9.30.2011

Friday, September 30, 2011

Mckenzie and I made a Target run this morning. I should seriously invest in that company. That way I could be making money from the company that seems to take all our money ;-) Abby was excited to be the milk passer for snack at school today. She just loves having a job to do and gets upset if she doesn't get one. I wonder what her teacher's secret is because I need to use that at home to get Abby back in the groove of making her bed. It was a beautiful day out and we spent the afternoon playing outside.

038 Mckenzie

9.29.2011

Thursday, September 29, 2011

The girls didn't have school today and it seems like the day slipped away from us without getting anything done.


049 Abby

9.28.2011

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

I played around with my new camera today. It feels a bit overwhelming and I feel like I bought a better camera than I will ever know how to use. What was I thinking?! School and dance. That seems to be the routine. I am glad that Mckenzie has a friend to play with while Abby is in her dance class because I think she would get bored pretty quickly if it was just me and her in the waiting room. I love Mckenzie's curls. I don't think this picture does them justice but it is the best I can capture at this point :) 013 Mckenzie

9.27.2011

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Dakota proved that she might be watchdog worthy after all last night. She started barking at Scott when he got home in the middle of the night. She never barks at him, but she was on edge all night last night. Luckily, she didn't wake the girls! Mckenzie and I ran errands this morning. I finally broke down to do some major grocery shopping as we were running out of all the basics. Mckenzie wasn't too pleased it was a long trip, but nothing a sucker couldn't fix.  The girls enjoyed playing outside in the great fall weather we are having. They were driving their cars and crashing into each other over and over. At one point, I started to wonder if I needed to make them put on their helmets.  We started church choir again tonight and Mckenzie is finally old enough to participate. Just because she is old enough though, that didn't mean she actually did it. I stayed with her because she started sobbing the second she realized I was gone and I could tell she wanted to join in, but she just needed a little time. Abby was having the time of her life. I have never witnessed her during choir practice before and she sang her little heart out with the biggest smile on her face. Mckenzie was super tired by the time we got home and she was so upset that Dakota was going to be sleeping with Abby and not her. She kept repeating "Who's gonna sleep with me?" in this sad little voice. So, I slept with her until she fell asleep:)

Here is a photo of the mushrooms growing in our flower planter. I can't seem to keep flowers alive, but these little buggers are flourishing! 037 Mushrooms

9.26.2011

Monday, September 26, 2011

It was back to school for the girls this morning and Scott and I took advantage of our time alone and had a breakfast date. It was a little quiet but quiet in a good way :) I was the parent helper in Mckenzie's classroom today so I had to head back for snack and clean up duty. I love getting to spend time in the classroom with Mckenzie. Unfortunately, she gets pretty clingy when I am there, wanting to hug me, kiss me, always be near me. But, I do have to say she is less clingy than last year so that is an improvement. And, I know before too long, she probably won't want me hanging out with her in her class so I need to enjoy every moment with her now that I can. I got a major surprise today. Scott had ordered a new camera for me almost two months ago now, but it has been back ordered on many websites/stores and I had given up hope of actually getting it any time soon. But, when I checked the status of my order today, instead of saying "info sent to vendor", it said "shipped". I couldn't believe it. I screamed and I think Scott thought I was a little crazy since the last time I shouted like that was when I got my nursing license! Soon after checking the order, the doorbell rang and there she was. My Nikon D700 sitting on the doorstep, wrapped so beautifully in her cardboard box :) I think I am in love and I haven't even named her yet or played around with her. I would have, but the kids had friends over this afternoon and there wasn't time to start reading the manual. Mckenzie had meltdown after meltdown... Exhausting afternoon. We did run to Target to pick up a Compact Flash so I could try it out tonight. They didn't have much of a selection so I may end up buying another one, but at least this way, I can play around with her tonight. I am so excited!!!!! I took a picture of her before Scott left for his flight and again, I am pretty sure Scott thought I was a bit loony;-) But, he married me so that makes him crazier right?!

9.25.2011

Sunday, September 25, 2011

We finally made it to church this weekend. It was the first time we have been since Scott returned home! It felt good to be back, even though Mckenzie wasn't very well behaved and I had to take her out of the church for a bit.  The church distributed Bibles to the children so both girls received one. What a great present! We stopped by the grocery store on the way home to get some snack foods for Football Sunday. We shouldn't have skipped watching the game since the Vikings lost for the third week in a row!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

What a busy day. I took Mckenzie to dance and she really enjoyed herself again. I love the big smile and shout hello to me when she is done with class. It melts my heart :) Scott took Abby to a birthday party while we were at dance and then we met up at a second birthday party right after that! Abby decided she wasn't going to eat cake at the second party because she already had a piece at the first party. That lasted about two seconds and she was asking for a taste of mine :) Can't blame her. Cake is tasty! We grilled hamburgers for dinner and then surprised the girls with a new Wii game. It was a great family game night!

9.23.2011

Friday, September 23, 2011

So apparently I jumped the gun thinking autumn had already started. Oops! Not too much going on around here. After school, the girls and I went over to a friend's house to play. It was a nice visit and a good way to end the school week. I think it has been really hard on Abby being in school five days a week because she is a *tiny* bit grumpier than usual. I am hoping this goes away soon! Mckenzie has learned to spell her name. We made up a little song to help her but until the other day, she would only sing "M-C-K that is how you spell Mckenzie Grace Riley". Then out of the blue, she sang the whole thing correctly! Scott and I couldn't believe it! She has a pretty long name and I am so proud that she has learned to spell it. Next up, learning to write it. This could be a teensy bit more challenging :)

9.22.2011

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Abby was so excited to take Lambie to school today. Her class had a field trip to the local hospital and it sounds like a fantastic time! Abby got to help take an X-ray and then she waited in line for the doctor and nurse to fix Lambie. Lambie came home with a bandaged arm and discharge paperwork. I think this is a fantastic way to acquaint children with the hospital. The kids played at a friend's house this afternoon so it was quiet around her for a little bit and gave me a chance to pick up the house.

005 Lambie 025 Abby and Lambie 016 Abby and Lambie

9.21.2011

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Mckenzie and I went on an apple picking field trip for school today. Mckenzie had fun on the hay ride (well, more like a wagon ride since there was no hay). We didn't actually get to pick the apples from the tree this year like we did last year because the weather damaged so many of the trees. So, we got to choose our apples from a basket on the ground. Mckenzie still enjoyed herself, especially since her teachers were all there. The kids got donuts at the end of the wagon ride. Mckenzie LOVED it. She savored that donut and then licked each finger to get all the sugar off them too. Abby had dance this afternoon and loved every minute of it again. When we got home, she tried to teach me some of the things she learned today. It was cute to watch her be the teacher. Abby was an amazing helper at dinner tonight. She set the table for us and helped clear it.
062 Mckenzie apple picking 064 Mckenzie picking apples 066 Mckenzie 068 Mckenzie and Barb 070 Mckenzie b&w 085 Mckenzie 101 copy bike 108 Mckenzie 112 corn

9.20.2011

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The last day of summer. Where did the time go. I really wanted to get to the beach a couple of more times and to the zoo but I guess there is always next summer right?! Abby was excited that she got to sit next to her friend from preschool on the bus today. She didn't remember much else from the day though. So, I guess all she does is ride the bus and have snack! Tonight was meet the teacher night at Abby's school. Her teacher seemed nice and I think Abby will learn a lot from her this year. She seems to be very interested in having parent volunteers in the classroom and that makes me very excited. I love getting to participate in activities with the girls. Scott and I watched 'Bridesmaids' tonight and it was hilarious! It could have been a little less chick flick for my taste, but it was still very good to watch. Don't get me wrong. I love chick flicks. I just thought this movie was going to be less girly since it has been compared to 'Hangover'. 116 Abby 117 Abby

9.19.2011

Monday, September 19, 2011

Both girls had school this morning. Scott brought Mckenzie in since he doesn't have to go in to work today or tomorrow. He is sitting alert (which just means he is waiting to fly a mission if they need him) so he gets to stay home. Scott spent the day entertaining the kids while I worked on making three photo books on Snapfish. They had a buy one get two free offer so I figured it was a good time to get caught up on the girls' books. I decided to do photo books instead of scrapbooks to capture their childhood memories. I originally wanted to scrapbook their childhood, but I have really lost interest in doing it. Abby has one for the first year and a half or so, but Mckenzie's book is just awful. I started it right before we left Florida and I haven't touched it since. I do need to finish at least her first year but that is all I plan to do. I had my first PTA meeting at school tonight. It is still so hard to believe we have a child old enough to be in school!

9.18.2011

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Scott took the girls outside to drive their cars this morning. They love driving in circles and alternate which car they ride in. We watched the Vikings game and the girls hung out with us for awhile, but they went off to play by themselves. I have been pretty productive this weekend. I have managed to organize the foyer closet, the laundry room, both pantries, the girls' dressers and I started sorting through toys. It really is time to get rid of all the baby toys in the house, but as I was sorting, the girls were going through the piles and getting upset. So, I think that is a job best left for a day they are both in school.

9.17.2011

Saturday, September 17, 2011

It was kind of a quiet day around here. I took Mckenzie to gymnastics this morning and she rocked it! She told me she wasn't going to cry and she didn't! I am so proud of her! She got a little sad a couple of times, but a smile from me and a hug from her awesome teacher, and she was right back to it! She looked adorable while she was dancing, trying to copy everything the teacher was showing her. I am so glad that she had a good experience today. Scott took Abby to breakfast while we were at dance. She sat next to him in the booth and enjoyed her time alone with Scott.
052 Abby spider man puzzle
She loves Spiderman these days and was so excited to put together this Spiderman puzzle by herself.

9.16.2011

Friday, September 16, 2011

Poor Scott had to be up at 4am for a flight today. He is in need of some serious sleep this weekend as he has had several late nights followed by early mornings all week! While Abby was at school, Mckenzie and I worked on cleaning out her dresser drawers. Well, that should say, I organized her drawers while she laid on the floor and slept! I guess the little stinker was tired. First thing out of that little girl's mouth this morning was "I want the iPad" and she wanted a yogurt, but the iPad was of way more importance. Guess she really needed to get her movie fix on right away today! We played outside this afternoon and both girls ended up at the neighbor's house giving me a little time at home:) We did dinner out tonight since I forgot to thaw anything for dinner. Oops! After the girls went to bed, we managed to get the house back in order. It looked like a tornado came through here and uprooted all the toys!


029 Mckenzie
Mckenzie loves her little car. I wish it had better tires on it like Abby's jeep but other than that, it is a fun little toy.


033 Abby 036 Abby and Mckenzie
Abby was pretending Mckenzie was her baby. Mckenzie was actually going along with it for once and even went so far as to crawl around on the ground. This was Abby pretending to be at a baseball game while her "baby" cheered for her.  Not exactly sure why she is scowling at me?

9.15.2011

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Abby was excited she was able to check out a book from the school library today. She could barely get into the house before she was taking the book out of her bag to show me. I am glad she is enjoying school:) Mckenzie went to her first Chef class today and got to make snakes. She had fun making them, but she didn't like eating them. I remember Abby didn't like them either when she was in Chef class. 023 bug
This was a random bug we found on the front step.

9.14.2011

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

I think we are starting to get this new morning routine down. It has been a hard adjustment to waking up early, for me anyway. It seems strange to refer to 6:25 am as early. I remember getting up just after 5am when Mckenzie was still a baby in order to get to work on time. It seems like so long ago we lived there and yet it really wasn't that long ago.  Mckenzie had a great second day at school and didn't even get sad once :) I am so thankful that she has the teacher she does. It made for an easy adjustment for Mckenzie. She came home with purple marker in her hair and all over her arms, but that just tells me she had fun:) Abby enjoyed her day at school too, although she is just so tired from the long mornings. I am guessing she will adjust to her new schedule pretty soon.  Abby had her first day of dance today and she absolutely, positively LOVED it! They work on both tap and ballet and Abby expressed she enjoys the ballet part the best because it feels prettiest! She is in the same class as her friend and I was a bit worried they would be too chatty, but they focused on the teacher and did what they were asked. 009 Abby first day of ballet b&e 013 Abby first day of ballet 016 Abby first day of ballet

9.13.2011

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Oh my goodness. This morning was one wild ride with those two kiddos. One minute they were happy and the next they were screaming because they didn't want hard boiled eggs and strawberries for breakfast. But, we made it to the bus stop on time and Mckenzie thought it was fun that she got to leave the house in her PJ's (there was no time to dress her!). Mckenzie had her first dental appointment today and she did pretty good. Abby had her cleaning first so Mckenzie could see how everything worked. Mckenzie did fine until the fluoride part and she didn't like the grape flavor at all so she kept begging for water and sticking her little tongue out of her mouth and trying to spit. I felt bad that she couldn't have any water, but I bribed her with playing games on my phone. The girls played nicely again today. I wanted to take them outside, but time just slipped away from us. We need to get out before it gets too cold. Abby was a great helper at dinner time tonight. She helped set the table and carry the food to the dining room. Yep, we used our dining room today, only because the kitchen table was so full of junk from a project I was working on, and wouldn't ya know it tonight was spaghetti night. Luckily no one spilled on the chairs or carpet (why do people put carpet in a dining room?). I made a skirt for Mckenzie today. It was my first ever attempt at sewing clothes and I think it turned out good enough for her to wear to school tomorrow. It wasn't easy for me by any means and the first skirt was way too small (note to self. when the pattern tells you to cut two duplicate pieces, you actually need to sew those two pieces together!) Now I need to take Abby to the store so she can choose the material for her skirt.
003

9.12.2011

Monday, September 12, 2011

Today was Mckenzie's first day of preschool and she did great! That is after she finally put on a happy face at home and decided she really did need to wear clothes in public. Seems she is going through a no clothes phase again :) She didn't cry when I dropped her off and her teacher said Mckenzie only got sad once during the day but perked right up with the promise of getting to play outside. Abby had a good day in Kindergarten. She told me her and Evan (a little boy in her class) got to take a piece of paper to the secretary. She also said they got lost and needed a little help getting back to class :) Her bus ride was just under an hour today. I hope this is the way it will be for the rest of the year. Well, I wouldn't mind if her ride was shorter, but the hour and a half bus ride home last week was just too long in my opinion. Abby got to play over at her friend Ally's house this afternoon and when she got home from that, she headed off to a new friend's house that lives down the street. I think Abby is having a hard time adjusting to being gone so much. She had at least five meltdowns this evening and was fussing when Mckenzie was talking about her day at preschool. I know she misses preschool and her teachers there and she told me she feels sad that Mckenzie and I get to do things together when she is gone. (and it wasn't like Mckenzie and I went to Disney World, we just colored a puzzle together the other day, but I guess Abby wanted to do it too. ) 012 Mckenzie first day of prek 019 Mckenzie first day of prek 024 Mckenzie first day of school 063 Abby The was supposed to be Abby's first day of school outfit but it didn't arrive in time. So I guess it became her first Monday of school outfit :)

9.11.2011

Sunday, September 11, 2011

The girls played nicely together today with just a few squabbles that they mostly worked out on their own. It amazes me to see the progression in their relationship and in their maturity. The love playing together and get along really well. Neither girl wanted to get dressed today so they ran around the house in their panties all day long! Good thing no one stopped by for a surprise visit! Scott was in heaven today. The first Sunday of NFL football and he was able to spend the entire afternoon watching the games. I had to make play doh for Mckenzie's school today as part of my volunteer responsibilities. I think next month, I will let the girls help me make it since it was pretty easy to do. 002 playdoh

9.10.2011

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Mckenzie had her first ballet class today. She was so excited to go but when we got there, the hesitation set in. She is used to me participating in gymnastics with her so when I didn't join her on the dance floor, she got very upset. The owner sat with her for a bit, but Mckenzie was so worked up, that she wasn't going to go back on the floor. So, I sat with her next to the dance floor. After a lot of prodding, I was able to get her to get out of my lap and stand on the dance floor right next to me. A little more prodding got her to start tapping her foot (they did tap first today) and a little more got her to move a few steps away from me. She finally went out onto the dance floor when it was time to do ballet. I told her she needed to have her name written on the bottoms of her ballet slippers and her teachers were the only ones that could do it. That along with the promise of gum got her onto the floor. She stayed out the rest of the time (maybe 10-15 minutes), but she wasn't happy. I could tell she wanted to be there and she wanted to participate, she just was so scared to be without me in a room of people she didn't know. After it was over, she told me she had fun so that is a good thing! I hope next week is better. We talked about how next time she has to go out by herself and she agreed, but she's only three. I'm guessing she will change her mind by next week! Abby was very upset that she didn't get to go to class today, but Scott was able to calm her down. 015 Mckenzie first day of ballet 023 Mckenzie first day of ballet 024 mckenzie first day ballet 017 Mckenzie first day of ballet Mckenzie was giving herself a hug before class in this picture :)

9.09.2011

Friday, Sept 9, 2011

Abby was a little slower moving today, but we made it to the bus on time. I love how excited she is to ride the bus every day and to get to school. Mckenzie and I stayed at home today. We were coloring together and she wanted to color by herself, so I let her. Big mistake. She got bored of coloring the puzzle we had been working on and decided to color her legs and the couch! She was so proud of what she had done and was smiling from ear to ear when she showed me. In all her scribbles, she managed to make a perfect letter z and number 4. (she doesn't know how to write that I am aware of, she just got lucky!) Abby had an eye doctor appointment today. I thought for sure she was going to need glasses because she was only able to read the first few lines, but the doctor said she was fine, just a bit dramatic :) Not my daughter! Both Scott and I were a little unsure how she decided that Abby's vision was fine when Abby was saying she couldn't read the chart, but she is a pediatric optometrist so I guess she sees this kind of thing regularly. We decided that if her teacher mentions she is having difficulty or if we notice her struggling we would take her to another doctor, but for now, we will trust this one. Abby kept telling me she wanted glasses and she was sad she didn't get them so I tend to think the doc was onto something. Scott tried to clean off Mckenzie's legs while we were out, but it was to no avail. She will be covered in purple marker for a while. Scott had to work tonight so we had some friends over to play and have dinner. It was a very nice evening. 007 Mckenzie

9.08.2011

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Abby came over to our room sometime last night because she was afraid of the dark. I know I am supposed to send her back to her bed, but really, how much longer is she actually going to want to cuddle with us anyway. Gotta soak up these moments before the opportunity passes us by. Abby had a great day at school today and Mckenzie and I managed to get a lot of errands run. I asked Abby what she did today and I got the standard answer of "I don't remember." I love that she is gaining independence and is able to participate in activities without me, but I still want to know everything that happened during her time away from me. I wonder if that feeling ever goes away? I finally bought a dog bed for Dakota (per Scott's request) so maybe she will be less inclined to sleep on the bed. I hope she likes it. The kids both do ;-) A friend that Abby met at her bus stop invited her over to play after school today. Abby was so excited and couldn't wait to get there! She had fun playing and the girls seemed to get along really well. Mckenzie was disappointed she didn't stay but happily played a game of bowling while I started prepping dinner. I did let Mckenzie play for a bit when we walked down to bring Abby home. She seemed to enjoy playing with Abby's new friend as well as her younger brother so maybe next time, both girls can go. This whole early to bed thing is kind of challenging when Scott gets home late. I don't want to feed the kids without him because I strongly believe that dinner as a family is very important. So, I tried to do baths, vacuum, pick up the toys, put away the clothes and cook dinner all at the same time. Hectic, but somehow it managed to get done. It may have been faster had I not asked the girls to help. Abby was asked to bring the folded clothes upstairs and apparently she didn't see the need to keep them folded! I have finally caught up on all the past blog entries that I missed. So there are new pics for y'all to check out. You just have to go back a few days :)

9.07.2011

Wednesday, Sept 7, 2011

Day 2 of Kindergarten and Abby was still excited to get up and ready. I am really hoping this lasts the entire year. I can hope right?! Scott didn't have to work until later this morning so we all were able to see Abby off on the bus again. She was all smiles again this morning and she was looking forward to another great day. We had an Open House at Mckenzie's preschool this morning so she was able to meet her teacher, do a few arts and crafts and play with her new classmates. She had fun and I am excited that this will be a great year for her. Mckenzie is still a bit reserved with other children and waits for them to make the first move. She is content to play by herself but she will play with other kids if they start playing with her. It took almost an hour and a half for Abby to get home again. I really hope this isn't the case all year long. She had a good day in school and she was excited to tell me that they said the Pledge of Allegiance. Today was library day and they read a few books and sang a few songs. The kids were also given a permanent seat assignment in class. Abby and her preschool friend were not assigned to the same table, but Abby seemed OK with that. Abby had a little trouble on the bus this afternoon. She wanted to sit with one of her friends but that friend wanted to sit with someone else and Abby ended up crying on the bus. Fortunately, the parent helper on the bus is a good friend of ours and she gave Abby a hug and tried to help her out :) I, of course, was extremely upset that Abby was sad and crying on the bus. It just broke my heart that she felt so bad and I couldn't be there to help her. I am hoping it doesn't happen again. On a good note, Abby was over the moon tonight because she got to see her old preschool teacher. I swear Abby was about to cry she was so happy to see her! 032 Mckenzie at open house for SSPC 036 Mckenzie Ava playing at Stepping stones 029 mckenzie open house sspc

9.06.2011

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Today was Abby's first day of Kindergarten!! She was so excited to go to school today. She got out of bed, took a shower and got dressed all by herself. There were no complaints when I was fixing her hair (maybe it was the new PURPLE hair dryer I bought for her)! She even posed for a few pictures without giving me grief! She was very excited to walk to the bus stop so she could go on her first ever bus ride! We met some nice neighbors and one of the little girls asked Abby if she would like to sit with her on the school bus :) When the bus came, Abby was thrilled. Scott and I gave her kisses and she was off, never even looking back at us. She was smiling and I was crying, just the way it should be. I am so glad she has the confidence to conquer this new experience! Kenzie was upset that Abby was gone and she started crying on the walk back home, saying "I miss Abby too much." She recovered pretty quickly since Scott let her ride her scooter in the garage :) When Abby finally got home from school (after an hour and a half bus ride! crazy considering we live 5 minutes from the school!!!) she was beaming and told us she had a great day! Just what we were hoping for. She has one of her preschool friends in her class and they were able to sit beside one another today. When we asked about what she did today, she told us she couldn't remember. But, she did say she liked her teacher and had fun. Oh, she did remember she had cheddar bunnies for snack along with chocolate milk :) We took her to Olive Garden, her choice, for dinner and then it was back home to get ready for bed. 216 Abby first day of kindergarten b&w 221 Abby first day of school 186 Scott Abby first day of kindergarten 184 Abby first day of school 207 Abby first day of kindergarten 213 Abby school bus leaving for kindergarten b

9.05.2011

Monday, September 5, 2011

OK. I realize it has been quite awhile since I have posted on here. I will get to those posts some other day, but for now, I will start with today :) We had Directv installed so Scott could get the NFL Sunday ticket. He really misses watching the Vikings play and he figured he would be home enough this winter to make the change worth it. I have to say I am happy to say goodbye to our old cable company; poor quality cable and the prices kept increasing. Abby and I had a lunch date today followed by a manicure and pedicure. It was so much fun. She talked my ear off while we ate and giggled like crazy while getting her toes done. I just love my big girl. I can't believe tomorrow is the official start of her educational years. Kindergarten!!! Where did the time go? I hope she has a wonderful year and makes a lot of new friends. She is very excited to ride the school bus and to meet her teacher although I think she has a little anxiety going on (she threw a temper tantrum that lasted at least 10 minutes over grapes for dinner. That is not her norm by any means.) Hopefully tomorrow will be smooth sailing. We are at least ready for it. Her clothes are laid out and her backpack is packed. Mckenzie and Scott had a date too at the playground. She just loves to be outside so it was a perfect date for her too! I have pictures from today, I just haven't uploaded them yet. So, maybe I will post them tomorrow!

9.04.2011

Sunday, September 4, 2011

We went to our friend's house today for an end of summer/labor day pool party/bbq. The kids and Scott had so much fun swimming. The water was a little cool, so the kids were filling up buckets with water and letting them sit in the sun in an attempt to warm the water. Love their creativity :) It was a great day spent with some great friends :) 155 Abby 154 Mckenzie Scott pool 153 mckenzie pool 149 Abby pool 138 abby pool 136 abby 143 Mckenzie Abby Scott pool

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