Oh Noah

My nephew, Noah, lost a tooth and wanted to leave the Tooth Fairy a note. He said he couldn't find any paper, so he saw a check on the counter that my sister, Sarah, was going to cash. He crossed her signature off and proceeded to write his message. It says, "Hi tooth fairy, I lost a tooth today." On the top, it says from Noah.

Of course, Sarah wasn't pleased, but she couldn't help but laugh.

Congratulations

Since she has posted it on facebook, I think it's okay for me to share Matt and Jenna's news. A BABY! Jenna is due August 1st! We all hope she gets really fat. Aren't we nice?

All joking aside, we couldn't be happier for them. She's been sick on and off throughout the first trimester, so hopefully she starts feeling better soon! I hope this baby is ready to be a part of our family. For those trying to keep track, baby will be the 8th grandchild for my parents.

Ahoy Matey

 The kids had a pirate theme in preschool last week. They all brought home pirate hats. They looked too darn cute. Most of the pictures are of Mia because the other two kept running away.

I can't believe Ash Wednesday is tomorrow. It kind of snuck up on me. We're off to Target when the kids get home to buy their Valentine's and some treats to bring. They are so excited about picking them out!

 I had parent-teacher conferences last night. Their teachers are pleased with the progress they've made. Allison and Julie think the twins will do great on the kindergarten screening. I'm pretty nervous about it. Ethan and Mia are pretty shy around strangers, so I don't think they're going to do half of what they ask them. The teachers told me that they meet with the kindergarten teacher to tell them about each child and their personality. They also share what they know and don't know. This helped my nerves a little because they can do almost all of the things they ask on the screening.

I'm pushing for them to go to kindergarten although sad at the same time. I know they are ready and by the time kindergarten starts, they will be 5 1/2, almost 6. If I hold them back, they'll be almost 7 by the time they start kindergarten and Ethan, Mia, and Riley would be in the same grade. I wouldn't do that to the twins, so Riley would be held back as well.

Julie was pretty impressed with how Riley is doing. She all ready recognizes some letters of the alphabet which is a skill that is beyond her age. We still have some numbers to work on, but she's doing well. So far, none of them will go to summer school unless they see a dramatic change with how they're doing in school.

 The kids came back last night from Grandpa Casey's and Grandma Joanne's house. They had been asking to stay with my parents, and since they didn't have school Monday and Tuesday, I thought it would be the perfect time. They did really well although I think they were starting to miss Mom and Dad.

Mike and I had a much deserved break. We slept in, went out to eat, and watched movies. I think every couple needs a free weekend every few months. It does wonders!

 It's hard to believe that Riley's birthday is in a month. She really wants to go swimming, but with what happened at her birthday last year, I don't really want to go near a pool. She wants a Hello Kitty birthday cake, so we'll see how that goes.

New Daycare

We decided to switch day cares. Mia and Riley did all right in the big daycare center (I wouldn't say they loved it), but Ethan was a different story. I could tell a difference in his behavior right from the start. He was more aggressive and just plain naughty. I put him in time-out constantly.

His teacher, Allison, even sent me an email about him misbehaving in preschool. Allison said he was putting together a 25 piece puzzle and she told him it was time to put it away. He wasn't quite finished so he got mad and threw it. She said puzzle pieces went everywhere. Allison made him sit back down and put the puzzle back together. She said he's never done it again. :) (I absolutely love his teacher!) She said he quit participating in circle time and singing songs, which he's never done. He also started using the word poopy in preschool and said it constantly.

I wanted to pull them out the first month (after I received her email.) Mike convinced me to leave them there for a few more weeks to see how he did. Ethan seemed to get a little better but still wasn't loving it.

A school-aged kid started picking on him and started calling him all sorts of nasty names (fucker and told him he was going to kick his ass.) I told the daycare teacher, but Ethan didn't know his name, so it wasn't much help.

Ethan sobbed and threw himself to the ground when I'd leave in the mornings. I really think he was scared to be there. His teacher said he'd sob for an hour after I'd leave. I knew it was more than separation anxiety because Ethan isn't a crier.

I told Mike that I was putting our two week notice in. I didn't have anyone lined up to watch the kids, but I didn't care at that point.

I found an ad advertising an in-home daycare. I was kind of nervous because I didn't know her, but we went and met her a couple of weeks ago. I knew immediately that the kids would like it there. Mia and Riley made  themselves right at home playing with the toys. Ethan was more reserved and held my hand the entire time we were there.

There were some tears shed the first couple of days (by Ethan and Riley) but that didn't last long. In fact, the first day, Mia told me that she liked Traci's house and that it was fun. Ethan piped in, "yeah, I like Traci's house." The kids really like going there. Traci is really laid back about things. It's kind of like dropping the kids off at your sister's house.

She only has 6 kids so it's pretty small. She watches a couple of babies, so the girls are in heaven. There's a 5 year old little boy that Ethan gets to play with.

Ethan is so much happier. His teacher emailed me yesterday and said she notices a difference in his behavior since starting with Traci. It's so nice knowing my kids like going there and they're well taken care of. It makes going to work so much easier!

Family Picture

I feel so blessed to have such a great family! I know I don't say it enough, but I love them to pieces.

 I hope this next year will go as well as last year minus all the medical bills. :)

Merry Christmas!

 I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. I can't believe I'm a month late in posting this. Why am I always behind?

We hosted Christmas this year which is quite the feat since there's a total of 21 people in my immediate family. Half stayed at our house and half stayed at Sarah's house. It didn't seem that chaotic, but I should probably ask Mike since I'm used to it.

 We went to Sarah's church on Christmas Eve and went back to her house to eat soup and chili. The kids were chomping at the bit to open their gifts. I love watching the kids. It's my absolute favorite part. They get so excited.

 The best face award definitely goes to Mia this year. I got some really good pictures of her. I love her expressions!

 My princess, Riley, insisted on wearing a tiara. Isn't her hair growing back nicely? I can just get it into a pony-tail. She is still embarrassed about people laughing at her hair, so she always wears a headband.

 The kids adore Evan. He was tolerable of all the "attention." Though, he let us know when it got to be too much. He is crawling all over the place.

 Riley received a baby doll, doll supplies, and barbie dolls. She was happy with her gifts.

 Ethan is obsessed with Spiderman and Batman. Most of his gifts fit into those two categories.

 Mia and her "Monster Dollies." She has an obsession with them. She will watch them on youtube and likes to watch make-up tutorials on how to paint your face like the Monster High Dolls.

 Mia also loves Hello Kitty. Grandma and Grandpa bought her so much Hello Kitty stuff. She was in heaven.

 I found this brand of dolls that look real. Riley is obsessed with babies, so I had to get it for her. She better not draw all over it!!! She draws on every one of her babies.

 I love her face. She's so happy!

 Mia likes to pretend that she's a teacher, so Grandma and Grandpa bought her a pretend school set.

Christmas went by way too fast! It was fun spending time with family. We don't get together nearly enough!

Photo Session

 I did a couple of photo sessions with my kids. I was trying to get pictures for our Christmas card. I could never be a kid photographer. NEVER. I took over 900 pictures between the two sessions. I was happy that a handful turned out!

 They were getting so sick of taking pictures. I kept bribing them to smile.

This is my favorite picture. I'm going to get this blown up! I love it!