did you ever do this as a kid?

i did.

zoo

watching the elephants

awhile back i took the kids to the zoo with brama connie and papa phil, who are now on a mission in Uganda. it was nice to spend some quality time with the g.parents and give ryan his first time at the zoo. taylor enjoyed herself and the highlight was the carousel and the bird show...which wasn't my favorite. i can't stand birds. thanks connie and phil for your time and i know my kids loved it.

{love ryan's face}



{waiting for the birds}

preschool

i was getting excited all summer long to put taylor into preschool. i looked at the local schools but taylor misses the deadline by 3 weeks. so i talked around and found the most preschools were going for so much $$$. i just wasn't ready to shell out the dough. then i found a teacher friend of mine that i taught with at Pony Express my first year , who was starting a preschool. perfect, just what i want. someone i know and respect to teach my child, plus the cost was so much better. the only down fall, she was 35 minutes away. i thought not too bad, worth the drive for what i was getting.

we met with ms. sarah and toured her classroom, had back to school night, and were set for the first day of school. i was excited but started to second guess my decision to put her in preschool 35 minutes away. taylor went to the first day of preschool and she cried for a brief moment when i left her. and in the end she completely loved it and ms. sarah said she was such a social butterfly. really? my taylor?

i loved waiting out front for her and having her run up to me in her backpack with treat and craft in hand. it is so weird being on this side of it...the parent side. i am giddy about all the things she will do and learn and just the whole idea of school. she is going to have so much fun.

as taylor experienced it all, i was having second thoughts. again, do i really want to drive this far everyday? yes, but no. i loved the idea of ms. sarah, i knew her. but still, too far and after i thought about more, she would end of having 3 years of preschool. 3 years...do i really want her to have that much?. i am a believer of not pushing too much education on your child before the reach kindergarten. of course do not discourage learning but don't stress about whether your child can read before kindergarten.

that on top of the drive had me calling my friends, and fellow educators. i needed advice from parents who had children in same situation as taylor. and from educators, since i was feeling stumped. after reaching lacey(teacher friend), and jenni(friend), we came to the conclusion 3 years was a little much. so i picked taylor up and informed her we needed to find a new school later.

i was sad i wouldn't get to pick her up everyday and listen to all the fun stuff she had done. but realized there was no rush. plus it gives me another year home with her. i feel good about the decision and know there will be plenty of time for school. plus, waiting a year will put her with the kids she will be with when going to school. it will be fun to go through the excitement again next year.

taylor was over it and has forgotten all about preschool. what's next...maybe dance. the girl loves to shake her booty and a little dance might help her to be a little more graceful. my girl is a little clumsy and uncoordinated, but i love it!

teeth!

Ryan took 14 months before he got his first tooth. And when he did he got 2(the top two). Now he is almost 15 months and he has popped another on the bottom. Right now he is cutting a molar, 2 K-9's and a bottom front! ALL OF THEM RIGHT NOW! This makes for a very grumpy, emotional and tired boy.

We spent the weekend in Park City with Eric's whole family. His parents left for a mission in Uganda on Monday. I thought, great, there will be so many people to help with ryan, watch him, play with him, etc. NO! The boy was a wreck all weekend. He was glued to my hip and if I was not holding him, he would cry, cry, cry! Seriously...all weekend long. I think he was a little freaked out by all the people plus he was cutting 4 teeth. I felt bad for the kid, but wow did it wear on me. He did sleep great so there was a break. Poor kid.

This is literally how ryan looked all weekend:

Now that we are home he has definitely calmed down. Ryan is such a home body and loves to be alone with the family. The clingy-ness has stopped be he is still right at my feet everywhere I go. I do get A LOT of cuddle time from the kid, and that is something I am enjoying!

We did have some moments and when we did he was so sweet: