A Strong Start

The first week of summer vacation has gotten off to a strong start...

 

Memorial Day

Memorial Day weekend started with me crashing my car, then morphed into Collins being sick with a fever. Good thing Mom and Baba came to visit to make everything better!

 

 

We had to miss Emma's birthday party, but Collins started feeling better and we got to have a cookout, a fun breakfast out, and a boat and train ride at Pullen Park. Collins loved every minute of her time with Mimi and Baba- especially when they painted her toenails for the first time (and just for the record they were pink not coral!) :)

Go Ruck

Most people probably spent their Memorial Day weekend relaxing. Not my husband. He decided it would be "fun" to sign-up with his F3 team for a "Go Ruck" challenge that would push him to his limits both mentally and physically for over 12 hours.

His hard work training these past few months paid off as he successfully completed the event! He came home exhausted and bruised, relieved that he avoided the water mocassin in Crabtree Creek, and excited with what he accomplished. Here's how Brian spent his Saturday night...

 

 

Impressive, right? We are proud of you, King David!

Potty Training

It's happening!

A Graduation of Sorts

Last week, Collins had her last week of preschool in the 1's class. Is it silly that I was a little sentimental?

Our first year of preschool has been a great experience. Collins learned how to let go of my hand and walk into the classroom by herself, she learned how to use good table manners while eating at the snack table with her classmates, she learned how to stand in a line, and most importantly- she learned how to get excited about school. And she came SO CLOSE to not ever having to be picked up early by Mom- that temper tantrum the last day ruined our perfect record! But she perked up fast just in time for the end-of-year party.

Here's her "graduation" certificate...

 

her final class photo (Ms. Harriet, Holden, Walker, Ms. Susan, Olivia, Stewart, Liam and Collins)...

 

 

her last school picture...

and her last hurrah at Ridge Road!

How cute are these girls? I am so grateful these two ended up in the same class as we have a special friendship now with Olivia and her Mom. Next year, Collins is headed to a new preschool. While we are excited about this move, we will always be happy her first year of preschool was at Ridge Road.

Losing Control

I feel like the wheels are slowly coming off the wagon around here. We are losing control of our sweet little baby because all of a sudden Collins can "do it myself"! Here's what Collins can do now by herself:

1. Climb out of her crib- this one scares me. She does it with ease, I've seen her as she is scaling the top of the crib. Now there are no guarantees that she will stay in her bed once we put her there.

2. Open the baby gate- also scary. She is quickly mastering the staircase and can come and go as she pleases. Now I can't corral her to one floor anymore- she is all over the place!

3. Temper tantrum on the drop of a hat- this one is stressful. It's becoming a daily event, some times several times a day. I'm trying to take actions to prevent them from happening but am finding they are impossible to predict and difficult to stop once they are in motion.

4. Tell us exactly what she will and will not do- she now has the vocabulary to unleash directives and does so often!

5. Refuse to sit still during dinner- the wiggles during dinner are out-of-control. She can no longer sit still for more than five minutes before she starts dancing around the table, walking straight out the back door, running into the playroom. Usually I end up spoon feeding her because that's the only way she'll get any food down as she can't sit still long enough to focus on dinner.

I know all of these things mean that Collins a perfectly normal toddler, but it all seems to be coming at the same time and it's a little overwhelming! Good thing that when she's not doing one of the above, she's giving me a hug, saying something really funny, or playing nicely with her friends. Her charming moments still far outweigh her crazy moments- and for that I'm grateful!

Fueling Up

It's healthy eating all week at our house as Brian gets ready for his grueling "Go Ruck" challenge this weekend. It's a 12-hour overnight physical and mental challenge that he has to complete while wearing a "ruck" (military bookbag) with 25 pounds of bricks inside. Just a little intense!

So Collins and I are helping him prepare for the event by foregoing enchiladas and pizza and all the other bad (i.e. fun) foods. We stocked up on lots of healthy food at the fish market, the farmer's market and a strawberry farm this weekend.

Here are some cute shots of Collins picking strawberries. Obviously- the healthy eating does not extend to desserts for me- I have already taken out a strawberry cobbler that I came home and made!