Thank goodness it's Friday again

Monday 10/10 -

Macy looked at books in the book corner, worked on the sucker stick job and the hair brush job. She had a great Monday.

Before class started this morning, Kennedy got to show me a couple of jobs. We worked together to build a couple of block castles, and then I had to leave for work.

Monday is pizza day for Kennedy. I love that I don't have to send a lunch for one day. It's hard to think of things to pack because her class is nut-free. For leader of the day, it's also rice-free. Boy, am I glad that we don't have to deal with any serious allergy issues! When I picked up Kennedy from school today, her teacher said that she and Lucy were having trouble getting along, a "love-hate relationship" she called it. I guess Lucy was teasing and name calling again.

Tuesday 10/11 -

Macy had a great day. She worked on pasting and practiced climbing outside. We talked about community helpers today in circle.

This morning Kennedy showed me one of her favorite Spanish jobs - it's a color matching puzzle. She insisted on doing it in rainbow order.

We've been so lucky to have the wonderful hand-me-down clothes from Eliza, but I couldn't resist the dresses she wore today and yesterday when I found them on the sale rack at Old Navy for $2 and $4!

Wednesday 10/12 -

Macy had a great job. She worked on art projects, the sucker stick job and looked at books.

Somehow Kennedy got syrup in her hair from the pancakes I made for breakfast. For school I put it up in a messy bun, but she had to take a quick bath before ballet. Kennedy and Macy love taking baths together. My favorite is when they get undressed after dinner and dance around the kitchen naked, singing, "shake your bum, bum, bum! Now spank your bum three times!"

Thursday 10/13 -

Macy was a busy artist today. She enjoys working in the art area of the class. We had our first fire drill today, and Macy did a great job listening and following directions. Macy is always a busy girl in the classroom, she had a great week.

We went out to dinner with Jake's family. He was convinced that his dad was going to disclose a terminal illness, but I thought there was a more happy reason for getting together. I was right, and I even guessed the news - each of the kids was given some money from the sale of Grandma and Grandpa Nelson's house. What a kind and generous gesture. We are so thankful for our families and all that they do for us.

Another recap post

Monday 10/3 -

Macy enjoyed working on puzzles and walking on the balance beam outside today.

Kennedy learned about vertebrates and invertebrates in dance studio today. She said that they got to dance like frogs, which are vertebrates. Most of our dinner conversation tonight was taken over by a game of "vertebrate or invertebrate" - we were only stumped once...by a shark, which I had to look up to see what it is (it's a vertebrate.)

Tuesday 10/4 -

Macy was a very happy girl today. She enjoyed looking at books and working on the stacking job.

After the girls and I got home, Jake announced that he had decided he was going to buy them bunkbeds on Saturday. Why? because he thought this would solve the problem of resistance at bedtime and getting out of bed in the middle of the night. I wasn't pleased that he would make such a major financial decision without me, and besides I thought it was a little extreme.

Wednesday 10/5 -

Macy had a lovely day. She figured out how to paint and not just water!

After school, I took the girls to the toy store to get a new princess alarm clock. This was my (less expensive and more practical) solution to the bedtime challenge. Of course they always love an adventure to Toys'R'Us ("the princess toy store" as Macy calls it because she is always amazed by the mass quantities of Disney princess stuff - especially her favorite, a princess piano.) We got the clock and a new umbrella for Kennedy, which she immediately put to use in the pouring rain - and then somehow broke by the time we got home (argh!) After ballet we had a quick dinner, the girls took a bath, and then the clock got to work its princess magic.

Macy, who normally gets out of bed several times right after we tuck her in because she says she "can't see" (in the dark when her eyes are supposed to be closed), was excited to turn out the lights so that she could see the castle glow and change colors. They also loved being able to push the buttons to make Cinderella dance with the prince and hear two short stories.

Although Macy still got out of bed in the middle of the night for her usual "snuddle," the clock did the trick! I was also better about getting up and taking Mace right back to her own bed. I know part of the bedtime problem is my fault. If I can scoot over and make room in our bed, that's usually preferable to getting up in the middle of the night.

Thursday 10/6 -

Macy worked on the ball job and water jobs, she also played in the gym. She had a great day.

(I heard that Macy thought she needed to take off her socks in the gym because that was the rule at The Little Gym. So far she's lost two barrettes and a pair of purple socks - the first of many things we'll have to remember to search for in the school's lost and found.)

Friday 10/7 -

No school today. The girls spent the morning with Grammie and Pamp making crockpot pear and ginger applesauce. Macy wanted to play the iPad after I finished work. She loves Plants vs. Zombies. Pretty soon Pamp, Kennedy and I heard Macy singing a little song (to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell): "The sombies ate my brain, the sombies ate my brain, hi-ho the cherry-oh, the sombies ate my brain!"

Kennedy had ballet class - she's really improving quickly with her twice a week schedule. I love the class on Friday because it's so much smaller. It was only Kennedy and one other girl this week. Macy and I had a nice time coloring princess pictures in the lobby. She got excited, tilted her head, and said, "Mom, I hear something!" every time she recognized the music coming from the dance studio.

When we got home we did some cleaning and then were walking out the door to go get sushi when I got a call from my parents. Their basement had flooded and they needed some help. We spent the night pulling out soaking carpet and pad from their rumpus room. Luckily the girls were occupied by a Curious George movie on the iPad and then some tasty pasta that Pamp threw together.

Saturday 10/8 -

We watched the Utes on TV lose to Arizona State University. Everyone was hoping for their first PAC-12 Conference win, but we'll have to keep waiting. Kennedy drew this picture all by herself, and the girls love to put on those big, red foam fingers and cheer for the team.

Kennedy, Macy, and I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with our favorite recipe - the best cookies ever! I have to stop doing this because both Jake and I lack any type of self control when it comes to this treat. The girls also love to eat the dough, probably more than the finished product.

Sunday 10/9 -

We went to the zoo because it was finally a sunny day. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it wasn't crowded and we could let Kennedy and Macy run around as they pleased. I was sure that they would crash when we got home, but no luck. We pulled out some Halloween decorations and made a few paper crafts. I escaped for a few minutes of peace and quiet - if shopping at Target really counts for peace and quiet. When I got home, I was greeted by two crazy girls jumping on the couch waving to me from the front window. What a sight! We finished off the week with dinner at my parents'. They had made a recipe from the morning paper, something called Sputnik Chicken that I'd like to try again. Maybe later I'll do a post with the three recipes from this week - it can be the start of recipes I want to pass on to my girls someday.

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!"