Week #1 *A*

Kaylie's first full week at her new school was great! In the beginning, she was a little hesitant of us leaving her there. By the end of the week she realized we were coming back and it's okay to have school time away from us. Since the school also serves lunch, Kaylie's getting better at trying new things. She also knows that if she eats her lunch then it's time to go home with Mommy, Daddy & Makenzie:) The main focus this week was the letter "A".

MONDAY: the letter "A" and the color red

TUESDAY: fun with glue- Cheerio "A"

WEDNESDAY: School bus project helped with shapes

THURSDAY: finger painting time- apple tree

FRIDAY: show and tell- Kaylie's favorite doggie

Beach Break

After taking Kaylie to school on Wednesday, Makenzie and I headed out for a beach break. Since it was a little spur of the moment, I didn't have her bathing suit along, but we sure had fun walking down the beach and trying to catch the little sand birds. It was such a beautiful day- not too hot out yet, and the beach/water was actually clean- no seaweed everywhere or rip currents churning the water brown. Makenzie was so good! A very relaxing time together:)

Little Painters

The girls absolutely love watercolor painting! Each day, after naps, they try to get some neat pieces of artwork done. This helps with learning colors and shapes. We have a lot to send out to our family and friends:)

*Final products- Makenzie's on top, Kaylie's on bottom*

Reunion Slideshow

Just wanted to share my Satellite High School 10 year reunion slideshow. After a few months of waiting, it's finally here... ENJOY!

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=16732219

Water Fun

Here are some fun photos of the girls being silly in the bath tub and enjoying Zamma's pool.

Job Relocation

If starting school wasn't enough fun for a week, William made the move- to another store that is! As of this past Wednesday, William is the new RM of the S. Semoran Blvd. (just outside the Orlando airport) Steak 'n Shake. He's been working very hard on running a drive-thru contest throughout his district. It was a success: His store was number one! Now that he's over in Orlando, he has his work cut out for him... The DM said he'll have his own store within 6 months- YEAH!!!

If we were in an apartment, a relocation would be in the works, but with a house it makes matters a little more complicated. So, for now he'll make the commute 5 days a week. Thankfully a raise came with the new location! That gas adds up quickly. He'll either work a 2pm-midnight, 4pm-2am, or 6pm-4am shift. Since the school is a quick walk, William won't need to do extra driving around in the mornings- more sleep time! We're both able to get Tuesdays and Thursdays off for family time.

So, lots going on and lots ahead. Hope everyone is having a great end-of-summer!

Take Two...

Okay, so first days of school are only supposed to happen once... not here! I had to work, with no notice of a change, there was no way I could get out of going. As promised, William did a great job getting breakfast done and Kaylie all ready- even her hair. He loaded up the girls into our little green wagon and made the way to school. Kaylie is in the Yellow building & Makenzie will be in the Green building. Once there, they got to walk around a bit to see everything and make sure Kaylie was comfortable. Unlike the other place, she was accepted by the other kids right away. William & Makenzie's hugs and kisses made for a great start to her day. All three of us walked to pick her up. We got the times mixed up and walked right in on nap time, not lunch time- oops! Kaylie was a little nervous and sad about having to take a nap since we didn't talk about it. We explained to her that Mommy and Daddy goofed up and she doesn't have to take a nap- we'll be there right at 11:30: after lunch, before naps! The awesome news was she wrote her name all by herself! The teacher, Ms. Jennifer, had the kids practice all the letters, then write their own names. At the end of the week we get to bring home all of her projects. She seemed so happy today- more talkative as the afternoon went on and more relaxed. Here's to a happy change:)

First Day of School- TAKE ONE...

Our morning started when Kaylie came in our bed, leaned over and said, "Morning! I thought you had to go to work Mommy? No, you're sharing my special day? Thank you so much! I love you!" We new it was going to be a great day for her:)
At school, we took Kaylie first to the bathroom, then we all waited in her classroom. She helped put her bag away and politely sat in her chair, just waiting and taking everything in. We gave hugs and kisses and Makenzie and I headed down the hall to her classroom. While waiting, William said Kaylie asked why he was still in her room... LOL! How cute. Once her teacher arrived, William gave hugs and kisses then headed our way. Makenzie was a little nervous to enter her room, but once in she started checking some things out. A little girl started crying, which got her startled. The two of us said our goodbyes with hugs and kisses and headed out. She started crying :(, but as we waited around the corner she settled down. What a long walk out to the car! A different feeling to experience... sad to not have the girls with us, yet happy to know they're learning, safe and having fun.
At pick-up time, 11:30am, I went to Kaylie's room first... and found out some interesting info... good thing was Kaylie totally did a great job! Her teacher thought she had been in school before since she was so well behaved. She finger painted a purple space rocket and enjoyed playing in the sand pit. She had a huge smile on her face when I arrived:) We then walked down to get Makenzie, who was very anxious to see Mommy again. Her teacher said she cried a bit here and there when the other kids cried, mostly nervous about what was going on around her. The awesome news was that she colored her first picture and went on the potty!!! Both girls hugged each other and wanted me to carry them to the car- I loved feeling so loved:)
Now the interesting news... I overheard Kaylie's teacher talking about how in the afternoons they'll be working on writing, not during the VPK hours. WHAT?!?!?! If we want Kaylie to learn how to write, then we have to enroll her in extended care- $9/day for 3 extra hours. Sorry, but I don't think so. My daughter is enrolled to learn, not just to have a glorified play time. We had one crazy Monday night deciding what to do... on top of that, it was brought to our attention that on "little church" days, the girls are expected to bring an offering and extra items are needed, none of which are required through VPK, just through this school. We are religious people, but do not stand for "gimme money" tactics! Tuesday was Kaylie's second day. After her not being very talkative, which if you know her- she'll talk your ear off:)- we were anxious to see what was learned. Thankfully for her sake, she made an awesome school bus drawing and once again enjoyed playground time. After picking her up and making our decision, William handled nap time while changes were made...
Long story short, sorry so long already, the girls were taken out of school at SPUMC and are starting Children's Country Club, starting tomorrow for Kaylie and Monday for Makenzie. VPK will be from 8:30-11:30 and she gets to stay for lunch through noon, all included- no out of pocket hidden costs. All mandatory learning happens within the time frame and if we want her to stay later, it's just more creative time in the afternoon. WHEW! Makenzie will attend the same time frame, including lunch, three days a week. They are only a building apart- and can see each other whenever they want- just to check up:) The really good news is that the school is a 4 minute walk from our house... the girls are anxious to get wagon time to and from school every day. With one car now- it makes a HUGE difference.
I never thought so much could happen in a 24 hour time frame... Here's a montage of photos from the first two days of school:

First Day of Preschool and Day Care

TAKE TWO tomorrow:)

Orientation Day

Friday August 17th was orientation day for both girls! We started the meeting with a message from the Pastor of St. Paul's United Methodist Church & Preschool. Then, it was time to hear about all the upcoming events and what William and I needed to prepare for the first day of school.

First, we went to Kaylie's room. We originally thought she was in the pink room, but turns out Kaylie's in the yellow room called the Rainbow's- even better! It was so neat seeing her name on the front and back sides of the door, on her cubby, & on her box for displaying her daily work. So far she is one of eight little students of Mrs. Detwiler. Kaylie was excited to find her name all ready for her on the table. She pulled up her chair and sat there so nicely. We got to hear about what the daily schedules will be like and how much fun is in store for our preschooler:) I happily signed up for volunteering and helping with projects, field trips and organizing little group activities. It brought a tear to my eye seeing how excited she was already:)

After Kaylie's room, we headed over to Makenzie's. Surprisingly enough, her room is yellow, too! We met Mrs. Rudine, a very nice and happy teacher. Makenzie had no problem going right up to her and smiling. Both girls went straight for the toys while we learned all of what's in store for our "Little Lamb". We saw her name on the outside hallway and in her little cubby. The teacher will cook once a week where Makenzie will be able to help and try new food items, teach her to use her words to learn and go about every day life, and engage in tons of fun. So far, she is one of four students enrolled in the Little Lambs program. They are very eager to help us help Makenzie along in potty training also:) We are very anxious to watch her grow from this learning experience!

What a Week

This week was very busy for all four of us. William and Kaylie headed down to Fort Myers for a visit with Grandpa Mel and Donna. It was their last big time off before heading into some busy days:) Makenzie stayed with me to help reorganize little things around the house, enjoy much needed "Mommy & Makenzie" time, and await a visit with family.

While in Fort Myers, Kaylie really enjoyed her Little Mermaid activity book... her favorite was water coloring! She also got to spend a lot of time swimming. William and Grandpa took Kaylie along golfing. She told me something happened with pine cones and hitting them in a hole?! One of the best parts- William finally beat his Dad with a 95- yeah:) They can't wait to visit again. Mel passed on a lot of his tools and work stuff to William. What a nice way to keep the tradition of hard work going. He's already got ideas of some projects to tackle with his new "toys".

Makenzie and I enjoyed our week together. I can not believe how much she talks when no one is around! She can count to 5 on her own and learned the colors green and blue. Sunday night, we had fun at Dos Amigos with Zamma and Auntie Tricia eating yummy chips and visiting with our friend Mr. Alex. Monday, the two of us drove up to Ormond Beach to visit with cousins Jennifer, Kevin & Isabella Kramer. We really enjoyed having dinner with them and catching up. It was cute to see our girls interact and keep us entertained. Thanks for taking time out of your vacation to meet:) Tuesday started the next big step... Makenzie pooped on the potty twice!!! Ever since then, it's off to the bathroom to enjoy a little reading and "personal time". We finished out the week playing with all her toys and anxiously waiting for big sister Kaylie to return!

After everything calmed down and the girls went to bed Thursday night, I sat back in their rocking chair watching them sleep... I love my girls:) :) :)

Dinner at Applebees with cousins:)

Makenzie & Isabella saying goodbye

Kaylie using her watercolors

Two beautiful paintings by Kaylie

Makenzie using the potty:)

Pump It Up

Melbourne has a fun new place called Pump It Up! There are four inflatable jumpers/slides to enjoy- and the best part is that it's inside with AIR CONDITIONING!!! We started off in the big circle jumper, but once inside, Makenzie had enough... maybe too many people at one time. She was perfectly content to attach herself to my side the rest of the time there. Kaylie had a blast! We didn't even have to ask where to go next- she was off and jumping. Her favorite was getting to slide down "The Big One" with Daddy:)

School Shopping

We finally finished our shopping for the upcoming "big day". Who knew Preschoolers needed so much stuff! Kaylie enjoyed helping pick out each item and checking it off the list. Makenzie, on the other hand, wanted to eat the boxes and try to open everything:) Once we got home, it was time to label every single little item... even each crayon! Kaylie's favorite is the paint shirt she gets to wear. We got an extra big one to keep her as clean as a four year old can be:)

New Shades

Makenzie made the newspaper!!!

What a great day Saturday turned out to be!!! The four of us headed to the zoo and met up with our friends Heather, husband David, and two of their three kiddos, Morgan and Alex. Heather and I were high school band (flute/piccolo) friends so long ago... nice to be able to hang out together after such a long time. She was a great friend then and considered a best friend now:) And now Kaylie has a best friend, Morgan:) They did everything together! I loved seeing how well they interacted with each other and in sharing their siblings.

After feeding the giraffes and listening to some funny birds(LOL), we headed to the main event... the grand opening of the new Wildlife Training Academy. It's a facility where children can learn about animals and how to care for them. After seeing a photographer there taking pictures of Makenzie and little Alex, we were informed they were going to be in the newspaper! Sure enough, Florida Today has an article with Makenzie and Alex's photos. What a fun day:)

Here's the web page link...
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070805/NEWS01/708050343

*Towards the middle of the page, on the right, there is a tiny camera symbol labeled "Wildlife Training Academy Opens". Click there and you can see the photos:)*

A montage of photos from our special day... What a memorable one for Makenzie!!!!!

Memorable Zoo Trip