Mother's Day Card from Peyton

Similar to Christy's post, Peyton's class did a card for Mother's Day. Here's hers (her responses are in italics):

My mom's the greatest. She can't be beat.
Sushi is her favorite food to eat.
She weighs 65 pounds and is 10 feet tall,
She helps me up if I should fall.
Lemon-orange is the color that she likes best.
She would go to her bedroom for a rest.
My mom is only 4 years old.
She wraps me in my comfy green blanket if I get cold.
Washing dishes & cleaning the kitchen are her favorite things to do,
Or seeing tigers at the zoo.
When I do my work it makes her glad.
But when I disobey it makes her mad.
I love it when my mom tucks me in the bed.
Love, Peyton

Strawberry Arrangement

Sadly enough, I did not take a picture of my arrangements before they were eaten, but I can describe them for you. They are similar to Edible Arrangements. You take any vase or container and fill it with floral foam. Then, using either floral picks or wooden skewers, you make an arrangegment of fruit. I use pineapple cut with cookie cutters, strawberries, Granny Smith apples, and melon cut into wedges or spheres (using a melon baller). Start with a shape in mind and just get after it. I go stem by stem, shaping the "arrangement" as I go. The ones I did this weekend were in miniature hurricane vases and the strawberries were shaped into a ball on the top. It's usually better if you choose one of two options: 1) Use the same sized fruit throughout the arrangement or 2) use bigger fruit at the bottom and get smaller toward the top. These choices really just depend on the shape you are seeking with your arrangement. Next time I do one, I will remember to take pictures. Try it out! They make great, inexpensive gifts and are healthier than the chocolates that are oh-so-dear to our hearts.

P.S. If you still need the chocolate fix, try dipping strawberries or Granny Smith apple wedges in dark chocolate and use them in the arrangement. Dee-lish!

Eventful weekend

Well, it was quite a weekend. Friday night while Nick was gone to the mens' retreat, Anna and I went to the Galleria to do some shopping. Got home and started making mini-loaves for the Sunshine Girls' project, only to receive a phone call from my dear husband telling me he has injured his ankle and is on his way home. I was supposed to go to Laura's and hang out, but didn't get to. Nick, if you want me to stay home just ask. You don't have to disable yourself!! :)

Saturday morning, I sent Peyton with Laura, Charlie and Hailey to go do the SG project while I took Nick to the hospital for x-rays. The ankle is not broken, but maybe a torn ligament. MRI scheduled for Tuesday. I get back only to find out that my darling daughter has misbehaved with Laura...frustrating, but okay in the end. I begged Laura's forgiveness for having to deal with my heathen child. The rest of Saturday was a total blur. I made the cake for Sunday's lunch, made strawberry arrangements for our mothers, and chased after the kids. Didn't get much sleep that night.

Sunday was Mother's Day. Got up and cooked breakfast for the family. Peyton and Andrew pretty much cried all morning for one reason or another. Peyton made me a hilarious card and Nick got me a gift card to J.Jill to get some new clothes. My mom and grandmother came over after church and I cooked them lunch in honor of Mother's Day. After that, I crashed. Took a 2-hour nap and then back to church with the kids. Went to buy groceries, both kids in tow, after church. Went home, ate dinner, then went to Nick's mom's to deliver her gifts. Came home, did laundry, made lunches, crashed again. You don't stop being a mom on Mother's Day!!! :)

1 down, 3 to go...

Well, it's been a week since I took Andrew's lunch-time feeding away. He has done fine with it, but it has made him even more dependent upon his 4PM nursing. As soon as I get home, he is crying and climbing all over me to nurse. I don't know if it's because he gets cow's milk at lunch now or what, because it's not like he has been nursing at lunch anyway (except on the weekends.) Now it's time for me to take away another feeding. Originally, I had planned to take the 4PM feeding now, but I don't know. Any thoughts from my blogging buddies? I have to keep the morning right now for personal relief, but which should I take away next, 4PM or bedtime? HELP!

Kindergarten Registration - UPDATE

Well, she did GREAT at registration. She took her immunization and registration forms to Mrs. Pam all by herself (she is great friends with Mrs. Pam...To Peyton, anyone who buys her fancy shoes and an alarm clock is okay in her book!) Then she went back by herself to do her assessment. She did a great job on all components of the test: counting to 20, recognizing numbers to 10, recognizing all letters and their sounds, saying her ABCs, matching pictures to their beginning sounds, colors, shapes, and matching rhyming words. I was so proud of her.

Let me tell you something, though, I feel for all the parents out there who have more than one kid in school. The supply list is pretty hefty: 2-24 ct. crayons, 24 pencils, 1 pair Fiskars scissors, 2 bottles of Elmer's glue, notebook, journal, 2 jumbo coloring books, 1 pack of disposable drinking cups, gallon easy-zip bags, quart easy-zip bags, ream of copy paper, Germ-X, and other stuff I can't remember... plus there's a $55 classroom fee (class shirt, scrapbook, workbooks, etc.) and there are "extra" items on top of the supply list that the teachers requested (Lysol, Clorox wipes, and black dry erase markers.)

I can sympathize, though, because I am a teacher myself. Rumor has it that we might not get any State funding next year for supplies, so all classroom provisions will have to come from parents. God help us all if that happens, because only about an eighth of my students actually BRING the supplies I request. We will all have to say a prayer that it doesn't go that far next year.

Kindergarten Registration

1:05 P.M. - Can you believe my baby girl registers for kindergarten this afternoon? Say a little prayer that she does well on her test. Will give an update later.

Around the world (or our piece of it!)

It has been crazy busy lately, AS USUAL! But I guess I should just be glad we are all healthy enough to run around like we do. As promised, here are the zoo pictures from Peyton's field trip.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

This past Friday night, the fam went out to dinner and to do a little shopping. We ate at Sumo, which you know is one of my favorites. It's nowhere near the first time the kids have been, but it's the first time Andrew has noticed chopsticks and attempted to do something with them. Here are the results of his adventure...

Make a Smilebox slideshow