Preschool Highlights

Isabella's first year of preschool ended last week. I can hardly believe it. When I look back on the progress she's made, I have no doubt in my mind I made the right decision to send her (even though she was the youngest child in her class). I had faith in my little girl and I knew she would thrive; I just had no idea how much. Here are some photos from her first year in preschool.

This was her very first day of school. Isn't she tiny? I look back on this photo and wonder how I ever left her there that day.

Her teacher, Mrs. Juanita, took this picture on Isabella's first day. She cried for a few minutes after I left her, and then off and on during the day. She looks pretty upset here, poor little thing. And don't think for a second I didn't stand out in the hallway with tears in my own eyes after I left her. I watched the security camera monitor for twenty minutes, just to make sure she was okay.

Soon, however, Isabella decided she would rather be at school than just about anywhere else. She would frequently run down the hall, backpack in place, lunchbox swinging, to her teacher and friends with barely a backward glance at her poor mommy. What a difference just a few days made.

She had her second birthday just three weeks after school began. Yes, I started her in preschool before she was even two-years-old. I feel a little guilty about that, but like I said, I had a feeling she would do well. Mrs. Juanita decorated the classroom door in honor of Isabella's birthday.

I made cupcakes for her classmates that day. Chocolate on chocolate with sugary Elmo heads on top. Yum!

Early in the school year, the local fire department came to give a lesson on fire safety to all of the children. They brought their trucks for the kids to explore.

They were each given a plastic fireman helmet to take home. This was a big hit!

Here she is playing dress-up in the classroom. What a sense of style!

One of the highlights of the year was the Halloween parade. All of the children dressed up as one of "God's Creations." Isabella was a ladybug. They trick-or-treated their way through the church. I volunteered to hand out candy just so I could see how she responded to the excitement. The kids were adorable, especially my little ladybug.

Isabella really loved her daily time on the playground.

It took her awhile to get used to the swings, but she soon got the hang of them.

She became quite adventurous. This little girl loves to climb!

This log cabin was one of her favorite playground pieces. It's fitting, considering the family business.

Fall arrived and with it came sweet friendships between Isabella and her "Mingos." (This is Isabella's word for her friends. Mrs. Juanita taught them the Spanish word "Amigo" for "friend." Since she couldn't quite say it, she settled for "Mingo").

Here is my little girl on the night of the Christmas program. She was so excited to be on stage. Once she spotted her family, she spent the remainder of the program waving to us and yelling our names: "Hi, Pappy!" "Hi, Daddy!" "It's, Grammy!" "There's my Mommy!" And so on, and so on...

She really enjoyed physical education time in the gym. She learned how to do somersaults and how to play interactive games with other kids. This was some of the most valuable time spent in school this year. Her socialization skills really seemed to blossom during this time.



Here is a (very poorly recorded) video of Isabella's Spring performance. I don't know if I have ever tried so hard to keep from laughing and crying at the same time. Notice how the audience starts laughing when she begins her jumping routine. I apologize in advance for quality of the video. The kids are precious, regardless.

Lining up for the Easter Egg Hunt! She was so proud of her basket of eggs. When she came home, she very carefully laid out each egg, then organized them by color, and then by her favorite color. Next, she opened each one and was utterly delighted to find the surprises.

Here is Isabella and her classmates with their donations for the St. Jude Walk-a-thon. The kids actually took part in walking for this wonderful cause and my best friend, Amanda, came to tell the children about her own precious son's battle with leukemia, which he has beaten. God answers prayers.

Isabella and her "Mingos" with Mrs. Kristie during Enrichment. The time Mrs. Kristie spent with the class came to be a daily highlight for Isabella.

Isabella and her friend, Miles. Aren't they sweet together?

One of the best things about sending Isabella to preschool was the artwork that came to adorn the side of my refrigerator. I have saved each and every masterpiece.

Here she is painting my Mother's Day gift. For some reason, purple paint became her favorite medium.

Birthday cupcakes for one of Isabella's "Mingos."

Here are Phillip and Isabella eating gravy and biscuits during the special breakfast the school hosted for all the daddies. (Don't they look alike?)

Here's Isabella and her class on Pajama Day. They all wore their "jommies" (as Isabella calls them) to school, even Mrs. Juanita.

Isabella and Mrs. Juanita, the most precious teacher we could have hoped for. Isabella talks about her every day. She will truly be missed next year.

I'm so proud of how Isabella has grown this year. Each day she went to class changed her just a little bit. She would get in the car each afternoon and talk nonstop about her day. While I'm looking forward to our time together this summer, I can't wait to see how she'll grow next year.

A Wonderful Mother's Day Weekend

What a truly special Mother's Day I had this year. Phillip and my little ones went out of their way to make the entire weekend one to remember. It all began when I picked up Isabella from preschool late last week and was presented with my very first handmade Mother's Day gift.


Isabella and her teacher, Mrs. Juanita, made me this little flower. Isabella hand-painted the flower and little pot all by herself. She was so proud of it, she wanted to take it with her when I put her down for her nap. I managed to sneak this photo without waking her.

Next, Sophia made my Mother's Day extra special by taking her first continuous steps. She had already been taking one or two steps at a time, but last week she finally decided it was time to walk. Phillip managed to get one photo of her in action. Notice the blur behind her as she moved. My life is about to get even busier.

Saturday morning we got up and went to breakfast as a family, as we usually do. We love to take Isabella to McDonald's. She plays on the slide and then runs by our table every few minutes for a forkful of gravy and biscuits, her very favorite food.


Next, we went to Lowe's to buy flowers for our front flower beds. We let Isabella choose one special flower of her own to take care of. She chose a very pretty yellow one, which we planted right in the middle (where she told us to, of course). Isabella had a wonderful time digging with her pink trowel and watering everything but the flowers with her pink watering can. It was a very special thing to work in the yard for the first time as a family.

While the girls were asleep, Phillip brought me a bouquet of flowers for Mother's Day. He chose the white roses and purple penstemons himself. They made a beautiful spring arrangement.


After the girls got up from their naps, we went to mom and dad's house for dinner.


The girls had a ball riding the four-wheeler with their Daddy and Pappy.




The next morning we went to church. Phillip ordered my favorite Chinese take-out for lunch, and while we waited, we took some family pictures around the church after the parking lots cleared.







After the girls' nap, we visited with Phillip's mom and dad for a little while and then took the girls to the park. Sophia had a ball watching her big sister from her wagon seat and Isabella kept her daddy busy on the swings and slides.



After the girls went to bed, Phillip grilled steaks for dinner and we settled in to watch Desperate Housewives together. It was truly a very special weekend. I feel so blessed to have my little family and I know I will cherish these memories forever.

A Singular Sense of Style

"Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess."

~Edna Woolman Chase, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Magazine, 1914-1952

Look out, Paris and Milan! Isabella Madeline is ready to walk the runway and show the dreadful designers of the fashion world a thing or two about style.

First, forget Manolo Blahnik. The trendy footwear for this summer season is a pair of chunky, pink ski boots. They are the perfect shoe for any girl about to hit the park for an afternoon of swinging, sliding and sidewalk-chalk-drawing. And don't forget your bubbles! They are a much more functional accessory than last-year's designer diaper bag.

Second, make sure you have a variety of hair accessories. These funky little clips are available in a wide array of colors to match nearly any set of play clothes, and they're easy enough for the tiniest toddler to use. They are completely suitable for playground and playdate alike.

Third, never forget your shades. Jimmy Choo has nothing over on these hip pink-and-green sunglasses with white daisy detail. This is the trend that will be sweeping the playgrounds this summer season.

Look, the trend is already spreading. You go, girl!

Fourth, it is a well-known modeling secret that wearing shoes that are a little too large can make our ankles appear smaller. Check out your very fashionable mommy's closet for a suitable pair. And don't be held back by tradition - wear them on the wrong foot if you want. It's all about the attitude!

Finally, keep in mind that all girls are princesses at heart, so pick your favorite Disney Diva and adopt her style as your own. After all, what girl doesn't want a fancy dress, a castle, and a handsome prince of her very own?

If you follow these easy steps, you will never again be the victim of another fashion faux pas. Isabella will be gracing the cover of Vogue any day, and I will be able to say, "I knew her when."

That is..."I knew her when she wanted to wear bunny ears to bed."

I'll Call It a "Rite of Passage" for Mommies

I've heard my friends talk about it. I've read about others' experiences of it in parenting magazines. I've even witnessed it firsthand. Somehow, however, I never thought I would get to that point in my child-rearing experience. Somehow, I thought my children would stay tiny and mute forever, or at least they would just know how to behave without me having to "shush" them under my breath.

Well, it has now happened to me. I am now one of the millions of mommies who must endure the potential humiliation on a semi-regular basis for the next few years at least. What, you may ask, is this dreaded experience to which I refer?

Taking a preschooler into a public restroom.

I vaguely recall those carefree days before babies when I could excuse myself to the ladies' room, go about my business, wash my hands, check my hair, freshen my lipstick, and return to my dinner companion or shopping cart in under five minutes. That is not the case now. No, now it is a far different experience altogether. Let me give you an example.

Today, I took Isabella and Sophia to Kohl's. As I was browsing the half-price picture frames, I decided to take a "quick" pit stop. I pushed my double stroller to Customer Service and into the ladies' restroom. This, by the way, is no easy job in and of itself. I love my double stroller, but when you are by yourself and attempting to move through any doorway, it might as well weigh 300 pounds and be the length of a railroad car.

Anyway, I made my way to the rear of the restroom to the handicapped stall, which is the only one large enough to accommodate my babies' behemoth ride. I carefully pushed them inside, taking care to park it just far enough away from both the wall and toilet seat, so that little hands couldn't touch anything even if they wanted to, which they did. I gave Isabella a stern warning not to put her hands on anything; Sophia just grinned open-mouthed, as usual.

Anyway, as I went about my business I was made privy to a point-by-point analysis by my eldest child of every sound that transpired. (My apologies to poor ladies who had to endure a critique of their business). The next few minutes went something like this:

(Woman enters restroom and chooses the stall next to ours)

Isabella: "You hear that?"

Mommy: "Yes, sweetheart, I do."

(Woman proceeds to do that which one is expected to do in a restroom)

Isabella: "You HEAR that?!"

Mommy: "Shhh, yes, sweetheart. Let's see if we can be quiet for a minute."

Isabella: "Mommy has to go potty!"

Mommy: "Yes, sweetheart, mommy does have to go potty. Let's talk about something else."

(Woman flushes toilet in the next stall)

Isabella: "Flush! Flush! Flush! YOU HEAR THAT!!!"

Mommy (as I take some toilet paper): "Yes, honey, that's a toilet flushing."

Isabella: "Mommy has toilet paper! Hi, toilet paper! Hi! Hello, toilet paper!"

Mommy (trying to leave as quickly as possible): "Okay, Isabella. Let's go bye-bye now. Mommy needs to wash her hands."

Isabella: "Is-bella wants to wash her hands, too. Is-bella wants to wash her hands, too. Is-bella wants to wash her hands, too..."

Mommy: "Okay, fine. Let me get you out of the stroller. Here, let me hold you up. Let's roll up your sleeves. Okay, here's some soap. Rub your hands together. No, don't splash the mirror. Yes, Isabella is pretty. Okay, here's a paper towel. Dry your hands. Let's get back into the stroller. No, you can't have princess cookies right now. Are you ladies ready to go?"

(Sophia just smiles open-mouthed, as usual, and I think to myself, "Uh-oh." I feel her pants and sure enough, I realize I can't leave the dreaded bathroom yet. You-know-who needs a diaper change. So, I unstrap Baby #2, change her diaper, and wash my hands again. All the while I acknowledge the empathetic looks cast my way by each and every woman who enters the restroom and witnesses me changing the diaper of one wiggly baby, carrying on a conversation with the second overly-verbose child and using my hot-pink-polished toes to scoot my mammoth stroller out of the way of each person who walks by. When I checked my watch, I discovered I had been in that torture chamber for nearly 15 minutes.

So much for my quick trips to the ladies' room.

Human Leg Warmers and Other Observations from Mommyhood

I'm sure most of you remember leg warmers, right? They were those fabulous fashion accessories from the 80's made popular by break dancers and the Material Girl. I remember having them in practically every color and sporting them most everywhere I went. I wore pale pink ones to ballet class, blue-and-white-argyle ones to school (over my acid-washed jeans, I might add), and red-and-white-striped ones with my roller skates. Additionally, I had a myriad of neutrals that I wore with everything else. I loved them. They were the epitome of cool, stylishness, and sexiness.

Weren't they?

Well, hind-sight is 20/20. At the time I thought they were "rad," but then I also thought penny-rolled jeans tucked into four pairs of scrunched socks, stuffed into LA Gear high tops were cool. I still wear leg warmers, but now mine are of a slightly different variety.


I wouldn't call my new leg warmers cool; instead they more or less drool. (I can't believe I just typed that terrible pun). And they're not so much sexy and stylish, as needy and childish. However, I love my new leg warmers more than all the trendy, neon-colored apparel I owned during the 80's. (And believe me, that's a lot). Yes, friends, my new leg warmers might not keep my legs warm so much as they cause me to trip over my own feet, and they might not win me any fashion awards, so much as they make me lose my sanity from time to time. But, there is nothing else as wonderful (or as difficult) as trying to make dinner with living, breathing leg warmers welded to your calves, looking up expectantly and with so much love in their big eyes as you chop vegetables with six-inch Santoku knives, pull steaming casseroles out of 400 degree ovens, and transfer boiling pots from stove top to sink. It's definitely a challenge, but the frustration I sometimes feel melts as soon as I look down into my little one's sweet, smiling face.

The intermittent high-pitched squeals, giggles and cries are just an added benefit of my changing fashion sense.

*****

Along those same lines, have you ever tried to clean out cabinets, closets or drawers with an infant, a toddler, a preschooler, or any combination thereof nearby? I am attempting to get ready for a garage sale, which at this point will be held sometime between next month and next year. You know how it is. When the kids are asleep is the only time I can clean out their closets and toy boxes, but how do I clean out their closets and toy boxes without waking them? It's a vicious cycle and I'm open to suggestions.

Aside from the nurseries and my struggles to cull their old things, I have been culling a few of my own old things. I just bought a new set of "everyday dishes," as I call them. I am so happy to be getting rid of my old out-dated dishes, and I eagerly anticipated packing them up for the garage sale. Thinking I would do this while Isabella was at preschool, I began the task of washing my new dishes and wrapping up my old ones. Can you guess who wanted to help?

She unpacked and I repacked. She unpacked and I repacked. She unpacked and I repacked. And on and on. Finally, I grabbed the packing tape, closed the box and sat on top of it while I taped it shut. At this rate, I'll be having the garage sale sometime after my youngest one goes to college. I hope she doesn't mind having breast pump accessories and a Bumbo chair in her closet until then.

*****

And by the way, how many of these things does one household need?

This picture does not even count the one Sophia is currently drinking from, the one Isabella has at preschool with her, the one left in Sophia's room from last night, or the countless cups under the front passenger seat in my car. They are spilling out of my cabinets and filling up my dishwasher like a big, pink, plastic tidal wave. I especially love it when I find one that has had milk in for a week hiding under the crib, or even better, in Isabella's refrigerator. She tells me that she puts them in her little refrigerator because mommy puts them in the big refrigerator. Oh, well. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Now What Am I Going to Do?

I was at Wal-Mart yesterday and got some truly awful news...

THEY'VE STOPPED CARRYING RINGO'S!!!

In fact, according to their frozen foods manager, they've "deleted them from [their] inventory, and don't even have a spot on the shelf for them anymore." Whose misguided, boneheaded, uninformed-knowledge-of-how-a-two-year-old's-mind-works idea was this?!

What, you may ask, are Ringo's? Well, for one, they are frozen pieces of pre-cooked chicken formed into a ring-like shape. (I'm Queen of the Obvious tonight). Secondly, and most importantly, Ringo's are just about the only thing Isabella will eat! (Note the panic in my voice). I truly don't know what I'm going to do. My child won't eat just any chicken nugget like most kids. No, for some reason my child specifically likes these, and requests them with "tetchup" on a nearly daily basis.

If anyone sees these in any other grocery store, please let me know. Before long, I suspect they will appear on e-bay as some unscrupulous frozen-foods distributor discovers the army of preschooler moms who are desperate to feed their children ring-shaped, compressed, frozen chicken that microwaves to perfection in just one minute.

Hey, you do what you have to do to get your 25-pound preschooler to eat. Can I get an "Amen?"

Sophia's Big Day

It's hard to believe, but my sweet little Sophia just turned one.

We had a "Little Princess" theme and celebrated with just our immediate family. This is the pattern that was used on the balloons, napkins, and invitations.

My mom and dad, (a.k.a., "Moostie" and "Pappy") came over early to get a lesson from Sophia on the proper care and feeding of a Bitty Baby.

Isabella helped me set up for the party. (I think every one of these pink cups wound up on the floor at some point during this process).

Here is Sophia's "cupcake cake." It was half vanilla and half chocolate with butter cream frosting. What better to give a one-year-old for her very first taste of cake?

Isabella was only too happy to help "Sister" blow out her candles. She practiced for days; she considered it her personal gift to Sophia.

Here's Sophia helping herself to her first piece of cake. I must admit, she was extremely neat about it. She didn't get one bit on her outfit, and hardly any on her face.

My grandmother, Sophia's great-grandmother, fed her her very first ice cream. She actually liked it even better than the cake.

Phillip's mom and dad, otherwise known as "Grammy" and "Papaw" gave Sophia a Toddle Tune Car as one of her gifts. Obviously, Isabella loved it, too.

Here's our birthday girl enjoying her gift from "Uncle J" and "Aunt Nanner." She loves this!

This is short video of Sophia enjoying her birthday balloons with her Pappy. The camera angle is just awful, but the squeals of happiness are all that matter. This may have been the highlight of her day.

We had such a wonderful day. I am so proud of my little girl.