The Princess Has Arrived...

The Princess arrived March 23, 2009 at 9:33am. She weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces and was 20 inches long. She has lots of dark hair and although you can not see this in the above picture hiding within those sweet full cheeks of her's are the most adorable dimples she shares when she smiles.

I've visited twice so far. My first visit was a short one; I took The Prince home one afternoon and held the new baby while everyone had dinner - of course, I was so excited to see her that I totally forgot to take my camera.

Girl4 and I went over yesterday under the guise of letting Mom & Dad go out for a little "alone time" to lunch. Well, anyone who knows me knows that the REAL REASON for me offering to come over was so that I could spend more time snuggling this little darling. I also thought it may be good for The Prince to have me on his turf taking care of his sister - ease into that Sharing Marty Thing.

Girl4 helped me too - she played with The Prince and helped keep him occupied while I held The Princess. We all four hung out in his room for awhile - The Princess and I in the rocking chair, as he and Girl3 played with his toys. It was nap time and he was tired, so we tucked him in and headed to the living room.

The Princess and I snuggled, there were more than a few diaper changes, and we shared her first bottle feeding experience together too. She is quite good at snuggling, pooping, and eating. Girl4 "read" a few stories to The Princess. Pretty soon, Mom & Dad returned to the Castle and we left to spend some Mom & Daughter Time of our own before Girl3 returned home from school.

Thanks to the "D Family" for letting me come over and get in a little Prince & Princess Time, but most especially for letting me be a part of your babies lives - I love you all.

Trouble!

This picture says "trouble" to me! These two buds are ready for action, any time, any day - bring it on! But really, they are both soft-hearted, full of hugs and kisses boys. Really quick because my house is swirling around me right now.

"The Princess" arrived on 3/23/09. She is absolutely beautiful. I'll have to get a picture to post. She has tons of dark hair and is still very sleepy. I'm hoping I will be called upon for a Mommy & Daddy lunch date some Friday (or maybe a short Date Night).

"The Prince" is adjusting quite well to his new role as Big Brother. He beams when we talk of her. His words are coming in too - although he is the best non-verbal communicator I've ever known. He has turned into quite a climber too. My little Fruitarian (his Mommy's word).

"Smiley" is still smiling, and he is talking more and more every week. He is starting to stick up for himself more (he used to be such a push over). He still has the softest baby lips, and loves to give you a kiss right out of the blue. I just melt when he reaches for my hand so that we can walk together down the hall for a diaper change - he is too sweet. My little Meat & Bread Man.

"Little" is can carry on a small conversation now. She has been doing great with Potty Training. She is coming along nicely with scissors & puzzles too (just 2-years-old, so ahead of the curve). I asked her yesterday (?) if she wanted to go to the potty, she replied: "No, I'm just fine." Today I was complimenting her beautiful pink tennis shoes - a huge improvement over her flip flops (that flopped outside) of yesterday. I said "I just love your shoes - these will be great for playing outside!" She beamed up at me and said "Just like my Daddy's shoes!". Somehow, I just don't see her Codes Enforcement Officer Daddy running around JOCO in pink shoes - I could be wrong - but I don't think so. ; )

"Sweetie Pie" is OUT OF HER SHELL. My goodness, she is singing, talking, playing, smiling, just all kinds of things in the past month. Amazing! She is cruising around, occasionally poking somebody. She loves Baby Cakes. She is very concerned and supervises all bottles and diapering activities. She also loves my little dog - my "Who-Who" in her words. She surprises me everyday with something she says, sings, or does. I love to see children grow - but if she doesn't slow down, she may be in 1st Grade before the end of Summer.

"Baby Cakes" is just too stinking cute. I am officially estimating her Crawling Feature will be fully installed and operating by May 15th. Let's see how close on that I am. This baby personifies "Bouncy Baby Girl". She bounces more than any baby I have ever seen - it is hilarious! I am going to try and buy one of those stationary bouncy seats in the next couple of weeks (it's the next big item to add to my day care stuff). I will post a blog video of her bouncing so you can see what I mean.

"Sunshine" sadly is no longer with us! We miss her terribly. She is staying home with Mom, and visiting her Omi a couple days a week with her Big Sister when Mom needs to be in the office. We really miss her sassy sweetness, hopefully she will be by to visit us soon. : (

"New Baby with No Blog Name Yet". I need to meet her in person first, get to know her, before I can come up with a Blog Name. She will be starting with us mid-August and hopefully coming every so often for a visit before then. I have a feeling she is going to be another great baby. Her Mommy teaches at Girl3's school.

NAFCC Accreditation. I'm still working on my on-line course. I have a few more weeks on that - I think it is supposed to be over mid-May. I'm running a week ahead on that schedule - I usually get in a few hours a week just during naps (that is why my blog has been so neglected).

General Stuff: Added tons of new books, dramatic play area items, Circle Room activities, seeded our Okra for the garden, and just today introduced a new inside Play Tunnel! And found out this past month that my kids love Salmon Patties (go figure)!

Bye-bye for now! Thanks for checking in with us. I will try to do better. Now back to the swirling home around me!!!

Road Trip...

Wow.
Girl2 and I have been on the road since Wednesday evening.
What an adventure.
Here is a list of our mishaps...

1. Missed Hwy 7 exit in Clinton

2. No Dairy Queens (too late, or shut down and boarded up)

3. Get lost in Memphis

• No Graceland - too lost
• No famous BBQ Salad - too lost
• No Beale Street - Memphis traffic (& street signs suck)
• No Cheesecake Place - local $10 a slice cheesecake spot
• Had to past cool dead house photo op - traffic crazy and we were lost

4. Buy GPS at Walmart outside Memphis. Messed up our tight travel budget - no room tonight. But also got a whole CASE of canned boiled peanuts!

5. Don't listen to "Richard" (AKA God of the Highway, TomTom, Dick, or GPS). Get turned around in Birmingham, and Atlanta.

6. Find a cheap room. And we mean cheap - and in this case, you get what you paid for.

7. Need gas. Find a station in rural GA - stop to potty and filler up. Help elderly lady who is "Messin her britches" (her husband yelled it - not me). Get distracted with all that excitement and forget to get the gas.

8. Run out of gas in GA. Never underestimate the importance of knowing exactly what County you are in, and the mile marker you are at - EVER for the rest of your life. And try not to pull over in the middle of a mile marker that defines a County, apparently this can be quite confusing to various law enforcement dispatchers. And all mile markers are not like they are in KS. Forget it, this will be a whole other blog entry.

9. Be absolutely floored by the educational opportunities that await your child in life. Wow. We are now accepting donations for Girl4. Very emotional journey.

10. Meet up with your Baby Brother, Uncle Matt who you haven't seen in 5+ years. Is it possible the Jolly Green Giant actually grows as a man?

11. Super bad news on the road, crying a lot today - extreme reasons.

11. Forget all the drama, hang out for a night of fun and walking in Savannah, GA. Go to the beach at night and collect shells. Stay up late talking in super fine - make you feel better - very expensive (for our budget) - Holiday Inn.

12. Wake up, say good-bye to Little Brother. Have fabulous breakfast, update blog, head to beach, go back to old Savannah for a Praline Hunt (another personal mission), and a sandwich lunch in the Old Brick Grave Yard (6 acre Civil War Cemetary transformed to City Park).

13. Hit the road for good old KC. I can't wait to hug my husband, Girl3, Girl4, & Toots. I can't wait for the loving distractions my little babies will bring me on Monday either. I am having bittersweet fun, and missing my lovely life.

NEW:

14. Have so much fun at the beach running low on time for "Savannah Time" - oh yeah, I did find the Savannah Candy Kitchen (thanks to "Richard" and the reality TV show Ruby). Left with 3 pounds of pralines. No fun lunch in the cemetary though. I promise Girl2 - we will find a DQ on the road.

15. Within miles of the running out of gas incident on the West bound side of the highway I come across some road debris. It's big, no time to swerve, and it appears I can straddle it. WRONG. Off the ramp, find a local:

• Bad News: Lost all the transmission fluid - knocked a hole in the pan.
• Good News: Could have been worse.
• Bad News: It's 3:30 on Saturday in rural GA. All the garages are closed - they all gotta get to the dirt track.
• Good News: The Dirt Track is just miles down the road from us, and men in GA are for the most part quite the Southern Gentlemen - especially when one of the Damsels in Distress looks like Girl2. First Gentlemen (so cute) has an Uncle with a Tow Service - help is on the way!
• Bad News: The transmission shop we are getting hooked up with is in a very bad part of town - we need to be miles away from there. Oh yes, First Gentleman has confirmed that both part stores in Macon, GA do not carry the oil pan we need. Part will have to come from Atlanta - looks like we may not get on the road until Tuesday!
• Good News: Sheriff Sargent pulls into station. Ask him for advice on where to stay in Macon. He is a K-9 Sargent - cute too! Girl2 is relaxing - these handsome Southern Men seem to intrigue her. Now I am simultaneously conducting Future Son-in-Law Interviews between these two gentlemen as we wait for the tow truck.
• Bad News: There are lots of "gansta wanabees" just south of Macon, GA. At least one actually pulls up around us (with the Sargent and Dog RIGHT THERE) and initiates a Stare Down with Sargent Josh.
• Good News: Bad Guy looses and cruises off in big junk car.
• Bad News: Sargent Josh says now they know where we both are (he and the other officer on duty and Girl2 and I). The Bad Guys can now run "amuck" in rural Twigg County for awhile.
• Good News: Sargent Josh is not going to leave us alone for a minute. And a friend & coworker of his pulls in - sees him and comes over to offer a look-see. Larry Johnson (AKA"Bud") is actually the guy who works in the County Shop and keeps the officer's cars rolling. Also works on most of the officer's private cars in his home shop - just down the road by the Dirt Track. Mr. Johnson (correction "Bud" - please) thinks he can weld that hole right up and get us on the road.
• Good News: 8:30pm and we are back on the road. Bud has taught me how to to check the fluid and Sargent Josh has given us his private cell number - we can call him if we run into any more trouble in GA!
• Bad News: We found out Monday after we got home that the road debris had ripped THROUGH a major brace on the rear frame of the car. It is a wonder (I prefer to think it was the hand of God) we made it home in one piece.
• Good News: My Man is the Manager of a Goodyear. Good Men at Goodyear (where do you think I met him?). They took care of it!
• Bad News: I am now banned from driving more than 60 miles from home. Daddy is taking Girl2 on her next college road trip - the leave 4/16/09!

Circle Time Fun

So, I'm a bit lazy with the blog lately. That's probably because I'm trying to squeeze in my on-line course work during nap and in the evening. I love the new ideas I'm getting exposure to - but my goodness, it is a time-drainer! So, lazy woman that I am, here is from today's Daily Report and some extra added in with pictures and a video (TADA!) from Circle this morning:

Circle was really fun today. We started off with "Here We Are Together", "The Days of the Week", and the "ABC Song". We went over all our Nursery Rhymes from our Theme Page too. Then we read Skippyjon Jones up & down and Skippyjon Jones shape up – for the opposites book we have our own “acting out” movements we do and for the shape book we talked about the colors of the shapes and we tried to find similar shapes in our Circle Room as we read. We read Barnyard Banter – which I videoed with my digital camera and hope to have as my first “video” on our blog.

I know, I know. She bumped her head and I did not offer too much comfort. I was trying to stay out of the shot AND kept the story going! She shook it off fine, that Sunshine is quite a Little Trooper.

I played the video back and they watched it (very giggly) on the little screen on the camera. Baby Cakes was on the floor on her tummy up to this point when we switched to the Bumbo.

Then I got out some activities: Building/Nesting Blocks & Counting Chips, Building/Nesting Blocks & Counting Fish, and the Feeling Bear Puzzle. We rotated around the items. Well, except for Little who was very content with her just a set of blocks – happy to count the blocks themselves and build towers with secret hiding places for smaller blocks (Maybe we have a little engineer in the making here?).

What you can't see in this picture is how smart this almost two-year old is. She has awesome organizational skills. This is a set of 10 boxes. She had been stacking them while hiding a smaller tower of two inside of one big cube, then upward with another tower of two inside one big cube. This was toward the end of Circle when she was cleaning up her blocks - don't interrupt her - she can do it herself!

Baby Cakes got into the activity action in Circle today too – Sweetie Pie shared with Baby Cakes and they played with blocks together!

One is never too young to enjoy a good Circle Time. Above is Sweetie Pie showing Baby Cakes the ropes, such a Good Friend.

And here is Sunshine in a Sunbeam (the Circle Room is FULL of sunbeams) showing me a "Sad Feeling Bear" she told me that the bear got a boo-boo on her knee. Then she showed me her Weekend Warrior boo-booed knee.

And here is Mr. Smiley. I know that few of his pictures show him smiling, but I promise he is a smiler! Here he is concentrating on the task of seeing just how many counting chips he can hold in his little 21-month-old hands.

I think the Circle Room was one of my best ideas ever for our day care. These kids LOVE Circle Time. I'll send up the two-minute warning that we need to do our morning clean-up so we can go to Circle and they just scurry around putting away all the toys. As soon as I get the gate open - they rush out like a herd of little ponies hollering "Circle Time, circle time!" and running to the Circle Room.

I'm worn out...

We began our morning with the Dress-up Box. I fixed our standard Thursday Breakfast, Cheesy Eggs, and tried to help everyone with boas, tu-tus, cowboy hats, and other assorted garments. Finally, it was time to eat! Here's what it looks like at a meal time. (And don't I need to "de-clutter" my kitchen! If I weren't so busy having fun and caring for kids, I'd be ashamed of myself.)

Cheesy Eggs, Cantaloupe & Bananas, Wheat Toast, and Milk. Everyone has their favorite part: The Prince loves the fruit, Smiley the eggs, Sweetie Pie the wheat toast, and Baby Cakes (no teeth - yet) The Company.

You certainly can not tell by the picture above, buy Baby Cakes is getting over her first really bad cold. She is such a trooper - still smiling and trying so hard to be the Happy Baby she truly is. I'm not sure in all my years I've ever seen a tiny baby with so much congestion - such a terrible cough - and this is the "up side". Her poor First-Time-Parents had the roughest days of her cold (last Friday through Monday of this week). While I missed her Monday - I'm glad I did not see her then, it would have broke my heart. God Love Her, I hear she ran low on smiles and high on misery - absolutely the opposite of her usual cheerful self.

This week (and next week's) theme was "Our Five Senses". I was set on finger-painting today. It's been awhile since we broke out our finger paints, and it seemed like an ideal activity for our "fingers to feel". I've never done this with 5 toddlers under the age of two. But never fear, God sent us an angel just in time - here is from today's Daily Report:

"We had a fabulous morning. Grandma Patty showed up (like a blessing from Heaven) just in the nick of time! Baby Cakes got hungry right in the middle of a big diaper changing session (we had a Synchronized Pooping Incident). So once we got past the diaper changing, and got Baby Cakes happy – we BROKE OUT THE FINGER PAINTS. Everyone had a good time playing in the mushy cold paint – of course the majority of time was spent in the set-up and clean-up phase with only about 10 minutes tops actual “fingers-on”. Once I cleaned up one, and they realized it was hand washing time they were all running across one another’s artwork (taped to the floor) to beat each other to the soap and water in the bathroom!"

Like the title of this post reads, I'm worn out - so here is some more about our morning from our Daily Report...

"We even had time for Circle this morning. Grandma Patty joined us. We sang our songs (she was very impressed) and did some Jingle Bell and Dance Moves to a few of our tunes. We read Barnyard Banter (again, she was impressed), Words About Me and Mine, Skippyjon Jones 1-2-3s (counting with the book) and Skippyjon Jones Up & Down (hand motioning to the opposites). It was a bit crowded in the Circle Room so we made it back to the FR and Grandma Patty lead some small block play at the coffee table while I fed Baby Cakes, then some counting of bears and balls while I got lunch together."

Then it was time for lunch: Chicken Nuggets, Mashed Potatoes, Peas, Bread, and Milk. Everyone slowed down - Sweetie Pie nodded off into her potatoes. Where are those nap mats, and why don't the Regulations allow for the Provider to nap too?

We tucked in our shoes, and we laid down for nap about 12:30 today.

And look at that - Sunshine asleep in a sunbeam. Now, isn't that sweet?

As I started this post, I also steamed our carrots for snack. And today for snack? Something new: Warm Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Pretzels, Steamed/Chilled Carrots, and Water. I hope they like it.

I had just put my camera batteries into the recharger when I started this post, now I'm wishing there was a wall-recharger for Child Care Providers. I am looking forward to something along these lines tonight: I get to dash out the door at 5:30, drive like a mad woman to Waldo, and have my "hair appointment" tonight (losing about 4 years of age in roots & gray).

Have a great weekend.

I'm Up for a Challenge

Let's see if I can succeed.

NAFCC Accreditation by the end of the year. Usually, it is a 3 year process - but I'm going in under the wire (to save money) and trying to get it done in 1 year. We all know how I love to fly by the seat of my pants, not to mention how much I love (and am getting really good at) pinching pennies.

So I won't bore you with the gruesome details of who the NAFCC is and the process - here is a link if you are that interested and have the time:

http://www.nafcc.org/include/default.asp

I've got to get 90 hours of Continuing Education in as part of the process - this is a challenge. It is not just any CE - it's broken into areas and types. Some stuff I've done in the past two years can count towards that, but not a whole lot.

I signed up for a 45 hour course with the Salt Lake City Community College last week.

First poor SLCCC IT Guy had to help me work through getting online. I haven't used a Corporate IT Guy in 5 years - those were the days. His name was Gus - he will be sorry he ever told me his name. Made him laugh - I'm just that pitiful.

Took me back to the days when I had IT Guys visiting me weekly (at least). Man, was it ever SWEET to call down to IT in a hissy-sobbing-rage and have an IT Guy appear in my doorway within minutes.

Second poor SLCCC IT Guy that tried to help me was Richard. I don't know what a "Drag and Drop Activity" is - how to drag it, or where to drop it. Apparently, neither did he. I mean, he didn't say he didn't know how to drag it or where to drop, just that it wasn't working for him either. Okay, I got that from Little's Mom who tried to see if she could figure it out - but she isn't an IT Gal - she is just a very experienced On-line Course Taker.

Gus is an IT God.

Richard? He must be in training or something.

For now, I'm going to skip the Drop and Drag Activities until this Friday - then I will call around 10:00 and see if I can find Gus again (yes, I noted the time I talked to Gus). Like I said, he will be sorry he gave me his name.

Just wondering...

All my Girls inherited the K-family Gene that says "read in the lue" -

take your time... 2 hours if you need it.

Don't give a thought to the line that is forming outside of the Powder Room,

they can go to one of the other ones in the house.

Here is Girl4 (quite some time ago) figuring out the potty training thing.

I love this picture. One of my Little Cowgirls (man, I love their Daddy too).

How long, with as many irons in the fire as I have right now,
will it take me to figure out how to add music to my blog??????

Stay tuned.