Micky D's...ME...I swear!

I told emily we would take alyssa to school yesterday and just have "mommy emily day." We had a day out on the town shopping. About 11:30, I asked, "what do you want for lunch Miss Emily?" She of course replied McDonalds (she does this often as a joke because she knows the answer). I laughed and said no way Jose. She asked why even though we have had the talk about health a billion times. I thought about it and thought, what the heck...it's our special day and if that's what my little girl wants, what's the big deal? You all are going to be so proud of me!! I took the girl to McDonalds for the first time in her 5 1/2 year existence! I even ate a Big Mac and fries! I actually tasted the grease in the first bite, but by the end it was an excellent tasting source of saturated fat :). While we were eating, I said, "Emily, have you EVER been to McDonalds with mommy?" She said, "nope, only with my grandmas." Haha! As we were walking out, we passed a guy who must have been over 500 pounds and was stuffing his face. Made for a good 'post-1000-calorie-lunch' conversation about health and moderation !

Emilys homeschooling.

I think while emily is on break, she will home school herself. Yesterday, she spent an hour making all these signs, each one saying something different. Her invented spelling is so good now that I could totally tell what she was saying on all 30+ of them! When she finished her signs, she cut up more card stock and numbered each one 0-35. She put them in order, realized she forgot some and corrected herself. This created an endless amount of possibilities to learn from. We talked about literacy and math concepts galore. Talk about emergent curriculum at its best!! I couldn't get a picture of all the numbers as they went across the entire length of our room!

Emily's after school Christmas party

For those of you who don't know, my new job has required us to enroll Emily in the after school program at her school. I am learning that there are many benefits to being at a title 1 school. Other than seeing grandma every day, there is funding for so many extras. The after school program runs until 6:30 and they feed them dinner, although Em will never be there much later than 5. They also pay the teachers to do the first 1/2, which is the half Emily attends, so she gets quality tutoring. She loves it, and insists that we do not pick her up until she gets to go to the after school program. She told my grandma that she's also not allowed to pick her up anymore because she goes to the program. The best part...we only pay $10 per week.

Yesterday, they had a party and received another grant to give every child a present and a sweatshirt, and bring Santa in for a visit. Much to mommy's dismay, Emily got a barbie..haha! She was so cute though. I swear I did not say anything negative about the item, and on the way home, she said, "Mommy, this is for Anna because she really likes Babies!" Those proud moments are not too abundant right now so I soaked it up :)

Christmas lights

After we got the tree set up, we went out in the freezing cold to see some christmas lights. It was fun. Alyssa kept saying "light, light." A couple times, we drove away from really cool houses and she would wine to go back. We all love the lights.

Finally..

We finally got a christmas tree up today. We all had fun decorating it. Andrew worked with alyssa for quite a while and she eventually learned how to hang them all by herself. Every time she got one on the tree, she would do a little dance. Emily would get SO excited to take an ornament out of the tissue paper and immediately see whose name was on it. She was just as excited to see our names as she was her own. We did have one fatality, which was a bummer. Alyssa had an ornament in her hand and was going to put it on when she heard andrew downstairs. She ran to the stairs and as soon as I said "alyssa, give me the ornament," she chucked it all the way down. RIP Andrew, 1992 :(

More of Emily's invented spelling

The one word you may not get is "favorite " which is split on two lines. She's totally got her letter-sound relationships down.

Best dinner ever!

Hopefully I don't offend any previous chef's feeling when I say that, but pegs style of cooking is so much like my style of eating:) Fresh everything! My favorite..the stuffing made from scratch with fresh ciabatta bread! Yummy!

Em

I realize I have been WAY too busy to blog lately. Thought I would blog some old pics from Thanksgiving weekend..

Emily loved all the relaxation. We had a completely chill weekend with Aunt Peg. I encourage her to be independent and do things for herself, so yes, she is standing on the counter getting her own cup to pour her own milk. Emily would get so tired by around 4 or 5, she would just fall asleep on our bedroom floor!

This kid LOVES her stay at home days. Monday morning on our way to school, she said, "life isn't fair because why do children have hundred stay at home days and then have to go back to school?"

Last night, I bought the girls matching tinker bell jammies at wal-mart for $5. They live in their jammies on the weekends, but only had 2 sleepers each. Em even wore a sleeper to wal-mart last night :) I bought alyssa 24 months thinking they might fit better because she is over 18 months now. They are way too big..imagine that! They are inside the fort that em and andrew built.

Emily's first love letter..haha

Emily wrote this to me tonight. When she brought it to me the first time, it just read, "Michelle I really love you!! But that is not all!!! And I want to marry you!!!!!!!!!" Then she took the note back and added the last line, much to my dismay :( I told her she can only marry one person and her response was that she will marry Cole the first time and me the next time! This is why I love child development. Their thoughts are fascinating.

Some randomness!

Alyssa is always doing the goofiest things. Today as I was going through my mail, she put a Upromise booklet on her head as a hat! Where the heck does she get these ideas?

And the background, yes that big massive yellow thing, that's our tent. Yes, the real tent we take camping! Andrew and em have been sleeping in it out on the balcony, but it got too cold finally! You know Andrew...they brought the tent into the living room where they now sleep :) Em thinks its the coolest thing ever!

And a couple funny thing Em said today:
1. "When I grow up, I'm putting this song on my IPod." (While listening to So What by Pink in the car).
2. "Its okay mama, at least you tried." (When I messed up yet again when cooking dinner..haha).

Thanksgiving dinner.

Andrew will be gone for Thankgiving and the 5 days surroinding it, so being the chill flexible family that we are, we decided to have Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. Andrew spent the day making a turkey while em and I went to see Madagascar 2. I requested baked potatoes and cornbread as sides and I bought a coconut cream pie from the store. Of course, neither of our girls ate much of anything, but Andrew and I got our grub on!

A birthday party

So after my long held reputation for not attending birthday parties in our little circle of parent friends, Em and I decided to show up to one last night without an RSVP. Haha. The only reason we went was because I have a bigger obligation to these parents because they are wonderful personal friends/advisors of mine. (Hence, the open welcome despite the lack of an RSVP). We did, however, keep our reputation for not bringing a gift..I still don't believe in it. It was a lot of fun though. Emily really enjoyed hanging out with all her old UNR friends at jump man jump, especially Cole :).

Lay down? NO!

Alyssa is getting so hard to change. She does not want to lay down at all. She gets up and either lunges into her crib or gets into the stuff on her changing table. And she's entered the defiant toddler stage, so she tells us "no" when we try to convince her to lay down. I keep reminding myself that it is my goal to raise assertive girls! :)

Cool Bug Thing

Emily and I went fishing real quick before we went and picked Alyssa up. I always try my hardest to get us a fish and Emily tries her hardest to catch bugs. Usually like a roley poley or snail, but today she freaked me out. She saw this weird stick bug on a rock. I have NEVER seen a bug in Reno like this one. Pretty cool. No fish, though. It was cute, Emily said "at least we tried, Dad". I thought that was really positive of her. :) Anyways, off to cook dinner and get the girls down. Later, peeps.

Crazy hair

The other morning, Emily insisted that I do her hair "just like Alexia's." She said there are 2 braids but they go across the front of the head to be like a head band. I gave it my best attempt and I thought it was lame, but Em thought it was the greatest thing ever.

What doesn't hurt them keeps them busy.

This is what alyssa decided to do this morning while I was getting ready for work! Luckily their room is safe there's nothing that can hurt her, so I can leave her in there alone to destroy it. So I have changed the saying from "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" to "what doesn't hurt them keeps them busy. " In the time it took her to get all the diapers out, I blow dried and straightened my hair! 3 minutes to put 40 diapers away= 20 minutes to get ready without toddler screaming "up" at your leg.

A day off

I love this time of the year..especially being in education. A Tuesday off today was so nice. Those of you know me and Emily can guess what we didn't do..get dressed :). Katie was hear which was fun. We miss her. I cleaned a lot and feel prepared for tomorrow, something that rarely happens. The girls played all day. Alyssa gets in the little toy tub and has us pull her around the house. Then she uses the same item to play peek-a-boy. Can you see why I don't buy toys?

Luck and the economy!

I cannot believe my luck in this crap economy! I used to think that with my Masters, I would always have job security. I now know that NOBODY is safe in these economic times. I literally became an official school district employee last Wednesday and got the last of my paperwork in this morning at 7:30 AM to start getting pay. They JUST released a statement today saying that they are on a hiring freeze effective immediately!! Whew did I dodge that one. I have already given up my assistantship and have been replaced. I would have had no job after December!

The job by the way is way cool. Friday was lame and boring, but today was fantastic. I have missed hanging out with babies SO much. And the teen moms are incredible girls trying their hardest to make it in life given their circumstances. So glad that I did not stall when the lady called me last week to get all my stuff in! Of course, they are anticipating more cuts, so I'm still far from secure! God I hope Obama can turn this mess around!
http://www.washoe.k12.nv.us/community/press-releases/2008-11-10/hiring-freeze-announced-for-wcsd

Fishing! Emily and I caught one..

Pretty nice sized fish. Emily was excited to get one. We met a Japanese guy at our favorite spot and he told us that he fishes everyday, EVERY STINKING DAY. I had never seen him there, but I guess he takes only the biggest fish home to his family EVERYDAY. Now wonder we haven't been catching the same, big fish we always do. Sometimes I hate people that only think of themselves. At least his family eats them, but that is still overboard. Dumby..

Muffins

I came home the other day and alyssa was covered in paint from school. This is a clear sign of a fun day at preschool. Andrew was making muffins on the floor in the kitchen so alyssa could "help." See the juice box and fake bottle..this was her contribution to the muffin mix! She's so fun. Andrew and I want her to stay this little forever.

Where there's a will..there's a way!

I have been grading these papers all week (I have 50 five page papers..do the math). Last night, Alyssa decided she wanted to be up at the table with me. She started whining for the pot of markers and pencils that we keep on the table for Emily. I told her no, but she insisted. She climbed up on the chair all by herself, gloated about it, then proceeded to climb up on the table, grab the writing utensil she wanted, then climb back down and draw on a student's paper. I finally gave in and gave her a paper and the whole collection of writing utensils. I did not get much grading done the rest of the evening. At least not until she heard Andrew and Emily wrestling and could not miss out on the action :) Emily never once climbed up on the table!

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A costco trip.

We have decided to start going to costco again since we have one right down the street. The girls were so excited that they could sit together in the front. Its usually a fight over who gets the front and emily gets upset because alyssa wins every time. We got some good stuff, but remembered why we don't go often. $135 later, we have enough mac n cheese, granola bars, cheerios, juice boxes, vitamins, and berries for the next 3 months.

Emily and I, Fishing like the Good Ol' Days!!

I FINALLY talked Emily into going fishing with me. Last time we had a bad "sticker bush" incident where she got poked in the legs and got a pokey in her shoe. Ever since, fishing has been a no-go. But, being stubborn as I am and never giving up (maybe even a bit of a pest), Emily caved in. We had a great time. YES, it was cold and got windy near the end, but it was awesome. We went half way between Sparks and Fernley, where my nemesis fish lives. I hooked onto him again today for the second time with a big old Rapala, a 3 incher. I think this fish is a big, german brown; a true predator. This fish doesn't bother with little flies, it goes for the little fish and maybe mice.

Anyway, no picture of the fish = I lost him. I was bumbed, but I was glad he shook the lure out rather than the line breaking with the lure stuck in his mouth. I will go back shortly and try to entice him to bite my junk again. I LOVE the Truckee; really a treasure being so close to Reno / Sparks. Anyone want to go fishing with me?

Trick or Treat!

Last night was fun. Alyssa loved trick or treating. She started being a nut from the minute we put her costume on. She was putting the bucket over her head to play peek-a-boo. We think she has got to be one of the cutest babies in the world. (Other than the other babies whose mothers read this blog :) Alyssa was so aggressive while trick or treating, she got so much candy. People were giving her a ton of candy, or she was taking a ton of candy. Either way, she enjoyed it. Emily, on the other hand, did not like it so much this year. Her costume this year was a complete failure. It was cute, but she wouldn't wear anything but the body part. So nobody knew what she was. People asked her if she was a cooler, an ice cube, and a box. The part she did wear bothered her the whole time, so she only did like 10 houses. This costume certainly did not compete with the astronaut. O well, live and learn, and see what she wants to be next year. At least there was no one else with the same costume as hers..haha.

Lazy days.

This is the 2nd day I have been home with the girls by myself. Much to andrews dismay, we have done a whole lot of nothing. Alyssa took a shower this morning and I actually dressed her in a clean pair of jammies to wear the rest of the day :). Emily came out with a note earier that read "dear mommy I love you I hope you have a great time." I asked her "doing what," and she said, "staying home with us in our jammies all day."

Peek-A-Boo

Alyssa's new favorite game. Seriously, does it get any cuter?

Trick or Treat

The 1 and 2 years olds went trick-or-treating yesterday on campus. They were so stinkin cute, especially mine :). Alyssa would take a candy from someone, put it in her basket, reach for another one, and say "peez" with an innocent look on her face. When I finally made her walk away, she would sign thank you. One lady gave her 5 bags of teddy grahms. They all loved her and said they couldn't tell her no!

Emily also had a party at school yesterday from 2:30-3:30. Andrew attended and reported it was a fun but long hour. Imagine that!

Today, we are hanging out in our jammies. I can't wait to trick or treat tonight.

It's official

Today I had my orientation to sign all the paperwork for the school district. I am now an official employee of the Washoe County School District. My first real job..haha! Today was also my first day spending time at one of the centers. I have been there once or twice a week, but have only been learning the system and the paperwork part of the job. Today I got to just hang out with the teachers and the children. I also got to attend a work study group that the teen moms are required to go to. I was introduced to all of them, and they all seemed to be very welcoming. We fed them pizza and asked them if they had any parenting issues they wanted to talk about. It was really cool because after Jill told them that I was about to graduate with my Master's in Child Development and I have 2 kids of my own, they were amazed and kept asking me all these questions about their children's development and parenting. What a perfect fit for me! I am excited to officially start Monday.

Pumpkins!

Tonight, we all got home around 4:00 together. It was so nice!! We went and picked out one big family pumpkin for all of us to decorate. We let the girls just explore with it for a while. Emily's mild sensory dysfunction kicked in big time. She couldn't get past the smell and wouldn't touch the inside of the pumpkin without a spoon. Alyssa on the other hand loved it, and her favorite was to jab the little knife into the soft part of the pumpkin over and over. We have not finished carving it yet, and will post again when we do.

Andrew and Emily also made her costume. She wanted to be a robot. I was worried this year that since we have let her begin watching a few more disney movies, she might want to be a disney character instead of something super creative for her and Andrew to make. So I was delighted when she stuck to the Robot idea. Andrew still has to add the finishing silver touches, but it's so cute. Emily has a party at school tomorrow and I am going trick-or-treating with Alyssa's class on campus! Halloween is my favorite holiday because it is the ONLY holiday all year that is all about the kids and what makes them happy! I can't wait for Friday!

IT'S DONE!!!!

I sent my thesis proposal to my advisor at 1:34 this morning. There are literally no words to describe the feeling. There is still a lot to do, but my advisor assures me that this is 2/3 of the entire process! I am so exhausted from the long term sleep deprivation, I am going to bed tonight at 9:00! YAY though for this accompishment and the new chapter to start. I am almost done with school and this step definitely signifies the beginning to an end, and that is bittersweet.