This is what happens when Carleigh doesn't take a nap for Memaw!

Today was my first official day back to school. A day filled with boring I mean exciting teacher inservice meetings at the high school. Today was my mom's first full day of watching them since early June. Carleigh decides she will not take a nap for mom and so when she settles down to watch tv before dinner, this is what I found. I couldn't let her continue to sleep on her hands so I layed her flat. I have NEVER seen anyone fall asleep like that before!!!

Snippets

Cody's latest favorite thing to do is to give hi-fives. Of course, Matt has taught him to miss the lower five and say "You're too slow!" Cody has a cute little hand gesture and facial expression as he is doing this. It's so cute to see him singing along and chiming into songs or phrases that he hears.

Carleigh is progressing in potty training although she is not fully potty-training (not at night time). For the past two days, she has told me that she is hungry. It is so cute to hear her say "I'm hungry Mommy!"

I worked in my classroom last night and this morning. Carleigh enjoyed having my mom taking care of her. In fact, she cried when she left at lunchtime. We reminded her that tomorrow she would be there all day as today is my last day off for the summer.

I am ready though. I get bored easily and am ready to get in the swing of things as well as talking to adults again.

I know I haven't posted any photos lately....just nothing exciting going on. I will be posting pics of my classroom soon and will have a few C and C photos uploaded by the weekend!!

Cody's Latest Fave

We don't watch Nickelodeon much other than Dora and Diego, however, one day when Cody was being very moody, I left the tv on while playing with Carleigh on the porch. Cody stopped fussing and was glued to "Spongebob Squarepants." That cartoon is obnoxious and I really don't like them watching it, but Cody absolutely loves it! He really doesn't understand alot that is going on, I think he just likes the voices and the characters. Now, whenever we are out, if he sees any of the Spongebob characters, he gets excites and shouts out Spongebob. Even Carleigh gets glued. I guess this is one of their guilty pleasures and one of my pet peeves! He also can chime into singing with the song...so hopefully he is gaining speech by watching it...gotta come up with something to make it educational and worthwhile.

We have been watching the Olympics as I am a BIG women's gymnastics fan and is planning on putting Carleigh into gymnastics once she is fully potty trained. Carleigh and Cody were engrossed with the gymnastics and swimming competitions. Carleigh kept saying "Swim! Swim!" as the swimmers raced toward the finish line. Matt likes track and field so I imagine what Cody and Carleigh will say when they see the runners running! They also enjoyed the opening ceremony that had lots of fireworks and flashing lights. It was so cute to see them applaud it when certain pieces ended. They are so cute!

Enjoying the last few days of freedom!

I know I say this every year, but this summer went by incredibly fast and I think it went faster than the year before! Whoa! We were busy this summer with several weekend trips and lots of playdates with friends.

Sadly, Wednesday is my last day off work. *sob* I have really enjoyed this summer! It has been very relaxing and eye-opening! It was great watching my children mature this summer as well as teaching them new skills such as potty training for Carleigh and life lessons for Cody.

Yesterday, Matt and I took Cody and Carleigh to a park and they really wasn't in the mood for playing, so we ate our lunch and headed home. I guess they were tired of playground equipment and were more interested in other things. After naptime, we went over to my mom and dad's and of course they wanted to get into anything and everything. They think Papaw and Memaw's house is a playhouse where they can run and squeal and get lots of food!

I am happy to post that Carleigh did not cry for me today at church! Woohoo! One of my students from a couple of years ago goes to my church and his parents volunteer in the toddler room. Cody and Carleigh love it when it is their turn. Today, they reported how a big helper Carleigh is and how she notices detail. Cody of course enjoyed piggyback rides the best!

Monday and Tuesday will be spent enjoying my kiddos while in the evenings I plan on working in my classroom. Wednesday morning my mom will babysit while I go to school and do some things that I cannot do (or have access to) in the evenings.

Guess what Cody and Carleigh has learned to do? WELL, they can roll down the windows in the van and stick their hands out. And Carleigh threw her flip flop out and we had to pull over and retrieve it. Suffice to say that we are using childlock now on the windows...what a lovely invention!

Yesterday

Yesterday, Cody and Carleigh got a little taste of what will happen starting late next week: Me-maw! Me-maw watched them half of a day while I was in first aid training at the high school. Let me tell you that the videos and practice was FUN FUN FUN for 3 hours. I can hardly contain my excitement! Carleigh did fairly well with Me-maw, but had one minor accident. She also didn't whine for me so that is good and she didn't whine at church on Wednesday night.

After dinner, I decided to go to a park for a little bit. We went to Ft. Liberty again since it is such a nice park and the temps where in the upper 70s and hardly any humidty! Woohoo! We had a fun time and then got ice cream at THE CONE. Matt loves that place because it has sugar-free sundaes. (He hardly ever finds a place that caters to diabetics!)

Last night we ended the evening with pony rides aka the back of Mommy! They kept wanting more "rides" and finally I had to stop and rest my back. 32 lbs of kid on your back is tiring!

Today, we are hanging around the house for the most part until the evening. We plan on going out to eat with my parents and then off to the grocery store. So far, Carleigh has been to the potty three times this morning and is dry. She is finally starting to get it! I am so glad that I didn't try to push her about 6 months ago because she really wasn't ready or aware of it.

Potty Training Update

Carleigh stayed dry all morning! Woohoo! We are celebrating a small victory! She also told me 2 out of 3 times that she needed to go potty! I am hoping this is just the beginning of an easier road. My mom will continue to potty train her next week while I start inservice. I am just so proud of my big girl!

While I was putting her down for a nap, I always sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and she sang the majority of the song to me. It was so sweet to hear her little voice singing. She has an excellent memory and can recite back parts of the songs after hearing them once.

She also likes to help around the house by picking things up, putting them away, and throwing away garbage. She also likes to "clean her tray" as she puts it. It is amazing tosee how much she has matured over the summer. She talks about the bus and school and cannot wait to go back to school and see her teacher Miss Jenny.

It's getting closer....

Yes, it's that time again...Back to School! My school starts in 2 weeks from today. Yup, that means August 19th! I have started to work in my classroom. Last evening, the kids and I hung out in the room while I cleaned out my old desk. My old one has followed me for 8 years and was really beat up when I got it. The summer daycamp pushed my old desk and broke the leg off. Normally that would make me upset, but I was happy to get my new one. It is really nice and better looking for sure!! Carleigh loves getting drinks at my school drinking fountain. Cody loves running in the school gym. I plan on going back to school this evening and Matt may bring the kids along and let them play in the big gym or outside on the playground, depending on the weather.

Yesterday, Cody's lip was REALLY swollen from his injury at church on Sunday. I took a pic and may post it if it shows how swollen it was. It is less swollen today. My friend graciously offered to watch Cody and Carleigh this morning while I met my new to second grade co-teacher to show her curriculum and other things. She said that the kids had a great time. I was a bit worried as Carleigh has been going through this Mommy stage. She doesn't want me to leave and wants me to put her down for her nap and bedtime. She should be fine for my mom when she starts to babysit again because that is "Memaw!"

Cody has been talking up a storm lately. Yesterday, he handed me his plate and said, "All done!" He then grabbed his belt in his booster chair and said "Out!" I asked him a question last week and he answered in a 2 word sentence! Woohooo! I think his teachers will be blown away by all the talking!

Poor Cody!

We were at the beginning of the church service this morning, when one of the toddler workers came to get me. Apparently, Cody was climbing on a soft climbing block when he slipped and hit his mouth on the edge of the window ledge. He was gushing blood from his mouth! So, I try to put pressure on his upper gums but he was fighting me. He was so scared, in pain and thought we were hurting him! My poor little guy! The blood went everywhere--on my blouse, his shorts, Matt's shirt.

I finally decided to put him in a choker hold and held his head so firmly that he could not go anywhere. I applied pressure while he was crying and that helped it to stop. They allowed Cody to play in the nursery with the little ones so that he would calm down and it is his favorite place to go because all of the baby and fun toys are in there.

I finally got a look at it and he has cut and bruised about 2 inches of upper gums above his front teeth. He hit his mouth again tonight at church and it bled a little but nothing like this morning. We plan on giving him Tylenol before bed for the pain.
We are banning him from wearing sandals because he cannot walk that well while wearing them. Back to regular shoes even in the 90 degree weather!!

Women of Faith Weekend

My sister, mom and I left around 5pm for our Women of Faith Weekend. My sister couldn't get off early from work so we skipped Friday night's session. It was a nice evening. We ate at O'Charleys on the way there. Then it was an adventure finding our hotel. We stayed at the University Place which borders Indiana University/Purdue University Institute. We could see a college football stadium for our hotel window. We were on the 5th floor and had a really cool view of the city.

We ordered yummy appetizers from the room service. We had loaded nachos and cheese quesadillas.

Our hotel was really nice other than one problem: the air wasn't working well. It was "okay" by my standards but for my two post-menopausal roommates, it wasn't ok. We had the temp down to 60 but it didn't FEEL like 60 degrees!

It was a fun and crazy night and let's just say there were so very creative and usual sleeping habits that night! We also ordered room service for breakfast right before we checked out and headed for the conference.

The conference

This was our view at the Women of Faith: Infinite Grace 2008 Conference. It was held at the Conseco Field House which is home to the NBA team of the Indianapolis Pacers. This arena couldn't be more than a few years old and was beautiful. The bad part was that we were in the balcony almost at the main top. Even I was getting a little scared of the steepness of our seating. Suffice to say that if we go next year, we will order our tickets earlier (like very soon) so that we are not stuck in the nose bleed section! It was not for the faint of heart!

I cannot even put into words the atmosphere of thousands of Christian women worshipping the Lord together. There were ALL kinds of denominations and I saw some Amish and Mennonite women there as well. It was breathtaking seeing so many women praising the Lord at the same time!

The best singers/speakers there were Nicole C. Mullen and Sandi Patty. Nicole sang "My Redeemer Lives" and I was just in tears. Her songs so move me! It was a wonderful conference and I am so glad that I was able to go!

Anxiety

Carleigh has been exhibiting signs of anxiety. It all started after the pig attack in June. Lately, she is afraid of most animals, new things, and being separated from Mommy. Last night at church, the teachers said that Carleigh whined for me the majority of the time. Normally she never whines or does anything that the teachers have commented on. A couple of nights ago, she wanted me to tuck her in bed for the night and not Matt. I hope this isn't a long stage she is in. We had already dealt with separation anxiety when she was about 18 months ago. Is it coming back again? She is also waking at night and very fearful. *sigh* I have to go back to work in 2 weeks and have been talking up Memaw staying with her. Normally we call her Mammaw but Carleigh has been calling my mom Memaw lately. She is excited for Memaw to put her down for a nap and we might have her come over the day before I go back full time to go over the schedule and routine.

Where has the summer gone to????

Busy Days

On Tuesday, Cody, Carleigh and I met my former co-teacher Theresa and her two boys at Ft. Liberty Playland. I have been wanting to go there for awhile, but never got around to doing it. (We had a second grade party there 8 years ago and I thought it was a neat park.) This park was very close for my friend so it worked out well. We met early, thankfully as the heat was steaming up in the 90s. Ick!

I plan on taking the kids again, but with more adults. You can really lose a child or two because the playground is a wooden fort with lots of hiding places and slides that come out near the bike trail. Carleigh kept hiding and Cody stayed in the shaded parts which caused my heart to skip a beat when I couldn't see them. The kids had a blast and we ate lunch there.

Afterwards, the kids and I went to my classroom.

Today, I went to my friend Jen's house and we had a fun time. The kids loved playing her daughter and of course exploring her house! I now have a few gifts in mind for Christmas!

Tomorrow is therapy day and my last Bible study night with the Beth Moore series. I have learned so much about the Psalms of Ascent. It is amazing how many connections the Israelites and modern day society have in common. I will truly miss the study.

Friday afternoon, my sister, mom and I are heading for Indianapolis for the WOF Conference. It will be a great time to reconnect with my sis and mom as well as diving into the Word and hearing some awesome singing!

Ft. Liberty Playland

The best parts of the park

Cody enjoyed walking up and down the steps and exploring the inside of the fort the best. Of course, he also enjoyed swinging and didn't get sick!! Woohoo! He was LAUGHING while swinging! Carleigh enjoyed hiding from me which was caused a few scary moments for mommy!!

Carleigh and C are two weeks apart. Carleigh is the older of the two. Cody and C enjoyed swinging on the tire swing together also.

Playing in my classroom

After our playdate on Tuesday, I decided to go to my school and start working in my room. I didn't get quite as much done as I hoped. Cody LOVED my globe and was constantly spinning it. Carleigh caught me engrossed in my storage cabinet and dumped three of my math manipulatives tub. It took me 10 minutes at least to pick all the shapes, counting rods, and coins! They also enjoyed running in our gym while I was talking to another teacher. This is why I go and work in my classroom in the evenings!!!

My New "Toy"

Well, my laptop finally arrived today! Woohoo! I now have wireless internet and can surf the web anywhere!! It is so cool! Cody and Carleigh are fascinated by it. Carleigh knew it was a computer before I opened the box. She shouted "computer." They are learning about it and looking but not "touching!" My old 5+ year old computer will be there new computer and I plan on loading preschool games on it for them.

I also have a webcam/camera and the kids and I had a BLAST taking pics as well as making silly videos.

This will come in handy for my school work.

Why didn't I buy one sooner????

Fun at the Fair and Other Ramblings

We decided to take the kids to our county fair today. It was so hot, but we really wanted them to see the animals and such. The first barn had animals like rabbits, turkeys, hens, roosters, pigeons, etc. I saw one ENORMOUS rabbit! Whoa! It looked like it had been on steroids! It was bigger than an old fat cat and it was bigger than my sister's Yorkie Terrier! They LOVED the small animals barn. So then, we journeyed to the pig barn.

WELL, I wanted to see how Carleigh would react to seeing a pig again since her pig attack at Parky's in mid June. The first time she saw a pig, she JUMPED in my arms. And that was no exaggeration! She got this look of terror on her face and then jumped right at me. I had to carry her through the whole barn. She calmed down and looked at the pigs (of course safely in Mommy's arms). One pig was so cute, he was laying down and oinking rather loudly. I told Carleigh that the pig was talking to her to which she hid her face in my shoulder!

After a late nap, we went to a teacher store and a dollar store (gotta love that everything is a buck!) so that I could get a few essentials that I didn't order from the websites. We brought back McDonalds for the kids and Cody DEVOURED a whole package of apple dippers and ate the majority of Carleigh's bag as well. That kid LOVES apples! I have to buy a dozen every week! He will eat it down to the seed! I am happy that he loves fruit, but sometimes that is all the he wants and well, too much fruit can cause some digestion issues!!

Yesterday my laptop was supposed to arrive, well, they apparently tried to deliver it and I couldn't hear them in the back when Carleigh was taking a nap. ARGH! I was so looking forward to getting it set up and NOW I have to wait until Monday!! And I had to change the playdate that I had scheduled, but luckily my friend was open to do it on Wednesday. We have two play dates this week: Tuesday at a park and Wednesday at my friend's house. Thursday we have therapy and Friday I have to get ready for my Women of Faith Conference.

My mom, sister and I are going to the Women of Faith Conference in Indianapolis Friday evening - Saturday evening. I have never been to one and am excited to attend. Some of my favorite authors/speakers and Christian singers will be there. Matt will be a single dad from Friday at 4:30 - late Saturday night. My sister had originally planned to go with her mother-in-law and friend, but both backed out so my mom and I received free tickets (worth $60 a person). Woohoo! I think my sis, mom and I need this "women" time to reconnect and just have a good time. I plan on bringing some board games and card games, and possibly my laptop for Friday night fun in the hotel. Of course I will be bringing the camera!!

I will also be working in my classroom Tuesday and Thursday nights this week. This will make one busy week and my head is just spinning on all the things that are happening in August: weddings, school events, back to work, transitions, etc. Whew!

Carleigh loves to smile, pose and say "cheese" when I have my camera out. I guess I have taken too many pictures.

Cheap Thrills

I received a package of teacher stuff today (not not my laptop yet!) Cody and Carleigh had a BLAST playing on top, in and under it. It is so cute to see them playing together with Carleigh being the boss of course.

Carleigh funny: Carleigh heard a noise from the garage across the street and started running around the room shouting "Oh gosh! Oh gosh! Oh gosh!" She is just too funny! I am always looking forward to whatever funny little phrase she might say. And whatever she says today, Cody will repeat tomorrow.