Week 4

Walker // You drive Reagan bananas all day long. ALL. DAY. LONG. You cover her with blankets, get in her face, talk silly to her...throw paper airplanes at her...(see above picture). But, one of the funniest things you've said to us about Reagan is that "she likes to giddy-up on Care Bear all the time." (All you readers out there: just infer what you thinks "giddy up" means.)

Lainey // This week, you are loving anything and everything Taylor Swift. :) Her songs, her videos...all of it. And you're likely to bust into song at any given moment. :)

Week 3

Walker // You are working hard on saying your "sm" and "sp" sounds. You will stop and focus on them if we ask you to. :) You're getting better and better! You also crack us up when you say "persons" instead of "people." We're working on getting you to "just try" things and to not cry when you don't get something right. You are four. You don't have to be perfect. But please...remember to eat at mealtimes. Many times you cry and get so frustrated about something small and insignificant when you just need food. Empty belly + a frustrating situation = BAD NEWS. For everyone involved. 

Lainey // You are still my child who needs sleep. Thankfully you will sleep late on days that you don't have to be awake for school or dance. It's wonderful. :) I don't have a picture of you from this week. But I had a dream last night that you lost your other front tooth! You haven't had two front teeth since you were about 21 months old. Your adult tooth is finally beginning to emerge in that open spot...you're going to look different (and probably talk differently) with two front teeth! Your other front tooth is loose...soon you will be without two front teeth. Just like in my dream. :) 

Bringing Back Sesame Street

So, yes, my kids will still play with toddler toys. :) I started teaching preschool at our church (also Walker's preschool) quarter-time (about 10 hours a week) and I LOVE IT. I'm adjusting to the schedule and the fact that everything for our week (as a family) has to be done over the weekend. Additionally, I try to get up to the preschool on Sunday to get the room ready for Monday. This past Sunday I took the kids and they did not want to leave. I had to keep finding things to do to in order to give them more time to play! 

They sorted the Sesame Street characters. :)

Week 2

Notes to my kids // Week 2:

Lainey //  Tuesday nights are terrible for you. You are at dance until 7:30 p.m., and it seems as though you hold it together until bath time is just about over. Then everything can be a challenge...even brushing your teeth because "the toothbrush hurts when it goes over [your] tongue." That's the level of tiredness we're dealing with. Thankfully you're pretty used to the schedule, you fall asleep quickly and sleep deeply, and you always bounce back the next day.  Lately, you are very emotional and becoming quite particular in your "likes" and "dislikes." Current dislikes...quarter-length sleeves, Cheez-its, and Wheat Thins. Current likes...drawing and art...although you are REALLY hard on yourself when a picture doesn't turn out the way you had imagined. Really hard on yourself. This is not typical of you; usually you are pretty easy going. I wish you wouldn't be so hard on yourself. You are only six years old. And you have the kindest heart. Love yourself, even when you make mistakes!

Walker // Your current favorite TV show is Sheriff Callie's Wild West. That's all you want to watch. As I've noted before, you seem to have a one-track mind when it comes to toys and TV shows that you like. :) Currently, you are "allergic" to meat and coats. When you want to tell me how long something is going to last, it's generally "1,000 100 years." (It's usually not that long.) And, you are finally - almost consistently - wearing Size 5 clothes. This is great because it seems like you didn't grow out of your clothes for the longest time. I think you were well past three years old when I finally gave away your 3-6 month shorts. You still don't like to wear "crunchy" pants or socks with anti-slip bumps on the bottom...they feel funny in your shoes. Basically, you would like to wear your black tennis shoes and comfy clothes all day long. No buttons or collars. :) But you seem to have gotten over your dislike of tags. Your "elf jammies" (featuring the Elf on the Shelf) are your favorite pajamas, and we're working on buttoning them (a hard skill). You are a sweetheart, and you always ALWAYS think about your sister when she's not with us. If you get a piece of candy and she's not around, you'll always get one to save for her. 

iFly

THIS was so cool! Lainey was fortunate enough to attend a birthday party at this indoor skydiving place in Frisco. It was really, really cool! I was proud of Lainey for doing it, even though I know she was a little nervous!

the girls

(Birthday girl Lauren is in front, and Lainey is just to the right of Lauren.)

flying

I smiled the whole time at the girls. So much so that my face started to hurt! :) It looked so fun! And I think it helped the girls relax a bit when they saw all the parents smiling! 

Swinging and Drawing

Walker LOVES swinging his Minecraft friends. Mooshroom, Creepy, Ocelot, and Sheepy.

Lainey made this for me at school. Yes. AT SCHOOL. It might be a sign I am getting Mom of the Year for 2015. She was so proud of it, and I just couldn't stop giggling when she gave it to me. I am hesitant to even post this on here, because it doesn't paint me in the best light, but at least I look fancy! :) 

Walker's School Pictures

I'm only posting this one because "this" is his typical stance when nervous, excited, intimidated, unsure, or skeptical of his situation. Clearly, he was unsure of this photographer guy. :) 

52 Weeks....52 Notes

I'm trying something new this year...in addition to regular blog posts - or maybe I should say semi-regular blog posts - I'm going to write short "notes" to both of my kids every week. Some weeks the notes will be longer than others. Like this first one. :) I hope that by doing so, I can reflect upon their little selves and remember the funny (and not-so-funny) things that they do. ;)

// Walker //
-You are naturally funny. And smart.
-You are silly. Your favorite saying when you make a mistake is "Oh, poop."
-You put an extra "s" on words that don't need an extra "s." Like chests...you say "chests-es." And ghosts are "ghost-es."
-You're loving Legos right now. I packed away your trains last week. Big sad face for Mom.
-We're really cutting back on iPad/iPhone screen time with you (and Lainey)...and you are a much happier, more content person for it. It makes Mom happier and less frustrated, too. :) This started on January 1st.
-Recently, when building Legos with Daddy, you said, "Daddy, could you do this? My hands aren't workin' anymore. I been using them all day for eatin', and building Legos."
-Your favorite song (today) to sing is "Deck the Halls" but you have changed the words to say "Deck the Halls with Mommy Treasure...fa la la la la la la la la." :) You have a good ear...and a good memory for songs.
-And, as of now, you are telling me that you are saying "good job" and "good game" to people because you know Santa "is watching." You better believe it, Walker. He IS watching. (You've already written your letter to Santa for next year...so hurry up, December.)
-You're neat, and organized, and you throw away your trash without being asked. You won't eat on the couch because you don't want it to spill. (You don't like it when food spills out of your snack cup. And you really don't like to get anything on your clothes..especially not food or drink.)
-You are a perfectionist.
-You're also really good at saying "yes ma'am" and using your manners. (Well...let's be honest...you are four years old. You use your manners most of the time.) If I'm bugging you...like messing with your hair or something, you'll say, "Mommy, may you please stop doin' that?"
-You never let me get too far from you. Particularly if it's just the two of us in the house. If I leave you in a room by yourself, you'll give me about three minutes before you begin wondering where I went. You will yell, "Mo-mmy!?!? Mommy! Where are you?" and then your search for me begins. You do NOT like it if you can't find me (like if I'm in a closet somewhere and can't hear you yelling for me). You dissolve into tears before I can find you to assure you that I haven't left you alone. A time or two, when I've snuck out of the house to run Lainey to school while you were still sleeping, I found you on our front porch awaiting my return (we literally live across the street from the school, so I'm never very far from home). You haven't ever gone any further than the front porch, thank goodness, but I'm still not okay with you walking out of the house to find me. Lesson learned. I now always wake you up before taking Lainey to school (if your dad isn't home to keep an eye on you).
-And I can never, ever leave you in the garage or house or car by yourself. If I forget something, and you're already buckled in the car seat, then we count...and I have to be back in the car by the time you reach that number (usually 10 or 15). You're terrified that you're going to throw up in my absence or that I'm going to leave you. :( Clearly we have some anxiety issues that we need to work through! :)

-You are my sweetest helper and my best cleaner-upper. You listen...and I usually only have to ask you to do something one time (as opposed to your sister...she needs several reminders). You say that you are a good helper and a good listener because you want "presents." I try to remind you that we help others because we love and care about them. :) 

// Lainey //
-You are a sweetheart. A genuine sweetheart. (And sometimes a little sassy.)
-You cry at sad movies.
-You do not like being upstairs or downstairs by yourself. You and Walker sleep with your doors open to one another's rooms at night...and you do this because "Walker is brave." :) You have a tendency to get scared and let your imagination go wild.
-You are compassionate...and so joyful. You get excited about the smallest things.
-You misunderstand song lyrics constantly. It's hilarious. And we don't do much to correct you at this point...soon enough you'll figure the words out. For now, we love listening to you sing your words. Even if your tune is a bit off. ;)
-You are a wonderful reader...and you say your favorite subject in school is Science. You are not a fan of Math (although I am not sure why).
-You are terrified of gutters in the street. You'll make us stand in front of them when you ride your bike near them.
-Most of the time, you are a very laid-back child. You're creative and messy and "the sky's the limit" in your opinion.
-Misty Copeland is your favorite dancer.
-You are not quick to anger. You don't seem to have a short fuse (unlike your brother...he seems to get angry quite quickly).
-You cry, cry, cry when you are tired.
-You love your dolls and your Barbies. And your Shopkins. You also love cats.
-You are emotional...you have a tendency to cry about things that are small and seemingly insignificant (to your parents). When we dig deeper, we usually find that something else that had been bothering you and the 'small, insignificant thing' just sent you over the edge. You wear your heart on your sleeve. And I love you for that.