Tiger Toes

This week was a good, but exhausting week!  As I posted earlier, Miles started kindergarten and Hailey started a new daycare.  They both did wonderfully!  Miles really had a good time this week and is eager for next week.  He is looking forward to breaking out his school supplies and doing some work!  I guess this week, they have focused on rules and adjusting and such.  I'm glad they are taking their time!  He has made some friends in his class and seems to get along well. 

 

4th of July...

 

Hailey also did well in school this week!  She is a bit clingy in the morning with some fake tears when I drop her off, but apparently, they don't last too long!  She has named some friends in her class as well.  She is eating, and napping, but not going potty!  The first day, she did.  And the second, she had an accident at nap time.  But, she won't go on the potty-she holds it all day and tells her teachers she will go at home.  No wonder her belly hurts!

 

Nana came to visit over the 4th.  This turned into one of Miles' favorite games while she was here!

 

 

Hailey painting...looks so old to me here!

 

When Nana was here, we also went to Medieval Times -it was awesome!

 

So, then this turned into Miles' favorite game with Nana!

 

 

And then we went to the pool-and THAT turned into Miles' favorite thing!  We've gone almost every weekend since!

 

I know I was tired all week and the kids were too.  Today (Saturday), both kids woke about 6:15 am and went back to sleep.  Miles didn't wake again until 9:45 and Hailey until 10:25!  Wow!  We all feel better now!  Last night, there was a PTA event at the local ice cream shop, so we went out there.  Miles saw some friends from his class and had fun running around.  Ahmad and I were trying to wrap our brains around the fact that we were at an ice cream social for our son, who is in kindergarten, while he runs around with his friends from school, all while living in Georgia!  We are still figuring all this out! 

 

When Hailey lets me, I've been practicing braiding her hair-not too bad...

 

They love the big tub in the master!

 

Miles seems to be growing all the time.  One minute, he is the voice of reason and the next, he is a toddler.  I'm seeing more and more of it though!  He's also into cleaning, which I can't complain about.  He got into this in the last year, although he has always helped out at home.  But now, when it mood strikes him, he picks up everything he can lift and puts it up on something else.  He doesn't want anything to be on the floor at all.  While I appreciate it, I also find it a bit funny!  And, to get him to keep some things (like small chairs) on the floor, is challenging!  When he can't sleep at night (which didn't really happen this week!), he cleans his room, which is never that messy to begin with.  He will straighten out all his blankets and sheet, put up his chair on top of his bookcase, make sure all his books are put up, and put any remaining items in his nightstand drawer.  He's also decided, at random times, that the Star Wars and super hero stickers on his wall are scary.  One by one, we have moved them down to the living room by his toy box.  He still has some in his room, but the most scary of them all are downstairs.

 

Hailey is such a little stylist!

 

Somewhere in between was Ahmad's 34th bday!!!

 

The kids love to play outside!  They both love their scooters, but Miles is much better on his than Hailey!

 

Hailey ended up pouting like this because her scooter wouldn't stay straight when going down the road!

Hailey cracks me up.  It's amazing to finally hear the things that are going on her head.  While she has been vocal for some time, over a year now, she is really just now getting into talking about things and starting conversations.  She is hilarious!  She still stalls so much when it's time for bed, calling me up to her room 4-5 times before going to sleep.  While I find this super annoying, I do enjoy all the little snuggles she gives.  She also likes to sit up, turn her pillow over for a fresh new side, and get all covered up again.  She asks where daddy is and where Miles is.  Then she asks if she can wake up after later.  Sometimes she asks about Nana and Grampie too.

After getting Hailey dressed one day, I asked her what I should wear.  She replied with "a dress-like mine!"  Come to think of it, I actually had one!

 

She loves wearing dresses these days!  This was her pretty black dress, before school.

 

Referring back to an earlier post, this is the place on our stairs where Hailey reaches over to take a pretend muffin or cupcake from the blue and white vase.  Then she pretends to eat them.  :)

Today, we just hanging out after our lazy morning!  We finally got ourselves together and took a little advantage of tax free day in Georgia.  I would have loved to shop more, but I just couldn't justify it.  I did get Miles some new dress shoes and some shirts for the fall at school as well as new socks.  Hailey lucked out with a new dress and work-out outfit type get-up for the fall.  Too cute!  Then we played in Miles' room and now Hailey is napping and Miles is watching Super Mario Brothers videos on YouTube.  I know, right?!  Last weekend, storms hit and a lightening strike took out our phone, alarm, and TV.  We got everything fixed, but for that weekend, we had no TV.  So, Miles watched some videos online and now loves it.  Actually though, our main TV is still knocked out.  It fried the ports, so we are using our bedroom TV downstairs.  Hoping we can fix the big one.  Anyway.  Tomorrow, I hope to get to the pool as time is running out for that.  We are also going to try a new church tomorrow.  We just went last weekend, finally after the move, and neither Miles nor I were super impressed with the one we went to.  So, we're going to try out some others and hope to find another good one.  And so it goes....!  :)

Kindergarten Kronicles

So, Miles started kindergarten yesterday! 

He was so sure that kindergarten would be just so BORING and you would do is work all day long.  Luckily, the school held a kindercamp 2 weeks ago. It was for 3 hours a day each day and only for kindergarteners.  This allowed the kids to get used to the school, teachers, lunch room, etc.  This was awesome!  He was very scared and nervous to go the first day, but held his own and did awesome.  So, while he said he was scared yesterday, he didn't act like it at all.  Over the weekend, he got a hair cut and we organized all his school supplies, filling his pencil cases with freshly sharpened pencils, writing his name on his folders, notebooks, scissors and backpack and then fitting everything into his bags.  He was ready! 

Sunday night, he picked out his outfit consisting of a yellow polo and khaki shorts.  (His uniform consists of blue, white and yellow.)  After he picked his outfit, he asked if I didn't think others would think he was a girl!  I told him no...the next morning he had the same concern, but proceeded on with the chosen outfit.  He didn't mention anyone thinking he was a girl last night!  :) 

He was still sure kindergarten would be boring and he was just going to write all day, not having any fun.  I tasked him with giving me 3 things that were fun from his day when I got home from work. 

When I came in the door after work, he was full of jabber and exclaimed, not 3, but 4 things he had done that were fun-coloring, going outside, eating chicken nuggets for lunch and having cake for snack.  He claimed they didn't do any work.  I'm so proud of Miles!  I just know that he's going to do awesome in school.  Everyone asked me if I cried, and I have to admit that I didn't.  However, I did after the open house last week.  Yesterday, I was just so excited for him and proud of him!  He's my big kid now!

Hailey also started her new day care, AKA big girl school, yesterday.  She went a half day last Friday as a test run, but this was her first official day.  She did very well!  She was excited to go and let me put her down without crying in the morning. 

The room was full of little girls and looked like a good time.  It's a little unnerving to think of her there all by herself without her big brother to watch over her, but I think she will do well!  I'm proud of her venturing on her own!

Yes, it's been forever since I posted!

I know it's been forever since I posted and I keep kicking myself for not doing it.  It's been a different sort of year that completely threw me off track.  I have excuse after excuse for not posting, but in the end, I just didn't do it.  Every time I thought about the little moments I was missing and not documenting for the kids, I would hate it. 

Since I last posted, Miles said his first "I hate you" around the end of March.  That stung.  He graduated from pre-K in May.  He was super duper excited for my birthday in May and couldn't wait for it.  We bought a house and moved to Stone Mountain, Georgia the end of May and in to June.  We traveled to Indiana so I could run in the Mini-I did well, but not as well as last year.  Still, it was a great time seeing family and friends.  Miles is getting ready to start Kindergarten on Monday.  Kindergarten.  He's got his haircut, backpack packed and his name on everything. He's admittedly excited and scared.  He's sure it's going to be boring and 'you just work all day long.'  Miles has matured over the summer in many ways.  One of the ways I notice most is that although he is not free of tantrums and mood swings (who is?!), he will come to me a few minutes, or hours, later and tell me he is sorry for his behavior.  All on his own.  That makes me glad.  I hear Miles telling Hailey things we have told him in the past-he does hear us!  Hailey is a ham.  She is talking up a storm-strangers can't believe she is two.  She still is grasping the language and melts my heart with her language choices-"I pick you up" is my favorite.  However, I am trying to get her to walk more and break her of me holding her all the time.  Sometimes it works and she will just hold my hand.  I love her little hand in mine.  In our house, the lower part of the stairs are open into the living room; we have a hutch right near the stairs, so you can touch it when on about the 5th step.  On top of the hutch we have photos and some vases.  When walking down, both Hailey and Miles like to touch the ceiling there-it's the only place in the house they can do this.  Hailey also likes to pretend grab from the vase nearest her and pretend to pop something in her mouth and eat it.  When I ask her what she's eating, she replies with either muffins or cupcakes.  She never misses a beat in coming down the stairs while doing this.  It cracks me up!  She is also insistent about her blankets at night and loves this green, soft blanket.  She calls it her "soffer" blanket.  She is still in to this "my belly hurts" phase, something my mother told me I used to say all the time.  I kiss it and usually she moves on.  Now, in bed, she will tell me her belly hurts and then proceed to tell me that all her other parts hurt as well-whatever parts she can remember at the time-toes, elbow, leg, arm, booty, etc.  I proceed to kiss them all until she is satisfied.  She also says "my still belly hurts" instead of "my belly still hurts" and uses the same phrase with all her parts.  It's too cute.  And another phrase I love is "after later".  I believe she combined the two thoughts, "after a while (nap, lunch, etc)" and "later".  Everything is "after later" and it completely satisfies her no matter if it's to go jumpy jump (bounce houses), Chuck E Cheese, Nana's house, to the pool, etc.  Miles is a whiz outside on his scooter and is so anxious to meet all our neighbors.  Just tonight, he was evaluating which neighbors we have yet to meet and how he can't wait to meet them.  Hailey has such a say in what she wears-Miles not so much.  If he picks out his outfits, it's usually something pretty unique, but Hailey will protest an outfit while Miles goes with it if I pick it out.  She is also insistent on her shoe choice and it's usually the little heels or platform sandals.  Oh, the moments.  There are so many uncaptured moments.  The hugs, the kisses, the smiles, and even the tears.  They fill me up inside and keep me going.  I think I am feeling more settled now and feeling better about keeping this up again.  I hope so.  I miss this blog!