Super Smart Monkey

Last year was monkey's kindergarten year and we lived in Texas. In Texas kindergarten and PreK are not required so in the school he started in his ADHD diagnosis was not taken seriously and we watched his knowledge base decline. So we removed him and homeschooled him for all of kinder. I loved it!!!! It will always be a special time in my heart. Watching him grasp a concept or read his first entire book filled me pride and joy I cannot explain. 

When we moved home and monkey had the chance to go to the school his uncle teaches at and his cousins attend I could not reason keeping him home anymore. 

Although I miss him so so much an wish I could still spend those best hours of the day with him, he is truly thriving! He loves school and refuses to miss. He shows excitement and pride in his school and everything about it. His teacher communicates great with us about his ADHD and how they manage it in the classroom.

 Today he came home with a 100% on his math test, the only one in the class!!! I am bursting with pride!!! I squeezed him and hugged him and celebrated him and it was just as joyful as if he was still home with me. This is a day I hope he treasures and always strives or it again but we know he can! And we are here in the school and at home if gets stuck. 

Fandom Friday

The kids Elementry school does sprit Fridays spread out through the year. This Friday was fandom Friday. They were supposed to dress in something they are fans of. We talked a lot about dinosaurs, my little pony, Dr Who and when it came down to it they decided they were fans of their school. So they both dressed in camo and their house color to show where their loyalty and excitement lays. 

The theme for the school year is "mission possible." Giving the school year a focused mission and making nothing out of reach. The camo is part of the solider theme. 

At the beginning of the year each student was randomly assigned a house (themed off Harry Potter) and the learn loyalty to that house as they support each other through the school year. Monkey is in the orange house and Cupcake is in yellow. They really love having this loyalty and doing things to get their houses points trying to earn the trophy at the end of the year. They love school!!! 

Spooky PreK Field Trip

PreK is not so much about learning facts, it is not even required in our state, it is about learning how to go to school, how to be a student. Cupcake is learning like crazy, picking up letters, counting, writing her own name and even how to observe and analyze science experiments! 

This week the PreK classes got to go on their first field trip, it was a lot of fun and a great experience of how future field trips will go and how to behave on those field trips. 

We went to a local farm and pumpkin patch, we took our own pumpkins 

Momma made these hats a while back, never imagining I would wear one myself. It was fun!

Big girl on the bus. It was a really cold October day after it had rained for days! So we dressed appropriately, tutu and all. 

As soon as we arrived the kids just got so excited!  And went right to playing, the fact that they were on a field trip was so exciting to start with, then there where things to play on! 

Hay ride to the pumpkin patch with her friends. 

It did not take long for Cupcake to pick a pumpkin, like she had been thinking about it for a while.

But we found some fun ones too while momma made her look around some more.

In the end she wanted one she could carry and cuddle with. We were told we could have a small pumpkin, the size was labeled as "spooky." The kids thought that was hilarious!

This is one of Cupcake's good friends, he and his mom go to our church and I have been having a great time getting to know them. Cupcake just loves him and they are always so excited to see each other!

Cupcake loves all the little boys in her class. I noticed she ran in a pack where she was the only little girl with a bunch of little boys! They all love her too! What are we in for?

After picking pumpkins it was back to the train for some recess!

After recess it was lunch! Cupcake was so excited to use her lunch box and eat with her friends. She was too excited to eat and she did not really eat much :)

She is getting so big I am crying right now remembering when she was only at the 2 and one day when she is 5 feet I will look back on this picture and wish to have this day back, so I treasure this moment right now and forever when my baby is still little enough to cuddle on my lap in the bus on the way to her first school field trip. 

After lunch they all got released into the maze where they all cheated, but got through it excitedly. 

Crazy amount of 4 year olds! PreK is only half day so our school has an AM class and PM class, almost 40 kids in all! And the amazing teacher trying to keep them from cheating and crawling over the hay. 

All of the preK students! 

Cupcake's PreK PM class with the teacher and para educator all worn out and excited from their first field trip! What a great day and wonderful memories made!!

Very first Visit from the Tooth Fairy

Last night at 9:30 Monkey came into our bedroom complaining that his loose tooth really hurt. It was barely hanging on and the next thing we knew it was out an he was giggling like a mad man. 

So cute, my big boy!!! At his last dentist appointment we began talking about when to start having his baby teeth pulled, since it seemed like they were never going to fall out on their own and Monkey's daddy had to have some of his pulled. We were so excited when he got this loose tooth!!!

When he started to tell everyone about his lost tooth he was bouncing on his toes so much Papa couldn't see it. 

The tooth fairy was very excited to finally visit our house for the very first time, but she did not expect it and only had a 20. Thank fully Grand tooth fairy had some ones. The tooth fairy was so giggly she was lucky Monkey did not wake up. 

All set for school showing off his fresh new gap. 

Momma creates

I learned how on knit 8 years ago when my grandfather was very sick. I sat by his bed side with my mother and aunts and uncles just trying to spend as much time with my grandfather as we could. While sitting there my Aunt Kim was knitting blankets for her grand kids, while doing that she taught me how to knit.  I started a large dress for Rodent, since she was the only kid I had in my life at the time. After my grandfather passed I soon became pregnant with Monkey and the dress easily morphed into his baby blanket. I taught myself from there off of books and the Internet and knitting groups. I have loved doing it so much!!! It is my go to for any baby born or special occasion. I do it as much for myself as I do for the recipient. 

These fingerless gloves are for my best friend and sister in law since she works in a cold office but needs to use her computer. Since wearing these at work 8 people have ordered gloves from her for me to make! 

This I am pretty proud of, this mermaid tale is for Miss Bee's three month pictures. They are gonna be awesome! More of that to come.

I made this for Cupcake's third birthday, loved the yarn and the way it turned out, it is just a blanket with sleeves added! It is still pretty big 18 months later :) but eventually it will fit right, until then she still loves wearing it. 

I have so many projects in progress and am happy as can be just like that. 

Big Cousin = Little Mommy

Miss Bee will be three months old next week and spends her days with Grams and Papa while her parents work. By virtue of living with Grams and Pops we get to spends lots of time with Miss Bee. I try to help with her when I can but often I think Grams let's me help because of how much I enjoy taking care Miss Bee. She was a big part of why we moved back to Maryland and came home so early from Texas.  Her mom, while being my sister-in-law, is also the very best friend God has ever blessed me with. Celebrating and supporting her during Miss Bee's arrival and new life has been such a joy and gift! 

 

Isn't she just so cute? She is starting to show us smiles and coos and happy personality. So far she is an enjoyable baby to care for. 

Cupcake has been so taken with Miss Bee sometimes I think she imagines she is her Mommy. :) Cupcake drops everything she is doing to sooth Miss Bee and loves giving her her bottle and bath, the best part of her day!! I hope Miss Bee grows up knowing how much she is loved and how far that love goes. I hope she has a grand friendship with Cupcake and they can always have these precious memories.