All About Kindergarten

 

Gracie started Kindergarten in the fall of 2013.  She was extremely excited.  Moments before she went in her classroom for the first time, at the "Meet Your Teacher Night" - she exclaimed,

"All of my Dreams are about to come True!"

She was a bit excited.  A Bit.

Gracie hasn't ever had a difficult time in groups of people.  She loves meeting new faces.  She will tell you her FAVORITE part of Kindergarten is making new friends.  She also is really good at math and enjoys 'Small Groups' where the students do interactive learning.  Gracie was disappointed that in Kindergarten she didn't get to make as many "art projects" as she did in Pre-School.  Gracie is creative.  She loves to make cards and do projects.  She is constantly making 'invitiations' to parties at our house, and handing them out to neighbors on our street.  

Gracie casually told me one day she was "chasing and kissing boys at recess."  Oh.  How about we don't kiss the boys?!?!  She could care less about the romantics of the whole thing...but she's a tease.  And she loves to make the boys run.  She told me,

"Mom, I have skills.  Have you seen how fast I run?"

I chatted with her about it.  But apparently, the chasing and kissing continued.  She came home from school one day with a large bandage on her face.  She was trying to kiss a boy, and he scratched her.  The scratch was deep and took over a week to heal.

She informed me, after the incident, that kissing at school...was no longer something she planned to do.

Gracie was the Star Student for the Week.  I helped her make a Poster showing things she loves and describe her.  

 

I enjoy volunteering in Gracie's Classroom.  She had a wonderful time at her Halloween Party.  She really liked the parade through all the classrooms.

There's Something Special About Sisters

Sienna -  Brown-Eyed Girl, Always on the Go, Sleeps with 'My Little Ponies', Pudgy Hands, Long Eye Lashes, Loves Dresses, Daddy's Girl, Sings 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' like a Champ, Visits 'Time Out' Often, Will Melt Your Heart, Adores Airplanes, Loves trips to the Dentist, Fireworks and Splashing in the Tub. 

 

Gracie - Always has a Question, Crystal Blue Eyes, Fascinated by Snakes and Lizards, Vivid Imagination, Loves her Family and Miss Molly, Performer, Finger Paint Artist, Social Butterfly, Vegetable Lover, Makes us Laugh, Kind to her Sister, Wants to Eat Candy Canes all Year Round and a Blonde Beauty.      

Bear Hollow Graduation

Gracie finished up two years as a Bear Hollow Bear!

It's Great to be FIVE!  What a fun age.  Look at these cute kiddos just singing their hearts out! 

Gracie has loved preschool and her teacher Miss Molly.  This year, Gracie learned to write her first and last name, count to 100, read starter books & understand addition and subtraction.  She is excited for Kindergarten. 

Gracie was given the "Friend" award.  Miss Molly says she is kind and inviting to all those in her class.  

Miss Molly and Gracie

One of Gracie's favorite parts of preschool has been Music Time.  She enjoys singing.  And we enjoy watching her perform.

 

This year the curriculum was based around animals.  She made an animal puppet each week.  She came home with interesting facts that she would tell me about Viper Snakes and Iguanas.  She loves reptiles.  So it was no surprise that she chose to make an Iguana hat for her Final Preschool Performance.  Most of the other girls wanted bunny rabbits or cats...Not Gracie.  That's just not her style. 


A close second to the Iguana is the Zebra.  The Zebra was her favorite animal on the Hogle Zoo Field Trip.  She chose to paint a Zebra on her last day of preschool.  It was on display for all to see the night of Graduation. 

Bear Hollow PM Class 2012-2013

 Grandma and Papa Wiscombe and Michael came to hear Gracie sing her patriotic and animal songs! 

 Grandma and Papa Tait came too! We all enjoyed some popcorn after the performance.


  

 

Every few weeks Little Bear, the Bear Hollow Mascot, would come home with Gracie.  We got to write in his journal about our adventures with him.  This particular time, Little Bear got a bit carried away during a game of hide n'seek.   

"Mom, Remember When I was a Kid?"

Gracie doesn't want "to grow up." At times, she gets almost panicked when she thinks about growing up. She tells me on a daily basis that it's just not going to happen. And right now, that's okay with me. I love her humorous commentary and honest responses. She is at a really fun stage, and I'm simply enjoying it.


As we rounded the corner into our neighborhood - home from a trip to the library - the other day, she says: "Mom, do you remember when I was a kid?" (long sigh)

I (holding back my laughter) reply: "Yes, I do."

"I just wish I was young again," She says.

Baahhaa! She is only four, and already she's wishing back the years. I mean...really?...What could be better than juice boxes, preschool parties and trips to the park?!? I think she may be over-thinking this. :)


Sienna, at 17 months, is such a sweetie. She loves stuffed animals.


She also wants to be just like her big sister. So first thing when she wakes up; she goes to find these Tinkerbell wings and then begs me to put them on her.


Sienna has proven to be a much more difficult baby - compared to Gracie. She is more needy, and she's already thrown some tantrums. I guess I will just have to drench her with some extra hugs and kisses!


These two are super cute when they play together. Sienna answers nearly every question with "Yah". So as we are driving around doing errands this is what I hear from the backseat....
(Gracie:) "Hey Sienna, Do you want to ride on a turkey?"
(Sienna:) "Yah."
(Both:) Laughing hysterically.
(Gracie:) "Hey Sienna, Do you like to eat tree leaves?"
(Sienna:) "Yah."
(Both:) More Laughter.

This is repeated over and over and over...

What are Little Girls Made of?

Sugar

and Spice

And Everything Nice,

That's What Little Girls Are Made Of.

Growing Up...

Gracie said farewell to her crib, and she has a new room AND a new bed! She transitioned beautifully, which is saying a great deal for a toddler who never attempted to crawl out of her crib and would tell me on a daily basis how much she loved her crib.


But now she loves her BIG bed just as much. And I think I'm having a harder time with the transition than she did.

She's growing up.


It's so magical to watch her grow and learn. However, part of me aches a little knowing she'll never be a baby again.

You don't get another chance to live yesterday - so you really have to take advantage of TODAY.

And some days that means sitting on a toddler chair, with my knees pushed underneath the toddler table, while we color and play for hours. The reward is priceless. Gracie compliments me - she doesn't hesitate to let me know that I'm good at coloring Cookie Monster in her Sesame Street coloring book. She never holds back when she wants to wrap her arms around me and tell me that she loves me. I can assure you I don't get an uplifting feeling or encouragement like that from fellow drivers on my commute to work or from my co-workers once I arrive at work. So there is something to be said about the treasure of "working" at home.

This post should be about Gracie and her new room. But her transition has me thinking about how I want to appreciate all of her special moments.


Jody worked so hard on installing the beadboard. I love it. It really brightens up the room. And Grandma and Papa Tait spent a whole day painting and making the room look perfect. Now Gracie gets to pick out some extra trimmings to hang on the walls to give it that finishing touch!

The Way She Counts...

Being the mother of a toddler who recently turned two is an adventure. Well, Let's be honest - that's an understatement. Life can go from true bliss to a melt-down in less than a second. This age is also an incredibly rewarding time. I wanted to post this video before the holidays. Here it is now. I got out the camera a day after I heard Gracie count to ten all by herself. I got so excited. We count all the time - but I had never heard her say the numbers, all by herself, without any prompting. She makes me laugh everyday!! This girl is such an amazing blessing in my life. I love her so much.

What Do You Think?

I haven't had bangs since 1994. And even before that, when I was too young to have any control, my bangs seriously started halfway back on my head and fluffed into a giant round piece of cauliflower out of my forehead. Not really good memories for me.

However, my husband has wanted me to try out a new 'do' for some time now...more specifically BANGS! So I did it. What do you all think?

What Did I Do To Deserve This Look....?

I think the "look" came because I told her NOT to stuff the entire box of Goldfish Crackers in her mouth and then asked her to please smile for the picture. She's at the age where she makes the funniest faces!

She was feeling Quite Patriotic this day.


Our family has been very busy lately. Jody is working hard to turn our backyard of dirt into a landscaped masterpiece! We are enjoying the warmer weather- which means more time at the park and more walks around the neighborhood!


And in other good news, I have a job interview for a freelance reporter position at KUTV Channel 2 on Monday. It's amazing to have a chance to speak face to face with a news director, because no stations are hiring right now. Hopefully it will work out because it would be quite part-time, which is what I want so I can continue to spend my days with Gracie! I guess we'll see!

FIRST HAIRCUT!!!

On March 5th, we took Gracie to Cookie Cutters to give those locks a trim!

*BEFORE*


*DURING*


*AFTER*


Cookie Cutters was so cute! Gracie sat in an airplane, and she got to choose a movie that she would be viewing during the cut. The cut consisted mostly of cutting off the tail she was sporting in the back. So we said goodbye to the mullet, and there were no tears.

I think she held as still as a 15-month-old can! My favorite part of the cut was when the stylist went to blow dry her hair. She thought the hot air in her face was funny. That, combined with the Dancing Elmo movie, had her moving all over the place. You can see her go wild in the video below! (And they finished her "new-do" off with some glitter hairspray.)



And...TOUCHDOWN! Jody taught Gracie when you yell "Touchdown" - your arms go up!

Tales of Those Troubling Teeth!!

Well, Here They Are! Can you see her THREE new pearly whites?! (If you maximize the picture - you'll get to see what I think are left over Sweet Potatoes on her nose too!...Yummy.) These are the little guys that have caused so many Tears, Tantrums and Sleepless Nights! The other front top tooth is on its way!


We will all be happy when they are cut. Poor little Gracie is dealing with the pain the best she can!


To take Gracie's focus off her teeth, (and because Jody loves waterslides) we decided to hit up the Wingate Hotel waterslides just down the street from our house. Gracie loves the water as much as her Daddy!


Splash, SPlaSH, SPLASH!!! She couldn't even look up for a picture - she was having way too much fun. Thank you to the little boy, from another family, who wanted to take part in the photo! :)

I'm Cutting Teeth Here People!

Her face says it all! Gracie's two front bottom teeth are coming in, and it's NO SECRET! They are awfully sharp - but she is being a trooper! It's also been a week of milestones for Gracie. A couple days ago, I looked over terrified to see her scaling the stairs...YES - She knows how to crawl up stairs! Wow - she is learning more and more each day!

Always on the go...

She LOVES being outside - where she can listen to all the dogs bark, cars vroom and birds chirp!

Look Who's Rolling Now!

Gracie rolled over for the FIRST time from her back to her tummy on April 14th. During the past week, we captured some of her efforts and "successful rolls" on video! Whew...it's hard work trying to roll over! We hope you enjoy this video! Remember to pause the music at the bottom of the blog as this movie has it's own "theme appropriate" music! Enjoy!

New Discoveries...and Fascinating Feet!

She's learning more and more each day. Here's what Gracie has been up to this past week. She loves those feet! (It's probably because she overheard her pediatrician telling me she has really nice feet at her 4-month check up.) She is always doing her baby sit-ups trying to reach for those toes.

She loves to squeal and chuckle! She gets pretty excited and LOUD to let you know she loves life!

And she's trying out her rolling skills - well not quite. We're doing more floor and tummy time to encourage her to start rolling. It's not her favorite - but she doesn't scream anymore. She has great head and neck control.

We love our Baby Blue Eyes!