Mollie's recital

Mollie's Kinderdance class had another little recital yesterday. It was at 4pm which made it really difficult for anyone to come! But it was cute (of course) and Mollie did better than ever following directions. And it really stuck out to me this time that she was the tallest kid on stage! I can't wait to see how tall she is, and percentile for height, at her 4 year old check-up in December!
This is Mollie and her friend Sarah who is in her class, our babysteps playgroup, and now goes to her preschool: And if you don't have a Flip video camera--they're awesome! The software makes it really easy to email videos and you can create all kinds of cool stuff with it. I love it. I got a cute video yesterday of one of the songs:) But Phil wasn't there and it was hard to video and take pictures at the same time!

my big girl Sydney!

My big girl Sydney has had some very exciting things happening lately!

Friday she lost her first tooth! I'm still in disbelief about it. And she looks so cute with her little window in her mouth:) Her permanent tooth had actually started coming in behing it already so we started working on it a little more aggressively. She was sitting in the living room after school Friday eating a fruit roll-up (Nancy said, "at least she was eating fruit") and it stuck to it I guess and came right on out! I was about to freak out! She really didn't believe it either at first. But then she got really excited and wanted to tell everyone she knew about it. It was so cute to hear the stories about how it was loose and school and what her friends said about it bleeding, and what her teachers said about how they can't deal with teeth, haha, she had to do it on her own. I do think this might be the first tooth she got as a baby. She was 5 months old. The one next to it came in next and I think it might be a tad bit loose so I'm sure that will be next to fall out. She's really motivated now:)

The tooth fairy visited that night. She really appreciated the snack size plastic bag the tooth was in because it slid out really easily from under the pillow. She left Sydney $1 under her pillow and sprinkled it with purple fairy dust. Sydney was really surprised to realize later that there was actually fairy dust all over the window sill along with a new easy reader book called I Like Bugs. That she is really good at reading actually! There was dust all over everything from the window to her pillow! She super-loved it!

Sydney has also been riding her older bike (12 in.) with no training wheels! I need to get a video of that. She is not brave enough to try it on her 16 in. one yet. But I'm sure she will soon.

We had our first parent-teacher conference yesterday with Sydney's teacher. It is the end of their first quarter. What can I say, she's doing awesome:) Makes her Mommy and Daddy very proud! Her teacher gave us some extension activities to work on and she said she felt like she would be reading on her own in no time and pick it up really quickly. She knows lots of sight words and can read simple, more predictable texts, and she's getting better and better at home! I think she hasn't really developed enough confidence at school to show her teacher too much yet. She said she's starting reading groups today. I love her teachers! Love them! We're so lucky...in so many ways!

I can't believe how big Sydney is getting. I know it has to happen. But it kind of freaks me out. I'm not ready for all this yet!

show and tell

Mollie had her first "show and tell" today at school. She had to bring something related to turtles. So she took a little stuffed turtle that she got at the end of the year party for MMO last Spring. I was asking her some questions so she would be prepared to speak a little about her turtle. Her name is Cinderella Turtle Greene:) That cracked me up.
And she is her favorite turtle b/c they love to sleep together (haven't ever, but whatever). It was so cute. I always thought show and tell was dumb, but now I see how it actually can be good for them! They learn to answer questions, wait their turn, ask questions, etc. I would just love to be a fly on the wall when they are doing it!

home

The last 2 days we have been going non-stop so today I did something I rarely do....we stayed home. I need to do it more often, ya think? I am worn out. Which I also think may be slightly attributed to my flu mist I got on Monday. I haven't quite felt right since. But I'm thinking if I ignore it it will go away.

Mollie was quite pissed that she didn't have school today. Can you tell she loves it? I might have to put her in 5 days next year. I've been thinking about it (way too early) and was leaning toward the 4 day option. I think she's leaning more toward the 7 day option. Not one, sorry Charlie. She does get to have show and tell tomorrow. The boys have it on Wed. and the girls have it on Fri. They have to bring something related to their theme which is turtles this week. They did school another week and next week they start in on the alphabet. So the thing they bring has to start with that letter.

Sydney loved soccer so much yesterday! I feel like, well, kids play soccer all the time, but not my kid! And after her major freak out last week not wanting to play I was so, so proud of her. I tried to get some video but it didn't turn out so well. Here's a little clip where you can at least see her kicking the ball:) Mollie had a really good time playing with some other younger siblings during the class time. She mostly played with a little boy who had a lot of cars. She really likes matchbox cars!

lists

Sometimes when you have a lot to say and don't know how to say it or where to start it's easier to make a list:) So what have we been up to in our busy lives that I think will calm down...but don't...

1. Courtney had a short story published in a book called Long Story Short. It's very good and very cool. She, her friend Sarah Dessen, and another author Jill McCorkle, had a reading together at the NC Literary Festival in Chapel Hill last weekend (the 12th). It was a lot of fun. Nancy, Dad and I rode together to the festival and next time they have it I'd like to take the girls to the kids stuff and spend more time there. It was a neat tribute to NC writers. There are MANY. She actually has a reading tomorrow night (Tuesday) at Barnes and Noble in Cary at 7PM with Sarah Dessen and Marianne Gingher (hope I spelled that right. I'm not able to go, but if you can, go!
2. The girls have now been to 2 home football games. They love it and I love taking them. They're so good. This past Sat. Phil took them by themselves b/c I was out of town.
3. Sydney started soccer last Wed. She begged to play for a long time and then once it came down to it she didn't want to do it! She cried and complained, but finally participated. Phil had to take her while I was out of town again and he sent me pictures and kept me updated. We were so proud of her. She was sitting out and randomly got up and ran and loved it!
4. My grandmother on my Dad's side passed away last week. A week ago Sunday I guess. She was my last grand parent. Unfortunately we were not that close. We spent much more time down there (in Aiken, SC) when we were younger, but circumstances with his family are weird. That's the only way to explain it. But Nancy and Courtney and I drove down to the funeral. We made lemonade out of lemons and had a great road trip! I drove 10 hours in about 30 hours, but we stayed in a hotel one night and got to spend some time with aunts and cousins on my mom's side. That is guaranteed to be a good time. I wish we lived closer to them. And I'm thankful that my Granny is now resting in peace. With Patrick Swayze I like to say:)
5. Sydney has her first loose tooth! She has a permanent tooth already coming in on her front-bottom. The tooth it is behind is loose. I am so excited for her. She is beside her self about it!
6. This past weekend I had my girls weekend at a Raleigh hotel:) It was lots of fun. I felt bad about being gone most of last Wed-Thurs. But I got to have dinner with the family and put the girls to bed Thursday night then see them before and after school on Friday. I left around 4:45 on Friday. It was a much needed trip. I can definitely tell a difference in my patience level since I returned and the girls have been very good. Phil left Sunday morning before I even got home for a conference in Asheville. He'll be gone until Wed. So I came home to a babysitter, happy girls, and a big mess. On little sleep. So we went to visit Chase! That kid is hilarious!!!
7. I have never had a flu shot in my life. I decided for some reason that this was the year. I went this morning and luckily they let me have the mist. Back in 2001 I had a tetanus shot and a prevnar vaccine. Ugh, I had horrible local reactions to both. So I was thankful for the mist. The girls are scheduled for their shots Thursday evening. Sydney would like the mist, but I'm not sure if our ped. has it in.
8. I'm so excited that new TV starts this week!
9. I'm also so excited that I'm finalizing our new countertop/backsplash order this week! Hopefully tomorrow! Then hopefully next week they'll be installed. I need to start taking before pictures so that I can then have some afters:)
10. The girls have been sleeping together on the bottom bunk. It's really freakin' cute! And Mollie has been napping less and less lately. I thought she had given it up completely, but for some reason she has been napping for Phil and our babysitter...hmm...It never ceases to amaze me how children act for others--other than MOMMY!
11. I got a new little HP mini and I'm hoping since the battery actually holds for longer than 3 min, unlike my older laptop, I might be a better blogger!

preschool

I love Mollie's new preschool! There are so many signs that tell me I made the right decision for her. Here is a picture of her on her first day:

Her teachers are so fun loving and sweet and she had a great first day yesterday. I love how they do carpool drop-off and pick-up and that she eats lunch there each day she's there. That was one thing I loved about St. Andrew's that I wasn't sure if they would do at RLP. It's up to the teacher. But hers have them do it each day. Super! I think it's going to be great for her that all the kids' birthdays in the class range from mid-Aug to Dec. of 05. So they're all very much on the same developmental level. Yesterday she walked right in and right back out with the carpool helpers without a second glance at all. It made me so happy to see her so happy:) I hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying all this after her first day!

Tomorrow she goes again, she wanted to go today--to her turtle class. She can't wait.

Yesterday I got to volunteer in Sydney's class for their writing time and then go to lunch with them. It was fun. Tomorrow my friend Daniele is going with me to Absolute Stone to do the final design on our kitchen project! We're getting granite counter tops and a ceramic tile backsplash. She needs to help me with my backsplash color coordination. I'm so excited. Hopefully tomorrow it will be all ordered and we will schedule the install date!

the worst blogger ever

Is now me.
Sorry. I've been really slack lately.
I guess it's because we keep leaving town. It's fun and all, but it's starting to annoy the crap out of me. I'm ready to stick around for a while. After our annual Labor Day weekend at the lake we will be I guess.
Until my wine trip in October that I am dreaming of...
Oh, and my girls trip to a hotel in downtown Raleigh in a few weeks (but I don't have to pack a bunch of crap for my family)

Sydney has been tracked out since Aug. 14 and goes back next Tuesday. Mollie starts preschool on Wed. I start volunteering in Sydney's class on Wednesdays. Yay! I get to help with Writers Workshop. Excited about that.

We spent last Tues. evening at the beach until Sunday. Phil left to meet his brother and my brother for a boy trip Thursday evening until Sunday. They stayed in Myrtle down by Broadway. I have to say this was not the girls' finest weekend as far as behavior was concerned. I was a bit ticked off by the time he got back. And just DONE with them for a while. But then I felt guilty and starting loving them again, haha. Not that I really didn't love them of course! They were just pissing me off and I was tired. I consider that normal.

This week I have a ton of stuff to do. Mostly at night. Our first football game is Thursday night and I can't wait!!!

I met Mollie's teachers tonight. I'll blog about that later, but long story short, I loved them!