Veggin' Out

Sometime the girls (and Mommy) need a little veg-out time in front of the TV. Even though there is plenty of couch space for each have her own spot, they choose to cuddle up like this.  Love these girls.

    

Countdown to Christmas

Kenzie and I worked together to make this super simple and cute advent calendar.  I used envelopes I had leftover from our wedding (don't judge, I kept them for seven years because I knew I'd use them someday) and scrapbook paper that I had around.  The girls each have their own strand.  Some envelopes have stickers, some have candies and other have little notes like "decorate a gingerbread house" or "have hot cocoa with breakfast."  The girls can hardly wait to find their surprise each morning.  And, since it is Christmastime afterall, they don't even have to wait until after lunch to eat their candy.  They are LOVING chocolate for breakfast.

Apple and Pumpkin Celebration

Due to a death in her family, Kenzie's teacher postponed her class's Halloween celebration to last week. The theme was apples and pumpkins and the kids got to dress up in their costumes for a Halloween parade.  Kaia and I went to spend the day and had a great time.  They had extra costumes and asked Kaia if she wanted to walk in the parade.  Kenzie was happy to lead her around the school.

They had paraded through at least five classrooms when Kaia whined, "Moooommy, when are we going to see the parade?"  Poor thing was waiting to catch some candy from a firefighter, I'm afraid.

There were an abundance of pumpkin and apple treats. Kaia fit right in with the other preschoolers at the snack table.  Kenzie, usually very quiet, seemed to open up a little with Kaia there.  I think she was proud to show her little sister her school.

We hung around for circle time.  The teacher read a few Halloween themed stories.  Kenzie kept trying to get Kaia back up and sit "criss cross apple sauce" but Kaia had other ideas.  

It was so much fun to peek into Kenzie's class for the day.  Despite the fact that she gnawed nervously on her fingernails the entire day, she seems to really enjoy being there.  She's come a long way since day one.  We stayed until the end of the day but Kenzie didn't want to go home with us, she wanted to ride the bus.  Kaia and I had to run to the car to get home before the bus.  

Conversations with Kaia

Kaia (from another room): MOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMY!
Me (entering room to find Kaia trying not to drop a bin of craft supplies): Kaia.
Kaia: I'm 'posed to not be touching this stuff.

__________________________________________

Kaia : I'm sorry ________(Mommy, Daddy, Kenzie, etc) for ________________ (hitting you, not listening, running away, etc).  I won't do that again.
Me: Right.

 __________________________________________

Kaia: Thanks for making me dinner, Mommy.

__________________________________________

Kaia: Can I have candy?
Me: Not right now.
Kaia: Aaaaaaaawwwwwwwwww.

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I got out of the shower and flicked the light on in my bedroom.  I jumped when I saw Kaia, who I had recently put to bed in her crib, sitting on my bed.  I asked her how she got in my bed.  She said, "I just climbed down on my kitchen (the pretend one), and then, and then I just popped into Mommy's bed."   She was so proud.

Later I set up the pack n' play thinking it might buy me a little time.  It wasn't long before she was standing at the top of the stairs proudly announcing, "Ta ta!  Bah-prise (surprise), I did it!"  She was so darn cute and proud it was hard to scold her for climbing out.

Christmas is Coming

On Black Friday we only make one purchase: our Christmas tree.  We go to this great little place a few minutes down the road.  They give us a tractor ride to the top of their vast hills of beautiful trees and we work our way down, hunting for the perfect symbol of the season.  Kenzie says she wants every one, Kaia doesn't pay any attention to the trees and works to separate herself from us, Kona runs wild and Dustin and I haggle over the characteristics of the perfect tree (admittedly, I care much more about what type of tree we get than he does).

Hot cocoa break.

The girls hitch a ride on a tree carrier.

Our tree!

Kenzie helps.

Kaia doesn't.

We didn't have time to decorate it on Friday (and the girls were getting a little squirrely) so we decorated it the following day.  They worked so fast and the tree was done in no time.  Auntie Kelsy helped, too.

Can you tell which clump of ornaments Kaia hung?

Kenzie was so proud to hang the high ornaments.

 We just love having our tree sparkling in the living room.  I'm a little sad that Christmas will be here in just a few short weeks.  Merry Christmas!

Bus Day is a BIG Day

While Kenzie loves preschool, she is struggling to be really comfortable there.  She spends most of her day in silence, just taking it all in, and doesn't socialize with any of her peers.  The first few weeks were tough...for me.  She was so excited to start school and it was absolutely heartbreaking to see her being shy.  Not that there's anything wrong with being shy, it's just that Kenzie is generally a pretty outgoing kid.  Knowing that she has so much to say but is afraid to say it breaks my heart.  Even though I know she is nervous and afraid to talk to her teachers, she tells me excitedly about each day and can't wait to go back the next morning.

Before school started she used to beg to be able to ride the bus.  I told her I wanted to drive her for a while until she was comfortable at school (and until I was ready to let my baby ride on the yellow bus w/out a seat belt).  I asked her during the second week of school when she wanted to start taking the bus and tears formed in her eyes at the mere thought of it.  

It seems to me that she's made very little social progress in the past two months, but days like today remind me to celebrate every little thing.  Today, Kenzie took the bus home from school.  She skipped into school this morning knowing that at the end of the day she would be lining up with all the other kids in class to get on the bus.  Kaia and I stood proudly at the end of the driveway when the bus arrived (just eight minutes after school ended - we live close) and cheered as she came proudly, yet nervously, down the big steps.  

So, she may not be talking the teacher's ear off yet, or playing games with her classmates, but my sweet little Kenzie is taking steps towards being herself at school.  Big steps. Big bus steps.

That's My Kenzie

A picture is worth a thousand words, right?  Kenzie was asked to draw a picture in school.  Her teacher had drawn a tree so Kenzie chose to draw one too.  This picture, titled "Fall Tree," pretty much sums up McKenzie's personality to a T (or should I say, to a type A).