11-18-15 Giveaway Time!!

It's that time again! The time when I arbitrarily decide to have a giveaway and invite you to play along! Today's game is simple.

In honor of my daughter's new found love of the movie Inside Out, I am posting a bunch of pictures of C and a couple of her cousins showing off every emotion we could think of. After reviewing them all, post which one you like the best and why, (either by commenting on this post on Blogger or commenting on the FB link.) Tomorrow evening Baby E will randomly choose a winner from all the posts and that lucky person will get a wonderful, surprising, and/or exciting gift in the mail. (Said gift will be under $10 and Amazon Prime eligible.)

1- Happy

2- Serious

3- Sad

4- Scared

5- Disgusted

6- Sad (again)

7- Surprised

8- Silly

If you remember, I mentioned that I hadn't told the kids where we were going last night. On the way to the party, C kept chiding me that it was late and she was supposed to be going to bed. She was tired and we were driving for too long! She certainly got over her sleepiness when she saw all her cousins!

Baby E was surprisingly not interested in birthday cake last night. Perhaps his sugar rush from earlier in the week weighed heavily on his mind... OR maybe he was just overtired and not interested in eating.

Big E was disappointed that we didn't play in the play area the entire time.

The kids were exhausted when we left, but it didn't keep them from jabbering the entire way home... Seriously, I expected they would all pass out before we got there. C was asleep when we pulled into our parking spot at home, but I'm not convinced that it was genuine. She has a habit of 'falling asleep' close to home in hopes that we will just carry her up to bed and tuck her in. She thinks if we fall for it, she won't have to brush her teeth or use the potty before bedtime.

This little fellow enjoyed the play area. He didn't get to play on anything,
but he did get to scream at the top of his lungs as all his cousins ran past,
so that made his evening!

This little guy will be the next kid to have a birthday. I can't believe how
much he has grown in the past few months. He is such a little charmer! Love him!

My silly kids...

This kid is pretty introspective. 

This little guy is such a sweetie. He has two older sisters, but he
certainly seems to hold his own! Love him!

My sweet girl. She makes my heart happy!

This beauty has a sweet and independent personality. I rarely
see her in a bad mood. What a cutie!

The birthday boy! I can't believe he is already two! He's also a smily kid,
(except for when they wouldn't let him take his half eaten cupcake
into the play area. Poor little guy!) 

Tim and I have been talking about cutting Big E's hair. We know it is time, but
have been kind of hesitant because it looks like it might be all brown hair
underneath. We are holding on to the last vestiges of his baby blondness
for just a little while longer!! (We did get a comment yesterday that he
is starting to look like part of the British invasion!) 

This group of blondies are all close to the
same age and are great pals!

A table full of happiness! 

11-18-15 Parents' Day!

Today was parents' day at C's school. I've been looking forward to this day for weeks! As a working mom, I am used to dropping my kids off with people that I trust and then picking them up in the evening, knowing little about the details of their day, but confident in the fact they have been well cared for and loved.

School is an entirely different matter. Putting C on the school bus each morning and sending her off into the unknown always makes me a little uneasy. I don't personally know anyone well at C's school and I just have to trust that she's making friends and fitting in.

Walking into her classroom was a real treat. She had no idea that we were coming so it was heartwarming to see her face light up when she spotted us! We got to watch her interact with her classmates. I met a couple of her friends and made mental notes of the kids she often mentions when she is at home. It is nice to have faces to put to names!

We were pretty disappointed that C's teacher wasn't there, and instead the class was being run by a substitute. I kind of felt cheated, because, while this woman was nice, she didn't know the kids, was reading from lesson plans, and didn't really have a lot of energy.

We could hear the other classes laughing and singing, while our class was sedate, and well... boring. The parents in other classes were sitting with their kids, doing activities, and we sat at the back of the room staring at the back of our kid's head for an hour and a half.

I made a mental note to finish the volunteer paperwork so that I can come in one day and really see what it is like.

C was telling me just last night about the turkey she made
in school. It was hanging on the wall outside of her classroom. 

The first 10-15 minutes of class time was them sitting at their tables reading...
quietly... So we sat in our chairs... quietly. It would have been nice
if they had offered to let us sit with the kids and read with them. 

The kids are collectively writing a few sentences.
 Apparently they do this each morning.
C kept glancing back to make sure we were still there.

Seriously, I loved seeing my girl this morning and being in her classroom, I just wish it had been more interactive. 

Things we noticed about C in class...

1- She is one of the shortest kids. 

2- She never raises her hand to answer questions, but you can see her mouthing the answers.

3- Because she sits in the front of the class, she doesn't get distracted by the other kids fidgeting around her. (The teacher told us last week that she usually puts C in between two of the rowdier boys because she is so calm and it calms them down.) 

4. She follows directions very well. 

5. She gets very nervous when she stands up in front of the class to give answers. She was asked questions that I know she knows the answers to, but in front of everyone she clammed up. (She gets that honestly from her mama! I was always one of the shyest kids in class! If the teacher called on me, I would cry!) 

6- She is surprisingly good at the song Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes!