Kindergarten Comes to a Close

She did it! She finished her kindergarten year! Wow, what a year it has been. Lots of nerves going in, lots of work during the course of the day, lots of new friendships, lots of adjustment (for her and us), lots of new knowledge, and lots of gained confidence.

It was a whirlwind year, and honestly, I'm glad it's behind us because it was that much change. But I will look back on Collins' kindergarten year with pride because she grew so much and successfully tackled so many new things. She is most definitely older and wiser and ready to take on the first grade!

Mrs. Dalrymple's class celebrated the end of the year with an "Commotion in the Ocean" party. The kids were very excited about it- mainly because they got to wear their bathing suits to school. They traveled around to different stations making fun ocean crafts and getting wet doing water activities.

Collins started out by making an ocean-themed picture frame to house her class picture...

I manned the sea turtle station...the kids loved making and eating these cuties.

Collins' favorite station was the origami station...she made a really cool fish with the help of Joanna's Mom.

Outside, they got to go fishing...

 and make gigantic bubbles...

and then it was time to say goodbye. I had not expected to get sad about this moment because Collins had been counting down the days until the end of school. But saying goodbye to Mrs. Dalrymple and Mrs. Edward and leaving her class for the final time made me totally tear up. They helped my baby grow so much this year, and I will always be thankful she had such a cute class and nice teachers to help her adjust successfully to elementary school.

Collins was a little sad when we left too, but that quickly dissipated as we took a promised trip to the toy store to get one special treat.

Collins chose an origami set, and Addie got a rock pet to paint.

And then we celebrated at Gigi and Pop Pop's with Red Dragon and cupcakes! Now that school is officially out, bring on summer! So excited to have Collins back with us every day and to see what kind of fun we can get into. :)

Addie's Struggle

Addie has struggled with excema since she was a baby. We first noticed a rash on her face when she was only a couple of months old. And unfortunately, this frustrating skin problem has worsened over time. Her pediatrician kept telling us to treat the red, itchy rashes with cream and assured us she would probably grow out of it by the time she was two.

Well, she's 3 1/2 now, and we still don't have a handle on this problem. Her excema flares up more in the winter and summer when the temperature is more extreme. It usually shows up in her creases- her elbows, her knees, her ankles- and itches so badly she scratches them till they bleed. It is pitiful, and makes me so upset for her. She gets so uncomfortable that she can't sleep well, and then wakes up and starts screaming which makes her itch and scratch even more. It is an ugly cycle.

It is a real struggle for her and for us. We have tried every cream under the sun. We have taken her to the dermatologist who wants us to treat the problem areas with a heavy steroid. We have taken her to the allergist to see if the excema is allergy-related (in many cases it can be). She was tested for allergies, and the results showed she was extremely allergic to dust mites and cats/dogs. So we came home and immediately tried taming the dust mites in our house. I removed all dust-catchers from their rooms- the rugs and curtains went away- and toys went into plastic bins. All stuffed animals were removed from her bed, and now I wash all her bedding in hot water once a week. We had our carpets deep-cleaned and have hired a regular cleaning service. We are trying hard to remove all the dust. But after we went to those extreme measures, she had one of her worst flare-ups of all time! We can't figure it out.

But then the question came up- wonder if she could be allergic or intolerant to a food? Specifically, milk? Apparently (in my talks with friends and research) it is common to have an intolerance to cow's milk because it is one of the harder things to digest. So despite my sweet Addie's love of pizza and ice cream, we decided to take her dairy-free to see if that would help her skin.

I think it has really helped, but I can't be sure. It's hard to completely eliminate dairy because butter is in many things and sometimes cheese gets snuck into things. But I can't convince Brian that dairy is the problem. He wonders if it's environmental and if we will ever figure it out. The whole thing is maddening.

My fear is that physiologically and emotionally this skin struggle is going to affect her negatively long-term. Whenever she gets stressed out or anxious or upset about something- she automatically starts scratching now. And she has become very self-conscious when someone mentions her rashes. She tells them to "not talk about it" or tries to hide herself from them. It breaks my heart to see her struggle with this. It worries me all the time.

So, we are in the dead heat of summer right now- normally a time of year that really bothers her skin. We are managing things okay for the most part right now with a flare up here and there. I think the chlorine in  the pool is not good for her, and the continual sunscreen application at the beach is hard on her skin.

To manage things- I am trying to keep her as cool as possible both during the day and at night. We're moisturizing her skin twice a day, keeping baths short, and staying off dairy for the most part. If anyone has any advice for us, we will gladly take it.

I pray that she will outgrow the excema soon, but I have no idea if that will happen. In the meantime, we will keep searching for an answer and trying to keep our beautiful Addie as comfortable and as happy as can be.

How Our Garden Grows

We love having a garden although Brian was questioning whether or not we should plant one this year. He just viewed as one more chore to add to the list and wondered if we had time to take care of one? Also, last year, our garden kind of bombed so that made him hesitate. But I assured him that we would make time to take care of it and that we NEEDED one because it's that special of a thing to grow your own food!

So I took Addie and Luke to Logan's and hurriedly bought a random assortment of plants and seeds. Brian quickly planted them one Saturday, and before you knew it we had a beautiful and healthy-looking garden!

I am always amazed when our first tomatoes come on the vine...and this year we planted several cherry tomatoes in the big garden and they are doing great.

 

In my rushed/frazzled Mom state at the plant store, I accidentally bought 8 basil plants. Brian thought we might not have needed that many, but have him try to shop with a clear brain as a baby paws at you and a preschooler peppers you with a million questions. Not easy! So the eight basil plants are gorgeous this year, and producing so much that we can freeze some for the winter.

The green beans have gotten quite aggressive this year. We planted a variety called "Rattlesnake" and they have taken over the garden with their little vines.

They do produce these really cool purple beans though that turn green when you cook them!

 

I absolutely love going out to the garden each day and looking for new growth. It is such a fun experiment and so gratifying to eat what we grow!

Luke Turns 6 Months!

Oh, Luke. You are so much fun. And now you are six months old!

With each of our kids, I have felt like six months has been the magic turning point. It's the time when things get (somewhat) easier with their needs, the more relaxed I become about their general welfare, they start doing some really cool things, and everything becomes a lot more fun. And Luke has followed suit, making leaps and bounds in his sixth month and bringing so much joy into our family.

In month number six, Luke has become very active. I'm pretty sure the girls were never this wiggly, grabby, and rolly so I am probably in trouble. I might have a wild boy on my hands! 

Luke loves standing on those strong, baby legs of his...

being in the water...

  and grabbing at anything within reach. This bowl of berries almost ended up on the floor!

The big news of month six was starting solids! I didn't feel like it was time (he still feels like such a baby to me), but he was obviously interested in people food as he started fussing when we were eating. So we started with bananas and oatmeal and went on from there...he has liked most everything I've given him (except for the first few bites of food which was just plain weird to him). I think he is going to be an eater!

 

On the sleep front there is no good news to report...ugh. What am I doing wrong here?!? The baby still wakes up every 3-4 hours at night which is so frustrating and exhausting. I thought starting solids would do the trick, but not yet. But he also hasn't had much protein yet. I am cooking him some chicken right now in hopes it will help fill up that belly.

But luckily, in his sixth month, his naps have gotten somewhat predictable with him sleeping about an hour and a half in the morning and about two hours in the afternoon. And also- during one nap how did he manage to wiggle out of his jammies?!?

Besides starting solids, the other big news of the month is that he started sitting up on his own! This has been a game changer for us. Being able to set him down while I help the girls with something or put a load of clothes in the laundry is really helpful. Plus, he is able to play easier with his toys.

How cute is he showing off his sitting skills at our Lacy picnic??

And apparently sitting is not enough because he is also trying to crawl now.

He can even sit in the cart now! I can't believe it. This active, smiley, sweet boy is growing too fast! The months and milestones are flying by, but month six has been a memorable and fun one for sure.

And the official six-month photos? Oh, there are none of course. Mama had to drop the ball at some point. :)

The Countdown Begins

Look at these cute kindergartners. They know their K days are numbered, and are so excited. Collins started an official countdown to the last day of school, and we got the updated number every day. :)

I chose to walk in to school everyday to pick up Collins. While this was not always a smooth process (waking a cranky Addie from a nap, balancing Luke on my hip, rain, etc.), it was sweet going to her school everyday and seeing her excited face when we arrived to pick her up. It was also neat getting to know the other pick-up Moms better.

She also had so much fun leaving school with Reeves. They always found each other and would excitedly burst into conversation headed out the door to their respective cars.

 

There was also running usually involved as Addie and Tyler would try to keep up on their scooters...

I captured these shots the last week of school because I was feeling sentimental. Not much longer will they be the babies at Lacy. The countdown to first grade is on!

Gymnastics Finale for the Girls

Collins and Reeves have been gymnastics partners all year. They have carpooled together to the gym where Sara and I have heard endless amounts of giggling and hushed talking in the backseat. Once at the gym, there is a lot of energy being unleashed as they learn how to do the balance beam, the uneven bars, cartwheels, and more. They have loved it.

Sara and I have not loved it quite as much because we had to battle traffic during rush hour and figure out how to entertain two other little ones for almost an hour during the girls' class. But we survived the year and were happy to see Collins and Reeves show off their moves for the End of Year gymnastics show!

 

 

 

 Gigi and Pop Pop came out to support her...

and Luke somehow made it through the hour and a half show.

She was a little disappointed that she got the exact same medal as last year (think she was hoping for a large trophy). :)

So glad they had the chance to do this class together!

Till next year!

 

Davidson Hits the Big Time

Davidson baseball shocked the sports world (and specifically my husband) when they made the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever a few weekends back. It was baseball mania around my house that weekend!

It was a miracle of miracles when the Cats got selected to play Carolina in Chapel Hill so Brian and friends could go to the games. They opened up Friday night against the Tar Heels and unbelievably, beat them (they were the #3 team in the country at the time). Then they proceeded to win their Saturday game too putting them in position to take the whole regional on Sunday. And the game pitted them against Carolina. Again.

This I had to see. So we packed up the fam, planned a quick tailgate, and headed to Chapel Hill for some more baseball. We took a little tour...

then watched Carolina win its game...

and then ate brats and rice krispie treats on Stadium Drive until a huge thunderstorm chased us back to Raleigh.

The Wildcats won a thriller that night against the Tar Heels. Brian came home in shock and deliriously happy. He called it the biggest win in Davidson athletics history. The win advanced Davidson to the next round where they eventually lost in crushing fashion. But for one great baseball weekend, the Cats were on top of the baseball world. Truly a miracle.