Will's Last Day of Playschool! (& A Thank You Note Idea For Teachers)

It's Will's last day of playschool!

As a fun idea for teacher appreciation thank you notes, I took all the craft projects Will did this year at school and laid them out on the floor and snapped a photo.  I printed the photo and put it on card stock to make a custom thank-you-note for his teachers that is a tribute to all the hard work they did this year helping him create so many fun projects that he is so proud of.  Will wrote on half the inside of the card, and I wrote on the other, and we slipped in a gift card and decorated the outside of the envelope with stickers.

You could even lay the projects out a little more neatly and take a photograph to save if you're planning to keep just a few projects from each school year so you have less clutter in your home.  I figure I'll probably ask Will to pick some favorites to keep.

I can hardly believe his first school year is over.  I feel as though I had just settled into the routine of drop offs and pick-ups, of warm cups of coffee in a quiet house while Andrew napped, of the joy I felt each time Will ran towards me, all grins, excited to show me the day's art project.

When I first looked for a toddler playschool for Will, it was because I needed the break for me.  After seeing him come home singing new songs, super excited about his school projects, and asking every morning if it was a school day, I realized that this was something for HIM.  It meant he had a scheduled time each week where he was guaranteed a chance to play with friends, do a craft project, sing songs, and be active.  I try to do all those things regularly at home, but it's hard sometimes when you've got grocery shopping, meal planning, diaper changing and laundry folding all getting in the way!

Will had a wonderful year at school, with two amazing teachers who were excellent at making him feel safe, comfortable, and happy all while managing to teach him new skills like getting dressed to go outside and doing more and more of each craft project himself.

I'm so grateful, and I look forward to sending Andrew to Miss Hillary when he is two!

Happy end of school year, and welcome, summer!

Will on his first day of school!

Will today.  What a difference a school year makes!

What Should I Do With This Bowl?

I have a bowl.  What should I do with this bowl?

I could hide behind this bowl!

I could hide my food under this bowl!

I could pretend I'm going to DROP this bowl....

 

Haha, where's my food?  This never gets old.

 

No, really, it never gets old.

 

What bowl?  I can't see anything.  Is there still a bowl?

 

All right... I guess... as a last resort.... I could eat out of this bowl.

 

Happy April Fool's Day!

I like April Fool's Day because of the potential to make people laugh, and I like the excuse for a little mischief.



Happy April Fool's Day!

Last spring, we saw some pink flamingos on sale at a nearby garden store.  We laughed because we figured the reason they're on sale is that we're not in an area where pink flamingos are that popular.  Then we thought about how funny it would be to get them and put them out and see what our neighbors said... so we bought two packages on sale, put them in the shed until April 1st, and pulled them out early this morning and stuck them in our front snow bank!  I'm pretty sure the neighbor walking by who saw me putting them out at seven a.m. on April 1st with a baby strapped to my back figured out the joke, but boy is it fun picturing the commuters walking by and seeing them there in the snow!


I also decided it'd be funny if I wore an old race number on my run this morning - I figure other runners will do a double take when just one person runs by with a bib number on! 

If I were really brave and funny, here's what I'd yell to other runners while I'm out:

"Are they gaining on me?!"

"I'm first!!!  I'm first!!!"

"YOU'RE RUNNING THE WRONG WAY!!!"

I'll probably just run by and let them wonder ;)

Back from St. Martin! - Vacationing with a baby & toddler

My parents heading out for a sail!

We did it!  We packed everything from swim diapers to paperback story books for the plane and we hauled all our stuff, a one year old, and a two and a half year old through airports and planes and car rentals and island traffic to the French side of St. Martin in the Caribbean.

Ok, so we cheated.  REALLY cheated.  We had two sets of grandparents with us to help entertain children on the plane, haul stuff from place to place, and help out while we were there so we could have some dinners to ourselves and time to relax on the beach.  They are awesome and it was awesome.

That said, here are some of the tips I read that helped me the most, and that might be more helpful for traveling parents of small children than "grandparents!"

1. Have a convenient way to secure and transport each child.  We brought just one stroller for the two kids, but also had the ergo baby carrier with us.  That meant that when the two year old was tired, or we were dealing with ticket counters and couldn't risk him running off, we could put him in the stroller and the one year old in the backpack carrier.  Then when we were through security with time to kill, he could walk around while our backs got a break because we moved the baby to the stroller.  The ergo is great because it's hands free, didn't bother my back even when I carried Andrew for over an hour in it, and folded up small enough to tuck into a backpack or bottom of the stroller.  We've even used the ergo with Will when he was almost two to carry him from place to place on our vacation in Cape Cod - in a pinch, it beats carrying a toddler and not having your hands free for luggage or risking them running off while you're handling suitcases.

2. The travel experience and interacting with you are a great source of entertainment.  Everyone recommends an activity bag with some new books and toys for the plane.  Absolutely a great idea - but also remember not to pack too much because you've got to lug it, and honestly, most of the time Will was more entertained by looking around, asking questions about the plane, talking to us about everything he saw in the airport, and looking through the in-flight safety information. Snacks are also great time killers and mood-boosters, but think about whether you need to bring more than a few or if you can buy them as you travel to save weight and space.  Jet Blue offers great snack boxes with lots of variety including one aimed directly at kids complete with raisins and squeezy applesauce pouches.

3. They sense your mood.  If you're feeling impatient, they sense it.  If you try to enjoy every aspect of the trip "Ooh, now we're waiting for the rental car... we're so close to the airport we can see the planes going by!  What kind of a tree is that?  Let's look at the leaves while we wait!" then your kids will take your lead.  Also, I actually enjoyed traveling more because it really was an adventure each step of the way.  Did you know that a lot of airports have little plane motifs on their floor tiles?  Yeah.  I didn't.  They do.  If you have time, you can count them pretty high.

4. Avoid the trifecta. When you're traveling, you might have to skip a nap, or wait longer than normal for lunch, or get a little too hot or cold as you switch climates.  One is ok.  Two might be ok briefly... but don't let your kids get tired and hungry and hot or cold.  I found that by making sure I was thinking ahead about their food intake and what they were wearing, that those were the easiest to control even when they might be too excited to sleep on the plane.  If you're ordering food at a restaurant, don't wait until the kids are ravenous to find a place and order, careful planning and leaving really early for lunches and dinners can make a big difference.

5. This is not your honeymoon.  Have realistic expectations!  Oh, and bring the grandparents so you can go out to a nice dinner ;)

Los Calmos Cafe

February 13th: Happy First Birthday Andrew!

Andrew is Eleven Months!

He's pulling himself up to standing, claps for everything, and will be walking before we know it.  He's even said his first two official words: "Da-da" and "kitty".  Love you, Andrew-bugs!

Happy New Year's Eve!

It's become a family tradition to put together a slideshow of our past year to watch together on New Year's Eve.  Getting together ours this year made me realize what a big year 2012 was!  Here are just a few of the special moments.

Andrew, just a few days old, February

Holding his head up! June

Grocery shopping, December

Will, just under a month before Andrew was born, January

Will in Cape Cod, August

Will, October

Uninvited wedding guest, Turks & Caicos.  May

My brother is a DAD! September

Elizabeth graduates! May

E with just barely home Andrew, February

Two days before Andrew! February

Brothers.  April

Brothers. November

Christy's baby shower.  June

Tea, January.

Holding my niece, Christmas Day.  

Polar Express, December

Drawing with Dad, August.

Wishing you and your family and everyone a wonderful, happy and healthy 2013!