VPK - 1st Day of School

My father-in-law asked if Blogger was still emailing out my posts because he hadn't received any in a while.  Well it's not Blogger's fault, I just haven't posted in two weeks!  Ooops.  With Rylee starting school and her birthday quickly approaching, I guess I've just been busy.  So let's go back to her first day of school...

Posing for a first day photo:

 



 

 

 

Giving me the "just leave already" look:

 



 

  

Rylee loved her first day (her class is from 9 - 12).  We even met Jon for lunch afterward so he could hear all about it.  One funny story: When we got home from lunch, Rylee told me there was a hole in my pants.  I had noticed a little rip near the back pocket when I took them out of the wash a few days earlier so I assumed that was what she was talking about.  Upon further inspection, I realized I had a gaping hole about 5 inches long right down the side of the back pocket (the butt crack side too)!  Luckily I was wearing semi-cute hot pink undies.  I have no idea when that hole appeared - dropoff, pickup, lunch?  Hysterical!

 

Rylee was just as excited for her second day of school (and no parents were pointing and laughing at me) so I figured that was a good sign.  When we were walking in the parking lot, I heard a little girl say, "Mommy, that's Rylee."  Later in the classroom, another little girl excitedly pointed Rylee out to her Mom.  Then the next day I noticed this chart hanging outside the classroom (sorry the picture is blurry because I was trying to prevent Jace from running by with one hand).  It's the kids' favorite things about school list.  Rylee's is at  the top: "I like the classroom."  But notice Kenzi's response: her favorite thing is her "best friend Rylee."  Ahhh.  At least I know she's popular!  :)

 



 

 

Like most kids, Rylee doesn't share too much about school.  Every day she discusses recess, snack, and whether or not she saw Norah (her friend in the other VPK class at the school).  It seems she has an entirely different persona at school (thank God).  She's quiet, she listens, and she doesn't get into trouble like some of the boys.  Sorry boys, these are Rylee's words, not mine.  All of this has yet to be confirmed by her teacher, but I tend to believe her. 

We did have one major development this week.  Rylee has a crush on a boy named Brendan.  Some of you may remember that I did daycare for a boy named Brendan so I think this Brendan benefited from the name recognition.  According to Rylee: "he is very cute and he's the only boy that makes me laugh and smile.  He's so silly!"  He's also the only boy who seems to get in trouble (as evidenced by the teacher repeatedly talking to his Mom at dismissal).  Oh dear.  Of course she falls for the bad boy.  She gave Jon heart failure last night when she told him not to tell Venessa that she was "in love" with Brendan. 

I blame Taylor Swift.  Rylee has been singing her love songs daily in the car on the way to school and has her CD for music at bedtime.  Although it's adorable when she incorrectly sings: "I fell in love with science in the air" instead of 'when I saw you standing there,' it might be time for me to change CDs.  The only upside is she has never even spoken to Brendan.  According to her, none of the girls talk to any of the boys.  As if!

Rylee's Redneck Waterslide

Jon made Rylee a special birthday present this year: her very own redneck waterslide! 

Here they are during a test run in the planning stages

(very redneck with Jon holding the slide in the air!)...

 

Giving her Dad a high five after he cleaned up the slide

(which he salvaged from a neighbor's trash) and built the platform and stairs...

 

More high-tech than redneck at this point, painted and 

complete with running water shooting down the slide...

 

Whee!

 

 

 

Thanks Jon, this slide is awesome!  It's perfect for kids and sturdy enough for adults (although a little narrow in the hip area).  I manage okay, but Jon has to turn a little sideways at the top.  The Froyd family stopped over on Saturday after Monster Jam so Miller and Mason got the chance to try it out as well.  Interesting side note: Mason at 2 was totally fine with skinny dipping.  Miller at 5 wouldn't even let us see him in his skivvies.  He swam in his shorts and then borrowed a pair of Jon's (which we had to clothespin on) while his were in the dryer. 

I can't wait to get the rest of our crew over here to test it out as well.  I'm thinking $5 admission per person is reasonable, right?  :)

Jace @ 15 months

I've got to get back to recapping soon, but Jace had his 15 month checkup today. I'm not sure if the nurse measured his height correctly, I might double check it tomorrow, but he did finally have a growth spurt so that is good.

Height: 33 inches (93rd percentile - this is a huge jump for Jace!)
Weight: 25 lbs 6 oz (67th percentile - he's practically wasting away!)
His head circumference is in the 96th percentile. What can I say? I have big headed babies - all the better to hold their big brains! :)

Jace had a finger prick and some shots so it was pretty standard. The doc did say he heard a slight heart murmur for the first time. He's not concerned, but he gave us the name of a pediatric cardio guy. He said we should wait until after our next visit to see if it is still there so maybe I won't have to shell out more of Jon's hard earned money... yet.

In Rylee news, she is in her last week before school (VPK) so we jam packed it with fun activities: tomorrow is Ooopsy, Wednesday the museum, Thursday and Friday she has play dates. I'll definitely be ready for her to start school on Monday!

Jace's 1st Pontoon Swim

Wednesday morning started out with me in a panic.  Jace woke me up a cry (unusual for him) and when I went in to investigate, I saw that his leg was stuck in the crib.  Not a normal kind of stuck, where you just pull his leg back through, but a how in the world did that happen and what am I going to do kind of stuck.  It's hard to explain, but his leg and knee were out one slat and then the bottom portion of his leg and foot were pushed back through another slat and it was all stuck tight.  Luckily my Dad was already up for the day so I ran for his help.  He lifted Jace's bottom half and legs up in the air, sliding them along the slats, and this somehow loosed the angle enough that he could feed his foot out and then his leg back in.  It still mystifies me.  If I had been left to my own defenses the fire department and a hacksaw would probably have been involved.  Luckily, Jace's gumby legs didn't seem to be injured and he was back to his old self as soon as he was freed.

After a few week break from storyhour due to visitors and extreme business, we picked a good day to return.  Mrs. Hachey, a retired Kindergarten teacher who taught with Jon's mom, was the guest reader.  She picked Clifford books to read in honor of Sandy.  The kids also did a Clifford art project and took home a Clifford writing assignment that she and Sandy used to do.  It was an unexpected and touching surprise.

Later that day, my Dad and I took the kids out on the pontoon and Jace got in the water for his 1st middle of the lake swim.  Not exactly a swim really, but he did enjoy floating with me on my noodle.

 

 Go Jace! 

Thursday was a baking and packing day, but Jace got the chance to float again on Friday when Jan brought her daughter and grandsons to visit and swim. 

Next up: Cedar Crest 2013 Recap!  I'm sure you can hardly contain yourselves with all the excitement!

Goodbye Cousins :(

Sunday was the last day in town for the cousins. We visited with Sara and her mom, Barb, before heading out to play with them one last time and say goodbye. We also forced the kids to sit still for one moment to try to get a picture of all 5 of them (for the first time with Jace, I believe).  Thanks for another great visit guys!

 

Later that night, Sara came back over for dinner.  I'm sure she and Rylee played hide and seek as they have done every time Sara has visited this year.  She should win a prize for her efforts or something!

The following week was a bit of a blur.  The kids and I were home alone on Monday.  Then my cousin, Lisa, came over to help me with my plastic canvasing before Rylee's dance class.

On Tuesday, my Mom and I left the kids with Papa so we could do some pre-vacation shopping in Brainerd.  My Mom's brother, Jack, stopped for dinner and stayed overnight in the cabin (he managed all night without a problem!). The kids got some cute shirts from my Aunt Judy and heard some fun sibling stories from when Jack and my Mom were growing up.  Rylee is very interested in family relations right now so meeting my parent's siblings and my cousins has been very exciting to her this year.  :)

Cabin Sleepover?

The next day, Rylee and I drove up to Breezy Point to meet the cousin crew.  Maddie had a figure skating lesson and Rylee was excited to see her skate in person. Then Grandpa Chip took us all out to dinner at The Commander Bar.  Ordering was interesting since all the kids have food allergies - I'm sure the waitress loved us - but it was fun and delicious in the end.  I even stole a piece of "garbage pizza" from the guys.  I had forgotten how good it was.  I guess I should work them into my pizza rotation now that Rafferty's has begun disappointing me (the pizza isn't as good as the old days, but I digress.)

Saturday was a mommy/daughter day: drawing, crafting, and another cabin sleepover (sort of).

We watched movies, ate snacks,

 

and had a boisterous pillow fight.

 

 

We tried sleeping in these cute beds, but Rylee couldn't fall asleep.  Maybe it wasn't the same without her Dad.  We abandoned the plan about 11:30 and slept in our "reglear" beds.  :)

Still a fun mommy/daughter night though!

Fun Times at the Fair

The day Jon left, my Dad and I cheered the kids up with a trip to one of the local Fairs.

Rylee started out on the traditional kiddie rides...

 

until she discovered the mini roller coasters

(she's in the third car from the front)...

 

...and obstacle courses, sack slides etc.  We were there by ourselves so she didn't have any kids to ride with.  I was impressed with her bravery!  She had the ride wristband so she went multiple times on all her favorites.

Papa didn't get to have as much fun.  He had Jace duty which meant he had to wrangle the little umbrella stroller over and through the grass, sand, electrical cords etc.  It wasn't a good day to forget the "real" stroller!

We ran into one of my parent's friends, who had horses in the various competitions, so Rylee got to meet and pet their horses - always a big hit with her.  After dinner, or possibly before, Rylee requested her new Fair favorite: cotton candy. 

 

She loved it.  Jace, on the other hand, was mystified by its texture.  He was happy to continue eating cereal out of his security snack cup.  You rarely see him without it and can barely get it away from him (whether it's full or empty).  His hand has pushed through the opening so many times that it doesn't even function as a no-spill cup anymore.  No wonder he's such a chunky monkey!

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