Darling Divas

Emma & Hayden had gymnastics this evening and, as usual, begged Jen & I to take them out for ice cream afterwards. We decided to hit Rite-Aid for a more budget-friendly choice and the girls had quite some fun trying out all the summer hats and sunglasses as we waited in line. Jen snapped this picture of our little divas and it was just too cute not to share. :)

On a side note, Emma also had a dentist appointment this afternoon. She did wonderfully, sat still, and followed directions. And, the best news of all? NO CAVITIES!!!! : Go Emma, go Emma! :)

A fabulous start to the summer...

Today was our first day of summer vacation for Emma & I and we got right to work at having fun. First, we met up with our friends at Pump It Up so the little ones could bounce themselves silly. Then we went out to lunch and to play in the fountains at Victoria Gardens. After that, I took Emma & TJ over to Auntie Christine's new house so we could all go swimming. Then new rock wall turned into a climbing apparatus and it was just as big an attraction as the swimming pool! Little daredevils! Can't think of a better way to kick off the summer. :)

Goodbye, Preschool...

Today was Emma's last day as a preschooler.  She wanted to get presents for her teachers on the last day, so we made these reusable, freezable, cups filled with juice sticks and a sign stating "Thank you for sparking my creative juices this year." They turned out really cute and all her teachers seemed to really appreciate the gesture.

Emma is so excited to move on and wants to know if she can start kindergarten tomorrow. I am excited for her, but kind of sad at the same time. My sweet little baby is growing up far too quickly and I can't believe how much she has changed in such a seemingly short time. It was a wonderful year for Emma in the Orange room, thanks in no small part to Miss Deborah (her teacher) and Miss Blanca (one of the aides). These ladies work tirelessly with the kids and Emma loved going to school here. Miss Deborah gave Emma big hugs and a kiss goodbye. She told her that she loved her and that she is a very smart young lady with a wonderful mommy who will push her to accomplish great things. I thought it was awesome that she let Emma know how much confidence she has in her and that she knows Emma is capable of anything...

I was also able to snap a quick shot of Emma and her other BFF, Baron, on the way out today. He is her other long time buddy, together since infancy.  In fact, Baron was Emma's first non-family friend.  He is a few months younger than Emma though, so he won't get to start kinder with the other kids this fall. But his mommy & I will have to make sure to keep them in touch.

Some more Emma-isms...

While driving home from school the other day...

Emma: Mom, when it's Halloween this year, I want to be a Superhero.
Me: Ok. Like Wonder Woman?
E: No! I want to be Spidergirl! And TJ could be Spiderman.
Me: We could probably work that out.
E: OR... I think I should be Tinkerbell and Tj could be the boy fairy...
Me: Terrance?
E: Yeah! Terrance.
Me: I don't think that will happen, Em.
E: Why not?
Me: Because TJ's daddy is not going to let him be a fairy boy.
E: But WHY???
Me: Because he will say it's not boyish enough. It's too girly.
E: (scowling) Great. But then if I want to be a boy thing, then I'M going to get in trouble!
Me: No you won't.
E: How come?
Me: Because your Mommy doesn't believe in only boy or girl things. Boys and girls can both do whatever they want. Like playing with dolls or playing with cars. Both of those are okay for boys AND girls.
E: (Looking somewhat puzzled)... Hmmmm...
Me: Like, think of "boy" things Em. What "boy thing" would you really really like to do?
.... Long pause....
E: (with a giant smile!)... Pee in the yard! 
Well, if that's not gender equality, I don't know what is! :)

A four-year-old's view on the merits of Mother's Day...

E: Mom,can I have some of you coffee?
Me: No.
E: But Mo-om, it's MOTHER'S DAY!
Me: And?
E: And Mother's Day is about sharing. You need to share your stuff with me on Mother's Day.
Me: How is that different from every other day??
E: ... (long pause)... You're right. Sharing is good. You should practice sharing with me everyday!

The difficulties in rousing oneself in the morning....


trying to cajole Emma out of bed this morning...
Me: come on Emma, get up.
E: mmmmhmmm
Me: now. Let's go.
E: just a minute... I need to see something.
Me: What? You can't see anything in bed. We gotta go.
E: (half asleep, with her eyes still squinched shut) My dream! I'm trying to see the end of my dream. It's almost over...

What a little girl REALLY fears about starting Kindergarten...

So a while back Emma and I were driving and had the following conversation... it seems that quite a few of our more in-depth, heart to hearts happen while driving. So, anyway, out of the blue Emma sighs and says...
E: Mom, I'm going to start kindergarten soon...
Me: Yes...
E: And it's going to be different
Me: Yes....
E: And it might be hard.
Me: For a while...
E: No, it's going to be very hard.
So, here I'm thinking that my poor baby is scared of change and that I am going to have to comfort her and talk up all the merits of big kid school, etc.
Me: But you will be okay. New things are hard some times at first.
E (sigh): But I'm going to get so TIRED of hearing it all the time!
Me: Wha...??? Tired of what Em?
E: Of everyone wanting to be my friend! When I get there everyone is going to say 'Emma is my friend!' 'No, Emma is MY friend!' 'No, Emma play with me!' And I just get tired of it!
Me (thinking to myself "seriously? Is my kid's ego that big?"): Um, Emma, WHY do you think that that is what is going to happen?
E: Because I'll be the new kid and everyone will want to play with me....
And then the lightbulb clicked on and I realized that, thus far, she has moved up to a new class each time based on age. So each time a kid turns 18 months old, or 3 years old, etc, they move up and are the "new kid"
Me: Um, Emma, when you start kindergarten, EVERYONE is starting kindergarten that same day and you are ALL the new kids together.
E (long pause): Well... That doesn't sound quite as exciting! :(
Lol. Sorry kid that the world may not revolve around you that day! Lol

Orange Show

Karen & I took the kids to the Orange Show yesterday. We had a lot of fun and spent way too much money, but we all had a blast. Except that I was the idiot who agreed to take the little ones on the GIANT ferris wheel. Or, as I have renamed it, "The Wheel of Death!" Seriously, wide gaping openings to enter/exit the buggy that never close, no fencing or any type of enclosure around the top, and some BS, fabric loops that you can drape over your shoulders, if you want. That's it. No actual safety mechanisms and I am sitting there with 2 little kids and TJ is right next to the opening on one side and me on the other. I had my arm around both of them and my leg across both of them and blocking the opening. W.T.F.?! Shady, shady workmanship here... Other than that, it was a lot of fun. Kayla & Karen went on all the scary rides together and Emma & TJ were pleasantly surprised to learn that they are now tall enough for some of the "big kid" rides. Fun times....

Congratulations Katie!

Katie graduated from high school on Wednesday. We are so so proud of her and all her accomplishments. She is going to go to college in the fall and study culinary arts. This young lady has a good head on her shoulders and LOVES food, so I have no doubt she will do amazingly. Way to go Katie!!!

Kindergarten Evaluation & Orientation

On Friday afternoon I took Emma to her (prospective) new Kindergarten for an evaluation and orientation meeting. The kids were asked to go with the teachers so they could watch them play, ask some questions, etc while the parents stayed behind to hear about the program from the principal. Some kids whined or cried, but not my Emma. She ran up and gave me a kiss and then quickly got in line. She did very well on all her assessments. Recognized her letters (all upper & most lowercase), knows all her letter sounds, colors (duh!), and her phone number, birth date, etc. As far as numeracy skills, the score card only has a place to mark the kids up to 30, where they are allowed to make 2 mistakes or less per 10 numbers. The teacher had to add a note on the side stating that Emma could already count to 100+.... That's a kindergarten skill, being part of the "100 club." So so proud of my little smarty pants. :)

The tour of the school looked great too. I like the layout and the design of the school. They are an environmental science magnet school so get some extra funds and look like they use them well. There is a library, a computer lab, and an awesome science lab full of live reptiles, fish, rodents, etc and all kinds of museum quality specimens. The classes get to visit each of these locales once a week for enrichment services. They also, unlike most other kinder classes in the district, have a full time aid in the room which helps to offset some of the ridiculousness of the current 33:1 ratio. They do field trips and science projects and it just looks wonderful. Plus, as a magnet program, Emma can be bussed there in the morning, which will be a big help.

I am a little saddened about the fact that my "baby" is growing up so quickly but I am so excited for her to start this next chapter in her life...

The End of an Era...

Today was Mason's last day at preschool. Emma still has a couple more days, but this was her last day with her best buddy, her partner in crime, her "boyfriend" (as she refers to him). These two are so sweet, but so much trouble together. They have been in school together since I went back to work when Emma was just 3 months old. I can't believe how quickly 4 1/2 years have passed. Emma is going to miss being with Mason everyday... His mommy & I are going to have to make an effort to keep these 2 connected...

My dugout diva!

Emma is LOVING playing TBall this year, and she is getting better at it everyday. I am also enjoying being a "team mom" this year and getting to experience this all with her. These are some of her photos from this season and the bottom one is from the day she earned the game ball. So proud of my little tomboy. :)

School Performance

Emma had an end-of-the-year performance and picnic at school today. All the kids "shuffled" together and then they split up into gender groups. The boys "surfed" to a Beach Boys song and then Emma & the other girls did a hula dance to some song about a "little brown girl in a little grass skirt in a little brown hut in Hawaii." It was so cute watching all the hand gestures and dance moves. Then they finished up with a serious round of booty shaking to a polynesian dance. At the end of the performance, Miss Deborah called each of the kids to come up and get a certificate and announced them as our "future doctors, lawyers, teachers." That's my girl. I have such high hopes for her. Finally we all had a picnic together. It was adorable and I am so glad I took the time off work to come see her perform. Emma was so proud of herself, and rightly so. She has wayyy more coordination than her mama! Grandma & Al came too and Emma thought that was very neat. A

Happy Mother's Day!

Being the single mother of a preschooler, I don't generally hold out high hopes for fancy Mother's Day gifts. But, I have to say, this year far exceeded my expectations. Emma made me a sunflower and a card at school. Then she also drew me a picture of a heart. I told he that it was the best heart ever because it actually looked like a REAL heart... Check out the left lobe. Looks like a pulmonary artery coming out the top. :) My little scientist. Then Mikayla set her alarm clock for 6am to get up and cook breakfast for Karen & I. TJ helped and Emma was supposed to as well, but she ended up falling asleep in my bed, so she wasn't in with Mikayla to sneak out in the morning. Mikayla also made me a coupon book good for all kinds of things like a foot rub, washing a load of dishes, and free babysitting. Whoo hoo!

Happy Birthday Hayden!

We had a great time today celebrating the birthday of one of Emma's little BFFs, Hayden. She turned 5 years old and had a party at the gymnastics studio. Lots of bouncing fun for everyone! Then we all went back over to Jen's for a BBQ and the kids got to go swimming. What a fun day!

Best Friends

Emma loves her buddies, Sophia & Hayden. We had a fun afternoon playing together at Jen's house. "Grandma" Charlene has recently decided to buy Hayden a new slip-n-slide for the summer and, rather than getting a regular one, she sprung for the 3 lane one so that all 3 of the girls could play together. How cool is that?! Love these little ladies. <3