First Grade for Carys!

Carys is officially a first grader! We started the morning alone reviewing some of her baby pictures. I'll have to put some here b/c I was not blogging at the time and she was such a little doll as they all are. We had a breakfast taco breakfast and the entire family walked Carys to her first day of school. We all had a little tear in our eye and lump in our throat this morning after she filed in the school building with the rest of her class.

Carys was quick to inform me that they did have snack and they did not do math. It was a short day so I think they just gave them all a tour, accounted for their school supplies, and the kids got to make name tags for their desks. Her teacher seems to be a more seasoned veteran, I'm a little glad for it. I think Carys will need some quick assessment to make sure she stays challenged and does not lose interest in reading and her other skills she's been developing.

Tomorrow is her first full day, we'll see how the family fares once we are in full swing. For now, the kids are in bed, her lunch box is in the freezer and I still have breakfast taco fixins to pull out in the morning.

Basement Play

We need to babyproof the basement, Walker is an equal opportunity toy grabber and the girls toys have small parts, just small enough for little fingers to want to grab and little mouths to want to eat. It's a little scary.

Walker on the move

Walker has become very skilled at getting where he wants to go although he's not crawling on his hands and knees yet. He's an expert army crawler and can turn any direction and get toys quite easily. Of course, he seems to also prefer to chew the corners of rugs and grab power cords. We are reviewing our babyproofing needs ASAP.

Walker can push up in what Carys and Helen's gymnastics calls the "Bear Crawl", belly and knees are off the ground. He does not crawl this way but if he tucked his leg under he could sit up by himself. He will figure it out pretty soon.

Carys' first loose tooth

Carys has a loose tooth on the bottom. She's been waiting for a few months for this occasion, some of her younger friends have already lost teeth. She now never fails to remind me when she's eating something that it bothers her loose tooth. At the moment, she has banned all hard foods from her diet that would require her to bite and hurt her loose tooth.

Baird, TX Photos

There were so many good ones, here's a sample. Kelley has become an excellent photographer.

Baird, TX

Besides running through the Dallas airport there and back, my July Texas trip with the girls was a success.

We had all the elements; friends, animals, good food and christian fellowship. It was wonderfully relaxing in spite of toting around 4 kids in 108 degree weather. A bonus was that the kids were able to see up close most of the indigenous (and non-indigenous) animals except the diamondback rattlesnake. Luckily the four geese probably keep enough noise and activity around the house, they don't want to nest there.

Water is getting scarce so if you can add "rain for Baird, Tx." to your prayer list, please do.

Kelley took many wonderful pics and as soon as I get them, I'll post the best. My camera ran out of battery the first hour I was there. Somehow, it always happens that way.

Piano

We purchased a piano for the family and we are very pleased to have it. Carys can practice properly and Helen loves to plink around. She is another budding musician. I love to play Carys' book and can't wait until she can play better than me so she can teach me. (It won't take long, probably the next book she gets!).

Poppy said it best when he walked by the piano, it looks and feels like it's always been here. It's just right for us.

Walker has begun eating table food. It's been a while since I've had to monitor our diet to include soft foods but I'm slowly recalling what passed for baby table food. Here, he's getting some reduced salt peas and a little help from his assistant. I had to shoo his assistant out of the area after she encouraged him to try more than one pea at a time.

Walker on the Move

It's about to get MUCH more interesting around our house. Walker is now scootching off his blanket and rolling about the living room. He was very interested in the floor speakers and I'm sure he find MUCH more interesting stuff in the girls room. Hmmm.

Tea Party

Swim classes were cancelled for the second time. So we set out a little tea party. We're not going to be invited to the Queen's for tea anytime soon which is just as well. We need to work on our manners a bit more. Things were going well, taking turns pouring the applejuice and taking bites from the tray very civilly. But then, I turned around and back in a few minutes and the entire treat plate had been divied up at once into separate bowls. I take it there was a scuffle but a very quiet one because the girls know they have a hungry Momma.

Walker Sitting Up

So, Walker is sitting up, with the help of his big sister. Carys loves to entertain Walker and sometimes she'll move him around in different positions. She's put him in a sitting position and rather than just lean completely forward as in the very recent past, he's very proud to be holding himself up. See that smile?

Watermelon Popsicles

I had some homemade popsicles left over from Helen's party. They are helping sooth his gums quite nicely. He ate an entire popsicle himself sharing a few licks with his sisters along the way.

I Saw a Tooth

Walker has not been sleeping well and I thought it may be from traveling but Poppy called it and Walker is teething. Now we can actually see one cutting through so hopefully he can sleep once this is through, until the next one!

Happy Birthday Helen!

Helen had a good birthday morning. She opened her present. She got a baby crib, tub and toilet complete with flushing sound. We took Helen out to lunch at a new family restaurant we found and she and Carys played at a park and in the yard with the pool. We were so pooped today, we forgot to give her the birthday card that plays music and her cupcakes are sitting in my pantry. I think we've had enough celebration for the next few months!

Helen B'day

So we had to move Helen's birthday party to the basement. I'm sooooo thankful for the basement! We decorated party bags, had free play, play doh and a picnic. Then all "you know what" broke loose and the kids began to run through our small house. Luckily, the sun came out and we were able to go outside. Thanks to Tamra, we had outdoor activity, tubes and tents and bean bag toss for the swarm of kids. I have to say, I must get better about organizing parties but Poppy and I literally worked our butts off for the last few days prepping for Carys' graduation and Helen's b'day party. I'm happy to be sitting down. Tomorrow is Helen's real b'day, much more low key and more pics will come. It's just family and her special day. Love you Helen!

Carys Graduation Details

I used to think KG graduation was strange, but I think it was b/c they wore cap and gown (although not at our school). However, now I realize it is much more a representation of the child's growth during that period than anything else. Carys is much more independant, challenging, direct, observant, and patient in the time b/n 5 and 6 years. It's a truly amazing development. The graduation marked a time when she would no longer be at the school but Helen is moving to a new school as well. I have to say, after being there 3 years, I am a bit emotional about leaving. Helen has a lot of growth coming forth and she will need excellent teachers like Carys. We are hopeful her new school will provide the same developmental opportunities. It's the same old, the future marches on whether or not we are ready. We are trying to be ready. We have 3 weeks together until the start of summer school. I'm hoping we can get some great bonding, learning, fun times in between.

Carys Graduated from Kindergarten

Happy Graduation my dear Carys. You won't remember these days as well as I do but they are super sweet. I love you and thank God he lent you to me.

Children's Books

I've brought more than my share of crappy books home from the library. Not to mention crappy books they try to sell at the bookstore. We are now trying to stick with some classic books we love. These may be a bit over their head for now but it's better than reading the junky books that pass for children's reading. We are in the middle of the Secret Garden and Poppy has started reading the Hobbit. Tiff mentioned Treasure Island so I think that will be my next choice. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated. One note, there are some truly inventive books out there and I've found some as they've been given as gifts to the girls or we've stumbled on them, we are very appreciative of good books.

Lunch on the Porch

One of the best things about spring/summer is rediscovering a bit of "extra" room on the "3 (really it's one and a half) season" porch. What becomes a junkyard for shoes, winter crap, junk we are getting rid of and just trash is picked up and perked up by a bit of spring cleaning and the threat of embarrassment by our spring visitors.

Another Trio Photo

Standing Watch

Pinky looks like a sentry here but he's really kind of a wimp. He runs as soon as Helen comes thundering over.

Walker on the Floor

This is an abbreviated photo log of Walker having a bit of tummy time. It usually takes about 10-15 minutes if he's in a good mood to work himself up to a bad mood on the floor. Things don't always start off so pleasant and calm but that's usually due to a bit of gas. And lest you think we are bad parents b/c there is not a toy in sight, we normally have toys down for him and they are of no matter once he has decided he does not want to be on the floor any more. How can one resist that sad and mad face?

First Piano Recital

Carys just finished playing, she looks so relaxed and happy.

Poppy made a few encouraging phone calls today as well as I tried to give her every tool I could think of from imagining people in their underwear ending with just play for Jesus. Who knows if it was one specific thing or the accumulation of encouragement but she got up without hesitation and played wonderfully. It was not perfect but she continued on like a pro. Her piano teacher is also very kind and understanding of the child mentality. They played two duets of Mary had a Little Lamb and Old MacDonald. Carys has only been playing piano for two and a half months.

Helen behaved wonderfully as well. She knew there would be treats at the end of it. She did get antsy halfway through but did remain silent. This is very hard for a little girl who really has not found her indoor voice yet. Walker was a charmer and also complied with patience for most of the recital.

Everyone knows Murphy's law is that it's always the unexpected thing that happens and this fit right in. We were able to go to our little Italian restaurant for pizza and gelato afterwards. It was a great day.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin', That Baby's Rolling

Walker is rolling back to front, front to back. He's doing superman... a belly stretch with arms and legs straight out. He's prepping to crawl and he wants it! I'll get my camera. Tomorrow is my last day working outside the home. The amazing thing is, there is so much to do here, now I really don't know how we made it all these years.

First Grade

Today we toured the new school for Carys next year. She will be attending our local public school. She enjoyed seeing the classrooms, lunchroom, auditorium, computer, music and art rooms. She especially enjoyed the library. She sat right down to read a book.

We are relieved that the Principal is very personable and took the time with us today to give us the tour. They have all the things we were hoping for in a school; access to books, computers, wonderful art and music classrooms, hot lunch that made my mouth water and teachers who seem involved and like they really care. We just hope her first year in public school is an easy transition and she has the opportunity to continue her reading skills at the level they are now. From what the Principal said, once the students are evaluated at the beginning of the year, they do have differentiation and offer more challenging curriculum to those who need it.

The school is 3 blocks from our house so it will be an easy walk in the milder weather and an easy drive in winter. I hope to participate more in the classroom, I may need to have a sitter for a few hours for Walker, that will depend. Right now, I'm trying to decide if I want to bring her home for lunch everyday.

The original school building plaque says it was built in 1918!

Together

We went to a suburban kids museum with Helen's friends and the girls had a great time. They have a word-working section with real hammers, nails and saws (biting nails). Honestly, a kid could saw their finger off. Luckily, it was a small, well-controlled area. They had an employee at the entrance who would ensure children were either old enough or entering with an adult and there was a kid:saw ratio of some sort. Poppy helped Helen and Evie's Mom was helping Carys and of course Carys went for the saw. Well it all worked out in the end without bloodloss and the kids got a little homemade car or in Helen's case, a radio.

They also had a great water play area. I think this is one of the only places I could leave Helen (which of course I would never dare) for an hour or two and come back and she would still be there happily interested and playing as if she just arrived. She LOVES water play.

Gusto

Now that Helen's sleep situation is improving and her mood is much happier, she is enjoying her days.

Living with the well-rested Helen, I've determined she has gusto (vitality marked by an abundance of vigor and enthusiasm). Whatever she does, she gives it 100%. She plays hard, laughs hard, runs hard, fights hard and cries hard.

Day of Firsts

Walker just had his first rice cereal. I have some clumsy footage, will see if I can post or send it out.

Rolling

Walker just rolled over front to back. I think it was an accident and boy is he mad.

A New Medium-Clay

The girls and I had fun with this clay animal project. It was good for about an hour of fun. We'll do this again, time to get more clay. I also found that the little book that came with this so we could model our animals was necessary. The girls were much more interested in trying to create the animals than coming up with creations on their own.

Walker in Composition

Spring break brings lots of creativity, some of it the good kind. Walker is constructed in Carys' ham sandwich plate and he is created in contruction paper, tape and playdoh.

Uh Oh

Walker's not sure about this big sister love.

Cutie Pie