Annie's First Pigtails

The Hola Camel Show

Inspired by her first lesson in Spanish this year (where the kids reveiwed the words "hello" and "goodbye" in Spanish), Leia Rose drew a wonderful "flag" of a camel and a cactus, both saying "hola" that I waved during the show. SO fun!!!

A New School Tradition

When I was teaching high school, there was an assignment I gave the students to write about a common event in their lives that inspired them the most. One student wrote about how, coming from a family of 6, her Mom didn't have a lot of personal time to spend with her; however, every Friday morning, her mom would take her out to McDonalds, . . . just the two of them. It was always their special time to talk and to bond, just mother and daughter. Well, that essay really affected me, . . . and I vowed right then and there that when my children started elementary school (and all the way up through high school) we would do this, too. I would change it a little bit and make the idea my own in my own way, . . . I wanted a fancier restaurant for us to share, . . . and I wanted Leia Rose to have her pick of days and of places. But the principle is still the same. So the first week of school it began: Leia Rose chose "Thursday" as her day, and we went out to our first trial restaurant: the Fireside Inn. Very nice!!! She also wants to try Mean Mr. Mustard's Cafe, . . . and Dennys. : ) Yep, fancy places that open by 6:30 AM are slim pickins around here. : ) We had wonderful conversation today, . . . and I'm looking forward to these memories thoroughout all of Leia's weeks, months, and years of school. : )

Annie's Special Picture

Today during our "Learning is Fun Time," Annie drew a wonderful picture with our "smelly" markers (those are the ones that smell like fruit flavors). She did a REALLY good job. We have been working on colors these days anyway, so this activity was to draw something different for each color. Here you can see a black spider, two blue eyes, a big yellow cheese, an orange piece of cantaloupe, "a bunch" of red apples, four purple grapes, a green froggy "hoppin'" (which is the green dots), a pink pig, a brown cat (with two pointed ears). And for a two-year-old, I think this is REALLY good!!!

Two Cute Things

Had to put this picture in for two reasons: 1. you can see that Leia has buttoned her uniform shirt herself after gym, . . . because the buttons are off by one. : ) and 2. this is a picture of "cows eating cherries," but I'll tell ya', Leia hated me to laugh at this, but to me it really looked like a cannibalistic cow eating one of its own! I kept saying, "Why is there blood dripping from his mouth, Leia?!?" And she kept replying, "Those are CHERRIES, Mom!" Ha!

Potties, not Poopies

Annie is now totally potty trained! (Um, but not poopie trained.) This is a common sight in our house: Annie sitting on her potty chair earning her m&m's. : ) She no longer needs any rubber pants, . . . and won't even potty during nap or while we are out. But I'll tell ya', I can't get this child to make a poopie in the chair. Poops are ALWAYS in the pants. *sigh* We'll get there!

More Peri Time

Every day it simply amazes me how much joy Peri inspires with our girls. This is Leia's very favorite picture of him, . . . because he's perched within the "bunny house" that Leia Rose made. And you know what? Peri LOVES this thing! He actually goes in there! Further, he has spent a few days nibbling the other side to make an actual back door! Now he likes to go in Leia's way and out his own way!

In addition to "Peri Dress-Up Time," Annie likes to simply snuggle with Peri. One of Peri's favorite places to rest is behind our loveseat. Well, today Annie pushed herself back there just to snuggle. : )

And despite the big broccoli stem above, it's hard to imagine just how much this rabbit tolerates. ; )

"Peri Dress-Up Time," an original song by Annie.

Leia's First Day of First Grade

I had tears in my eyes this morning as I looked at my little Catholic schoolgirl! : ) Mrs. Breerwood (the new principal) held out her arms to Leia as she entered the building and said, "How can you NOT want to teach THIS!?!" : ) The most amazing thing about the day? Leia Rose came home bursting with excitement about what the Friars had told them at assembly: "They said that when they become friars, they leave their family, but that's okay because now WE are their family!" Gosh, I'm glad my children are growing up among the religious! : ) Secondly, an interesting activity today was that each child was given a paper "person" with his or her name on it, then they were to place the person where in the world he or she visited. Now, consider all of our numerous travels this summer. Guess what Leia Rose picked? The visit to Buffalo to visit Great Grandma Betty! No one was happier than me that my child chose a visit to extended family as her most memorable trip of the summer!

Meanwhile, at home, Annie and I got to do some work on our own. I had gotten a really wonderful preschool workbook perfect for her age. We're doing a few sheets every day along with reading and other fun activities. Today it was a raisin book (where you place the raisins to make pictures), sorting laundry into "light and dark," and then washing the car! : )

In this picture, I think Annie looks just like me when I was two.

Immaculata Open House 2009

There was no one more excited for today than Leia Rose, . . . well except maybe Annie. : ) Leia has been waiting for this for SO long, and was SO excited to meet her new teacher Mrs. Canning and assistant Mrs. Okpych! Leia Rose found her hook for her bookbag and her desk by finding her name. One of only 19 in her class, Leia Rose has a desk right up front! We brought in her school supplies today and visited with all her old Immaculata pals: Mrs. Quarles and Mrs. Drajan included! : ) Leia felt SO at home! In fact, so much so, that the new principal came out of her office smiling to Leia Rose and Annie spinning in a circle and singing their new chant, "We love tomato sauce! We love tomato sauce!" Hahaha! My kids are always making an impression. ; )

Exploring Linville Caverns

Brian planned this wonderful trip as a special occasion celebrating our last weekend before school begins! What a daddy! : )

The story is that in the early 1800s, two fishermen discovered this underground stream and followed it inside the mountain, revealing a beautiful and hidden world. The fish in the stream are all blind, living their lives in total darkness.

Here is a picture of the unpolished gemstone found in the caverns called "cave onyx" or "carnelian," which has an opaque, amber-like appearance. We found some polished in the gift shop and some unpolished in the creek outside.

It's one of the few places on earth where one can experience total darkness: where the eyes will never adjust. (Another place is as the bottom of the ocean.) When we were a half-mile into the cavern and another half-mile under the mountain, they warned us, and then turned off the lights. The girls were prepared and, except for wanting to be held, they did GREAT! : )

Here is a picture of the oldest formation in the cavern, based on the time it takes to create one inch of stalactite, this formation has been growing for sixteen million years!

This trip also cleared up the difference between stalactites and stalagmites for me with a simple idea. Stalactites hang from the ceiling "where they hold on tight" while stalagmites grow from the ground "where they might" reach the ceiling someday.

Here a stalactite and stalagmite have grown together to form a column. Such neat things we learned today! Another cool fact is that defectors from the South during the Civil War hid in these caverns, . . . only to be given away by the smoke from their fires that was seen seeping out of the cracks in the mountain.
But the girls favorite part of the trip? The rock candy! (The tiny pieces of cave onyx and these two candy lollies marked some of the least expensive and special souvenirs I've ever purchased! . . . except for pressed pennies, of course.)

Strawberry Short "Cake"

Leia Rose came to me with a fabulous idea a few days ago, "Mamma! Let's make a cake just like the one in Strawberry Shortcake's Berrylicious Bake-Off (one of the girls' favorite Strawberry Shortcake books: a wonderful story where each Strawberryland "kid" contributes something to a grand baking project). Could a Mamma BE any prouder of her child's imagination!?! : )

As we waited for the cake part to bake, we thought it was appropriate to play Candy Land! : ) Meanwhile, we reviewed the ingredients from the book: orange juice in the batter, strawberry jam on the first layer, then the "yummy crispy cookie layer" full of ginger snaps, then the second cake layer, then more jam, then huckleberries (or in this case blueberries), and then fudge. Apple juice to drink!