No Thank You

Don't let this innocent look fool you. Ever since summer has officially started, Annie has decided to celebrate by refusing to sleep through the night. Every night, she wakes up, stands up and starts screaming. I have no idea what time this happens, because I steadfastly refuse to look at the clock before I stumble up the stairs. And no quick pat on the back will satisfy this friend. She points to the rocking chair. "Rock! Rock!" Which is a whole lot better than what she says some nights: "Downstairs!" she insists. If you don't comply, she lets loose with some bloodcurdling screams. One night I was so tired, I kept falling asleep with her on my shoulder, both of us threatening to tumble out of the chair. I don't think that's happened since those 4 a.m. nursing sessions when the girls were infants. Another night, I was so desperate to lay back down, I actually let her sleep in our bed. (No kids in our bed is the only thing we said we'd never do pre-kids that we've actually stuck to.)

Thank goodness it's summer, and I can afford to lose some sleep in the middle of the night. Still, it totally sucks, seeing as this was never a problem before. I ran into one of Annie's daycare teachers the other day and told her I was sending Annie back. It's like she has just now figured out that mommy exists 24 hours a day, and therefore she needs me 24 hours a day. I know it's just a phase, but I really hope it's a short one!

When she's not waking up in the middle of the night, Annie can be pretty awesome. Her vocabulary is growing by the day and she's starting to string together sentences. She recently started saying "no thank you". Annie, would you like some milk? "No tan too." Annie, it's nap time. "No tan too."

One of her favorite foods right now is hummus. She calls it "sup" because she's trying to say "dip". Although half the time, she uses her fingers more than the crackers I provide! 

In fact, we're reaching that frustrating stage where Annie is trying to communicate far more than we can actually understand. She knows what she wants, she tells us emphatically, and we just don't get it. Sorry, kid. Keep trying to make us understand. We'll end up on the same page one of these days!

Summer Life

Lettuce tell you about the garden! 

Pick a peck...

Here's a quick look at how this year's garden is faring. The cauliflower is probably going to be a dud... lots of big leaves, but something is eating them. Currently there are two ripe cherry tomatoes, hopefully just the start of a long and happy harvest. The lettuce has been awesome, however. Lots of homegrown salad has been enjoyed. This year Violet has taken over the watering responsibilities. She asked for a list of chores (and didn't seem to realize she could also ask for compensation), so that's been going on for a week. We'll see how long it lasts! Other chores include setting the table, cleaning up her room and the playroom and getting the mail.

Safety Town!

Our first official week of summer break, Violet had Safety Town every morning from 9 a.m. to noon. It was put on by our rec department and it was fantastic. She was in a group with her friend Taylor. Every day had a different safety focus, from poison safety to stranger danger to fire drills. They practiced riding in a school bus, evacuating during a fire, and more. Then they got to get on little bikes and ride around the Safety Village, practicing stopping at stop signs and staying in their lanes. How cute!

Violet and Taylor, proud Safety Town graduates!

The first day at Safety Town, I showed up in my cute little white shorts and blousy top and nice sandals, thinking this is what summer moms wear. Oh no. Apparently there is a stay-at-home-mom uniform consisting of sports bras, tank tops and tennis skirts. I had no idea. I'm not even sure these moms were intending to go work out. I mean, how could they be, seeing as they were toting around their gaggles of children. I think they just dress that way because it's convenient and comfortable. Hey, I'm all for anything that lets me leave the house with the least amount of closet coordinating required. So I went and got myself a few things for my summer mom wardrobe. Now I can fit in with the best of them. With my tanks and tennis skirts, you'd think I'm a full time SAHM myself! And I have to admit, it is awfully comfortable, and certainly convenient. So there.

Pool time!

We also finally made it to the pool! I've been wanting to go, and Violet's been begging, but the pool by myself with two kids is not a relaxing experience. Violet has swim lessons scheduled for next week, but until then, I'm still not super comfortable with her in the water without me. And Annie needs constant vigilance. It's hard when I can't take my eyes off the little one, but the big one is yelling "look at me, look at me!" Probably the best time for everyone is the snack break! But they both love it so.

School's Out for Summer!

Signed, sealed, delivered.

The last week of school was a whirlwind of class parties, pre-k graduation, end-of-year classroom camping... it seemed like every day there was something major happening and I won't lie, my brain was verging on too full to process it all. But we came, saw, and conquered. Amidst it all, I signed my contract for another year (thank goodness I have a few weeks off before I have to process that!) and packed up my classroom.

See ya in July! (I know, JULY. Gahhh!)

Oh yeah, and these two crazy kids celebrated 10 years of wedding bliss!

After a relaxing Memorial Day weekend spent cooking out with family and friends, we teachers headed back for two days of post-planning. I kept the girls in school the whole week, which meant after post-planning, I had two days all to myself. Naturally I took advantage of all this free time by booking an eye exam, dentist appointment and hair cut. Taking care of my to-do list before summer even starts!

Short hair don't care!

 The only downside to the start of summer is that it has been raining buckets. We have yet to get to the pool, although my garden is quite happy. Matt and I took advantage of the weather to clean out our bonus room. In one of the boxes, I discovered all my old high school AP class exams, including the below from my AP Calculus class. Obviously I'm a huge nerd to have saved all that stuff. While most of it bit the dust during this clean-out, I just couldn't part with it all. It turns out, I really loved high school, especially all my advanced classes. Looking back over some of my essays, I can see the beginnings of my love for words and writing. I can hear my voice starting to develop. And I can see how much my teachers really cared. I don't think I appreciated it at the time, all the comments scrawled in the margins, the gentle suggestions and honest feedback. But knowing how much time that takes, the effort, the hours spent behind a desk or on a couch late at night with a stack of papers... I treasure each line they wrote. Thank you, Mrs. Mook, Mrs. Snyder, Coach Pattiz... Thanks for everything you invested in me.

Clearly these were life skills I was learning here.

Pre-K Graduation

I really don't have to put words with this post. I'm pretty sure Violet's expression says it all! She is done! Done with school uniforms, done with mandatory nap times, done with pre-k! It's been an awesome ride, thanks to her fabulous teachers and wonderful friends. In fact, that's the only bittersweet part of this whole monumental occasion - the band is breaking up. She's been with some of these sweet friends since the infant room at daycare and now it's the end of an era. But there are so many more adventures in store!

Getting her diploma from Ms. Courtney.

Proud graduates!

We'll see this picture again in 12 years...

The graduation ceremony (all two hours of it... kill me now) included five graduation classes, each of which did their own '50s song and dance number. I'm not being biased when I say that Violet's class was definitely the best, both performance and behavior-wise. Credit goes to her awesome teachers, who earned a couple more stars in their crowns in heaven for all their work preparing for the big night. Stars also go out to both grandmas, who tagged along to help take care of Annie way past her bedtime so we could focus on the event at hand. Annie was so excited to see Violet... she stood on Matt's lap and clapped enthusiastically for every name that was called!

Watching for "Vi-luh".

Bye Pre-K!

Last Soccer Game

Violet played her last soccer game of the season today. I had my doubts about the season this year. For one thing, it felt like every other game or practice was rained out! So to make up for it, Thursday practices turned into games, which ended up being a good thing, at least for our girl. She seemed to have much more energy and motivation on Thursdays (perhaps it was the drive-thru McD's we always had on the way to the fields).

Regardless, Violet has shown such improvement this season, and really seemed to enjoy herself, that I think we'll be signing up for soccer again next year... on big fields... playing positions... keeping score... We'll see how it goes! As long as there are cupcakes and a trophy at the end, I think she'll be happy to give it a shot.

Be there first!

Soccer + hairbow = winning.

Can't catch me!

Going for the goal!

Blue Thunder teammates! We play soccer in style!

Pre-K Awards!

Best Sportsmanship Award!

I know everyone says it, but it's true. Where has the time gone? My baby is growing up! I can't believe the year is almost over and Violet is heading into Kindergarten!  The days are long but the years truly are short.

Violet's awesome teachers Ms. Keshia and Ms. Courtney.

Violet and Emma, friend foreva!

Love these sweet girls.

Friends since birth.

School Pictures

I had my fingers crossed that the girls would get a cute sibling photo from the school pictures this spring. Last year's pictures turned out great and are still framed on the wall, but it is time for an update. Before I dropped them off, I snapped a few in Annie's classroom, then I put it in the photographer's trusty hands. This is what I got.

I'm gonna punch you in the face if you tell me to smile one more time.

I've never laughed so hard in my life. There's Violet, with her perfect smile, cheesing it up for the camera, trying so hard to love on her little sister. And then there's Annie, about to punch the photographer in the face. Not quite the image I need framed on my wall, but definitely the picture I want to remember forever!