It's been a good week...I think

Thanks to Macy's teachers for keeping my blog going. It's funny how sometimes I get to the end of the week, and I have no idea what we've been up to. I wish Kennedy's teachers did this, too. When we ask her how her day was, she usually "can't remember." Next week I'll have to try to interview her at the end of the day and make my own notes.

Monday - Macy had a great morning. She spent a lot of time working on a jig-saw puzzle. She had three 9-piece puzzles in a pile and she almost completed one of the puzzles just from pulling the pieces out of the pile.

Tuesday - Macy had a great day. She was very happy. She liked working on the loft, new practical life jobs, and playing outside.

Wednesday - Macy had a great day. She enjoyed playing outside and climbing up on the sandbox.

Thursday - Macy enjoyed working on painting, pouring water, and playing outside today.

Last weekend I finally let Jake take me on a motorcycle ride. He's been trying for over a year to get me on the back of the bike...for more than just a ride around the block. Sue agreed to watch the girls and lend me her helmet.

We met up with Brent, Ben, McKenzie, and our friend/trainer Jake Phippen to head up the canyon in search of beautiful scenery and changing fall leaves. It was the perfect day to be out riding weather-wise, but we were a bit early for the autumn colors. There were a few patches of red and yellow, but just seeing the mountains against the blue sky was beautiful.

We rode up Emigration Canyon, to East Canyon, through Morgan to Henefer, on to Evanston for a quick bite to eat, and then home. We were out for over five hours. It was more fun than I had expected, but I was expecting to hate the whole thing.

Riding up the canyon was actually very nice, and there were a lot of other people out doing the same thing. We must have passed a hundred bikers. Apparently there are lots of people who think this is an enjoyable past time. I'm not quite ready to count myself among that group.

Our little game

The girls and I like to play a game we call Villains and Princesses. It helps to pass the time, especially in the car and while we're preparing meals, and it saves me when I can't come up with a clever idea for a story. It's just a guessing game where we take turns giving each other clues about a character, usually from a Disney movie. It goes something like this:

Mom: Who is going to be first?

Kennedy and Macy: I am! Me! My turn!

Macy: I'm thinking of a billain... (sometimes she also remembers to say, he's from Monsters Inc.)

Kennedy, crying: But I thought it was my turn to go first!

Macy: It's Randall!

Kennedy and Mom: Is it Randall?

Macy: Yes!

Kennedy: I'm thinking of a villain, he has a machine like a spider, and he tries to get Mr. Incredible.

Mom: Is it Syndrome?

Kennedy: Yes! Now it's your turn, mom.

Mom: I'm thinking of a villain, she likes to play croquet and when she gets mad she shouts off with her head!

Kennedy: Hey, I thought I was going to do the Queen of Hearts!

Mom: Sorry, I didn't know.

And then we go around again. Macy typically sticks to four villains: Randall and Mr. Waternoose from Monsters Inc., Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, and Zurg from Toy Story. Kennedy is quite good at remembering characters and thinking of ways to describe them without giving away her pick. Right now she likes to make sure we go through ALL the villains before we move on to the princesses. The other day she also added a new category: superheroes!

We still tell a lot of Shubilee and Marshall stories, too. I think that Kennedy has figured out that she's Shubilee and Macy is Marshall. These made up sisters have all kinds of fun adventures, usually things that we've done or are planning to do. Sometimes I tell tales about what I wish our lives were like...if I were a more creative mom with endless energy, time, and money. Sometimes I try to work lessons into the story (like the one that was Kennedy's favorite for a while where Shubilee jumps off her dresser and breaks her leg - even though Marshall tries to tell her it's a bad idea!), or help them see ways to be better "sisters and also best friends", use good manners, and help out around the house.

One time I told a story in the parking lot of Target, while Jake was in filling a prescription, about a field of sunflowers. One day a new plant starts to grow. It's purple, and it's different! I was trying to make the not so subtle point about being kind, making new friends, and not excluding people because they aren't like you. I suspect Macy liked it because the purple flower told some really corny jokes to win over the sunflowers. Like how do the sunflowers like their eggs? Sunny-side up! What is the sunflower's favorite day of the week? Sunday! What did the sunflower say to the bee? Buzz off! (there were some bees who also came to the field to hear the purple flower's comedy routine). Both girls were laughing at this silliness, but I think they also learned something important. I must say, it was a pretty good one. Macy has asked for a retelling of "the flower story" several times, and that's always a good sign!

I might not be the mom that does amazing art projects, sends fancy lunches to school, or organizes lots of play dates and parties, but I hope that Kennedy and Macy remember me as a great storyteller. That seems to be "my thing" and, at least for now, they seem to love it!

Weekly report

Toddler Weekly Report for Macy, September 19-23 (and other notes of interest):

Monday - Macy had a lovely morning. At one point she had a purple cowboy hat held in her hand in front of her and she was practicing galloping from the loft to the tile floor and back. When she would get to the tile floor, she would tap her fancy shoes a little before galloping back.

(Macy insisted on wearing her red, sparkly shoes to school that day! I went along because they happened to match her red shorts and white ruffle shirt.)

Tuesday - Macy had a great day. She was singing pretty much all morning. At one point she was laying down with a book in the book corner just looking at it and singing away!

(Grandma Sue and Grandpa Brent are back from their cross-country trip to South Carolina, so they picked up Macy from school today. We loved getting their postcards from along the way - White Sand Missile Range and Carlsbad Cave in New Mexico, hearing about the huge fires in Texas, eating beignets in New Orleans, Grandma Sue holding a baby alligator, Paula Dean's restaurant in Savannah, plantations in Charleston, the home of Elvis Presley in Graceland, and so much more...they had an amazing trip!)

Wednesday - Macy was a great leader of the day! We went on a peace walk with the whole school and put our windmills in the garden by the road.

(Kennedy reported that she saw Macy during the peace walk, but she couldn't call out because it was supposed to be a silent march! Kennedy was also leader of the day, which means the girls were responsible for snacks and could bring a book. They also get to be first in line, which meant they were leading their classes for the walk. We brought pita chips, apple slices, and cantaloupe. Kennedy took along her favorite new stories, "Traction Man is Here!" and "Traction Man Meets Turbo Dog" and Macy brought one of her favorites, "Elephants Cannot Dance." Wednesdays are also a special day at school for Kennedy because she has outdoor classroom. Unfortunately, her friends are in a different group and she's "stuck with all the boys!" Wednesday is also ballet for Kennedy. Macy and I enjoyed some time together in the lobby "drawing" on the ipad and reading books).

Thursday - Macy had a great morning. Picture day was a little crazy so we apologize for not getting Macy changed. Pictures are cute though!

(I spent lots of time thinking about what the girls should wear for picture day this year; I wanted coordinating, but not matching. Kennedy had her class photo on Tuesday, but they each had an individual picture today, and one with both of them together. I can't wait to see how they turned out! They looked so adorable when I dropped them off for school - I wish I had snapped a picture of my own. We had a pretty good morning. I even had time to make them pancakes and curl their hair. Just don't pay attention to the unmade beds or the dishes overflowing from the sink!

We decided to skip the chaos of the Early Childhood Picnic and have our own outing to Wheeler Farm. The girls loved the new playground setup! Kennedy's favorite spot was in this hollow log where she could bury her bare toes in the wood chips.

Macy loved all the different places she could climb. She likes to tell everyone "I'm a great timer (climber), like a montey!" - she mostly still makes "t" sounds for k and c.)

And now it's Friday - no school! Kennedy and Macy are enjoying purple pancakes, a Grandpa Brent specialty. I wish that I weren't at work! We're having beautiful fall weather, and it would be so fun to be off on some adventure with the girls. I'll have to settle for getting Kennedy to ballet again this afternoon (we signed her up for a second class because it was such a great deal and because she loves it so much) and then to a cowgirl birthday party for Lucy tonight. See our little cowgirl? She was the cutest, lil' buckaroo gal there! We took Macy to dinner at Bombay House, she requested Indian food - good choice! Macy got especially excited by the "mango sassy" that I ordered to drink. I think she had more of it than I did.

Macy's school report

The toddler classes maintain a weekly log for each child. Here are the comments from Macy's third week at school:

Monday 9/12 - Macy had a lovely day. She was very busy today. She worked on water jobs and in the loft.

Tuesday 9/13 - Macy had a great morning! She worked on all kinds of jobs. She enjoyed helping herself to a cup of water, played in the loft, and played outside for a bit. She was one of the best sitters in circle today.

Wednesday 9/14 - Macy had a great day. She was so happy. She really enjoyed circle today when we put Ben, our new class fish, in his new home.

Thursday 9/15 - Macy had a great morning. She was very happy. She worked on open/closing jobs and feeding the lizard.

There you have it, the report confirms what we already know. Macy is a sweet, happy, active girl who loves going to school! One of her teachers also told my dad that Macy is really independent. Yes, we know that, too!

Grammie picked Macy up on Monday afternoon, since Pamp was still recovering from his surgery. When my mom went into the classroom she didn't recognize Macy at first. I had put her hair in a ponytail (now that it's finally long enough), and with it pulled off her face she really does look different! Luckily Macy got up and gave her Grammie a big hug.

Birthday and bubbles

The girls got to go to a birthday party for Nicholas, a friend in Macy's class. They had so much fun at Jump Around Utah - it's basically a huge room filled with bounce houses! The giant slide might have been Macy's favorite.

Kennedy spent most of her time in the climbing gym. It was great to get to know some of the families from the school better, including some that were in Kennedy's class two years ago!

Kathy, Tim, and Jeff had us all over for dinner on Sunday. Jeff and his girlfriend, Sam, cooked a vegetarian feast for the family. They also made an amazing loaf of bread and a carrot cake in the Dutch ovens. I think I might need that dessert recipe for our camp-out next year. Kathy had a special surprise for the girls, a bubble gun! It was such a huge hit. I've never seen them share something so well. They willingly took turns shooting bubbles into the air while the other one chased around popping them.

I love it when they get along, which really is most of the time. Yesterday they spent at least an hour playing doctor together in their room. I could hear them taking turns as patient, doctor, and nurse, promising, "I'll take good care of you, sweetie!"

At last

Finally, Macy slept in her own bed all night! No waking up crying for mama in the middle of the night. No climbing into bed to snuggle and staying until morning. I've been waiting for this for a long time!

If only I had been able to have a full night of sleep, too. Kennedy must have decided that it was her turn to spend the night in our bed. At least she didn't cry...or grind her teeth in my ear like she sometimes does. This morning Jake asked me how I'd slept, thinking it had been a blissful night. He didn't even realize that we weren't alone!

Over the weekend, Andy and Toshiko came to visit (with their two dogs, Syd and James.) I think they wanted to be here because my dad had surgery to remove the pins from his hip and it was my parents' 42rd anniversary. I'll admit, I was hoping for some kind of announcement from those two, but alas nothing. Kennedy and Macy loved watching James chase sticks into the pool. Macy said in her sing-song, excited voice, "A dog in the swimming pool! I don't think so! That's so silly!" Although they only stayed a day and a half, it was fun to see them!

Lubs to snuddle

Last weekend we went to Oktoberfest at Snowbird. I think it's strange to be holding this event in AUGUST, but it was the perfect time to be up the canyon. After several meltdowns in the parking lot over having to walk, and who gets to hold mom's hand, and who gets to have a turn being carried by mom, the girls cheered up when daddy bought them a bag of popcorn. They were so cute sharing with each other and walking around with their balloons. Kennedy asked for a pink poodle and Macy wanted a butterfly. Unfortunately Macy wasn't very careful with hers, and as she said on the ride home, "it popped seven times!" They were good sports about not doing any of the activities and settled for our non-German lunch of popcorn and garlic fries. And thankfully they were both willing to let dad carry them back to the car. We'll have to go back up again before it's over and have a more authentic experience.

Macy really does love her big sister. It's a toss up to see if she'll run to give me or Kennedy a hug first when we come to get her after school. Yesterday in the car on the way home from Grandma Sue's she said, "Tennedy, you're my special friend. I lubs you very much!"

At night, Macy is especially sweet. She loves to give hugs and kisses to everyone. Multiple times. There's always "Hug and tiss! (said with outstretched arms and a huge smile)...Just one more hug...And now a tiss...And another hug!" She wraps her little arms around my neck and presses her cheek against mine as tight as she can. It can be tough to get her to let go! Every night around 2:00a.m. when she climbs into bed to "snuddle" with me, I get the same big hug, and that's how she wants to fall asleep. I feel so happy and peaceful when she melts into me like that, but after about two minutes it's also quite uncomfortable. I'm not much of a snuggler, and it gets way too hot and crowded in our bed!

I think Macy's affectionate nature has rubbed off on Kennedy. She was never interested in a cuddle unless she was sick - until Macy came along and Kennedy saw how much attention she gets with all her hugging and kissing. I'm just happy to have two of them to give loves to!