what’s been going on

Our last 2 weeks have seemed busier than usual. I could never remember all there is to blog about but luckily I’m a little OCD about writing everything down so I just checked my calendar on the fridge and here are the highlights from the last 2 weeks…

Music class continues. The girls and I are still going every Saturday morning and we love it. Only two classes to go.

Pitman craft fair. Emily and I went since she’s not napping anymore. I asked Connor to go too but he said he remembered going last year and it was “boring”. I was really only going to see the “Clip Lady” as my cousin Danielle calls her. She makes hair clips for little girls and now that I have a little girl (who since her first haircut and clip a few weeks ago is into wearing things in her hair), I wanted to let her buy a few. I was skeptical because I couldn’t imagine that any hair clip could really be that great, especially to stay in Emily’s very fine and very thin hair, but I am pleased to say that the clips are all that and more! I got to talking to the owner/clipmaker, Jayne, and found out that she lives in Mullica Hill and has her clips at a local children’s shop right down the road from me. So we’re a fan of the clip lady now…even Camryn is wearing them.

Butterfly parade. The lifespan of the Monarch Butterfly is the Science curriculum in Kindergarten. Not much else Science to cover I guess at age 5. Connor’s class started with a caterpillar in the Chrysalis stage back in September. It sat in their classroom, hanging from a twig in a green cocoon. After it emerged, it was tagged and “launched” from the Butterfly garden. Apparently they all fly to Mexico. The parade is at the end of the year and each class dresses up as a stage in the lifespan and then takes a 10 minute stroll around the courtyard at school.

Park hopping. We officially began our park hopping season when I took the kids to see their cousin Jeremy play tee ball. We couldn’t leave without using the play set. I love taking the kids to different parks in the area once the weather warms up. We’ll probably hit at least two or three a week once school is out (countdown has started…17 days left!)

Crazy hair day at Harrison Township School. Need I say more?

Laurie Berkner concert. My cousin Danielle heard about a free Laurie Berkner concert so we all went together. We (as in the kids of course) LOVE Laurie. I discovered her when Connor was a baby and she’s just an awesome singer/songwriter of children’s songs. The weather was supposed to be 75 and overcast (outdoor concert by the way). We were two minutes out of the car and walking up a hill to the entrance and the skies opened up. We tried to huddle against a building with our blankets (for the lawn seats) draped over the kids but we were all drenched. I kept telling the girls, as they shivered and got soaked, that it was an adventure. It stopped and somehow we found our way to actual seats because of some nice girl who told us she was going to ignore the fact that we didn’t have tickets for reserved seats. We must have looked really pathetic…two women carrying soaking wet blankets and bags, one pregnant, and 4 little soaking wet girls. Thank you nice ticket lady…it was awesome to actually have seats.

Baseball season ends. Connor’s first season is over and we are all going to miss it. He loved it and I love that he loved it. The girls had fun at the games too, always finding ways to occupy themselves.

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KG Field day. This is their fun, end-of-the-school-year, outdoor games day. I took a personal day to be a volunteer. I was in charge of the “golf ball on a spoon relay race”. Some of the kids were all business…very competitive and some could care less and were just goofy. It was fun watching and cheering them on (but no pictures :\).

Amy’s Prom. Amy went to her senior prom so I took the kids over to see Aunt Amy “dressed like a princess” as Em put it. When I went to my senior prom, Amy was two months. I. Am. Old.

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first haircut

Last weekend Emily had her first haircut.  I seriously think she could have gone another three years without ever having a hair cut on her head but I had it done now for a few reasons (none of which was because she really needed a haircut).  First of all, I just felt it was time.  I mean, despite her hair looking like some 6 month olds I have seen, she is three years old and it was time to let her experience the excitement of going and “getting your hair done”.  Secondly, in everywhere but the length department it was looking like it needed a cut.  It was growing uneven and the ends were still that fine baby hair that seemed to be splitting and ending up just frizzy most days.  And the third reason…because I truly am hoping that with a fresh 1/4 inch off the ends, her hair responds by actually GROWING.

So…the haircut itself.  Em was excited and totally into it.  She told me that she wanted me to go first since I was also getting a cut.  When it was her turn, she sat so still.  It was funny because she would only move her eyes, like she was frozen.  It took all of five minutes.  My hairdresser, Dawn, put a little clip in her hair that had butterflies dangling off of it and we were on our way.  Emily’s favorite part is the clip and she has been wearing it everyday. 

em’s new room

It’s. Finally. Done.  Em’s room has been a work in progress since Easter weekend.  I had a few days off then so I started the project, kind of impulsively (for me).  I got some of the trim done and some of the existing stenciling painted over, didn’t have as much time as I thought I would and then the project sat when I had to go back to work.  Working full-time really interferes with this kind of stuff.  I really need to not work, you know, so I can paint rooms.

I typically paint at night, after the kids go to bed.  Obviously Emily sleeps in her room so that wasn’t happening.  After weeks of this literally eating at me…an unfinished, not even half painted, AND unorganized room, it made me sick.  So I took a sick day Monday and BAM…done.  I love it, yes I do.  I’m loving the bright pink now, which I wasn’t sold on.  I’m loving the green on the bottom (mostly because that was already there and meant less painting for me) and I’m loving the bright white chair rail that pops in the middle (also selfishly loving that because it was already there).  Okay, so basically I only painted the top half of the room pink.  There are still curtains to go up and some pictures that I want to hang on the walls, which I’m still finalizing plans for in my mind.  I’m either going to go with framing some of her finger painting or going to download some free art and frame that (awesome decorating idea courtesy of my cousin Danielle).  Until then, here’s her new room…