school's out FOREVER!

Well, more like twelve weeks.

But for Little Kid, preschool wrapped up this week. I did not cry, but Miss Tenderhearted did. Bless her sweet heart, all of her friends are scattering to different elementary schools and she was sad. I reassured her that she had two buddies that would be going to kindergarten with her and she will see most of her girlfriends at dance class in the fall. Once again I am thankful for facebook, and that we can keep up with friends and teachers that we love.

First day of preschool, August 2009:

Last day of preschool, May 2013:

I can remember buying that little purple and green outfit at Baby Gap right after we moved to Huntsville. We had only lived here for a little over a month when the kids started school. I splurged on the matching striped shoes because it was her first day of school ever!

First day of Pre-K, August 2012:

I love comparison photos. 

Pre-K graduation program:

We had the best teachers this year. Alexa's teachers, Ms. Amy and Ms. Lisa, were wonderful. 

The whole four years at Asbury were a blessing to our family. Ms. Rosemary, Ms. Marlee, and Ms. Kathryn in the main office...Ms. Sue in the library...Ms. Karen the music teacher and all of Little Kid's teachers over the years have been such caring, nurturing souls. We love them and thank them.

Sweeties on the last day. The two boys on the right have been with Little Kid since Day 1.

Little Kid and I went up to help with her brother's class party yesterday. Oh my. Let's just say that they were enthusiastic about the upcoming summer.

Our class mom made a life-size Angry Birds game for the kids!

Someone was very excited to sit with the big kids. Little Kid is so ready for kindergarten, she would go tomorrow if she could. I wish that I got a pic of Big Kid's teacher who is lovely and so kind, but it was a little crazy in there (and when I say little, I mean pandemonium). How such a tiny lady kept control of  that motley crew I have no idea, but she did! Teachers have nerves of steel. The boy had a good year, thank you Mrs. Williams!

Big Kid's first day of third grade, August 2012:

Last day of third grade, May 2013:

He insisted on posing with his two certificates. He won the class, "Super Scientist" award. He gets that from me.

And because it is Thursday and we have not done a T4T yet this week, I thought that this was appropriate. Any child of the nineties will recognize it.

Let summer commence!

time to dance!

This past weekend, Little Kid participated in her third dance recital! Here, have some pictures - I have plenty.

Dress rehearsal on Friday was bananas - The Engineer was out of town on a business trip and I was juggling dress rehearsal and a baseball game (that ended up being rained out). Recital is always held at the gorgeous concert hall downtown.

These girlies have been together since their first year.

I got so tickled at this pic.

On dress rehearsal day, we were juggling another baseball game that again was rained out, so my mom came to help with the boy while I got Little Kid ready.

The Green Room - all of these pretties are in the same class in school and their school teacher came to the recital, which I thought was super sweet.

Showtime!

Anna Banana. I love this girl.

Their dance routine was to Disco Duck, which was awesome. Little Kid did not care much for her costume which she deemed itchy and scratchy.

After the recital, Granddaddy and Grammy took us out to lunch. We were so happy that they were able to come down!

Shenanigans.

Every year I am blown away by the talent at The Dance Company. I watch the older girls and I imagine Little Kid as a tween/teen up there dancing her heart out. I hope that she continues with it. Little Kid and I are different - she has the personality of her dad and is a super girly girl, while I was more of a tomboy as a child. But I danced, and I like that we have that in common.

 A little squinty, but a picture that I will treasure.

Thank you for another fabulous year, Julie and Beth!

being confident in your choices | build 'em up

Before we talk about today's topic at Build 'Em Up, I want to share my overwhelming grief at the tornado devastation in Moore, Oklahoma. I have reached the point where I can watch no more because there but for the grace of God go I. After the 4.27.11 tornadoes that ravaged our county and most of the South, we have a very personal understanding of what these twisters can do. Our county still shows the signs of the tornadoes that day-the landscape of trees are now reduced to barren spikes. But what we saw then pales in comparison to the total destruction in Moore. I am horrified.

I am a Methodist and when tragedy happens, as it has all too much lately, I turn to my faith and to the United Methodist Council on Relief, which has mobilized to assist. If you want to help, please consider Donating to UMCOR, where 100% of your donation goes to relief.

Today's topic over at Build 'Em Up is Being Confident in Your Choices, which strikes a sharp chord with me. What Kelly wrote was spot-on, and I agree with her that everyone is different and everyone parents differently. That is why I have never been one to subscribe to a specific parenting philosophy when shepherding these two very different children.

When mine were babies (especially the Big Kid), I constantly worried about my choices. Did I send him to school too early? Is it wrong to take a kids-free vacation and leave him with my mom? Does he receive too many presents for birthday/Christmas/Easter/Wednesday? (He was the first grandchild on both sides - enough said.) By the time his little sister rolled in, I was more confident.

And then there was breastfeeding. Oh, the breastfeeding.

I had every intention of breastfeeding. I took the classes, I read the books, I stocked up on the supplies. But then I got sick after Big Kid was born. REALLY sick, as in, ending up in the ER in the middle of the night with a five-day-old baby, sick. To this day, it is the worst that I have ever felt in my life. When his sister came along a few years later, because of that experience with my first child, I did not breastfeed. I was terrified of getting sick again, and this time instead of being able to rest and recover, I had an energetic toddler to take care of in addition to a newborn. I was not prepared for the vitriol thrown my way. My parenting was reduced to one choice. Never mind anything else that I did as a mom, I was a bad parent because I did not breastfeed. It was cruel. It took my watching my children grow up to be healthy and smart as a whip for me to truly accept that those hurtful people were wrong. I 100% support breastfeeding, and I think that it is a wonderful thing to do for your child. I also believe that it is a choice, and there are many variables to consider. 

For those of you who chose not to breastfeed (or are unable to), that same little boy is completing the third grade this week and just tested at a 5th grade, 7th month level in mathematics. So if it does not work out for you, rest assured that your baby will not grow up to be Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel. 

I did bow to peer pressure once in regards to a parenting choice. Do you have a picky eater? Well, I have two, and they get it honest (giving my husband the side-eye). I will eat anything and I love vegetables, so I know that it is not something learned. Well-meaning people kept admonishing us, "If you put it in front of them and tell them that they are not getting anything else, they will eat it." After one frustrating night of feeling like a short-order cook, I put a pork chop in front of Big Kid (at the time, Age 5) and told him to eat it. He must have sat at the table for hours, and after many tears-his and mine-he finally ate the pork chop.

And promptly threw it up.

I decided right then and there that I was not succumbing to parenting peer pressure anymore. And in the four years since, he has expanded his culinary tastes on his own, and I believe that he will continue to do so. 

We all bring something different to the table - strengths, weaknesses, support, talents, personality traits. You have to find what works for you. If your child is happy and healthy, then pat yourself on the back, momma. You are doing it right.