Happy Belated Birthday Ashley

I realized that on Monday I didn't write my annual post for Ashley, so it's a little late. I don't think she will mind though. I am just going to pretend I actually wrote this on her birthday...

There are times when I look at you and you seem so old - you are tall for your age and just sometimes I think you are older than five. That and you are constantly telling us you can't wait to be a teenager and be able to drive and live somewhere else. Yes, you say that to us. You are going to move away from us when you are a teenager. I have a few words for that - over my dead body. You will be lucky if I let you move away for college.

And then there are times when I look at you and you seem so little. Like when you were getting your hair put up when you were getting done up like Hannah Montana on your birthday. You seemed so small and fragile.

Last night, you had a nightmare, and I barely heard you crying from our room. I rushed to your room and scooped you in my arms. You didn't want to tell me your nightmare, you just grabbed my arm and rolled over and went back to sleep. I stayed there, falling asleep myself, hoping to protect you from whatever you were dreaming about.

You started kindergarten, you love riding your two-wheeled scooter, you can make your sister cry by just looking at her. You have temper tantrums to end all temper tantrums, and when you are tired, you stop listening to anyone. You fall asleep at night by the time your head hits your pillow. You love playing in your room and often beg and plead for a few more minutes at night to play.

Your birthday this year was spent in Disney, and while you wanted some attention for your birthday, I am not sure you liked it. You seem so outgoing sometimes, and then you get really shy and clam up.

You love to sing and dance, and for right now, you want to be a superstar when you grow up. I want you to be whatever you want to be, and I will be right there beside you.

Happy 5th Birthday Ashley.

Leavin'

When Ashley got home from school yesterday, she went to her room and promptly fell asleep. She has never done that in her almost 5 years of life. To say this new schedule and stuff is making her tired is an understatement. I think me and her and the other little one who did not go to sleep until after 10:00pm last night really need a few days to reconnect as a family and just have fun.

So today at 11:00am we are driving to Disney. We hadn't originally planned to go this weekend. I was fearful of the crowds, and I didn't want Ashley to miss school. But then I said what the heck with it, she only turns five once in her life, and missing 3 days of kindergarten isn't going to be the end of the world. Ray has a conference on Saturday and Sunday, so it will be just me and the girls hanging out and visiting Mickey Mouse. And then Monday is Ashley's birthday. We plan to go to breakfast and then she is getting made over to look like Hannah Montana. That part she does not know about.

I plan on blogging about this daily just for me so that I remember what happened, because I am old and tend to forget. Just like I forgot to pack Ashley a drink in her lunchbox yesterday. Any takers on what we will forget to pack for this trip??

The Third Day of Kindergarten, Not So Good....

In Ashley's backpack, in the special folder for communication from home to school and vice versa, an excerpt from her first letter home:

"Ashley has had a difficult time following directions today....when asked not to do something, she did it anyway. Please speak to her concerning following directions."

I am not sure if I should save it for the scrapbook. For some reason, I was hoping for a good first letter home to put in her scrapbook, not a letter on THE THIRD FREAKING DAY OF SCHOOL that she has been bad.

I'm frustrated and mad and sad and angry and disappointed, all rolled into one. I so want Ashley to be that good student that sits quietly and listens to the teachers. I'm disappointed in her that she acted that way and didn't listen to her teachers. I have no idea why she acted that way...maybe she was tired, maybe she was having a bad day? I don't know. I also want to know what is expected of her before I get another note home. We think there is some sort of smiley face/frownie face thing they have to be on - smiley when they are good, frownie when they are bad.

We discussed the situation with her, and talked to her about her behavior, which I am pretty sure just made her worse as she decided that when we had to go in from playing outside, she ran away from me. If you have never had your child run away from you and want to know how it feels, it sucks. Big time. Bedtime was even worse...and then she dropped her huge Princess book on her foot and cried and cried like her foot was broken.

It's been a great day, can you tell?

Friday Pictures - Random Style

I never really got into any sort of schedule this past week. Two days I was out of the office on travel and the other days were just a mix of kindergarten madness and trying to clean my house for Ashley's birthday party this weekend. To say my stress level has been high is an understatement, but I think I am finally come down from it. I am thinking I am feeling more like Audrey in this picture:
And on Wednesday, Ray was instructed to take a picture of Ashley getting off the bus. He did well considering he was holding a dog and dog poop and trying to use my camera. I plan on pretending that Monday is the real first day and taking more pictures. But damn, she looks so big in this picture.

The following pictures are my children performing as they do almost nightly now. Their songs of choice at this time? Camp Rock, the new hit made for Disney movie with the Jonas Brothers. My stepmom sent Ashley the CD and since then, the girls listen to it non-stop. Audrey knows ALL THE WORDS TO ALL THE SONGS. And she will prove it to you, complete with a hand on her hip and a pretend microphone up to her lips. I am in real trouble with this little girl...

It's been one of those weeks...

First off, Ashley loves kindergarten. She really didn't get the full effect yesterday since we have staggered entry for kindergarten here, and only 5 other students were with her yesterday. That and now she doesn't go back until Monday, but she still loved it.

I, on the other hand, was a wreck. I got the girls ready for school with a few minor hiccups (Ashley thinks tunics are dresses and I battled with her to wear shorts under her tunic that she thought was a dress...note to self, do not buy any more tunics). We got to her elementary school just as they were letting everyone in the school. I signed in and walked the girls down to Ashley's class. I made sure Ashley knew where she was going and she did. I did a quick goodbye and that was it.

Audrey and I made it back to the van and had to stop and look at all the school buses. Audrey kept saying she wanted to go on one, and I told her she would eventually (like she understood). I had held it together for the most part.

And then I tried to take Audrey to her school, and she screamed and cried and threw a fit. So there I was, in the parking spot closest to the school so that everyone could hear Audrey screaming that she didn't want to go. A neighbor saw my predicament, and came over to try and help and I started crying. I blubbered about dropping Ashley off and now Audrey was throwing a fit. We somehow got Audrey calmed down enough to walk to her classroom, and then her teachers did a great job of prying her off of me.

So there it was, the first day of school for Ashley. She rode the bus home and last night, she was wiped out. Everything ended in a crying fit when we were trying to get her to bed. We are going to start putting both kids to bed on time as we have let it slip the past few weeks to almost 9:00pm, and it's wearing on them and me.

How things have changed...

The meeting with the new teacher went great. I think Ashley is going to have a great first year in elementary school. There are two other kids from the neighborhood and her preschool class that are in her kindergarten class. I told her new teacher this, and she recommended that the three of them be seperated as far as seating arrangements at the beginning of the school year, which is probably a good idea. Ashley and her two friends can be pretty chatty sometimes, and this will hopefully help them make new friends in the class.

I am happy too that the teacher was completely fine with Ashley missing a few days in July for our mini-vacation to Disney. I just have to fill out a form that states it is for educational purposes...

And for school lunches now, we can prepay online and the kids get a credit card (I think...). I remember bringing money to school with me and having to keep track of that, and now we can just go online and load up money for her to buy lunch.

And I am already causing problems. There are two bus stops on our street...I want Ashley to go to a particular one (we are kind of in the middle of the two) and of course she was signed up for the other stop. I filled out a form to have her switched, so hopefully that will go through.

I got a little choked up at one point while talking to her teacher this morning. I am really going to be a mess next week.

Not a Normal Week

Tomorrow morning, we meet Ashley's kindergarten teacher. Next week, she goes for her sort of first day on Wednesday. They do staggered entry here for kindergarteners, and only a few from each class go each day of the first week. And then she will be going every day starting the 14th.

We think we have a schedule for when she is officially in school. I will take her to the bus stop in the morning as her bus comes at 7:45am. Then I will take Audrey to school. Ray is planning on being there when she gets off the bus at 3:15pm, even though that may mean he works some in the evenings as well. I should still be home by 5:30pm.

I am sure there will be days where this will have to be juggled, but we are going to try and stick to this. And hopefully tomorrow, Ashley falls in love with her new teacher.

Weekend Wrap Up

Ashley really wanted a two wheeler scooter, like a Razor. She isn't the most althetic child, and we were excited she was ready to do this (we took training wheels off her bike this weekend as well, but she is still not quite there yet). Friday night we went out and got ice cream and ran into Target and purchased her scooter.

And all she wanted to do on Saturday was ride the scooter (after the back-to-back birthday parties we attended). So she rode and rode and rode, and got better and better.

And then she left it at the end of the driveway.

And I ran over it with the van.

Friday Pictures - Flying Kayak

I told you guys about a week ago how we went to a bluegrass festival in Saxapahaw, NC and Ashley got to ride in a kayak on a zip line? Here are the pics...only in Saxapahaw, NC can you do this...


She loved it. The little festival we went to was great - great music, kids stuff, farmers market. We had a picnic dinner, listened to music, and avoided the thunderstorms that surrounded the area. It was one of those things I love about summer and festivals and music and just hanging out with the family. And I hope Ashley remembers that kayak ride for a long time.

First up - Graduation

I really don't know where to start. I have typed this entry about a dozen times, trying to get it right, and I can't. So pictures will have to do. I am having a hard time moving onto kindergarten which starts on July 7th. I am having a hard time with how older she seems all of a sudden.

Her class

Getting her diploma

About to get her diploma taken away for beating the kid next to her with it

Her amazing teachers

A futile attempt at a family picture

Sums it up...

I promise details on the weekend, once I can get past some deadlines for schoolwork on Monday, and get out of the mountain of housework and laundry.

But for now, I will say this. Our anniversary was great, and Ashley's graduation was really cool. I held it together, until the owner of her school read this poem:

"Do remember way last Fall
When I was only just this tall?
Now look at me..I'm way up here!
My, I've grown a lot this year!
In fact the teachers think I'm really great...
That's why I get to graduate!
Love, Your Rising Kindergarnter"

Let the floodgates open...

Three Favorite Things

I get really antsy when change is coming, and I think Ashley starting kindergarten is making me that way. I can't really pinpoint what I am feeling at this point. Part of me is excited, and the other part is wondering where in the hell the last five years went.

With the unsteadiness comes my inability to finish anything I have started - I can't begin to list the projects I need to finish. I am slacking in my schoolwork, I can't keep up with my personal email, the dining room still has curtains to sew from weeks, maybe months ago at this point.

But unloading pictures off my camera, I came across this one, and at this point, all that matters are these three "things" in my life. No matter what change is coming, this is my family.

Happy Belated Father's Day

Happy Belated Father's Day to my Dad, my Stepdad, and my Father-in-Law and to all the other Fathers out there. Nothing big or exciting here for Father's Day. This week is a pretty big week in our house with Ashley's graduation and our 10 year wedding anniversary, both on Friday.

Saturday I ran the Race for the Cure. More than 25,000 people participated in Raleigh for the event. It is sad to see all the pink papers on people's backs saying "in memory of". I thought about Terri's sister-in-law Rena who just passed away. Through all the sadness of those who were lost, there were those survivors who were celebrated at the event as well.

Saturday night we went to a bluegrass concert in a town called Saxapahaw. The music was great as always, but something I never thought I would see...Ashley rode a kayak attached to a zip line. And yes, I do have pictures, when I get some breathing room I will post them.

So Sunday was just church and hanging out. Audrey had a playdate with a friend at her school, and we had dinner at a friend's house and then enjoyed their neighborhood pool. Audrey didn't nap on Sunday, so she crashed pretty hard when we got home.

The only other noteworthy thing worth mentioning from this weekend was a water main break in the water treatment plant that supplies our town. Sunday morning our phone rang at 7:00am, and it was the town letting us know that we were only to use our water for drinking and cooking until further notice. So far, we still have water and we are expected to be back to normal by today or tomorrow. Luckily our gym is not in our town and they have showers there.

Worn Out (but still Friday Pictures - Water Slide Style)

This week has been long, and it's 10:34pm and I am trying to get pictures posted for this post, and I am dead tired. I started a new job, Tuesday met a friend for dinner, Wednesday night had Bunco, tonight I had band practice and all kinds of stuff I needed to do when I got home. This after I got up at 5:30am to go to Greenville, NC for training. I got to drive through the smoke that engulfed our area today from the forest fires in the eastern part of the state. The girls didn't get to go outside at school today because of the air quality.

So I am only posting a few...I only had a few to go through anyway. Ray's Mom bought the girls one of those inflatable water slides when we were in Virginia a few weekends ago. It's small enough so that Audrey can climb up it by herself, and the kids love it. These are actually only picutres of Ashley on it. At the time, Audrey was napping.

And we have moved it from our driveway (not really safe if Audrey were to fall off) to our backyard, which of course had a snake in it last weekend. The snake was chased away, some green sort of snake, and snake away was put around our backyard. I am hoping that's all it needs.

Bedtime

I went into Ashley's room last night to check on her and this is what I got:

"Ashley, you are still awake."
"I am because my mind is awake but I am asleep and my mind won't tell me what I dreamed about and then my mind will tell me and I had a dream about something my mind won't let me tell you and those shadows are kind of scary and I don't like the dark and I sprayed happy spray and it didn't help and my mind might be asleepnowandonthatepisodeofHannahMontanaMileywassleepwalking....."

And then I kicked myself for going in and checking on her.

Have I ever told you Ashley likes to talk?

And yes, the new job? Fabulous.

Tootley Bugs

I often forget to mention we have a dog. She wasn't a puppy when we got her, so she really doesn't make that much work for us. Unless you count the time she ate the plate of cookies or when the week Ray was in Atlanta she peed on his pillow. And yes, I did toss that in the trash.

The kids love her. I mean really, truly love her. Ashley begs us to let Tootles sleep with her, but Tootles is sort of attached to sleeping in our big bed where she burrows under the covers and keeps me feet warm. We have affectionately started calling her Tootley-Bugs.

And thanks goodness Tootles is a good dog, because the way Audrey is with her sometimes is a little rough. Audrey pretty much gives her hugs that choke her, and tends to hit her instead of petting her.

Tootles has made a home on the back cushion of our chair. It's the only thing I don't like, that darn dog is ruining the cushion.
See the choke-hold Audrey has on her?

But still, Tootles was a great addition to our family. Even if she does pee on Ray's pillow.

Friday Pictures - Memorial Day Weekend (Yes, I realize these are late)

I finally downloaded and weeded through all the pictures from our mini trip to Virginia.

First up, Grandma Mocha (Ray's Mom) and cousin Aiden, who as you can tell, can pull his own weight. Or in other words, doesn't miss a meal. He turned one in February.
And he weighs more than Audrey...
We attempted a family picture...
And had dinner with old friends and played "Battle of the Sexes" where unfortunately the girls lost.
The men worked hard on figuring out what to ask us.
And the kids crashed on the couch watching Scooby-Doo.
And we had dinner with new friends, where the girls rocked it like Hannah Montana.
And when I say rocked it, they did.
Oh, and I love their dog...I just can't remember his (or her) name.
Emily was so cute...
When these girls are on American Idol in like 20 years, you can say you saw them here first.
Love Abby's smile! Emily was just too quick for me to photo....
And Ashley just liked all the cool stuff Abby had.
Our last stop was Kings Dominion, an amusement park in Virginia. My twin brother met us since Ray was on his way to Atlanta at that point and I knew there was no way I could do it alone. Plus, the girls love "Crazy" Uncle Mike. This was the first ride of the day.
Audrey was beyond excited.
Somewhere there is a picture of my brother and I on this very same ride when we were little.

Uncle Mike and Ashley (the last car) on the Avalanche ride.

At least I knew who this character was...I didn't know some of the ones we encountered that day. Hey, don't judge, I am just a Disney person (although we own enough Backyardigans videos).


And I promise never to mention Memorial Day again. Pinky swear...

Are all almost five year olds this hard?

I think Ashley is definitely going through some sort of transition, and it's hard. The past couple of nights have not been fun. She hasn't been listening to us, and the only way to punish her is to take something away. Last night we had the inflatable water slide out, and she kept doing things she shouldn't and would not listen to us when we told her to stop. We ended up making her get out and get her clothes on. Which in turn made her cry for about 30 minutes straight which breaks my heart.

I think it's a lot of things adding up - the weather is warmer (as in a heat index of 100 today) and her class is spending more time outside. She isn't napping like she was at school, so she is getting to the end of the day and is extremely tired. She has even told us how tired she is. I also think she is ready to move on from Pre-K and onto kindergarten which happens in a month. She graduates from Pre-K on June 20th, and starts kindergarten on July 7th.

We have punished her in the evenings and sent her to her room. When Ray or I have tried to talk to her on some occasions, she tells us to go away because she is mad at us. Having your four year old tell you this? I was not prepared. I am glad she can express her feelings, but still. Makes me cry.

I can only imagine what the teenage years are going to be like.

Friday Pictures - Thursday Night Bedtime

So Ray has been out of town all week - hence the additional lack of posting and reading as I decided to use up some leave at my now "old" job prior to starting my new job on June 9th.

I was going to post pictures of my outing at Julie's house, I will have to save those for next week. I am too tired tonight to edit the 100+ pictures Ray snapped that evening. Hence why I don't give him the camera much.

A few things I have learned from staying home this week:
1) My kids like to fight. And Audrey likes to pinch. And Ashley likes to push. And I don't like to act like a referee.
2) Potty training sucks. End of story.
3) But taking away sippy cups all of sudden became a piece of cake.
4) Grocery shopping with two kids in a Harris Teeter with both of them pushing around their own sized shopping carts also sucks.
5) The days go by way too fast. I thought they went by fast when I am at work all day...I can't believe it's already Friday.


In addition to Ray being gone, I actually have a band concert at a function at their school tonight. I had to round up babysitters (thanks Edie!) for that as well as for the Thursday night practice (thanks Matt and Wendy!). So we got home kind of late from Matt and Wendy's house last night, and the girls crashed. Hard. Check out the "diva" with the High School Musical sheets and her Hannah Montana eye cover thingy.

Yes, she is asleep, and no, the flash did not wake her. Although it did wake up the next one who refuses to sleep in the bed. I asked her if she wanted to get in her bed, to which she said no.

Minor League baseball rocks...

This past weekend, we decided at the last minute to go to Myrtle Beach for the weekend. It was the end of Biker Week 2008, but really, all those Harley riders are pretty nice. Plus, we don't stay on the main drag, so we don't even really see them much. My only regret for the weekend was the fact I FORGOT MY DAMN CAMERA. I didn't even have my Canon Powershot in my purse.

Saturday we spent time at the beach, then headed home for a quick nap for Audrey. We were back out of the house and off to Broadway at the beach so the girls could ride some rides before dinner. This is becoming a must for our trips there, and it is driving Ray nuts. Anyway, we went to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant (where Ray orders pizza, go figure) and we were off to our very first (except not really as we took Ashley when she was six weeks old to a game) Myrtle Beach Pelicans Baseball game.

They had these seats called "The Beach" and it was like sitting on the beach complete with sand and beach chairs. The girls had a blast running around and playing in the sand while we enjoyed part of the game. We only stayed until the 5th inning as it started to get chilly and I didn't bring any sort of jacket for me or the kids.

But really why minor league baseball rocks? We walked out of there with two coupons for a gallon of windshield washer fluid and 10 coupons for free donuts from Dunkin Donuts. They were giveaways in certain innings for not letting the other team score a run and striking out someone. And we got 10 coupons for donuts because the guy at the gate said we had two small kids and we needed more donuts. I am not sure if he meant we needed more or the kids. Ashley was a little confused as she thought they were actually going to give us a donut on the way out.

All in all, it was a great weekend away. Now we have to get geared up for this weekend's trip back to Virginia to visit family and friends.

I love baseball. I love watching baseball. I love eating the food at baseball stadiums. I love minor league games because they are so freaking funny sometimes.