First Day of School!

Kailey and Miss Ramona

Yesterday, Kailey started her first day of Pre-School. She only goes two days a week for 2 1/2 hours a day, but that seemed like an eternity to me. I couldn't believe how much I missed her while she was at school.

Kailey didn't cry at all when I dropped her off or when I went to pick her up. Some of the other kids were so overwhelmed that their moms actually did come back, that they burst in to tears when they were picked up. Not Kailey, she seemed to have other issues on her mind.

Let me set the stage. Rewind a few years when Paul and I were both teaching. I taught at a school where every student had been sent there due to severe discipline problems. The school where Paul taught sent the most kids to my school. Are you seeing a pattern here? As parents who are former teachers, our biggest fear is a behavior problem.

Okay, back to Kailey. As we prepared to leave, we went to say goodbye to her teacher, Miss Ramona. I asked how Kailey's day was, and Miss Ramona replied, "Fine, she just needs to learn the rules." Oh boy, I thought to myself, here we go.

Kailey bounced out of school, talked gibberish all the way home and really didn't have too much to say on the subject, other than she was ready for a nap. Well, as we were eating lunch, Kailey pipes up, "No Kailey, we never color on the walls!" WHAT??? Yes, my kid busted herself out and was the one coloring on the walls the first day of pre-school. While my initial instinct is complete horror, I must admit I am pleased at her honesty.

I'm telling you, Karma's a bitch. I'm quite certain this is for all those students who I made practice behavior skills over and over and over again by doing push-ups in a sand pit. The bottom line of course, is that Kailey seemed to have a wonderful time and this is exactly what Pre-School is for...learning NOT to color on the walls!

Nope, Still No Mini-Me

I keep looking at old pictures trying to see if either of my kids resemble me. They don't. Owen's hair is getting lighter and lighter with each passing day. Before I know it, I'm going to have two blonde, blue-eyed children. I KNOW they're mine, they just don't look like me.

I found this cutie picture from a stack that Bubbie is always sending to me. I assume I'm close to Kailey's age, maybe a little younger. I do think that Kailey and I have the same nose and eye shape, but that's about it. I definitely had a lot more hair and fortunately for Kailey, she didn't get to experience the rockin' 1970's knit bikini top. Lookin' Good!

The time has come...

Most woman/wives don't look forward to football season. Rather, they see themselves as football widows. Not me. I'm thrilled, ready for action, redemption, excitement...brainwashing!

O-H...anyone?

Hey Batter Batter

Wednesday night was Coast Guard Appreciation Night at our local baseball park. This baseball team is literally in a league of its own...nope, not a farm team for anyone, just a 'professional' team of wannabe's. Regardless, it was a beautiful park and SO incredibly fun for all of us. We had fantastic seats so the kids were able to be up close and personal with the players. Owen was fascinated by the ball going back and forth as well as the huge score board. Kailey had a great time dancing with the mascot, named Sun Burn and even got him to shake it and spin around! She also 'befriended' some poor seven year girl old who ended up having a little blonde shadow for about an hour. There was a wonderful family area in the outfield complete with tables and a playground for the kids to romp around. I guess it's safe in the outfield because again, these guys probably wouldn't be hitting it over the Green Monster if given the chance. The fun and games ended for Kailey when she went down a slide and got a mouthful of sand. However, a little pink cotton candy, or sugar, as Kailey calls it made everything MUCH better!

Piano Man

This happens to be the toy of the week. Both Kailey and Owen have been rockin' and rollin' to this sharp little piano from Grandma Karel. This piano is WAY better than my synchronizer circa 1988 that I earned from my ONE summer filing community band music for my dad. (That's a WHOLE other story for those of you not familiar with the Sousa/Community Band...someday, someday). Back to our piano. It has great beats, a microphone and a turn table. Owen often surprises himself with the noises he can make with the piano (well, he surprises himself with all of his noises, but again, that's for another day) and Kailey just dances.

Such a big boy

We've had a few chilly mornings these last few days therefore, I've had to dress the kids accordingly. I've been slowly shopping for cold weather gear, so we wouldn't break the budget come fall. However, I didn't expect to break out the jeans this early. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it's only a temporary cold spell and we can return to some nice, warm August temperatures soon.

Owen sure does look cute, but certainly not like a baby anymore which makes me sad. I can't believe he's ten months old already, where does time go? He loves to stand and cruise around anything and everything. Soon he'll be standing on his own, he just needs to get the balance thing down!

Oh, I went to the animal fair...

The birds and beasts were certainly there! As a kid, we always went to the Medina County Fair which was a real humdinger. It featured tractor pulls, demolition derbies, dunk tanks and my 8th grade favorite, New Kids On the Block. This fair wasn't quite the caliber of my childhood memories, but it did live up to expectations in terms of animals.

However, never, ever did I think a trip to the fair could bring tears of joy to my eyes as this one did. Kailey tends to be a little scared of most things. She always exclaims, "I'm fine, I'm fine" which is code for "Get me the heck out of here." Well, she spotted a real pony carousel and wanted to immediately ride. Paul and I thought for sure, she would get close to the pony, flip out and then want to leave. We were wrong, so wrong. She got on Lumberjack the pony, yelled to all of the other pre-school riders, "Come on Cowboys, Yeehaw!" and had the time of her life. Owen watched her with pure glee and giggled the entire time. Absolutely worth the price of admission!