All in Emily's Time

Yes, Emily got her ears pierced. Last Friday, Emily came up to me at 4:45 a.m. and told me she had a dream that she had pierced ears and we need to get them done. Of course at that time in the morning, all I said was "okay, jump in bed and we'll talk about it later". So that morning, we talked and I told her if we get it done the next day (Saturday) we would be able to change them for Halloween (Emily is going to be spider girl so she bought spider earrings). All day long she told me and everyone at school that she was getting her ears pierced tomorrow, so I knew she was serious.

I think what helped is that the previous Saturday we had gone to the mall to the movies and went into Claire's after. There was a girl who was getting a secondary hole and was probably in her early 20's so I knew there wouldn't be any crying so I had Emily watch it being done. Emily said not today and I told her "no" when she is ready she can get it done. We looked at earrings as an enticement and I think it worked.

When we got to Claire's, Emily was nervous. She asked if the girl had something for her to hold (the other store had a teddy bear). Yes, I was smart enough to request that both ears be done at once. Emily had wanted pearl earrings but they didn't have any so she chose her birthstone. She also told them she wanted 2 holes (she remember that the girl she watched only got one piercing and Emily wanted one in each ear - too cute). The ladies marked the spots and shot their guns. Emily squeezed her eyes shut and it was over....no crying, no screaming, no telling me "you lied it hurt". She was in a little bit of disbelief at first joking around asking "where am I?" Then, she looked in the mirror and was ecstatic.

We spent the next 15 minutes choosing earrings for future wear and an earring holder.

Emily was so proud of her earrings she showed them to everyone at church the next day and at school on Monday.

They are healing very nicely. Emily always reminds me, "mom we have to do my earrings". Clearly she was just ready for it to happen but I do have to say I now know why people get their girls ears pierced when they are babies. Another sign of Emily growing up.

Sleeping Matty

Matthew is amazing. One minute he is a whirlwind of activity not being able to sit or stand still and then in the next minute it is lights out.

On this particular night, he was going and going. He went in got his pajamas on came out with his pillow pet, blanket and stuffed Peep and laid down. We were watching TV for only 5 minutes and he was out cold - as you can see.

We have noticed the last few weeks that Matt seems to have major ants in his pants here at home. At dinner, I can't tell you how many times we say "sit down and eat". When we are watching TV, he is on the couch, off the couch, on the couch, walking around. It has been crazy.

When we went to Back to School night we found out why. At school, Matt sits the whole time he is suppose to and listens to and follows directions on where and what he needs to be doing. So by the time school is over, Matt has sat for a long time and is ready to MOVE. Dave & I were actually relieved that he is sitting at school and we'll deal with the craziness at home. Plus we really don't mind the out cold sleeping, it means we get a good nights sleep too.

Emily's First Day & Week of School

Although she wasn't happy summer was over, Emily was excited to get back to school. Originally I was a little concerned because at the end of last year there was talk of there being only two second grade classes with 20 children in each classroom for this school year. This is after she was in a class of 15 in first grade. Then, I found out that the teacher, Mrs. Manno, who is primarily used in second grade for special ed/IEP students is pregnant with her fourth child. Well, we got notification that the teacher selected for Emily was Mrs. Manno. Emily was very excited because she really wanted her. In first grade, Emily's class mainly interacted with Mrs. Manno's class so she was very familiar with her. When we got to school for the first day, we found out that over the summer 16 additional second graders were added to the school (Catholic school closings) so there were 3 second grade classes. Well that eased my mind somewhat - there are still 19 kids in her class. I did speak quickly with the principal about the teacher going on maternity leave and he reassured me that the substitute coming in will be able to adjust to the class. In the past, he has proven that he is very in tune with the kids and places them in classrooms where they flourish, so we are feeling very comfortable at this point. Also, we think it is important to experience a little bit of an "imperfect" setting in order to see how Emily responds.

So, her first day was great....she loves her teacher, loves second grade. They did a getting acquainted game. When we met the teacher at the end of the day, she told us she heard all about our cruise, that it was just my birthday and I am 43. I laughed and told her that Emily is very "informative".

Homework has been going very well. Emily is more eager to complete it and it seems like less than last year at this point.

Unfortunately, I am not able to see her teacher every day as Emily comes down to Matthew's dismissal door so I don't have to be in two places at once. However, I went this Friday to check in with her and she said Emily is doing just great. She is eager to get her work done, is liked by all her classmates and is very creative. I was able to tell her a little of Emily's previous schooling and how she repeated first grade last year. She is going to let me know if she sees any areas we need to do extra work with Emily. On the 21st, we have Back to School night so we will be able to speak with her a little more in depth but so far things seem to be going very well. Here's to a smooth and successful year!

Matthew's First Day and week of School

Matt was excited for his first day of Kindergarten. Although he wanted to pick out his own clothes and was disappointed that he had to wear the clothes mommy chose for him. He looked so cute wearing the humongous backpack he chose for school. The first day of school the Kindergarten and morning Preschool class are taken into the gymnasium by their parents to be paired up with their teacher after the principal reads a story to them. Matt's teacher is Mrs. Borometti, who has been teaching at Washington school since she came out of college 17 years ago. She is definitely the kind of teacher Matt needs. The second day of school the kids line up with their class outside the school with the other grades. Matt had a harder time this day. He kept asking me "you'll pick me up" "your sure" over and over again which ultimately lead to tears. His teacher said he was perfectly fine once he was in his class. Each day this week got a little better. Now, he just waves at me the whole time he is waiting in line to go to class....cute, but my arm gets very tired. Our biggest obstacle so far is his name. His teacher is not one for nicknames, so Matt has to write "Matthew" on his school work. So, each night this week, I had him writing his name 7 times - which was torture for him. Homework is so not going to be fun! Well, yesterday he came home with his first paper with his full name written on it....only issue was he used a capital "A" instead of lowercase. I was just so happy he remembered and attempted to write "Matthew".

We found out per a requested items list from his teacher that she is a bit of a germ fanatic which she proudly admits to. My personal take is that a extra clean classroom means Matt may just get perfect attendance this year.

Matt has adjusted well to the full day of school. He was tired yesterday from the four day week of school and after a fall down a few of our house stairs, which sent him into an emotional meltdown, he slept for about 2 hours. He loves telling us all about what happens in his classroom - we got a very detailed report on how his teacher knocked a picture frame from her desk and how, why and who cleaned it up. One thing is for sure, he is going to have a lot to say this year.

Back to "Normal"

I know, I know....it has been a long time. It has been a crazy couple of weeks. We went on or cruise which was such a great time (I'll do some individual posts of events on our trip later). We got back on Saturday, August 28th and left for Maryland the next day where we stayed until September 1st. Yes, I spent another birthday in the car. This year was a little less of a trip than the year before. Emily & Matt started school the next day, Thursday, September 2nd. Dave was still off of work - he actually took two consecutive weeks of vacation from work. The first day of school was a half day followed by one full day, then they were off Monday for Labor Day. This week while they were at school I spent a lot of time at our church doing my latest "job" - bulletin boards. I am part of the Heart to Home ministry and have found my niche in creating the 3 main bulletin boards - church, children's ministry and missionary (I'll post pictures later). It is so much fun, I don't even consider it work. So, we got through the first week of school and now I am ready to get back to my "normal" schedule which includes blogging again. So, thanks for bearing with the small hiatus.