Skippin' School...

Cooper is in school five days a week now.  While I think he likes his teacher and school in general, I noticed that perhaps he could use a break.  As we have two more years before he even goes to kindergarten, I hardly want him to burn out at school before then!  So yesterday we "skipped school" and spent the morning at the beach.  Really I ought to call it a "field trip" or "outside education" as I think the kids can learn a lot by being outside and exploring nature.  Plus, I miss my little buddy during the week!

Gingerly testing the water.

More confident...

Even more confident...good thing I brought swimsuits!

Penny said, "A shell! Oh my gosh!"

Sandcastles?  Pshaw! Must make train tracks in the sand when you go to the beach.

I love little feet in the sand!

Cooper in the "tunnel."

First Fall Weekend at the Ranch

The Little Blue Crab

When we first bought our house, the previous owners mentioned that one time they had a big blue crab in the garage.  As they were not from South Texas, they  found this to be particularly alarming.  Upon the end of the story, in almost perfect unison, David and I both said, "Blue crab!  Did you eat it???"  Needless to say, they most certainly DID NOT and looked at us crazily to have suggested such a thing.  

In the time since we moved in, two and a half years ago, we have witnessed some interesting wildlife phenomenon.  I will note here, that witnessing wildlife at all is a phenomenon in itself, as we live IN A NEIGHBORHOOD.  There was the most gigantic raccoon I have EVER seen "treed" on our back fence at 4 a.m. one morning.  There was the winter when the deer escaped from the ranch down the road and SWAM across the bay, climbed out on shivering, skinny legs and went jogging through the streets.  We've seen HUGE (no, seriously, HUGE) wolf spiders in the pool, and HOUSE, tree frogs on our window, snakes in the weeds, and countless coastal (and non-coastal) birds.  Our fave bird was a Loggerhead Shrike, who lived in one of our front trees, and whom we named Vlad.  I once rescued a mouse from drowning in the pool, only to be visited later by his many descendants. (That is an episode in life I would rather forget.)

Right before Penny's birthday, I posted a picture of a little blue crab that had entered our yard and was tormenting Dooley...as in, it reared its claws and all she could do was yip.  We marveled over it, scooped it up with the pool skimmer and walked it down to the bay.  Clearly he had lost his way and needed to be taken home.  

On Tuesday I kept hearing that signature Dooley yip that I am coming to know as her "crab bark".  Low and behold, ANOTHER blue crab, just weeks after the first, was in our backyard, tormenting Dooley.  I tried to implement the same method as before to rescue him.  It didn't work, and the little blue crab scuttled underneath some concrete steps.  I worried over him, wondering how he would get out and if he was hungry.  

Then yesterday Dooley had to have surgery.  As she can't partake in any strenuous exercise for 10 days, both dogs have been camped out in the sun room since yesterday evening.  Apparently this gave the little blue crab a chance to escape because this morning as Penny and I were coming home from the grocery store, I had to stop short to avoid THIS GUY hanging out in my driveway.

This time, armed with a broom and an ice chest, I was able to scoop up the crab and lug him and Penny down to the water to set him free.  He seemed overwhelmingly relieved to be back in the water, and I was glad too.  Then it occurred to me.  I never once thought, "Blue crab!  We should eat him!" 

We Will Always Be Thankful...

that they have each other!

How to Help Kids Transition: Boots and Babies!

Cooper has expressed that he misses his old school and that he doesn't want to go to school.  Yesterday he decided he wanted to show his friends his boots.  While cowboy boots probably aren't the most practical  choice for an active almost-four-year-old, I let him wear them to school.  I wanted to encourage his confidence in making choices AND help engage him in forging friendships at school!  He came home happy and very proud of the shapes hat he made.  There was no mention of the old school or not going as we piled into the car this morning.  

The second week of school went decidedly smoother than the first week.  Penny cried less at drop-off, and I think that is mostly because she had her baby and blanket clutched under her arm for security.  Actually, she has barely let her baby doll out of her grasp all week, but  we are not fighting her on that.  She needs her baby right now, and that is ok!

Little Events Over a Long Weekend

Who's playing in the rain at Nonnie's house?

For us, the summer ended in very much the same manner in which it began.  On Friday we traveled to Houston to be with Nonnie.  The kids were subjected to some typical (and much deserved after their long first week at school) grandparent spoilage and Mama and Daddy got some time to relax.  We were back home by Sunday evening, giving us some more family time.  On Monday our friends came over for dinner and to swim.  We all felt recharged and ready to start the following week!

It's Cooper!

The sprinkler, a puddle, and a truck make for one happy little girl.

Penny in the pool with no less than two floats, Mama's sunglasses, and her plush baby doll...

A cozy end to a long weekend.

First Week Back

On Monday the kids started back to preschool.  We were all a little nervous because of the change in routine AND because the kids are attending a new school.  From the very first day, Coop did great!  He has been in a school setting since he was eleven months old, so that was no big deal.  The big deal for him (and Mama) is that he is now attending five days a week, when before he never attended more than three.  He has expressed that he misses his friends from his old school and has asked to go to the "castle" school.  I have had to adjust to this, because as his Mama I naturally want to ease any discomfort for him.  Luckily he seems to like his teacher and he does already know one kid in his class.  Also, this kid just has a good attitude!

Coop, ready for school!

Then there is Penny.   This little girl, who is only two mind you, got off to a rocky start.  She has only known her teacher and class from her old school, and she cried every morning that I left her this week.  When I picked her up on Wednesday, her teacher said she did well, but that she cried for her baby a lot of the day.  THAT I could fix!  I sent Penny to school this morning with her favorite baby doll.  I was a little worried that it would get lost and we CANNOT lose that baby, but I doubted she would ever let her go.

When I called the kids to come get in the car to go to school, this is how Penny came to me.  I let her  go this  way, hoping that giving her a little control would help her through the day.

 Here's to looking forward to Labor Day Weekend and an even better second week!

Penny is Two!

New bike for her birthday!

Yesterday our baby girl turned two years old! The word "toddler" is a bit of a misnomer as in there is no toddling when it comes to this little girl.  Penny runs, jumps, climbs, dances, sings, talks in sentences, expresses her opinion, plays (and fights) with her brother, asks questions, smiles, laughs, makes jokes, loves on her babies, plays trains, swims, digs in the sandbox and copies all the mischief Cooper gets into.

Penny, in a nutshell:  Some of her favorite toys include ducks, books, trains, stickers, Little People, and baby dolls.  I would still call her a picky eater.  She sleeps in a big girl bed roughly 10 hours a night, and takes an afternoon nap. We have not attempted potty training yet, but she is showing signs of being ready. She can and will say ANYTHING.  Actually, she can and will DO anything that is physically possible for her.  This includes jumping on the bed and rolling down the hill in the backyard (eek!). Penny LOVES to sing.  Her favorite songs include the ABC song, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", and "You Are My Sunshine" (though we sing, "you are my Penny, my only Penny...").  Her favorite books are "Goodnight Moon" and "10 Friendly Fish".

Penny is a hair-twirler...as she falls asleep she twirls her hair, which leaves huge knots that I have to painstakingly comb out.  She loves to brush her teeth, and I have to take her toothbrush away from her periodically during the day. She just started preschool yesterday, and will attend 3 days a week.  She can count to 15 in English and to 10 in Spanish.  She recognizes a few letters, knows all her colors and many shapes.  Her favorite color is pink.  She likes for me to put a bow in her hair, but mostly I think so she can pull it out a little later and tell me to "fix it". My favorite ability of hers right now is that she knows and asks for most people we know, even if we haven't seen them in a while.  On any given day, she will say, "Where's Clint?" or "Where's Nonnie? or "Where's Ma-Mas?" or "Where's Becky?" and so on.

This morning at the doctor's office she weighed in at 27 pounds (50th percentile) and 36 inches (90th percentile), and didn't have to get any shots (yay!).  For the first time ever, Penny was a happy, cooperative girl for the doctor...a sign of growing up!

On Sunday we celebrated this momentous age of Penny's with a little swim party.  I made pink duck cupcakes and put lots of little rubber ducks in the pool.  Daddy worked hard to make the yard and pool look nice and grilled burger sliders and hot dogs. Mas-Mas, Pa-Pa, Cousin Charley and some friends came over to play, swim, and eat.  She received a few toys, books, and clothes and seemed to love it all.  Happy Birthday sweet Penny!

Scenes from Penny's Day:

As we bustled to get ready for the party, Dooley alerted us to an unexpected party guest.

Party prep (and the early morning wake up) wore this 2-year-old out!  Penny crashed on the floor 20 minutes before nap time and we had to move her to her bed.

After her nap, Penny delighted in the pink ducks...she said, "DUCKS!...They're melting!"
(FYI...store-bought frosting is way too soft to uphold the weight of a donut-hole duck head and star-burst beak  in the heat of August....at least she could tell they were supposed to be ducks.)

Penny gets her ducks in a row.

The ducks in the pool were a big hit!

For August, we really had nice weather!

Table crashers!

Penny opens her presents, giving her new clothes a hug.  Thank you Raeleigh for the present-opening  harmonica playing !

Thank you everyone for coming, Penny had a great birthday!

Summer 2012 in Review: Penny the Pooh Bear!

It's hard to believe but next week Penny goes to preschool and turns two! (Stay tuned for Penny Week.)