Tate's art show debut

Last week we found out a piece of artwork Tate had completed had been chosen and submitted to the YWCA Cultural Diversity Art Show.  She was so excited.  Her art teacher had chosen ten pieces to submit from her elementary school which is one of the largest in the county.  What an honor! So Saturday was the art show at Meredith College in Raleigh.  We headed downtown to the show and quickly found her piece which is below. It is a cityscape with rainbow people added in to symbolize diversity.  It also has some basketweaving in the background. Her teacher is amazing.  They are learned so many different techniques over her years there.

Look at her posing. I thought it was so cute. Each of the 60 participants got a cash prize.  She held strong and fast to her money which you will notice is in her hand. Ironically Matt Calleri's artwork was right next to hers so we got to see friends too.

It was a great experience for her and now I think I should look for an art camp for the summer.  She really enjoys it.  We have entered the art contest through the PTA the last three years.  She has either won or gotten an honorable mention two of those years. I think some of Uncle Neil is rubbing off...we have a budding artist!

Almost Caught

So here are two versions of Easter Eve...

Mine
The Easter bunny waited for the baby bunnies to fall asleep and then filled the baskets with bathing suits, flip flops, princess dry erase boards, and candy galore.  The last thing the bunny needed to do is lay the trail of eggs expected by her bunnies from their baskets to their bedrooms. All would have been well except the bunny had to go back one more time to make sure the number of eggs in each trail was equal...we would not want the bunny to be called unfair.  About three steps from the top of the stairs with three eggs in her hand, the bunny was confronted with a stumbling wobbly Tate coming out of her bedroom and heading toward the bathroom. The bunny freaked.  Eyes doubled in size as she watched baby bunny stumble into the bathroom. The bunny ran down the hall.  Tate had appeared not to see.  After the bunny's heart stopped pounding out of her chest, she returned to lay the last of the eggs and make sure Tate was asleep. Did the bunny actually make it by unnoticed when only inches from a child?

Tate
After gathering eggs and searching through her basket for all the hidden treasure, Tate said, "Mom, I saw two eggs last night coming out of my room when I went to the bathroom." Heart begins pounding again. "Only two?" I said. She said she was worried the Easter Bunny was still there and would run away if he knew she was awake so she kept her eyes straight ahead and went right to bed again. Paige then added that she had woken up to and heard something but stayed in her room.

The bunny survived for another year.

The questions are plentiful about how he and all the other holiday visitors get into the house, is the Easter bunny an animal or a person dressed in a suit, why did you put KC in your bedroom (so he would not bat your eggs down the stairs), etc.  I am amazed that they take my answers so seriously and that I am able to come up with them on the fly.....how many more Easters do I have?

Things a five year old says when you are pregnant

Paige has completely cracked me up over the last few weeks as she watches my belly grow bigger.  I keep meaning to take a moment to write some of them down before I forget them. I am so excited that the girls can't wait for the baby to come.  They are asking cute questions rather than the hard ones like how did the baby get in there and how will he get out.  Enjoy Paige's comments below!

• We are driving to dance and Paige says, "Mom, when will your belly get too big so that Daddy has to drive you everywhere?"
• We are watching the red carpet show of the Oscars to look at the pretty dresses and Paige looks back and forward from me to the TV a few times.  At the commercial she says, "Your belly is much bigger than your boobs."
• After reading one night, she started rubbing my belly and asked the baby if he could hear her.
• Every day she tells me, "Mom, your belly sure is getting big" with these big eyes.  She has not missed a day in at least two weeks.

The teenagers at work are also obsessed with my expanding stomach.  At the computers where I often work with the kids doing research are at eye level with my stomach so I feel their eyes staring me down.

• We had the writing test this week and I was a proctor so I took a girl to the bathroom during the test.  She said, "So when do you go into labor?"
• A girl asked me if I was scared. I told her it was my third so I was not scared and her eyes about bugged out of her head. I quickly told her that I was 35. Odd to brag about it, but I know I look younger than I am so I didn't want her to think I started having kids at 15 like many of them do.
• Today I saw one of the scholar students in the hall that is a regular in the library.  I was looking for a science teacher's classroom so I asked her and her eyes first went to the belly.  I said, "Is my belly button that interesting?" and she could  not stop laughing.

The joys of the growing belly!

Paige slept in her bed last night!

For about two weeks, Paige has snuck into our bed in the middle of the night or been there at 10 when Scott and I usually head upstairs.  She is the cutest darn thing sleeping there but not a good bed partner.  She comes equipped with her dream pillow (a small taggy blanket), her blanket, and usally a baby. She will actually get on you in her sleep.  Scott has woken up to have her head on his stomach.  Her legs are usually on me. Anyway, she has "visited" before but this time it has developed some consistency.  When we ask her about it, she says she had a bad dream.  Now she says she has trouble falling asleep in her own room. We kept urging her to stay in her room and talking about dreams and how they are not real.  I could tell we had hit a habit.  So last night, I told her if she could stay in her room I would get her the Zu Zu pet she has been wanting for weeks now.  For those of you who are not familiar with this new cult toy, it is a battery operated hamster.  No frills about it so I have put off getting one.  I told her if she got the zu zu pet and then started coming to our room again, we would have to take it back for a day.  I hope this does not make it sound like horrible parents.  I find it very hard to talk about with her because I don't want her to think we don't want her there.  If she is scared, I want her to come to us, but it was clear a habit was being formed. Long story short....she did it! Slept all night in her bed!  I left her a note this morning since I leave for work before they get up.  I told her how proud of was of her.  Now the real fun begins....buying the motorized hamster and facing the task of taking it away tonight if she wanders down the hall.  Wish us luck!

Disney and beyond!

We had a great trip to Disney! I love that the girls like to go as much as we do. With two trips under our belt, we have avoided the crankie monsters that I know lots of parents have to deal with on those long days on vacation.  Our vacation issue appears to be endless energy that keeps them up so much later than you would think.  I am ready to crash, and they are fine.  All week I kept waiting for it to catch up with them, but it never does.

Girls outside of the Nemo ride.

Even when I'm not pregnant, I will not do these rides. Thank goodness Scott will.

Gotta love Mickey in Animal Kingdom!

This was so much fun!

Can you tell how soaked they are?  I love these rides and couldn't do it this time. Paige was just shy of being tall enough.

Paige really expanded the rides she would go on this time.  She rode the Barnstormer and did all the 3D shows that scared her last time. Tate and I hit some rides we missed last time like the Haunted mansion.  Sea World was amazing.  I absolutely loved the dophin show and feeding the dolphins with the girls.  Shamu was not as big as I remembered when I was 8 but still out of this world.  The tricks they are able to teach a deadly killer whale are amazing.  Can I be them when I grow up?

After seven days, we headed back on Saturday, January 30th, the same day Raleigh had gotten snow, ice, and freezing temperatures.  We left Orlando at 5:45am and it was 60 degress.  We got home at 5pm after 2 scary hours on the icy North Carolina roads and it was 21.

Since returning we have had yet more snow but this time it was fluffy and only lasted the day...that is my kind of snow.  Now I'm ready for spring time.  The daffodils around the mailbox have emerged but are probably quite confused by the temps.  I hope they make it the rest of the way up this year.

Tate tracked back in last Thursday after getting over a cold when she got back from Disney.  Paige caught the cold a week after her and ended up with strep throat too.  Now everyone is healthy and can't wait to go to the doctor with me tomorrow to find out if we will welcome a new boy or girl to the family in July.  The vote stands 3 for boy and 1 for girl (Scott).  We'll see who is right.

We leave for Disney in the morning!

Yippee! Paige can stop counting the days because tomorrow is finally the day.  We will head to Jacksonville for the night and finish the trip on Saturday.  One more hour of work and I'll be in pack mode.  Full report when we get back.

It has been a month!!

...since I last posted.  How did that happen?  I don't know. We had a great holiday and attended lots of fun birthday parties for friends in December.  The weeks just flew by. January has gotten off to a good start.  Paige has a new teacher.  Scott pointed out that since she was two she has had some change of teacher during the year.  Her teacher got a job teaching first grade in our county, so she left and now Paige has Ms. Janice, a former second grade teacher.  She seems to be transitioning well but has already written a card to Ms. Laura and didn't want to go to school yesterday for the first time all year.  I'll cross my fingers that it was just a lack of sleep.  She said she was sleepy and her feet hurt, but when I told her that Jackie, her best friend, was coming home with her she luckily changed her mind.

Tate jumped right back in after two weeks off from school.  We are in the swings of multiplication, area, and perimeter.  She is doing well...even got a 4 (equal to an A in the old days) in Social Studies.  She got a 4 in Art first quarter.  I signed her up for soccer last week.  It will start at the end of February.

For me, the new year brings a rush to get ready for our trip to Disney.  We leave next Friday.  Last year when we went I was so prepared.  Months ahead of time I had dinners planned and knew which parks we would visit on which day.  Only last week did I order the tickets to Disney and Sea World.  We made the hotel reservation for Jacksonville yesterday and in the last week I have gotten the dog kenneled and someone to watch the cat.  Now I need to get a fish feeder for the week so Holly won't have to do that too.  Paige got two fish for Christmas. Now I am excited.  I can't wait to go to Sea World. I hear it has changed a lot.  The doctor told me I could ride more rides than I expected.  I'm not going to do anything crazy, but I did hope to ride the Barnstormer with the kids and the Soarin' ride at Epcot.  The last thing on my to do list is to see if I can get a Princess lunch at Epcot.  I hear that is great and it will hopefully be our one character meal for this trip.

When we get back, we'll just have a few weeks before we find out what baby #3 will be.  I can't wait!