Sadie's world and Noelle's world

Sadie has adjusted remarkably well to not having her sister home most mornings. I think she enjoys having all the dolls and stuffed animals all to herself. This is what she spends most of her time doing:

I'm pretty sure I did the same thing when I was a little girl. These 2 dolls were actually mine, so they are enjoying another generation of playing on the steps.


Noelle seems to be making all kinds of friends at school and on the bus. As she was walking towards the front of the bus to get off this afternoon I saw a boy lean into the aisle to hug her. Hmmm...I thought I'd ask a few questions over lunch.

Me: I think I saw a boy hug you before you got of the bus.
Noelle: Yes, that's Avery
Me: Is he in your class?
N: Yes
Me: Does he hug everyone before they get off the bus?
N: No

Ok, so Noelle has been at school for less then 2 weeks and boys are already hugging her. I suppose this is only the beginning.

Jazzercise

Jazzercise is a new addition to my schedule this year. With Noelle off to Kindergarten, Sadie and I head off to a Jazzercise class 3 mornings a week. I had no idea what I was getting into...I'm sure it's obvious to everyone in my class.

It's a combination of so many things that I'm SO not qualified to do:

Aerobics: let see I took 1 aerobics class for 1 month in college...that would have been 13 years ago. Fortunately I have retained some of the lingo so I sort of have a clue when the instructor shouts that the next move is "grapevine".

Kickboxing: I once owned a video that I tried for about a month when Noelle was a baby...that would have been 5 years ago. Again, it's nice to know what an "uppercut" and a "roundhouse" are for those kickboxing moments in Jazzercise.

Jazz dance: there's just not much to say about this - I've never done it and I have no natural ability to do it. However I burn a lot of calories trying to figure it out!

Pilates: I have no idea what it is, but at least it doesn't make me sweat as much as the other stuff.

If you want a real laugh, check out this link from a 1980's Jazzercise class (No, I DO NOT wear a ridiculous leotard like they do in the video). If you want to join the humbling experince of trying to make it through 1 hour of marching, lunging, punching, grapevining, toning and sweating, come join me!

Kids Just Don't Make Sense

Today was Noelle's 4th day of Kindergarten and everything is going great . I've been waking her up at 6:45 to get her ready in time for the bus. Other then the first day, I've had to literally pull her out of bed since her preference is to roll over and keep sleeping. She sleeps on the top bunk, so it can be rather challenging to get a hold of her. Since she's obviously still tired at 6:45, what time to you think Noelle and Sadie decided to get up on Saturday?
6:30.
And what time do you think they got up on Sunday?
6:20

Can anyone explain this to me?
I guess I really shouldn't be surprised. Since when to kids make sense?


On the other hand, Sadie was trying to make sense of a situation last week that had me laughing. We were taking a meal to Mike and Kathy Hood, to celebrate baby Natalie's arrival. I told Sadie to get her shoes on because we were going to the Hood's. She came to me a few seconds later with a book and said "This Hood?" The book was Little Red Riding Hood.

Noelle's First Day of Kindergarten

Today is Noelle's first day of Kindergarten, and therefore her first day of riding the bus. She made it easy on Mom and Dad by being excited, with only a moment of hesitation as the bus was coming down the road.

Leading up to the first day of school:

Shopping for school supplies
(princess folders make everything better)

Getting a picture of Noelle in front of her school: Summit View Elementary

And then the momentous first day:

All ready

Here comes the bus!

"Uhh...maybe I don't want to got to school. Maybe I can hide behind mommy"

Then off she goes on the big yellow bus...See you at 12:30 Noelle!

Tricks of the Trade

Anyone who's been a mom for any amount of time is always looking for ideas (or better yet, a magic wand) to make their children act more godly. It would be nice to hear respectful speech, see selfless acts and observe first-time obedience on a more regular basis.

Here are my 2 latest tips that have seemed to help...for the time being.

#1 The "caught ya being good" bell
This tip I learned in Family Fun magazine. When you catch a child doing something selfless or being extra kind (or anything noteworthy), ring a bell and announce it a loud voice "NOELLE KINDLY HELPED SADIE DRESS HER DOLL. WAY TO GO NOELLE!!!"
#2 The 10 Minute Tidy
This idea came from Vicki Bigney years ago but I think it works best on children around age 4 and up. Set the timer for 10 minutes and let the kids know we're going to clean up as much of the house in 10 minutes as we can. When the timer rings we stop cleaning (even if the room is still a little messy) and we'll ______(fill in the blank with an activity they want to do) play Uno, play playdough, go outside etc...

If any one has any other tricks-of-the-trade I'd love to hear them. Or better yet, if you have a magic wand that hasn't been completely worn out, please pass it on to me.

Deep Creek Lake

Last week was Spence week at Deep Creek Lake. 10 Spence's enjoyed a week of lake living in the hills of Maryland. The weather was a bit cool for too many water activities, but we took advantage of any sun we could find. Here are some highlights in pictures:

Playing in the sand and water at a little beach area. Brad, Noelle and nephew Ethan.

Hiking around and playing in nearby waterfalls

Enjoying our house and smiling faces (including the deer)
Elizabeth and Noah

Reading books

And when you get a little too stir-crazy from being in the house all day, entertain the kids by sliding them across the floor in cotton pajamas. "Uncle D" and Sadie.