certainly be taking Christmas goodies for their friends.

For the most part, those little gifts are taken care of....thank you, Target dollar aisle!

Now my question is--What do I get the teacher? 

I have heard lots of people, teachers included, mention that the best gift for teachers is a gift card in any amount.  After all, four $5 gift cards add up to $20, which comes in pretty handy, right?  And that has to be preferable over ten bottles of smelly lotion that she will never use or specialty coffee she will never drink.  (I actually have no idea if she drinks coffee all, so that one is out anyway.)

What do y'all think?  Gift card?  If so, how much?  I mean, I don't want to spend a ton of money, but I do have two kids in her class...two-fifths of the class.  She deserves more than a $10 gift for putting up with both of them, right?  $20? 

Then there's the question of what type of gift card to get.  I have never heard of anyone who dislikes Target, so that's always an option.  The problem is, there is not one here in our town.  The closest one is about an hour away.  A Wal-Mart card seems a little generic, like I'm suggesting she could spend it on groceries or something (neurotic much?).  There are a few little gift shops in town, but is that too specialized?  What about a restaurant gift card?  Oh, or maybe gift certificate to the local movie theater?

As you can tell, I am probably way over-thinking this, but I need some advice! 

Thoughts, please.

R U 4 Real?

I have always taken a little bit of pride in the fact that I am pretty good with grammar and spelling.  I may not always use correct grammar here, as on the blog I tend to write more like I talk...which is not always grammatically correct.  I often use words like stinkin' and y'all, and I rather enjoy an overabundant use of ellipses (...), in case you haven't noticed.  Sometimes, I even use CAPITAL LETTERS in inappropriate ways.

I bet you never even knew that you were reading the words of the 1992 C___ Elementary School Spelling Bee winner, did you?  True story.

Now you're probably all intimidated and mentally critiquing your own writing, wondering what I'm picking on in your blog posts, right?  (I mean, a fourth-grade spelling bee champ is pretty impressive, no?  It's not?)  Well, don't worry, because I'm pretty sure none of you are committing my biggest pet peeve of all...

TEXT SPEAK

You know what I'm talking about....
R U there?
Y did u do that?
C U L8R

It really makes me want to throw something.  Or throw up, one or the other.  Now, I can imagine there might be a time and place for text speak...in an actual text message, for instance.  However, with the advent of full-keyboard phones, smart phones that practically text for you, and the like, I can't find nearly as much justification for not just typing out a word.  Personally, I have never been a fan of the use of abbreviations for short words (most notably 'u' and 'r'), even in texting.  How much harder is it to type TWO extra letters and make a real word??

Anyway, like I said, I can deal with it in actual text messages.  Whatever, it's not really a big deal.  What I CANNOT and REFUSE to deal with are COLLEGE STUDENTS using text speak in answering test questions and communicating with an instructor (namely, me, in case you couldn't guess).

No, I am totally not kidding. 

It's bad enough that they sometimes use little smileys : ) and LOL when emailing me, but those I can get past, as long as it's not too often.  There are no good ways to convey emotion or joking in email without the use of those little helpers, so I deal with that. 

However, here is an excerpt from an email I received from a student last semester (name of student and college withheld, obviously...)

i was wondering about my chapter 6 test i turned n it hasnt been graded n didnt know if it was counted or not. thank u.

Yes, I am totally serious.  For your enjoyment, please note the run-on sentence, with a complete lack of punctuation or capitalization, and of course, the use of text speak.  This is not the first and certainly won't be the last email I have received with similar grammar (if you can call it that).  Seriously??  You know they got away with this to an extent in high school if they think it's okay to use phrasing like that in college.  Am I right?  I know I sound like an uptight old geezer, but what are these kids thinking??

I realize that this informal, abbreviated form of communication is partly because of our reliance on email in today's world.  These kids grew up using it, and probably have no idea how to actually draft a formal letter of any kind.  (Even if they learned it in school, I doubt they have ever actually used it.  I shudder to think at some resumes and cover letters being submitted for jobs now.)  Email is a less-formal means of communication, certainly, but some people just take it too far.

And don't even get me started on the five-word, incomplete-sentence, punctuation-free answers I get to essay questions.  I've used up my rant quota for today....that one will have to wait.

Maybe 2moro.

MDO Update

I think they look particularly different from one another in this picture...what do you think?

FYI:  Addison is on the left; Mackenzie on the right.

These big girls are doing GREAT at Mother's Day Out.  During the second week, they still cried at drop-off, but my mom would listen outside the door and assured me that they stopped very quickly.  They started eating a better lunch and taking longer naps after just a few days.  By the second week, both girls were napping on their mats (HOW do they get five one-year-olds to just lay down in the floor and nap??) for about and hour and a half each day.  One day, Addison fell asleep before lunch and slept until it was almost time to go! 

They are so proud to carry their little lunchboxes to and from school each day.  They brought home little coloring sheets one day...which immediately went on the refrigerator, of course.  When we talk about "school" at night, you can really tell they are listening, especially when I mention their classmates' names.  I just love that my girls are already making little friends that will probably be in their classes all through school.

The big news this week is that there was NO CRYING yesterday or today when my mom dropped them off.  I am SO proud of my little-bitty girls!  They also didn't cry in the nursery on Sunday, so I'm hoping we are rounding a corner on the separation anxiety...

We have been hanging out at the softball fields a good bit in the past couple of weeks, and I have noticed a particular change in Addison.  She will gladly play with the girls from our church and other people she is familiar with.  While Mackenzie will play, she also looks up for me and grabs my hand every few minutes.  Addison is getting much more comfortable playing with other people, and I'm taking that as a good sign.

 

First Day

The first two days of school are behind us, and truthfully, neither was as bad as I had feared! 

Sorry for the funky haze in the picture.  It's August in Alabama, which means it's hooottttt and huuuuumiiiiiidddd...and yes, i'm whiiiiiiiining.  This was the best I could do.

On Wednesday, the girls and I were up early to get ready for the day.  I wanted to take them myself on the first day, so I went to work a little late.  We had breakfast and played for a little bit, then started getting dressed.  A & M spotted their dresses, which they haven't worn in awhile, so they were excited to put them on.  When we put the little leggings on underneath the dresses, the girls thought they were hot stuff.  They're so trendy! 

We woke Jeremy up to go with us and headed off to school.  The preschool director had warned everyone that their kids would probably cry, but they asked us to just drop them at the door and get out of sight... they welcomed us to stand in the hall and listen as long as we wanted though--doesn't that sound like a tempting offer? 

On the way in, the girls were just taking everything in and watching all the other kids milling around.  When we got to the classroom door, the teacher took them in her arms.  They started to cry and cling to us, but we did as instructed and got out the door!  We stood for a minute, but they quieted down pretty quickly, so we headed out.

It was odd to spend the morning knowing my girls were at "school" rather than at my mom's, as they have been practically almost every weekday for the last year.  I thought about them a lot, and prayed they were having a good day and weren't too scared or upset in their new environment.  I almost always go see them at lunch at my mom's, so it was a little weird to be on my own for lunch again...though I think I can get used to that part pretty quickly!  (I can run a lot of errands on my lunch break, so that's a plus.)

Just before 2:00, I left work to go pick them up.  I admit, I was eager to hear about their day and see how they handled it.  When I got to the classroom, another mom was standing in the doorway talking to the teacher.  Mackenzie spotted me and immediately started grinning and pointing (love that feeling!!).  When I couldn't get over to pick her up (because of the gate in the doorway and the other parent standing there), she got distressed and started crying.  That brought Addison over to see what the trouble was and she started fussing too, thinking I was going to leave again, I guess.  So that wasn't the most fun reception, but it was nice to have my girls in my arms after missing them all day.

The teacher said they had done really well for the first day, and insisted there hadn't been too many tears.  Addison laid down on her mat and took a good nap on her own.  Mackenzie needed some rocking, they said, but slept pretty well too.  They hadn't eaten a great lunch, but I kind of expected that for the first day of a different lunchtime routine. 

All in all, I counted it a pretty successful first day!

My mom took them this morning, and she said they slipped their little lunchboxes on their arms and marched proudly down the hall... until they got to their classroom...  Then they wanted my mom to pick them up, but she said they didn't really cry when she left.  I picked them up again this afternoon (the church is only about two minutes from my office and ten minutes from my mom's), and it seemed like they had an even better day.  Before they saw me, I spied A & M sitting in the teacher's lap in the floor, eating goldfish.  They looked pretty happy to me!  Mackenzie started crying again when she saw me (what is with that?!), and they both ran to the door.  According to the daily report form, they had a good lunch and nap.  They were worn out this evening, so I'm guessing they played pretty hard today. 

It's funny, but my mom and I both thought they just seemed a little more grown up yesterday afternoon.  And they are already "talking" more (even Addison!) and making different sounds, which I'm guessing is the effect of being around the other kids.  My babies!  They're getting so big!

So far, this preschool thing seems to be a good fit for our family.  Though I'm still praying for a quick adjustment period, I am excited about the things they will learn and the new little friends they will make.  Who knows....there could be a couple of future boyfriends in these nursery school classes!  It wouldn't be the first time that's happened in our small town.  (Jeremy:  calm down, I'm just kidding...I know they aren't allowed to date until they're 25!) 

We're Ready

Tomorrow is the big day...Addison & Mackenzie's first day at Mother's Day Out.  We are as ready as we can be, I guess. 

We've been practicing our reading....

And trying out the new nap mats...

And mama has been praying her baby girls don't cry all day!

They did really well at the open house on Sunday.  Besides being a little clingy when we first got there, they mostly ran around the room, checking out the toys.  We ducked out for the short meeting without them noticing, and the teacher said they never cried when they realized we were gone...just a bit of whining.  We came back to find one of them (can't remember which it was!) sitting in the teacher's lap and the other playing happily.  I'll take that as a good sign!

Tomorrow the girls will be wearing the dresses from their first birthday, the ones that clearly show their names.  We plan to dress them differently and in monogrammed clothes as much as possible for the first few weeks, to give the teacher a chance to learn to tell the difference.  There are only five kids in their class until January, when the sixth will join them.  They will also get some interaction with the other one-year-old class, which has six kids.

They are excited about their new Dora lunchboxes, but I'm a little nervous about how well they will eat in a different setting.  They have to take finger foods that don't need heating for lunch.  Tomorrow I'm going to send peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (half for each of them), peas and carrots, and mandarin orange pieces.  All are foods they like, so maybe it will be a hit.  Any suggestions for easy-to-pack finger foods?  Both girls adamantly refuse any kind of pasta (who knows where they get that?!), so all those ready-made toddler meals are out.  They do love hot dogs, so at least those are easy to cut up and pack.

I can't believe I'm packing a lunch to send with my BABIES to "school" tomorrow!  I am excited for them to make new friends and get to play with the other kids in their class.  I really, really, really hope they love it.