PreschoolBlessings

A couple of weeks ago we had a Curriculum Night at the Preschool followed by a Parent Teacher conference for Mackenzie the next week.

At curriculum night, there were just a few parents there, mostly parents who also had kids that have been in the program since the baby room. Miss Anne and Miss Sara along with Miss Vickey the Director could not say enough about this class as a whole. They spoke about how bonded they are and what good friends they are to one another. This seems to be in large part because a core group of them, including Mackenzie, have been together since they were babies. When new kids come in, they are welcomed and quickly adapt to the tone of the class.

I can see how special it is there. I know Mackenzie owns her school. She loves her friends and there is definitely a fondness for the few others who have made this journey with her: Saige, JoJo Emerson and Andrew. Slightly older and a bit ahead until this year are Teddy and Jordan S. Mackenzie's old M-W-F counterpart is now five days so Mackenzie has gotten to know Kennedy as well. Danielle has been around quite awhile, as have been Michael and Maverick.

After the parents got out and went to pick up the kids, Mackenzie was in the room happily playing. Her and "Saiger" hugged good-bye. Twice. Zachy was in there too. He got to play in the big kid's room and had a HUGE smile on his face when we walked in. Mr. Jon expressed what a good guy Zachy is. They love him everywhere, I tell you.

I worry what will happen when Mackenzie goes to Kindergarten, although I know she'll be fine. I hope she finds the magic there that she has found at FEC. If I know nothing else, I know that they have prepared her well. They have made school fun. They have her opened her mind and heart to learning. Could I ask for anything more?

As Zachy makes his way through the program, I have every bit of confidence that he will also take away a love for learning. I have every bit of confidence that he too will continue to benefit from the nurturing and enriched learning opportunities they provide.

I have said it before, but I feel so Blessed that my kids and our family are a part of such a wonderful community.

MishMashFromTown

So far behind...but today seems like a good day for a MishMash...

• Zachy was up every two hours last night. Reminded me of the good ol' days until I remembered that back then he was up every four hours. For the first year of his life. Not the same. Not at all.
• Went to Walmart. Kids got toothbrushes. Cheap dates.
• Mackenzie picked a Spider Man toothbrush. I had no idea she knew who he was. Or Snow White or Cinderella for that matter.
• Mackenzie took a bag with two changes of shoes. She did in fact change her shoes during our short stay. Twice.
• We're taking a casserole over to Momma Julie. Mackenzie is going to share a princess band-aid. What a good friend!
• Zachy understands 'turns.' Yesterday I was mopping and he frantically said, Turn, Turn. Only problem was, once it was his 'turn,' the turn-taking was over.
• Just got back from Momma Julie's. Mackenzie wore her bathing suit. Zachy fearlessly tried to ride a big kid bike.
• Yesterday Zachy helped me mop.  Today Mackenzie helped me clean the bathroom. Lucky me. I'll leave it at that.
• My kids make me smile. Each and every day they do something. A lot.
• Mackenzie's play is revolving around a cell phone. I am ashamed. Okay, I'm not, but I should be.
• Aw, Mackenzie just walked up to me and said Mommy, I don't want to be a Mommy or a Daddy anymore. What do you want to be now, I asked. Just a kid.
• Mackenzie and Zachy got to meet a potential babysitter friend. She (M) wow'd her with her poopy talk and Tinkerbell play. Zachy wow'd them with his chatter. He gets so serious.
• Family went to Red Robin tonight. Once the kids at the next table got balloons, it was all over.
• Zachy didn't want to go to bed tonight. So he engaged me in a game of strollers. If I tried to stop, he'd grab my hand and place it back on my stroller. And then crash his into mine. And yell Crash!
• After the crash game, he engaged me in a tickle game. 'Gain, 'gain he said while laughing hysterically with that cute Zachy giggle.
• Before we moved, I told Mackenzie we were moving to 'town,' so now she calls our new home 'Town.' It sounds really cute when she says it.

Both kids are happy and asleep. Another fine day.

Motorcyles&Trains

Mackenzie has never been one to get attached to anything. No transition object for her. No lovey. No special blankie or binkie. Zachy has his beloved Gunky. He wakes up in the middle night and cries if he can't find him in the crib. He sits him down at mealtime. He pushes him in the stroller. He looks for Gunky. He asks for Gunky. He loves Gunky.

Not Mackenzie. We used to say she had an entourage of items. Now, she's 3 1/2 and I think she has found the item. It's a guy on a two inch motorcycle. We got it at Big Lots. It's not snuggly at all. It gets easily lost, which is a bummer for me. Seems she has to have him around at all times. Yikes, she sounds like a teenager already. I hope this isn't a sign of what's to come.

So, where do the trains fit in? When were at Big Lots, Mackenzie got her motorcycle guy and Zachy got a Thomas the Train. Whenever he sees Mackenzie holding her motorcycle guy, he asks for his train. I love the way he associates the two. When it comes down to it though, he's a Gunky loyalist. Mackenzie....we'll just have to wait and see. For today, it's definitely the motorcycle.

DayNine

Where to begin? I feel so out of blogtouch. We have moved. We have moved. We have moved. Hallelujah.

The kids LOVE their new home. Mackenzie LOVES being in 'town' and closer to people, places and things. Everyone is happier.

Today was day nine in new our home. Let me see if I can give a brief summary of how things went our first week and two days here.

While Mom packed up the rural house, M & Z wanted to make sure they weren't left behind.

A week ago Thursday, Dad brought home a big moving van. M & Z thought it was pretty cool. (M uses the word 'cool' now as in, 'Such & such is so cool.')

The next day we woke up, Mom packed up her car, including the kids. We headed into town, to our new home. Zach immediately went to work on the project he adopted the first time we saw our home, before we even knew it was our home, putting rocks in the water.

Meanwhile, Mackenzie helped by taking out the empty boxes.

LUckily I'd been off the day before we moved, so the playroom was play-able. Took a few days to get it in order, but it was definitely play-able. And thank Goodness, cause Saturday we had a playdate! C & B and Momma J brought over pizza and the kids got to play.

 Have I mentioned how super-duper big & awesome our new playroom is? It really is. Every time M shows it to someone, she says, And there's even a bed in here in case we have someone sleep here.

Zachy and Gunky had breakfast together on Sunday morning. Could they be any cuter? Seriously.

Oh, and while we're on cute Zachy, he has slept just fine in his new home. Puts himself to sleep, in his crib, sleeps all night. He's one well adjusted boy! M has also slept fine, I just wondered how he would do, since he's younger and, well, since he actually goes to bed by himself.

Later on Sunday, Missy. Good ol' Missy, made it out. She's our Farrel cat, which explains the cat trap.



Rufusdog arrived on Wednesday. He was a bit nervous at first, but once he figured out he could start digging new holes in a new yard, he adjusted.





As we continued to settle in, the kids played.

And helped.

For Zachy, that is helping. Mom thinks so too, as long as it keeps him busy. Until they all fall down, of course.

Friday, we had playdate #2. That's right, TWO playdates in a week. Have I already said Hallelujah?

A & C and Momma T came over on Friday. What a great time the girls had! And Z too.

This weekend, we continued to unpack, but still had some fun. Today we went to a park. And a dog park. Simple fun. There were lots of kids there. Z loved watching some older boys play. M really wanted them to invite her to take a turn in their human hamster ball-thing. They didn't. She handled the disappointment well.

That's sort of our week. Except for all the trips we made to Walmart and Target. Daily, I think. Tomorrow we are going to our Zoo. Wednesday we have yet ANOTHER playdate. Life is good! It shows in their smiling, loving faces.



FotoFriday5.6.11

Today we moved our first boxes into our new home. Life has been busy and I haven't been able to keep things up to date, but here's a few recent photos. And some of the last ones from our 'current' home because next week at this time, we should be pretty much moved in. WOW!

Mackenzie took a nap about a week and a half ago.

First nap in a LONG time.

She passed out, literally, on the couch.

Zachy is going through a dress phase.

Dancing....

The dress.

She wears it all the time.

But only at home..

It's from last summer.

Baby and Gunky wearing.

In slings.

Homemade by Momma.

He picked out his outfit and even said 'Cheese!"

What's UP with the pose, Miss Mackenzie?

TheWishPresent

Mackenzie had an eyelash on her cheek a few days ago. I put it on my finger, told her to blow it off and make a wish. She was a bit confused, but she blew anyway. I asked her what her 'wish' was. She thought about it. True to her three year old self, she said, A present. Of course.

Five minutes later she went looking for her present. Bygosh the girl catches on quick. Mommy suddenly finds herself regretting the whole make-a-wish thing. But she'll forget, right?

The next morning, she wakes up, smiles and says, Let's go see if my wish present is here yet. Searching all over. Nope, not yet. Mailman comes, Let's go check the mail, see if my wish present is here yet. Nope, not yet.

Mommy is thinking to herself: Fantastic. My daughter makes her first wish and it's going to shatter her forever if it doesn't come true. She'll never have hope again.

Then the next day comes.

The mail comes.

There it is.

Her WishPresent...

A Wow-Wow-Wubbzy DVD.  Her favorite show. Just in time for moving.  So she won't be without when we're without cable.

How did the Wish-Fairy know?