Circus Acts

This lovely Friday was full of entertaining circus fun! It all unfolded at about 9:oo A.M. when AC and her classmates participated in the school play - A Circus! Here she is with some of her friends. Every one in the class was supposed to wear a red shirt. I guess the boys didn't get the memo.

AC's class was assigned to walk the tight rope. Here she is taking her turn. It's kind of hard to see but there is a little white rope on the ground. For some reason, she reminded me SO much of her big cousin, Riley, while she was walking on that rope! And I also had flashes of this week's Modern Family (Phil walks a tight rope in the front yard - hilarious!)

Her class went first, so they were able to watch all the bigger kids do their acts next. Here she is with her friends, Nicky and Peyton, clapping to the music and watching.

She spotted me. Hi!

Some more shots of her classmates, MaKayla and Abby.

The 4 year old lions. Love the masks!

And 4 year old elephants.

She had so much fun! I was so proud of her. She followed directions, paid attention to her teacher, and clapped for the other kids. She was focused like I've never seen her before. She wasn't afraid or disruptive. My big girl. This school and her teacher have been a huge blessing in her life. It's funny how things work out. I can not imagine her going to any other school in the world. She amazes me everyday with the things she is learning.

Oh, and she peed on the potty again today! 2 days in a row! I'm a happy mama!

Potty Time

All I have to say today is....a certain little girl peed in the potty! Just once but still, she did it! I'm taking things very slowly and don't know if she will use it at all tomorrow. I've been working on it for a few days. I'll keep you posted (because I know you all dying to know about it - ha!)!!

Pen-sess

AC wore this lovely little purple dress to the Megan and Justin's rehearsal dinner. I didn't get any pictures of her that night because she was a complete maniac. A complete and total maniac. Most of you know this. You were there. Anyway, she saw this dress hanging on her laundry hamper and begged me to let her wear it. "Pen-sess, MOMMY! Pen-sess, PLEASEEEEE!" She thinks all dresses are princess dresses. It's kinda cute. She will prance around and say, "Me petty pen-sess." So, I let her wear it. I hoped I could get some pictures of her it before she outgrows it. Later in the afternoon, we went outside to play and I was able to snap a few.

Just for the record, she isn't posing. She is trying to lie back on the porch step.

Making Brownies

My little baking assistant got to lick the spoon. She didn't want to miss a single drop. So she licked some off the counter.

What can I say? She gets it from her mama.

Home Again

The hubs just got back from an 8 day trip in New York City. AC is so happy that Daddy is home. They spent the morning at Monkey Joe's making up for lost time. She also made him some "coffee" in her little kitchen and read him a few books. This girl loves her daddy. Apparently, Daddy doesn't love his wireless devices quite so much.

Yep. That's right. 3 rather costly gadgets with 3 busted screens. All of this damage was done in a matter of 2 weeks. Some lessons must be learned the hard way, I guess.

2 Years

AC had her 2 year old pictures taken while we were in KY. My dear friend Rebecca started a photography business about 2 years ago and I have been so impressed with her talent. So I was thrilled when she was able to do AC's pictures.

Here's a little back story on this day. It was 9-11, the morning after my sister's wedding. AC and I had had a late night and I was very nervous that she would not cooperate for pictures. I did almost everything I could to keep her in a good mood that morning. A lot of my anxiety was eased when I first saw Rebecca. She stepped out of her car in what could be considered work-out gear. Immediately I knew she was up for this challenge. If you have a toddler then you know that they never sit still. Getting a picture where they are actually looking at the camera AND smiling is nearly impossible. I knew Rebecca was ready to chase my girl around to get the best shots. And she did. For over an hour. And the best part, my super tired and hungry girl didn't shed a single tear or even whine. It was a great experience. Rebecca was able to capture so many precious moments of my angel. If you know AC, then you will see that these photos are a true reflection of her personality. So, thanks to Rebecca for working so hard to capture the beauty in my girl and to make this mama so happy!

Here are a few that she sent me last night.

Pretending to fly. I love this one so much. Soar, Baby Girl, soar.

Let me just note that I had no intention of being in these photos (hence the leftover bridesmaid hairdo) but I'm so glad Rebecca slipped some in.

So serious.

Some one has a dirty knee!

Taking a break.

Love that this one looks so much like home to me.

It Seems

It seems that when you are in preschool, your mommy and daddy are bombarded with surveys, sign-up sheets, volunteer forms, book orders, daily artwork, lunch orders, extra-curricular options, etc. I know I'm new to the whole "my little one is in school" club, but seriously. I'm a little stressed out about the constant stream of paper that is being sent home. It seems like it is something new everyday. In 7th grade, we hardly ever sent stuff home. Geez.

It seems (no...it's a fact) that here where we live there is no such thing as fall or winter. And spring only shows up for about 2 weeks...in January. It's pretty much 85-95 degrees most of the year. The problem is that stores here carry the exact same stuff they would in KY. Sweaters, boots, coats, scarves. It's insane. The thought of wearing a coat and scarf here makes me a little queasy. For the 2nd year in a row, I'm unprepared for this. AC has very few summer clothing items in size 2T. Right now this is fine. She can still wear most of her 24 mos. things. However, if she hits a growth spurt in the next 4 months, she will be wearing the same 5 outfits on rotation. No lie. It's not until late February that stores start putting out clothing for warmer weather. Maybe next year I will finally catch on and start stocking up for the winter months while summer clothing is still available.

It seems that my furry dog is feeling better. After 3 weeks of stomach issues, she seems to be doing ok. I say 'ok' because her tummy still makes some crazy noises but there hasn't been any diarrhea or vomit in about 1 week. Knock on wood.

It seems I was attempting to win 'Mother of the Year' when I decided this was a good idea.

Oy. Walking a dog and a toddler. I guess I was feeling a little brave. The problems involved multiple poops on the furry one's part which I had to pick out of some one's yard, very ferocious lizard hunting on the furry one's part, several dog/stroller collisions, a screaming girl who wanted to walk, and a rain shower. I stopped to take a picture when it was all over to prove that it actually happened. Because it will probably never happen again.

Splash Park

This morning, AC and I made our way over to the splash park in our town. I just discovered this place and was so excited to take my girl. I knew she would love it and I was correct!

Testing the waters.

Getting a little braver.

I love it, Mommy!

There was also several of these big play sets. The best part was the turf. If you look closely, you will notice that the play set is on top of turf, not sand or mulch. FABULOUS! The sand is so incredibly messy and the mulch causes cuts and splinters. Love this playground!

After 2 hours, AC wanted to eat lunch so she agreed to go home, but not without the promise for a return visit very soon!

Memorable Monday Moments

Today's memorable moments:

1) Hand washing (that might have lasted a LONG time and involved a little posing in the mirror).

2) A tea party.

Everyone at the tea party (AC, Baby, Puppy, and Monkey) started out with one cookie each. I walked away to get a drink and when I got back, all the cookies were gone. AC seemed as shocked as me. And all those veggies on Baby's high chair? They were completely untouched. Lucky for Baby, huh?

3) Circle time.

Her teacher says she struggles a little in this area, so we practice at home. She wanted to be in charge, naturally.

4) Singing.

I don't have a picture for this one but this is how it went.

AC is getting her bath and is singing a song that I don't recognize. She must have learned it at school. The only words I can make out are "Thank you, God. Thank you, God." She repeats this over a few times and then I hear this, "Thank you, God. Thank you, Mickey. Thank you, Minnie. Thank you, Pluto, Donald, Pete!!!!!" I couldn't stop laughing! Mickey and the gang must have done something pretty awesome to be thrown in there with God!