A Whole Hand

I can't believe Marlee is now 5 years old! As she says, she's a whole hand now! To mark this special occasion, she scored a trip to Atlanta to the American Girl store. I think I was more excited than she was. LOL She did enjoy walking around the store but quickly grew tired and wanted to go back to the hotel.

A New Chapter

This week our family will start a new chapter. I officially start back to work tomorrow. Of course there are mixed emotions, but I am choosing to focus on the positive things surrounding the changes. I am thrilled to go back to the classroom and to third grade. Thankfully I have great memories of teaching third grade at Big Creek, so I will pull from those memories during the first few weeks back.

I know the next month or so will be challenging, but I believe everyone is up for it. At least I hope we are. Maybe now my kids will nap and go to bed at a reasonable time. A mom can wish right? With a full time job comes full time childcare for Marlee and Cooper. Their new school is minutes from Chad and I. Their classrooms are right beside each other and each room has a class pet. Marlee and Cooper are so excited about their new school that they decided to sleep in their clothes for tomorrow.

I will post pictures of their first day of school sometime this week but for now here are a few pictures of my classroom. It's almost ready... (I took the pictures with my phone)

Summer Fun with Family

It's a Small World

We ran into some family while we were at the beach. It has been several years since we last saw them. It was great to share dinner, ice cream, and good stories together.

Monday Do-Over

Monday was a day I would have liked to have done over. The kids were terrible, and I was in a funky mood. That leads to disasters many times. (So much of a disaster this time around that I pulled out my love and logic AND scream free parenting books!) I was in need of a refresher and an attitude adjustment.   Thank goodness we had preschool Tuesday and Wednesday. So, when I woke up this morning, I promised myself and the kids we would have a do-over of Monday.

Homemade pancakes and free-play, while I cleaned up the kitchen made everyone happy. Then we got dressed and headed outside for a short walk. It was  such a beautiful day, that we packed our lunches, grabbed the water bottles, and headed to The UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge  for a hike. I thought the kids could go on a nature gathering walk, but the signs said you could not gather anything for keeps.

We walked two of the trails and will definitely be back later in the spring. It was gorgeous outside and the perfect day for a hike. I think we walked about a mile and a half. The kids worked up a sweat and appetite. They also had signs posted about not being able to picnic, so we headed to a  new playground to eat lunch and play.

Love and Logic with my Scream-Free Parenting books are working their magic again. Today has been a great Monday do-over!

Buddies

Marlee and Cooper have become such buddies lately. They are playing so well together, and really seem to enjoy each others company. That's not to say they don't fight over toys or aren't mean to each other. They definitely have their moments, but for the most part they gel really well. I love to sit back and listen to their imaginative play conversations. They each will take the lead and direct their play. I hope they always remain close friends by choice.

Bubba

Yes, that nickname can still be heard around here from time to time. I was finally able to get some pictures of the cutest little boy. Enjoy!

Life Cycles

Marlee has become very curious about nature lately, and as a result, so has Cooper. We have very deep conversations for a 4 and 3 year old about things in nature and other events happening around them. So in an effort to explain on of their questions we ordered a living butterfly garden. Boy has this piqued their interests. They check on the caterpillars several times a day. I know they will be overjoyed to see butterflies when it is all said and done. I ordered through Insect Lore. They also have lady bugs and ants you can discover. I plan to order those if the butterflies are a success.  (I'll add pictures as the life cycle progresses)

Playing in the Rain

Boy it has been awfully rainy here and it isn't officially spring yet. We took advantage of a warm afternoon after a rain storm to splash in puddles. This never gets old for my kids. We went straight from the puddles to the shower to clean up. Clothes were soaking wet, but my kids were so happy.

More Fun in the Sun

We had some nice, sunny weather this past weekend. The kids rode and rode their bikes. We drew with chalk and even played soccer with our new neighbors.

Marlee and Cooper were racing back. Cooper is winning. Look at that determination!?!?

She is so mad that she lost. She would not look at the camera.

All is right in Marlee's world.

He had to push it across the finish line. (Not really. When his peddle gets stuck he gets off and pushes.)