Last Day of Preschool

Grace's last day of preschool was Thursday, May 12th!  Wait.....did I just say that she has ALREADY finished her first year of preschool?!?!?  Where, o where does time go??  

Grace absolutely LOVED Mrs. Karen and we couldn't have asked for a better teacher for her!  Shortly after school started, Grace started incorporating Mrs. Karen's name while playing with her toys.  She has a certain little people toy that's named Mrs. Karen and Grace even named a baby doll after her just to give a couple examples.  Mrs. Karen is famous in this house that's for sure!  

She was always very sweet, understanding, and PATIENT, PATIENT, PATIENT when someone didn't want to stay in her seat during lunchtime or on her mat during naptime!!  And let's face it folks, she deserves some kind of medal for teaching a classroom full of 2 and 3 year olds!!  HAHA!!  

Mrs. Lisa (who just happens to be Mrs. Karen's sister) taught the younger 2's in the room next door to Grace's classroom.  The kids got to do activities together and go back and forth between the two rooms during the day.  I didn't get a picture of Grace with Mrs. Lisa and wish I would have.  She was also great with the kids and has also made an appearance in Grace's little people toys!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Mrs. Karen and Mrs. Lisa for the guidance, instruction, patience, and love you gave to our little girl!!  We had a great first year with the CEP (Children's Enrichment Program) program at our church and we're looking forward to another great year!!   

Grace and Mrs. Karen

The Whole Gang!

Splash Pad!

Back in, oh I don't know probably the beginning of May (just a tad behind!), we made our first trip to the splash pad.  There is a splash pad at our new favorite park (McFee Park) so we decided to try that one out first.  We met up with the girls' buddies, Jackson and Libby, and turned them loose to cool off from the sweltering heat!  Grace was a little hesitant last year, but this year she didn't bat an eye!  She and Jackson "dove" right in and the babies hung out with Erica and I for a bit before heading towards the water.  I took Anna and placed her by a water spout where she was close enough to feel the water but it wasn't splashing in her face.  She loved it!  I wasn't surprised since she LOVES splashing and playing in the water during her baths.  

We got in some playtime at the park before it was time to head back home.  I LOVE this time of year when we can play outside ALL morning, have a little picnic, wear the little ones out, and soak up some Tennessee sunshine!!  HAPPY SUMMER!!

Sidewinder

Soooooo I'm a bit behind on my blog updates. And I know ALL of my readers (all 5 of you!) are a tad concerned and wondering what's been going on around here. Well.......Grace had her last day of preschool, Anna is almost 11 months old (WHAT?!?!), we've had MANY park playdates, I've been working part-time from home, I joined a Bible study, I took on a position with MOMS Club, baby showers, cookouts, etc.......now you know why I'm behind! That's what I love about summer!! Sure we have places we need to be from time to time, but for the most part, we get to do what we want when we want to! Ahhhhhhh!!!
I've gotten many requests for a video of Anna "crawling." It's more of a sidewinder scoot, but the girl gets around wherever she wants. AND she's gotten pretty darn fast! Here's a quick video of her in action.
I have a million posts to catch up on. I know the suspense is absolutely killing you so I hope to start cranking them out tonight! :)

It's a HOME RUN!!!

Grace had a BIG game last Saturday!! She stepped up to the tee, took a swing, and hammered one clear to the fence!!! OK, that might be stretching the truth just a tad! She was the last batter and that player gets to run all the way to home to ensure that everyone gets to run all the bases after each "at bat." There is one small problem with being the last batter. Coach Jimmy makes each player run to the fence past home plate and then head to the dugout. This is Grace's favorite part as she likes to take a few minutes to soak up all the cheering while at the fence! (She's never really been one to like being the center of attention after all!) As the last batter, Coach Jimmy met Grace at home plate and gave her a high five so she didn't get to marinade in all her glory at the fence! WAHAHA!! No worries! I'm sure that will make this week even more exciting! Take a look at Chicken Little's home run!!!

A Star is Born!

Grace's preschool class had been practicing for their concert for a while now and the big day was last Thursday. I think it's safe to say that Grace is an extremely introverted, shy, soft-spoken child who finds it hard to be in front of a crowd........I DON'T THINK SO!!!!! Watch the video and see for yourself!! That girl took center stage and owned it! I'm going to assume the role as her manager, and we're currently looking into a possible move to Nashville to further her career! ENJOY!!

Official Stats

Anna's 9 month check-up went well today.  As it turns out, she's pretty darn healthy and not so GIGANTORE (well except for her head but that goes without saying!)!  She's up to 19lbs, 2.5oz (50%), 28 3/4in (75%), and her head size is in the whopping 95%!!  Big heads = BIG brains!!  Dr. McColl said, "We'll just keep an eye on it (meaning her head) and make sure it doesn't go ABOVE the curve."  WAHAHAHA!!!  Oh doesn't that sound all too familiar!!  LOVE my big-headed girls!!
Dr. McColl also gave us the go-ahead to start giving Anna meats.  I talked to him about shredded chicken and he said he would start with those Gerber meats made for babies.  Hold on for a minute while I THROW UP ALL OVER MYSELF!!!  I'm sorry if anyone reading this is currently giving their child or has given their child those sausage sticks, but that is one food that completely grosses me out!!  I'd have Anna lick the bottom of my shoes before I gave her a "meat link."  She can stick her finger up her nose and eat as many green boogies as she wants before I'll let her eat one of those horrid meat sticks.  Ok, ok I think you get my point.  Anyway, it sounds like Anna will get some shredded meat cut up into teeny, tiny pieces very soon!
Oh, I guess I should explain the picture.  Anna has a brown, flower hair clip for her hair and apparently, the dye gets all over EVERYTHING when it gets wet.  Weeeeellllllllll, this is what greeted me when I went to get Anna out of her car seat to go into Walmart on Tuesday!!  No she didn't just shove her face into a jug of chocolate ice cream, she got ahold of her hair clip!  Not only was her face brown, but her car seat, clothes, and hands were also covered.  Needless to say, our trip to Walmart had to be postponed!  :)
 

9 Months and on the Move!!

First time riding in the FRONT of the shopping cart!

First time eating puffs!!

The past month has been a BIG month for our little bug!!  A lot of "firsts" have happened so let me get you all caught up.  Where to start?  Where to start?

Most importantly, Anna is now crawling and is officially into EVERYTHING!!  Some of her favorites include:  all electrical outlets and wires, Pete's toys, and shoes.  Her crawl slightly resembles the creepy girl from "The Ring" and is the exact same thing Grace did when she started crawling.  Her right leg pushes off first and her left leg wraps around and follows suit.  I'll have to get a video of it so you can see for yourselves.  She's now pulling up on furniture, me, Matt, and anything that allows her to stand.  Last week, I checked in on her a few minutes after I put her down for her nap and there she was just standing up in her bed!!  And, YES, her mattress was lowered as soon as Matt got home that night!
In other exciting news, Anna had her two, bottom teeth pop through.  It's so funny how two little teeth can change the look of a baby's face so much!  Her two top teeth aren't too far behind.  And, as far as I'm concerned, those little chicklets can take their sweet time since I'm still breastfeeding.........YOWZA!!!!

YUM!!

First time using a sippy cup!

It's also been a big month in the food department around our house.  We gave Anna puffs for the first time and she LOVES them!!  As a matter of fact, we're having a hard time keeping them in stock around here.  She gums them like an old woman who lost her dentures and, every once in a while, hacks one up like Snots on Christmas Vacation.  Grace has become the official "puff giver" and takes a lot of pride in her new job.  One small problem is that she tends to dump all or most of the container of puffs each time she gives some to Anna!  HAHA!  Anna also got her first taste of mashed potatoes at Easter.  I think it's safe to say she liked them since she pulled the fork to her mouth with each bite I gave her!  The sippy cup made its entrance during the past month and, let me tell you, this girl can CHUG some water!  Why am I already getting a little anxiety thinking of her college years!  :0  She's doing really well with it and it is quickly becoming one of her faves!  Some new foods she's tried this month include:  blueberries, peaches, cauliflower, peas, pears, apples, sweet potatoes........am I repeating from last month?  I'm sure I am, but I've lost track what's new and what she's already had.

Peekaboo!

Who needs toys when you have a laundry basket!

There's something that I would like to reveal that Matt and I didn't experience with Grace.  Anna has........STINKY FEET!! And by stinky I mean like a grown man just running a marathon after not showering for 3 days and never changing his socks kind of STANK!!!  It's hilarious!  Have you ever heard of a baby having stinky feet?!?  WAHAHAHA!!  Awww, Anna girl!  We still love you stinky feet and all!!
I'm afraid it's starting to happen again.......Anna's babbling continues to increase and I'm quite certain she's going to talk as much as someone else I know!  Oh me, oh my!!  She now says:  dada, mama, baba, and I've heard a few papa's from time to time.  I cannot even imagine what life will be like around our house when we have two non-stop talkers!!  When this does happen, Matt, you need to know that my "kitchen clean-up" time will more than likely increase from 30min to ONE HOUR!!  Ahhhhhh SILENCE!!!
Anna's personality is starting to show more and more.  It appears she'll be a typical middle child because she's already doing things to make us laugh.  Her favorite is still her "spit trick" where she stares at you until you lock eyes then she gives you a great BIG SPIT!!  She mimics several things we do to her and has now mastered a loud, somewhat demonic, yell/scream when no one is paying attention to her.  Believe me, you'll know it when you hear it!  She is also VERY ticklish and gets her arms going (similar to how a dog's legs get going) when you get just the right spot on her ribs.    

First taste of masked potatoes!!

We have Anna's 9 month check-up this week so I don't have her official stats quite yet.  I can tell you that people feel free to comment on how big she looks!  Last week, we were at the doctor's office and 3 little, old ladies were in the waiting room.  One asked how old she is to which she responded, "Oh my!  She looks much bigger than 9 months!"  She then proceeded to discuss this with the other two women.  At Grace's first t-ball game, I got the age question from an older man.  After responding, he stared at her for a minute and said, "Well I thought you were going to say a year and a half or something."  REALLY??!!?!?  Good lord!  She's not THAT big!!  I mean she doesn't eat THAT many puffs!  Maybe the next time someone asks me how old she is and I get a similar response, I'll say, "And we call her, GIGANTORE!"  

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Look what I found!

Bored on a rainy day.

Catching up on a little reading.

That about does it for this month's update.  Check back again later in the week for her official, GIGANTORE, stats!!  :)