Friday, August 31, 2012

Well, our lucky streak ended this morning... there were tears at drop off at school. From Addison, of course. And because I was trying to comfort her, I didn't even realize Fischer had already walked off to class with another teacher before I even told him bye, or that I loved him. Ugh! It's good that he was so eager to go though.  Addison ended up walking in with her assistant teacher, holding her hand, but still crying. She was also clutching her latest obsession - a library book we checked out last week.

I found out at pick up that she cried for about a minute, then was fine. They also got to read her library book before putting it back into her book bag. I know that made her happy!

I also found out that Fischer did not play with Addison on the playground today. Even though they are in different classes, they still go tot he playground at the same time. Addison said she tried to find him, but couldn't. Fischer said he was busy playing with "other boys." I think Addison was disappointed because she wants to check in with him whenever she gets a chance. She's very motherly like that. But hopefully it will teach her to be more outgoing with other kids in her class!

Overall it was a great first week of school. They already have a day off on Monday so they are off until Wednesday, Karate and Dance are going great too!

We hope you all have a nice, long, Labor Day weekend! :)

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Just a quick update today!

The kids are doing great at school!  They went Monday and this morning and for both days drop off went great. I decided to start doing the carpool line so I wasn't sure how that would go. I pull up, and they get out of the car and walk in with a teacher. Addison has been a little iffy about it both days but overall has done great. Fischer pretty much walks in without giving me a second glance. Boys! :)

Scott picked them up on Monday, and I picked them up today. Both days, the teachers had great reports, saying the kids are doing really well. Addison's teacher told me today how "mature" Addison acts sometimes.. she's definitely a little mommy-in-training and says some pretty grown up things sometimes. :)

Hopefully Friday is the same!

Monday, August 27, 2012

Last week was a week of school functions!

Last Sunday, August 19, we headed to Addison and Fischer's school for the annual popsicle drop-in. They got to quickly meet their teachers, and say hi to their friends. Not too many people were there, but we did get to meet teachers and the kids enjoyed their popsicles... blue for Fischer and green for Addison.

We found out that Addison would have Mrs. Rhonda this year while Fischer would have Miss Jennett. Yep, separate teachers! We made this decision over the summer, after A LOT of thought and a lot of tears (from me). I'm not sure where the tears came from, but it was a stressful decision for me. In the end, we felt like we made the best decision for our kids!

Tuesday night, Scott and I headed to the parent open house while Jim and Dianne hung out with the kids at home. We got to see their classrooms and talk a bit more with their teachers. Then, on Thursday, I headed back to school with Addison and Fischer for the meet the teacher day. They got to spend about 30 minutes in their rooms, playing with all of the new stuff. I was thankful for this day because the kids got to see their individual rooms... we prepared the best we could for being in separate classes but I think getting to actually see their rooms with me there was helpful.


Friday, August 24, was the big day! Scott and I took the kids together. Scott took Fischer to his room, while I took Addison to hers, which is right next door. They are actually connected by a door and a shared bathroom! Scott was in and out of Fischer's room - he went right in and started playing. It took me a bit longer with Addison but she didn't cry, which is HUGE for her! I was so proud of both of them. When I went to get them that day, both teachers said they'd had wonderful days! Yay!





I can't wait to see how the year goes, and what different types of things they learn since they have different teachers. It was fun hearing them tell each other about their day!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

It's time for another catch-up post!

- Fischer's all time favorite book is Robot Zot. I'd never heard of it, but he picked it out during a trip to the library months ago. After 3 weeks we had to return it and he was pretty sad. Every time we went to the library after that, he would ask for it and it was always checked out! Finally, I went online and ordered him his very own copy. I had it sitting on the counter one day and he saw it after nap... I wish I'd had my camera ready to capture the look on his face. He was so excited! Thankfully, Scott is the one that usually ends up having to read it at bedtime because it's definitely not my favorite book! The things we do for our kids... :)


- The kids have been wanting to take showers instead of baths lately (so grown up!) so Scott put a really cool shower head in their bathroom! It's a shark and the water comes out of the mouth. They love it, and I will admit, giving them showers is a lot easier than baths!


- A couple of weeks ago, I found a dog on the side of the road. He had a collar on with his name and his owner's phone number but no address. I brought the dog, Sam, home and called the owner. They didn't call back until much later that night so Sam got to hang out with us all day. He was the sweetest dog, and it turns out he's a "roamer" so he's used to being out and about. He actually wasn't too far from home when I picked him up, but I had no way of knowing that and I didn't want him getting hurt!


- Two weekends ago (August 11) we headed to the lake again for the night. We went swimming but the pool was pretty cold because it was a really rainy day. Addison doesn't like cold water so she didn't last long. We watched a movie and had fun hanging out though!

- Before going to the lake, we went to check out a local puppet theater!


I bought tickets several months ago when there was a special - 4 for $10! We finally got a chance to use our tickets and went to see Pinocchio. The shows are geared towards children and are only 45 minutes. Addison and Fsicher didn't know what to think at first but I think they ended up really liking it. We will definitely be going back when the next show, Hansel and Gretel, starts!



- That same day we went to a nearby sporting goods store. The kids had a great time trying out some chairs and checking out some tents. A pretty entertaining store for a rainy Saturday!



- I've been pureeing leftover watermelon this summer and making popsicles! I add just a tiny bit of sugar so they are a healthy treat! Fischer doesn't even know he's eating fruit!!


- Addison is averaging about one nap a week these days. Last week, I rewarded them with a few coins for their piggy banks for taking good naps. Addison takes awhile to go to sleep at night on the days she does nap, so it's sort of frustrating either way. Fischer still needs his daily nap! It's sort of hard now that they are on semi-different sleeping schedules. I'm curious to see what happens once they start back to school.


- The other day, the kids discovered all of the books I have in my bedside table. Fischer had a great time making towers and paths with all of my books. It just reminded me how many books I have that I haven't read yet. Maybe I'll get to them one day!



- We went to a playground/park last week and the kids wanted nothing to do with the playground stuff. They wanted to play on the swings a little bit but mostly just walked around, and climbed on this cannon. We didn't stay long since they weren't into it.


I think that's enough for now. As you can see, we've been staying busy! This week has been busy with school functions, dance and karate. More on each of those soon! Also, Scott and I get to go see Lucy on Friday so stay tuned for Lucy updates!! Look how big she's getting!







Monday, August 20, 2012

We've been getting a lot of rain lately! Friday night, after dinner, we went outside so we could put our hanging plants out in the rain.  We started off telling the kids to stay up on the porch because it was raining so hard. Slowly they started creeping down the steps towards the driveway so they could get wet. We finally figured "why not?" and let them run around for a little while. Free entertainment, right?!

They had the best time and it didn't take long for them to take their wet clothes off. Afterwards, they went inside for a nice, warm shower!

Here are some pictures of their fun!









Sunday, August 19, 2012

On Thursday (August 16), Addison had her first dance class! She was so excited to go but got a little nervous when we got there. She knew I would be out in the waiting area during her class, so I showed her where I would be sitting. I then took her into her room and the assistant instructor introduced herself to Addison. I stuck around for another minute then felt like she would be ok if I left. She was still nervous but didn't cry. Woohoo!

About 20 minutes into the class, we were called into the room to see what they'd been working on in their ballet portion of the class. We got to see their dance to "Macarena." Addison did really well, and kept looking over at me and smirking. :) She really got into it when they got to sway their hips. So cute!

Then it was time to change their shoes so they could do the tap portion of the class. We left again, and then got called back in about 20 minutes later to see another dance. Once again, Addison did a great job!

They each have a little dot that they are supposed to stand on while they dance, and Addison paid very close attention to her dot. If she moved off of it she got a little distracted until she got herself situated again. That's my girl - a stickler for details! :)

She is already asking to go back next week, and I'm so glad she enjoyed her first class.

Here she is before we left home... a forced smile, for sure!


Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Watch out - we may have a black belt in the house soon! :)  Well, probably not too soon, but maybe one day!

Fischer is officially a "karate man." He had his 2nd class today, and is loving it so far!

Last Tuesday, Scott and I took Fischer to his first class. Dianne was nice enough to hang out with Addison so Scott and I could take Fischer together. When he realized we were both going with him, just the 3 of us, his face lit up just a little bit! Other than a trip to the ER back in January of 2011, I can't think of a time that Fischer had both Scott and I to himself!

We got to his class and met his instructor, Mr. Mike. Fischer immediately got to go out onto the floor and play with balls, while Mr. Mike talked to us for awhile. After 15 minutes of play time, the structured part of class started. There are chairs all around the floor for parents to watch. Mr. Mike told us that it was fine if Fischer wanted to run over to us during class, just to check in. I was fully expecting this to happen, and Mr. Mike said it was very normal. Fischer didn't do it at all. I don't think he even looked at us. I was pretty much shocked at how well he just fell into the routine of the class.

During class they split up into groups and then rotated around the floor. They jumped on trampolines, jumped over hurdles, army crawled, grappled (pretty much wrestling - I learned a new word!), and a few other things. Before we knew it, class was over and Fischer was getting a popsicle. That was a great surprise for him - turns out they get a popsicle at the end of every class!

We decided to go ahead and sign him up, and got his uniform to bring home. Right now, he has a white belt and will work up to the next belt... they said it usually takes about 16 classes. He will be going once a week but we are able to go up to 4 times a week if we ever want to. I love how flexible this center is - we can go any day that the age group is meeting, and we don't even have to call ahead.

I also love that no one in this age group fails their belt test. Mr. Mike will basically email us when he knows that Fischer is ready to move on to the next belt, and then we will take him to his belt test. And he will pass! :) But, he won't move up until he's ready so he really has to put in the work during class!

Today he had his 2nd class. Scott was in town and was able to take him. He seemed a little hesitant when they were leaving home but Scott said he did great when they got there. He let Mr. Mike tie his belt (something the instructor does for each student), and listened great during class.

And let me tell you... he is one adorable "karate man."


I took this picture the other night and I still can't get over Fischer's face. So serious! He is wearing his weekly uniform - white pants and a Genova Karate t-shirt. Not shown is the white belt he also wears.

For belt tests and when it's cold enough, he will also wear his adorable little jacket, which pretty much swallows him whole right now.


I can't wait to see how into this Fischer gets, and how far he can go! Here is one of him in action!


Monday, August 13, 2012

Now, it's time for a much more fun post! :)

A few weeks ago, we decided to go to Charleston for a night. We love going on little adventures with the kids, and it gets easier as they get older.

On Saturday, July 21, we ate breakfast at home and then "hit the road" (that's what the kids always say when it's time for us to go somewhere). We wanted to get to Charleston early enough to go to the Farmer's Market. Scott and I went a lot when we lived there, and took the kids a few times after they were born. Here they are in April of 2009... one of their very first public outings!



We walked around for awhile, then decided it was time for a snack. Addison and Fischer definitely loved the beignets and lemonade!





Then, it was time to go check out the bouncy house, which the kids spotted as soon as we got there. As a bonus, they got to ride a pony, Apache, too!




We walked around some more, and snuck into the hotel for a potty break. Addison wasn't too discrete, as she kept yelling "why aren't we staying in this hotel?!" Luckily, we didn't get caught. :)

Next we headed to a pizza place to get another snack/lunch before going to do our Fort Sumter tour. The kids sit in regular seats/booths anywhere we go now, and sometimes they get a little rowdy. :)



In all the years we lived in Charleston, we never went to Fort Sumter. Scott went a long time ago, but it was my first time! We had some time after lunch so we decided to ride around downtown Charleston for a few minutes. And, Addison's only request of the trip was to see the hospital where they were born. So, she was very happy when we rode by MUSC, all while recapping their birth story, which she LOVES to hear these days. We even had to drive around the circle and show her the front doors. I think she was satisfied.




Finally it was time to go catch our boat over to Fort Sumter.



The kids did great waiting to board then boat, and on the 30 minute ride. And there were several dolphin sightings!






Fort Sumter was neat, but it was super hot, so the kids lost interest in this historical stuff pretty quickly. And, I won't lie, I'm not a big historical/museum person so I saw what I wanted to see pretty quickly.  We walked around some more until it was time to board the boat for the trip back.





Then it was time to go check into our hotel. We got a suite (downtown, on a Saturday) for FREE thanks to Scott's travel for work! It does have perks sometimes. Our room had a bedroom with a king sized bed, and a living area with a pull out couch. When we got into the room, Addison ran over to the big bed and said "But Mommy, where are you going to sleep!?" Turns out, I slept on the pull out couch while Scott and the kids slept in the big bed. Fine by me! :)

After some relaxation at the hotel, we headed out for dinner.





The kids wanted seafood, so we were able to get them some fried shrimp (for Fischer) and fried oysters (for Addison).





Then we tried out a frozen yogurt place which was cool because you could put the exact amount you want in a cup, so we were able to control the amount Addison and Fischer got. Fischer, of course, wanted "choc-o-lot" (he takes after me when it comes to dessert!!) and Addison got strawberry.



It was bedtime after that. Good thing, since it looks like Addison is about to pass out while eating her frozen yogurt. It took Addison and Fischer awhile to wind down, as it always does when we are away from home. We all slept good though and got up ready for our 2nd day of fun!

Our first stop was a diner for breakfast, then it was on to the aquarium. We took the kids to the aquarium on their first birthday, so it was fun going back with them now that they are really into all of the animals.


And here they are on February 22, 2010! It was raining so we had the plastic over the stroller, so you can't really see them but I know they are in there! :)



We had a great time at the aquarium. Once we were finished there, it was time for a quick lunch before driving home. Hopefully we can go back again soon and see more of the sights! :)

Here are a few pictures from the aquarium. I could have watched the sea turtle all day!


The sign behind Fischer says "Please keep hands out of the water." He did not understand this concept at all!