Wishing you and your family a HAPPY 2010!
Love. Hope. Life.
I warned that I am not a writer- well let me clarify- I run out of things to blog about. No one wants to know what I do or eat everyday- and many of my recipes are just okay because I do not follow directions. I am currently unemployed- so other then the occasional sub-teaching job I take- I don’t have any funny work stories to contribute. (By the way- if you hear of any good jobs- let me know!) Most of what I have to say is about Owen- which I forget quickly if I do not write it in his journal. So I am making a list of what we have done in the last few weeks and a few things we are working on:
-O’s first preschool program
Having a 3 year old has made the holidays this year so much fun. And busy. O had his first preschool program about two weeks ago. His class played the bells- what were they thinking? He had some major separation anxiety prior to the start- I thought I would be on stage with him- but he made it up by himself. He was very interested in the huge screens and rang his bell while watching that (instead of looking forward)- until another little boy ran off the stage and he was all- we can do that- so off he ran to. He did go back- and run off again- and then back to his spot on stage before the song ended. It was cute- and funny- oh and embarrassing. (Did I tell you Owen plays with our camera- so none of the pictures from his program really turned out- really really need a new one. Oh and for Aunt Christina to send over the pics she did take on her undamaged camera.)
-Candy Houses
Bought a Gingerbread house kit- it came with a 12 page instruction book- and I am sure you need an engineering degree to get it together. Enter a 3 year old. I thought it could be fun- but the fact that it takes at least an hour for the icing to dry to put the houses together- before decorating would be torture for O. So we did a short cut- we used cardboard milk cartons as our base, put the icing on and covered in candy (we used up most of the candy that was still hanging out in our cabinet from Halloween). Owen & Makenzy (cousin)- loved it! (Below- Owen’s, Makenzy’s & mine- the door & window’s were a hit!)
-Meeting Santa
We walked by Santa in the mall a few times- O didn’t really want to talk to him- was very content with waving from a far. And then when he was finally ready- Santa went on break. But we did finally land some lap time with the big guy- and O shyly and in a very quiet and inaudible voice spewed out “IceAge3:DawnoftheDinosaurs”. We snapped a few quick pics- of which he would not look at the camera- but they are so adorable. We are at the Leeker’s in VC- O’s preschool teacher’s hubby is Santa.
-Baking/Cooking
Made Chex Mix about 5 times- can’t keep the guys out of it while roasting it. Made a few batches of muffins & cookies for a friend at The Firefly Cafe- some of them were a hit- some were not. Whipped up some peppermint brownies, a chocolate chip cheese ball, pumpkin bread, pumpkin goop (which I burned for Christmas dinner & yet my family still ate it). We made a few dozen cookies for Santa- every type of chocolate chip with chunks, peppermint, creme de menthe truffles, and Santa’s personal request M&M. Santa even left a note after he finished his snack.
O stayed up so late- past eleven- so Christmas morning he slept in- which was heaven. He was happy to see that Santa secured his copy of Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (O has to say the entire title- normally as one word)- but it was almost expected and so we didn’t see the super excited reaction we had anticipated. He was however, very happy about Hungry Hungry Hippos- and a head flash light which was a big hit.
Coming up-
Moving to a bigger boy bed- we are in the process of a mini-room update and a move to a twin sized bed. Actually a junior loft- to maximize all of the space in his 10×12 room. This week we are working on adding a few stripes to his walls and departing with some beloved toys (that are no longer interesting unless they are in the donate box). We will see how it goes- he seems to remember about a toy a month after he has agreed to give it away. That is a good question- what toys do I pack as keepsakes? I wish I had some of the toys I played with as a child for O to play with now.
Spring Preschool- O has had some separation anxiety and although loves preschool we go through a small struggle every morning about him going. He will be in his second semester, two days a week, so it is only 5 hours. He is doing well and hitting his milestones- ahead in a few and behind in a few- so that balances out right?
Classes? Thinking about putting O in either swim lessons, tumbling, or maybe even a dance/hip hop class. Any suggestions? I know he loves swimming- but that requires parent participation and I like the idea of some treadmill time. Really anything to give him some structured social time.
That’s a quick update I guess. I figured out I should do smaller posts so that I do not have to do summary updates and such. So again- from our fam to your fam- Merry Christmas (late) and here’s to a blessed 2010!
*Rachel
@ www.sneakypillowjumper.com
