Schooling

I finally finished (except the binding part) the first two "easy readers" I've been making. Aidan likes them and has read (with help) CATS so far. I plan on making more soon but probably wont get to those until the next week or two. Here are some of the pages. The first is from DOGS and the second is from CATS.

Aidan really likes her new vocabulary puzzles.



She is doing GREAT with worksheets. She really enjoys them and always understands them way faster than I expect... esp. the math.

I'm having a lot of fun with our foray into preschool.

After Gymnastics

We went to a meetup at the park down the road from gymnastics. It was drizzling and really cold but we all spread out anyway and had fun. I cannot claim to have met my new best friend but at least the conversation was relaxed and friendly.

Ramble

Sifting through web sites.... finding learning games and phonics programs... found a great deal at Amazon on a few things I've been wanting... Aidan is almost 2 1/2 so preschool officially will be starting soon... am kindof scared (for various reasons)... am having performance anxiety over being her teacher...

Gymnastics went fairly well. Aidan did participate in a few things and refused some others. I was surprised at how well she did. I signed her up and paid for it so we shall be going to at least four more classes. I think she'll do well with it. It was more unstructured than I was expecting but I suppose the class is a precursor to "real" classes. I liked it and I like the idea of Aidan and I doing something together.

Our septic tank backed up and sewage started overflowing into our downstairs tub and toilet. I paid for a company to come out and pump it today. I paid a LOT. So far it is working but only time will tell if the cause of it being blocked up was because the septic drain system is messed up. If it is indeed thus... then we're talking thousands.... ugh. I am grateful that today we had the money.

In one hour....

In one hour it is no longer your birthday, Ainsley. For the next year ... you are 1 year old. I have two toddlers now. Welcome to toddlerhood! You did so well for your party. There was hardly any crying and you quite enjoyed yourself (esp. after the sugar high. It was so funny... you started trying to run everywhere and then would fall down, get back up, run again, and fall again.) I'm glad you enjoyed your cake. By the way, for such an exuberant child... you were very reserved with digging into the cake. If I would have thought of it.. I would have thought you'd go in face first. I suppose that was testimony to the fact that you felt sick. I loved it when you caught on to the whole present unwrapping and started looking in all the empty bags for more presents.

Ainsley, as I like to sing to you... "you are my sunshine." How can I explain to you what that smiling face of yours makes me feel? How can I put it into words when the depths of the emotions are far deeper than what verbal language can convey? I hope I show it to you every day what I feel. I will admit that at first I worried over how much I could love you. You came right on the heels of your sister. We were just getting to know her and I didn't want to give up my bonding time with her. Frankly honey... I was worried you were the "spare." But, wonderfully, it wasn't like that. You were a totally separate wonderful gift that I will forever be grateful for. Your personality, your sweetness, your loveability, your stubbornness, your dramatic ways endear me to you. You are my treasure.... my priceless treasure. Daily, my heart smiles because you are here. Whenever I haven't seen you for a few hours a part of me inside starts feeling a little desperate to be within arms reach again. I know that must be hard to believe but its true. You are such a dear and I pray and hope that as you grow you stay strong spirited but without losing that open loving side. I love that sensitive side in you. I see in you a little girl who easily gets her feelings hurt... just like I did and I hope you never lose it all the way. (I think this side of myself has kept me "nice" if that makes any sense.) I also see a smart, intelligent, observant little girl. I revel in that. My hopes for you are high Ainsley.

In this next year you will experience many new things... have a lot of firsts. I look forward to being right there... watching... seeing you grasp new concepts... seeing you figure out how things are.....hearing you speak more and more, helping you.... teaching you...... oh, yeah and taking pictures. (I've noticed you don't even notice the flash anymore. Ha Ha) I have a lot of plans. I envision beach trips, backyard swims, delving into art projects, playgroup meetups, and so much more. It is a joy to have you in my life! How dull and boring it would be without you. Oh, Ainsley... what more can I wax on about? ~grin~ Just.... please know.... I would give my life just so that you could live for five more minutes, so that the world could enjoy your brightness just that much more.

I.... love.....YOU

Luv It!! The Girls Dancing Together

What Aidan is saying is "Weeee... See me! We're dancin'!
We're dancin' ! I dancin' with my Mouse'! "
Something like that.
When she gets excited it's hard to understand her.
Ainsley is Mouse b.t.w

Recent Pictures of Ainsley

Three More Days

On Sunday, Ainsley turns one. I no longer have a baby but two toddlers. I can't really explain what I feel. On one hand it is really exciting and thoughts of what we can do with two "big girls" over the next year run through my head. Seeing Ainsley grow and change and watching her "bloom" is just wonderful.... in the true meaning (full of wonder). Yet... I AM sad. Mothers say that all the time but it really is true. As the girls age I'm happy and sad about it. I know... or I hope... that I won't have another baby for a long time to come... so for a while that period of my life where I have one... is put on pause. Now I have two toddlers... soon to be preschoolers. I miss my baby. I know she's right here but she is growing so fast... especially because she's trying to keep up with Aidan. I also feel sad because this year seemed to have flown by like lightning. I feel like I've missed out on things about her. Because she wasn't my one and only I feel like I missed seeing things because I didn't have time to. I know this is all stupid... but it's what I feel. Man, I cannot imagine what I would feel if I worked.....I'd feel like I was missing everything.!

So...

I'm either really lucky...
or there IS a Greater Power
taking care of us.
Whichever way...
I am blessed.

Bragging rights and cuteness

Bragging Rights

So with my fabulous new Xyron machine I made laminated cards with all the sight words (and some extras) Aidan knows. She knows WAY more than I had thought. Today I played a game with her and placed the cards so that they would make sentences. She would at first whisper the words but I made it a game to say them 'loud and proud" and we'd shout them out. She had fun because Mommy was playing a game with her and I had fun because I love seeing her happy and love seeing how knowledgeable she is. This weekend I'm going to work on making little reader books that utilizes the words she knows. She'll be able to "read books" then and I KNOW she will love that. I'm so proud of her! Gee, can you tell? Also, yesterday... little miss smarty was playing with her ABC cards and started saying what each letter said. I knew she knew a lot but I didn't realize she knew almost every one. WoW! Who says all videos are bad?

This is a picture Aidan drew while hanging out with Daddy the other day. When he asked what it is she said it was a bird. I'm surprised because it kindof does look like a bird.. well ... sortof.

and Cuteness

When Aidan takes her nap our routine is that Ainsley sits in her chair and watches an Einstein movie while I play on the computer. For the first time she fell asleep and she was so cute I had to take a picture. Ainsley, by the way, is the cutest half-asleep baby ever. I love it when she wakes at night but doesn't fully awake. She'll either sit or stand up with her eyes half closed rubbing her hand back and forth over her head. She makes noises like a mewing kitten. Sometimes she'll sit straight up talking but be completely asleep. (hmm.. that might run in the family) It makes me smile every time. These moments are.... tender...sweet and tender.... that's the best way I can describe them.

Aren't I Silly?

Yeah, so I'm so very excited. I've just found out that the gymnasium that I thought was closed is indeed open. As of Monday the 26th, miss Aidan and I shall be trying out the toddler class. When I thought it was closed I was VERY disappointed. Of course I say to people that I really felt Aidan needed to take this class... it would be good for her but I think the severity of my disappointment MIGHT have something to do with the fact that I was always wanting to take a gymnastics class when I was younger. Though it could just be a coincidence. ~wink~

Drizzle Drizzle

Today we are holed up in the house.. dogs too... a steady light rain has fallen all day.

Aidan is asleep right now.

Ainsley is watching Einstein's Noah and commenting in that baby way about what she sees. I can see from where I'm sitting her happy little face smiling and reacting to what she sees... her feet are kicking the air in excitement. She makes my heart smile.

Lunchtime was funny. Ainsley LOVES yogurt and before she realized I had some for her she was happily inhaling broccoli. However, as soon as she saw the yogurt she refused to finish the broccoli and so her and I had a fight today. In her corner there was a lot of crying and drama with a capitol D. In my corner there was a lot of .... err...amusement. I won. She ate the broccoli and then ate the yogurt. Such a small thing to write about but ......it's important. Sometimes I just cannot give in to her or else she'll rule the house by the time SHE is two. Aidan already told me today that "Ain-sey" was the boss. I told her "No, mommy is the boss". I try to be anyway... most of the time I succeed. I have moments though. Sometimes they get their way either because I just don't feel like fighting or a very smart toddler is manipulating me and though I am aware of it .... it still works. How funny it is that manipulation is developed so early.

In spite of it.....

What joys I experience on this motherhood roller coaster ride! I cannot express how FULFILLING it all is... every bit of it... good, bad, ugly, beautiful. It ALL is wonderful.... scary..... but WONDERFUL!

Flea Market Day

Sum Thinkin

I was reading others blogs about how they feel pressured to always write. I realized that I do too... that's why I'll go back and write about days gone by. It's silly though. Why do I need to write every day or ever other day? It's my blog isn't it? No one actually reads this blog anyway so why do I feel the need to document every single day? If my kids do ever read this as adults they will probably be bored out of their minds. So, instead of going back and writing about everything we've done in the last two weeks.... I'll just say that after we got back from N.C..... John, me, and the girls relaxed and did basically nothing. We went over to the in laws and had a little Christmas there but otherwise didn't really go anywhere. John went back to work this week. The girls and I have been missing him.
Well, just for some general updates.... yesterday Ainsley decided she would walk and so she is officially walking... slowly and carefully... but apparently she took me serious about "having" to walk before her first birthday. She is very pleased with herself. Also, something noteworthy..... in the last week Ainsley's talking has taken off. She copies and repeats A LOT of words. I'm really shocked because of her age. I know that 11 month olds are out there that talk but I haven't seen one before. She is a very verbal child and can repeat works like "Diaper", "Bottle" and even will tell you 'THANK YOU" I just can't believe some of the things she says. I had a hunch she would talk earlier than Aidan... but didn't expect it this soon. She is such a smart, sassy, yet loveable girl. I drink in the way she loves physical contact and hugs. I kiss her face all day long... sometimes I am just so overwhelmed with love for her! As for Aidan... she has taken off with pre-reading. I did, in fact, stop trying to "teach" her all the time and after a week or two of me stopping she started initiating the learning on her own. As I said before.. it's hard to know how much she knows... because she won't perform... but I do know she can "read" about 15 words (maybe more) and she is working on what each letter "says." This was entirely on her own. I've started back with working with her on them but I'm going to rein it in it so that I'm not pushing. I did buy the Leap Frog Word Wammer that looks like a plane. It was a better toy than I had expected and she does like to play with it. Yesterday she spelled CAT on her own and today I watched her put together four new words. The toy told her how to spell them but it's amazing watching her learning and it is teaching her the left to right concept. Both my girls are such amazing creatures. Sometimes I wonder what it must be like to be them and be completely surounded by people who love every breath you take. I wonder if it will smother them or make them think they own the world?

Quick Picture Post of Ainsley

She was on the porch watching the boys try their skateboards so I snapped a few. I think she wanted to join them. Enjoy!

Holidays Part ONE

The 23rd John, I, and the girls went to N.C. to spend Christmas with Bridgett's family. Because of our much-too-late start we got there midnight on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve was spent relaxing and playing with the kids except when Bridgett and I went shopping for a few things. At the last minute it was decided that we'd have a real Christmas dinner (up to then Bridgett was planning on everyone having subs). So, we had to shop for all that too. Luckily, nothing was out and we still found all that we needed. We THOUGHT we'd be enjoying the rest of day doing nothing but while I was taking Aidan upstairs to take a nap... her arm was pulled. I knew immediately something wasn't right so I looked up the symptoms online and it looked like she had Nursemaid's elbow. Since she was hurting but tired I let her take a small nap and then Bridgett and I took her to the emergency clinic and had it reset. I was right in the diagnosis. (It was my fault that it happened and I feel terrible about it. The next three days of her arm being limp and her telling me "My arm hurts" was guilt city for me. ) Well, while Bridgett and I dealt with one very unhappy Aidan at the doctor's... John was helping all the kids make Christmas cookies. (It was the holidays you know) Later that night they opened one of their presents (of course they were all "boring" presents)

Aidan opened some puzzles.

The boys both got robes,

Makensie a scarf set, and Carly

a nutcracker she wanted.

Christmas Day was a really good day. It started around 2 am. Bridgett and I had stayed up and since this was probably the last time the older kids would even kindof believe in You-know-who we decided to have fun. I took a door hanger that had a lot of bells on it and quietly jingled them up in their hallway outside their doors. Then I rang them lightly downstairs while Bridgett went and woke the kids up to tell them Santa was downstairs and that they might be able to catch him. I ditched it just in time and my reason for being downstairs was that I went to the bathroom and then hid when I heard the bells because I didn't want Santa to see me. Anyway, it at least put a question in Russell's head. He had already been told from peers the "real deal" but he finally decided that his Mom would never have bought all the video games that Santa had brought all these years. He wanted to believe it obviously. Carly, on the other hand, I think perhaps was just enjoying the theatrical performances by me and her mom. Anyway, the kids looked at their presents, played a bit, had a few pieces of candy, and then went to bed. We all slept late and because of Aidan and Ainsley taking naps... the present unwrapping wasn't until after lunch time. Once the presents were done.. the boys went and played with a new video game, Carly ran around taking videos (she got a new Hannah Montana video camera), and we all just relaxed. Later, we shooed the kids outside because it was a nice, WARM day. I taught the boys the basics on how to use their skateboards we'd bought them. I really enjoyed that. Cole is a natural I think. He didn't do all that great for awhile because he'd just hop on it and go but he started doing surprising things with the board after a bit. Russell did very well but I think it's because he tried hard. It was a really lovely, relaxed Christmas. The only blights were that Aidan's arm was so sore and Mutti wasn't there.

SANTA CAME!!!

What he left for my girls.....

Yay Presents! Hmm... tasty!

Not much of a haul for two kids is it? LOL

Trying them out!