Sunday, September 13, 2009
First Day of School
After much preparation this summer through books, discussions, visiting the school 3 times and bringing it up as much as possible we had a successful first day of preschool. Ella was so excited and barely said bye to me when I walked her into her classroom. I know it helps my shy girl GREATLY that she also has 3 of her friends in her class. I cried on the way back out to the car and 1/2 the way home! When we picked her up she was all smiles and the teacher said she had a great day and was a big helper. So, 2x a week for 3 hrs my big girl is in school! I am SOO proud of her!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Big Sister
My beautiful girl is now a wonderful big sister! She is SOOO sweet with William. She is adjusting well overall. She is a bit more emotional, but I think that has a lot to do with us being in the hospital for 3 nights. It was the first time she has spent the night away from both of us! Luckily it was with her only babysitter-Grandma!! Thank God for grandma!!
We are giving Ella extra attention as much as we can and trying to be understanding of how this is a huge adjustment for her as well. Preschool starts this week-Tuesdays and Thursdays 9-12. I am so worried about this separation especially after bringing home a new baby. I know I will be emotional with my little girl going to preschool and my hormones going crazy! So wish us luck!
We are giving Ella extra attention as much as we can and trying to be understanding of how this is a huge adjustment for her as well. Preschool starts this week-Tuesdays and Thursdays 9-12. I am so worried about this separation especially after bringing home a new baby. I know I will be emotional with my little girl going to preschool and my hormones going crazy! So wish us luck!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Ella is 3!
I have failed as a blogger and I blame Facebook! I do believe almost everyone who ever looked at my blog is on facebook now (good job grandma & Marv)! Well, can you believe Ella is 3?
We have had a VERY busy and VERY fun summer. Luckily, I did not let my pregnancy hinder our activities one bit:). We finished up Gymboree in early August and it was very bittersweet. Ella has been going there since before she was a year and we have both made very special friendships there including with the teachers. Ella still went at least 2x a week this summer to Art and Sports Skills class. On top of Gymboree this summer we went to Winchester for week vacations with grandma twice. Also, we went to Busch Gardens 7 times, the zoo, the aquarium, story times & The Botanical Gardens numerous times. We were able to visit Hunt Club Farm, Ocean Breeze Water Park and had lots of get togethers with lots of friends. Of course we played in the pool a lot and went to the beach frequently!
Ella starts preschool on Sept 8th. She will be going Tuesdays & Thursdays from 8:45-11:45. As of right now there are only 6 kids in her class since they had to make another 3 year old class and her class will not get bigger than 10 kids. She knows 3 of her friends that are going to be in her class, so that really helps with MY anxiety! She will also be starting a ballet/tap class at the end of Sept. with 2 of her friends that is just an hour a week. I can't wait to see all those cute, little girls in their leotards! Ella of course is 3 now and amazes us daily with her questions and thirst for knowledge. She has been recognizing environmental print for at least 6 months now, but now is really trying to make sense of it. She LOVES letters, words and books and wants to know how to spell everything! I look forward to seeing all she absorbs from preschool!
It has been a rough year for many reasons, but being surrounded by family and positive friends has pulled us through! Being a mom has introduced me to a whole new realm of people. I have never been surrounded with more thoughtful friends. Seriously the things people have done for us this year leave me speechless! It is so nice to have people in our lives who want to have healthy relationships for themselves and their kids and that focus on the positive. Simply seeing our kids happy brings us happiness. It is so easy to be negative when everything around you seems to be crumbling down. Being surrounded by people who look for the positive and don't get caught up in drama has been the best medicine for me this past year.
Well, this will be the last post I am sure for awhile, so I will leave you with a montage of Ella in the last year...
We have had a VERY busy and VERY fun summer. Luckily, I did not let my pregnancy hinder our activities one bit:). We finished up Gymboree in early August and it was very bittersweet. Ella has been going there since before she was a year and we have both made very special friendships there including with the teachers. Ella still went at least 2x a week this summer to Art and Sports Skills class. On top of Gymboree this summer we went to Winchester for week vacations with grandma twice. Also, we went to Busch Gardens 7 times, the zoo, the aquarium, story times & The Botanical Gardens numerous times. We were able to visit Hunt Club Farm, Ocean Breeze Water Park and had lots of get togethers with lots of friends. Of course we played in the pool a lot and went to the beach frequently!
Ella starts preschool on Sept 8th. She will be going Tuesdays & Thursdays from 8:45-11:45. As of right now there are only 6 kids in her class since they had to make another 3 year old class and her class will not get bigger than 10 kids. She knows 3 of her friends that are going to be in her class, so that really helps with MY anxiety! She will also be starting a ballet/tap class at the end of Sept. with 2 of her friends that is just an hour a week. I can't wait to see all those cute, little girls in their leotards! Ella of course is 3 now and amazes us daily with her questions and thirst for knowledge. She has been recognizing environmental print for at least 6 months now, but now is really trying to make sense of it. She LOVES letters, words and books and wants to know how to spell everything! I look forward to seeing all she absorbs from preschool!
It has been a rough year for many reasons, but being surrounded by family and positive friends has pulled us through! Being a mom has introduced me to a whole new realm of people. I have never been surrounded with more thoughtful friends. Seriously the things people have done for us this year leave me speechless! It is so nice to have people in our lives who want to have healthy relationships for themselves and their kids and that focus on the positive. Simply seeing our kids happy brings us happiness. It is so easy to be negative when everything around you seems to be crumbling down. Being surrounded by people who look for the positive and don't get caught up in drama has been the best medicine for me this past year.
Well, this will be the last post I am sure for awhile, so I will leave you with a montage of Ella in the last year...
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Catch Up!
Wow, I have really slacked...Let's catch up!
We have enjoyed a couple nice days outside with warm weather and are eagerly awaiting spring and summer!!
We even went to the beach a couple of weekends ago! Ella prefers to sit on the blanket and play with her toys in the sand from there. Less mess that way!
It still amazes me Ella won't be 3 until the end of August. She seems so grown-up! She has been potty-trained for well over a month. She only wears pull-ups at nap and night time. Honestly, it was a lot easier than I expected. Once I decided to be consistent it was pretty smooth! We enjoy the saving on $! Also, she has been in her toddler bed for over a month as well. Such a big girl!
Many people don't get to experience Ella at her fullest, because she is reserved around new people and large groups (nothing like I was thank goodness)! She carries on full conversations and I am amazed daily at her vocabulary. Although she has known her ABC's forever she has finally mastered identifying each letter and telling you words that start with that letter (thanks grandma). She LOVES to read books, play with her kitchen, play with letters, color, take care of her babies and build puzzles to name a few of her likes. I call her the puzzle master-she does several a day and can now do 48-piece ones by herself! When daddy gets home it is always wild play time with running, jumping, and screaming!
Our weeks are pretty busy. We attend Gymboree 2-3x a week. If we can we go to the play & learn class on Mondays. It involves, motor skills, singing songs, listening to a story, imaginative play and playing with the parachute! Also, Ella is in a Sport Skills class now on Tuesdays where it is just the kids and the teacher (no mommy!). It is for 3-5 year olds, but Ella does well for her age. There are some rowdy 4 yr old boys that Ella stares at like they are from a different planet lol! In this class they do a lot with gross motor skills, jumping, climbing, monkey bars, dancing etc. They also, work with numbers, colors and do an Art project each class. My favorite part to see is Hide and Seek with Teacher Diana. Ella has progressed from closing her eyes for her hiding spot, to actually hiding (in the same spot every time)!
We are in Art 2 on Thursdays and we both love this class for many reasons. First, the teacher :) Which we have had since Ella started around 9 months. Second, the group of kids and moms. We have all been there for a long time and have really bonded. Ella always starts class with free Art in which she either paints or draws on a huge piece of hanging paper. She then gets a turn to tell the class what she drew. As shy as she can be she is getting better at this part. Then we always do 2 art projects with some sort of theme. We have been doing seasons. There is always discussion of colors, mixing colors, textures and counting. After our first project the kids get a snack and teacher reads a story before the 2nd art activity. Class ends with rainbow rope which is Ella's favorite. Each artist grabs their favorite color and gets to shake the rope while each kid gets a chance to dance in the middle and then they all dance together.
We usually have a play date at least one day a week with my friend Melissa (Charlie is almost 3 and Neil is 1.5). We either do storytime, the zoo, the Childrens Museum or each others house. I know as it gets warmer we will see each other even more. Recently a whole group of us took the kids to Potts & Paints to let the kids paint their own pottery.
I love spending time with Melissa and the boys It is a great time to catch up with a great friend and get mommy tips on raising boys... Which brings me to our baby news.....
IT'S A BOY!!! Now that I am over the shock I am looking forward to meeting little William Tanquary Swimley IV! He is due on BT's b'day September 3rd! Ella loves to kiss and hug baby Will (my belly). I know she will be a great big sister!!
Easter is going to be my next post and I promise it won't be forever this time...
We have enjoyed a couple nice days outside with warm weather and are eagerly awaiting spring and summer!!
We even went to the beach a couple of weekends ago! Ella prefers to sit on the blanket and play with her toys in the sand from there. Less mess that way!
It still amazes me Ella won't be 3 until the end of August. She seems so grown-up! She has been potty-trained for well over a month. She only wears pull-ups at nap and night time. Honestly, it was a lot easier than I expected. Once I decided to be consistent it was pretty smooth! We enjoy the saving on $! Also, she has been in her toddler bed for over a month as well. Such a big girl!
Many people don't get to experience Ella at her fullest, because she is reserved around new people and large groups (nothing like I was thank goodness)! She carries on full conversations and I am amazed daily at her vocabulary. Although she has known her ABC's forever she has finally mastered identifying each letter and telling you words that start with that letter (thanks grandma). She LOVES to read books, play with her kitchen, play with letters, color, take care of her babies and build puzzles to name a few of her likes. I call her the puzzle master-she does several a day and can now do 48-piece ones by herself! When daddy gets home it is always wild play time with running, jumping, and screaming!
Our weeks are pretty busy. We attend Gymboree 2-3x a week. If we can we go to the play & learn class on Mondays. It involves, motor skills, singing songs, listening to a story, imaginative play and playing with the parachute! Also, Ella is in a Sport Skills class now on Tuesdays where it is just the kids and the teacher (no mommy!). It is for 3-5 year olds, but Ella does well for her age. There are some rowdy 4 yr old boys that Ella stares at like they are from a different planet lol! In this class they do a lot with gross motor skills, jumping, climbing, monkey bars, dancing etc. They also, work with numbers, colors and do an Art project each class. My favorite part to see is Hide and Seek with Teacher Diana. Ella has progressed from closing her eyes for her hiding spot, to actually hiding (in the same spot every time)!
We are in Art 2 on Thursdays and we both love this class for many reasons. First, the teacher :) Which we have had since Ella started around 9 months. Second, the group of kids and moms. We have all been there for a long time and have really bonded. Ella always starts class with free Art in which she either paints or draws on a huge piece of hanging paper. She then gets a turn to tell the class what she drew. As shy as she can be she is getting better at this part. Then we always do 2 art projects with some sort of theme. We have been doing seasons. There is always discussion of colors, mixing colors, textures and counting. After our first project the kids get a snack and teacher reads a story before the 2nd art activity. Class ends with rainbow rope which is Ella's favorite. Each artist grabs their favorite color and gets to shake the rope while each kid gets a chance to dance in the middle and then they all dance together.
We usually have a play date at least one day a week with my friend Melissa (Charlie is almost 3 and Neil is 1.5). We either do storytime, the zoo, the Childrens Museum or each others house. I know as it gets warmer we will see each other even more. Recently a whole group of us took the kids to Potts & Paints to let the kids paint their own pottery.
I love spending time with Melissa and the boys It is a great time to catch up with a great friend and get mommy tips on raising boys... Which brings me to our baby news.....
IT'S A BOY!!! Now that I am over the shock I am looking forward to meeting little William Tanquary Swimley IV! He is due on BT's b'day September 3rd! Ella loves to kiss and hug baby Will (my belly). I know she will be a great big sister!!
Easter is going to be my next post and I promise it won't be forever this time...
Friday, March 6, 2009
First Hair Cut!
We took Ella to get her first haircut. Yes, she is 2 1/2 and has never even had a trim! It was a very easy, stress-free experience for all of us. We took her to an adorable kids salon called Pigtails & Crewcuts. Ella got to pick which chair she wanted to sit in and she chose the airplane. There was a flat screen TV at her station which kept her attention very well. She really enjoyed steering her airplane as well! The only time she seemed nervous was when the stylist used the hair dryer for 30 seconds. Ella has never had her hair dried, but loves to watch me dry my hair. She kept saying, "um, Mommy.." When I told her excitedly she was drying her hair like mommy she relaxed. I would only let the stylist trim her hair to even it up. The after pic is not that different than her before pics, but I can really see the difference. BT was glad he tagged along because they had TONS of beautiful, cute and fun hair accessories for girls that I could have looked at forever!
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
Monday, March 2, 2009
Ella and I just spent 3 weeks at grandma's helping her out since she has a "boo-boo" as Ella would say. We enjoyed the quality time with grandma and grandpa! We hope mom/grandma is feeling 100% soon!
Here are some pics of the artist at work in front of grandma's house on one of the few warm days. She had no interest in looking at the camera!
Here are some pics of the artist at work in front of grandma's house on one of the few warm days. She had no interest in looking at the camera!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Be Mine!
I had a VERY special Valentine this year. Ella was sure to give me lots of hugs and kisses on this special day, but lucky for me she does this everyday!
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