Drew's first day of gymnastics

After a lot of pleading from Drew, we finally gave in and let him take gymnastics. They offer it at the daycare he and Mikayla attend. The kids can attend one class a week for 25 dollars a month. It wasn't that it was too expensive, because we honestly felt that the price was very reasonable. Craig just didn't want his little boy taking gymnastics. He thinks of that as a girl sport - I know such a stereotype. Anyway, like I said after much pleading Drew is now taking lessons. It helped his case a little that he was the only one out of his class not taking. I just didn't have the heart to say no after I found that out. When they first started lessons, there were about four children including Drew not taking. That wasn't that bad because I knew they would have something to do (together) while gymnastics was going on. His teacher let them write/draw and use stickers while the class was going on since the gymnastics class takes place in their classroom. Drew asked Monday "mom will you write a check so I can take gymnastics". I said why Drew, he said "everybody else goes". So I went on to ask him what he did while they were in gymnastics - his response - "I sit and watch". Well, as you can probably imagine, that was all it took. As soon as I got to daycare that morning, I asked his teacher if he was the only one not taking gymnastics now and she said yes. So Craig really didn't have a choice, his little boy is now taking gymnastics! :) My daddy says "aw Alison, all they are really doing at this age is tumbling and flips and things". I think that makes it a little easier for Craig to swallow. This is the same man - who - when Drew was little didn't even like him to wear baby blue because it looked too girly! He liked him in little jeans and shirts. Hopefully I will have pictures of him in gymnastics soon to post! So, here are all of our extra-curricular activities as it stands now: Drew - baseball and gymnastics; Mikayla - dance and computer classes! They sure keep us busy!!

Mikayla's first dance class

Yesterday was Mikayla's first dance class (scroll down a few post to see her in her dance attire). All the way to the studio we talked about how she was going to go into the class with the other little girls and mommy was going to wait right on the other side of the doors to her room (there the studio has a little waiting area because the children do better if mommies are not in there with them). She kept saying "okay mommy" and I was beginning to think this sure is easy - yeah right! In my mind I'm thinking she understands and she is going to walk right in with those other girls and I'm going to be waiting on her when she comes out. At first, that's exactly what she did. She walked right in with the other girls, but before the door was shut she came running out crying "mommy". So, I walked with her back into the studio hoping this would help. Ms. Andrea, her dance teacher, even started with a story to see if that would help. By the time the other girls started dancing, Mikayla still would not leave my side. Finally, she took a few steps away and was watching the other girls in amazement. So I stepped back into the waiting room and closed the door. At first, no crying and again I thought this is great. Then, I began to hear crying and she's saying "I want my mommy." So, I peek through the closed blinds to see what she was doing and Ms. Andrea was holding her and she had stopped crying. That's how the majority of the first class went. She would cry some, then she would stop, she would cry some more, then she would stop. It never got to be so bad that I had to go in and get her, or that Ms. Andrea had to bring her to me. After the class was over, I asked Ms. Andrea if she thought Mikayla was too young (she is the youngest in the class of 7). She said that she didn't think so and that it would probably just take her a little while to get used to it. She also told me that the times I heard Mikayla cry were the times that she moved away from her (I already knew this because every time I heard her cry I was up peeking through the blinds). That gave me lots of encouragement for next week's class. Craig gets the chance to take her next week as I will be at school until 5 with kindergarten registration. I can't wait to see how daddy handles his first visit to her dance studio!

Blowing bubbles

Gettin' ready...

a nice bubble...

POP!!
Drew and Mikayla both love gum (it doesn't matter to them whether it is chewing gum or bubble gum). Drew has been working to learn how to blow bubbles with his gum the last few months. He has been able to get them started for awhile now, but it was just a couple of months ago that he realized he has to blow air to make the bubble. Today while we were waiting on daddy to get home to take us to the fish camp, Drew and Mikayla got some gum. Drew blew the biggest bubble yet. It popped all over the side of his face (you would know I didn't have my camera ready to catch a picture of that one)! Thankfully he was ready to blow more bubbles on the ride to supper. I was able to catch a few pictures of those!! He has become our bubble blowin' monster!

Our sweet ballerina!

Mikayla with her ballet shoes on.
Mikayla in tap shoes.
Our goal has always been to provide several extra-curricular opportunities for Drew and Mikayla, and then let them decide which ones they like the best (which ones to continue). Since Drew started wrestling this year and will be playing ragball again, I have been researching to find something that Mikayla could participate in. Since she is only two, she will have to wait a little while to participate in some activities due to age limits (most activities begin at 3). However, I did find a dance company that offers a tap/ballet class for two year olds. Beginning Thursday, Mikayla will take tap and ballet (combined class) once a week. She will participate in her first recital this year! Mikayla is very excited about this, and so are we! We went this afternoon to get her tap and ballet shoes, leotards, and tights. She also got her very first dance bag! Of course, when we got home she had to try her "ballerina" clothes on. She keeps saying "I ballerina, I ballerina"! I can't wait until Thursday to see how she will do at her first class!

Go Cubs!!!

We received a phone call this afternoon from Drew's team mom for ragball. I was so surprised to hear that it was Peyton's mom, Patti. Peyton and Drew were on the same team last year, so I am very excited about this year. Peyton's dad, Tim, will be Drew's head coach as he plays his second year of ball as a Cub. You may remember from an earlier post that last year his team was the Diamond Backs. Peyton's little sister Tinsley will also play this year as a Cub!! From what Patti told me there are eight children on the team, 4 three year olds and 4 four year olds. Craig decided not to be a head coach since he's not sure these days what time he gets off of work. Instead, he is going to help Tim as much as he can. I know Craig will do whatever he can to be at every practice, and for sure at every game. When I told Drew that he is on the Cubs this year and that Peyton is on his team, he grinned from ear to ear. He is so excited he's ready to start now. His first game will be the jamboree at the end of March. We will be starting practice soon (Patti said she would have to call back to let us know when; they have to wait until the ragball commisioner gives the okay), and will practice once a week until the jamboree. I will post pictures as soon as I get them!!

Lunch with Daddy (or sort of...)

Drew enjoys a french fry...one of his favorites!
Mikayla enjoys a chicken nugget...one of her favorites!
Drew and Mikayla...our silly monkeys!
Since Craig has been working so much lately, he's not been able to spend as much time with Drew and Mikayla. I know this worries Craig, and since Drew and Mikayla love going to his work, we decided to go have lunch with him today! I took my camera thinking that I would get a picture of Craig working since my daddy always teases Craig about "not working". I did get some pictures, but not of Craig. Instead, I got pictures of Drew and Mikayla enjoying their fast food lunch in daddy's office. I'll have to make sure my daddy knows that Craig was working, so hard in fact, he worked straight through lunch. Drew and Mikayla didn't mind too much though, they got to play in his office.

Snow!!!

This morning as we were leaving for church Drew, Mikayla, and I were surprised to see it snowing!! Craig had already left for work and we were leaving for church just in time, so I didn't think to grab the camera and get a picture. It sure was beautiful; the flakes were big and there were a lot of them. It snowed on us all the way to church. Of course when we got out of church it had stopped and the sun was shinning. I'm not sure how long it snowed, but it wasn't long enough because it didn't stick to the ground. We were all hoping it would!! Even if there is no snow on the ground to play in, it sure was a pretty sight to see this morning as it fell from the sky. At least we can say we saw snow this year!!

Frankie's Fun Park

Drew got to go to Frankie's Fun Park on Friday with other boys and girls from our school who had sold 250 dollars or more of our school's fall fundraiser. Since the closest Frankie's is in Greenville, I asked my sister to go as a chaperone. No way was I letting my little four year old ride a school bus to Greenville by himself. (Okay, okay, I know that there were plenty of PTA members chaperoning and also a lot of other parents, and I trust them and the bus driver, but still...) Since they were leaving at 1:30 and my students do not get out until 2:10, I asked Jennie to go. My administration is wonderful and if Jennie couldn't have gone, I know they would have let me go but I was glad she was able to go. I had already scheduled an appointment to pick up pictures at a time I would have been on the trip when I found out the date. Of course if it came down to it, those of you who know me know I would have been right there with Drew. So, Jennie went and she and Drew seemed to have a ball. Drew ate a hot dog, played games with tokens, and played miniature golf (Jennie has pictures but they are on her phone right now)! He loved this because he was able to tell his Poppie that he played "golf". While they were gone, Mikayla and I went to pick up Valentine gifts for all of their teachers. Between the two of them, we bought for 10 teachers. That's between daycare, "big school", and our school's aftercare program that Drew attends for a little while after school (it helps me get some needed work done). Then, we picked up our pictures and was back to get Drew from Mimi and Poppi's house. Jennie had taken him there when they left the school, which was nice because he wanted to tell Poppi and Mimi all about his "trip".

Change of Plans...

I went tonight to change Drew from playing baseball with 5 and 6 year olds, to playing ragball another year (3 and 4 year olds). The more I thought about him playing with those older boys, the more I wasn't so sure it was the right thing for him to do. He is such an independent little boy, he probably would do fine with the older boys. I just felt that he needed another year learning about the game before we moved him up to the mites (they count outs and keep score)! So now, Craig is thinking about becoming a head coach! He was an assistant on Drew's team last year, and he thought about becoming a head coach then. It will all depend on his work schedule since he has been working lots of hours these last few weeks. The draft for ragball will not be this weekend, but we will know more once Craig makes his decision. Again, I will keep you posted!!

Yahhhh.....baseball!!

We went last night to sign Drew up for baseball! He played last year and loved it! All we've heard about since last year is "when will I play baseball again?" When I told him we were going to sign him up, he got so excited, he wanted to play last night!! I tried to explain to him that he wasn't going to be playing yet, that this was just sign-ups. Last year he played ragball and he was on the Diamondbacks. Before we went to sign-up, he said he wanted "to play on the diamondbacks again this year". This year they are letting the four year olds choose whether they want to play ragball or play with the 5 and 6 year olds. Drew said he wanted to play with 5 and6 year olds because he hopes to be on his friend Bryson's team, so we signed him up to play with the five and six year olds. Now, I'm wondering if we made the wrong choice and should let him play ragball one more year. The draft is set for this weekend, and we should hear from his coach soon after that! I'll keep you posted!!

Please snow...

On the way home this afternoon it started to rain. Since the temperature is close to freezing, there were also a few snowflakes and sleet mixed in. By the time we were headed home, Drew and Mikayla (and I must admit Mommy too!) were so excited about this. They kept watching out the windows and were chanting snow, snow, snow. Once we got home, they were still on the look out. I'm not sure that we are going to get snow tonight (at least none that sticks), but they sure have had fun watching for it!!

Our new resident doctor...

Mikayla with her "doctor" glasses on, awaits her next patient. Notice she hasn't even taken off her coat yet, but she's ready to be the doctor!
Mikayla loves pretending. The latest thing she and Drew pretend to be are doctors. They both got a doctor set for Christmas. Mikayla got a baby doll nurse station from Nana and Papa Fred and Drew received his doctor set from Santa. They pretend to take blood pressures, check heart beats, give shots, and give medicine. Who knows maybe they are practicing for later years!! Hey a mom can hope, can't she?

Our sweet Mikayla!

Mr. Manners

Drew was selected by his teachers as Mr. Manners for January. Teachers select one boy and one girl from their classes each month as Mr. and Ms. Manners. These children must display their manners consistently. Drew has been saying thank you and please since he was 1. He learned to use ma'am and sir at 3, however he hasn't used them consistently until a few months ago. Drew has been working hard these last few months to use his manners not only when speaking to others, but also while others are speaking to him (listening attentively, following directions the first time, not interupting, etc.). I was so pleasantly surprised to hear Drew's name when they announced Mr. and Ms. Manners for January!! We are so proud of our Mr. Manners!

Ride 'em cowboy (and cowgirl)!

On Saturday night, we went to Mimi and Poppi's house. Drew and Mikayla love seeing all of their grandparents because they all play and have a good time with them. Well, Saturday was no exception.

Drew and Mikayla love for my dad to ride them around on his back. They call it riding the "horsie". This might have been the last "double" ride because they are both getting so big!

The Greatest Show on Earth (Part II)

Since it was so late when we got home from the circus, I only posted a couple of pictures last night. Today I wanted to post a few more of them! To read about all the fun we had, scroll down to The Greatest Show on Earth.

Drew dances like an elephant at the pre-show. He wasn't about to go in the middle of all those people without mommy or daddy. I can't say that I blame him - in fact I was a little relieved. Mikayla takes a turn on a circus "horse".
Mikayla enjoyed her icee - look at that face!
"Mmmm - this sure is good!"

The Greatest Show on Earth

Tonight was the big night...the one we have been looking forward to all week! Drew and I got Mikayla as soon as we got out of school, filled the van with gas, and went to get daddy (he left his truck at work, and then we stopped by for him to get it on the way home). Then it was off to the circus. We stopped and got some dinner on our way (mommy wanted Olive Garden since we don't have one in Spartanburg and she rarely gets to go, but we were afraid the wait would be too long). We arrived at the Bilo Center about 6:15 and the doors opened at 6:30 for the pre-show. If you've ever been to the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus, you know that this is one of the best parts. You get to walk around visit with the clowns and other performers, and see elephants and other animals up close. It's really neat. Mikayla was not fond of this, especially at first. She didn't like the noise that was coming from the trapeze artists, and she did not want anything to do with the clowns. Drew, on the other hand, couldn't get enought. He and Craig stayed right up front the whole time! Mikayla and I walked around to see what else was going on. She got to dress up in a costume, rode a wooden horse, and we got several performers' autographs (even some of the clowns which she slowly, but surely warmed up to)! After we saw an elephant paint a picture and Drew rode the wooden horse, it was time to head up to our seats for the show to start. I must say I was a little dissapointed that this is no longer a 3-ringed circus! I remember it being hard to see everything the last time we went, but it was so exciting! Since Drew and Mikayla didn't know any different, this didn't bother them at all. Drew's favorite part were the elephants, horses, and motorcylces! Mikayla really seemed to like it all! Sometimes she danced, sometimes she clapped her hands, and other times she stared in amazement! It must have really worn them out because both were fast asleep not long after we had left!
tickets to the circus: free (mommy won them from WSSL fm by being caller 12) 1 circus program: $15 2 icees in elephant cups $16 1 motorcycle twirly light $14 1 ballerina/dancer music light $14 seeing the faces of Drew and Mikayla at the circus: priceless

We're going to the circus!!

Well the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus will be in town all this week, first at The Peace Center and then at the Bilo Center in Greenville. We have been wanting to take the kids to the circus for the last two years. We decided that this would be a great Valentine's Day present for them because they surely don't need anymore stuffed animals or candy. So, we will be headed to the circus this Thursday night to see the clowns, elephants, lions, horses, etc. I hope that Drew and Mikayla enjoy it as much as I do. I love the circus. Drew and Mikayla have never been, but Craig got tickets for me and him in February 2001. I was 4 months pregnant with Drew at the time, and I felt him kick for the first time while we were there! I have told Drew and Mikayla about the circus and they have seen the commercials on TV, but it will be so wonderful to see their little faces when we are there! That's what I look forward to the most!

Look for pictures soon!!

It's been awhile...

It has been awhile since I've updated. It's not that I have had nothing to blog about. It's actually that we've been so busy, I haven't found the time (in other words, I've been too tired) to blog. Craig has been working many, many hours since he got his new account. Last week, in fact, he worked 70 hours. We are not complaining, the money will be great. It has just left a lot on my shoulders. As soon as Drew, Mikayla, and I get home from school, I start supper. Unfortunately, this means T.V. time for them (thank goodness they love Clifford)! Once I get it started though, I am able to read and play with them in between stirs. After supper, we have been spending the rest of the evenings playing. It is really cute because they both seem to be in the pretending stage. Mikayla loves pretending that she is the mommy. She rocks her babies, kisses them, feeds them, pushes them in their strollers, and lays them down in the "baby" crib and covers them with their blankies. It is really neat watching her with these babies. Sometimes she even pretends that Drew is her "baby". She tries to be a little mommy to him, even though he is bigger than she is! Drew has a ball pretending that he is the red Power Ranger. He loves imitating the Power Ranger moves. We were a little hesitant about this at first, but we explained that he is never to use those moves on people and it hasn't been a problem!! They both also enjoy pretending to "take orders". They will use any paper and writing utensil to ask "what would you like to eat?" (Drew) or "what you want?" (Mikayla) We get a kick out of watching them take the orders, then pretend to bring our "orders" to us. This has become one of their most favorites. Drew and Mikayla both have always loved to read. In fact, both of them have been known to pass by all their other toys for books. They both also love to write. I am very glad about this and encourage it as much as possible. After their baths, we spend about 20-30 minutes reading. This time has become a favorite of mine, as Drew is learning to read words, and Mikayla loves looking at and "reading" the pictures.

One of those "sweet" sibling moments!

Sunday

This morning, Craig woke up with a horrible pain in his ankle. He has the gaut, but usually just in his toes and the ball of his foot. Since he could barely walk, he decided it would be best if he stayed home from church. Drew was acting silly and was not cooperating to get his clothes on, so just Mikayla and I headed off to church! It was a moving message on the Bible and abortion. We also had the director of the Carolina Pregnancy Center speak with us today as we kicked off our Baby Bottle Boomerang Campaigne. We will be filling baby bottles with change, bills, or checks to be donated to the Carolina Pregnancy Center so that they can provide free services to women in crisis.

Since Mimi was in a Continuing Ed class today, we were on our own for lunch. So we enjoyed pizza and then had a nap! After our nap, Poppi came over with chocolate milkshakes for Drew and Mikayla! They surely enjoyed this afternoon snack. We watched the Carolina Panthers play football, and Drew showed Poppi how he plays his VSmile Video Game System that Santa brought him!

After Poppi left we had supper (we offered to feed him but he said he was fine), then headed to Bilo to get some cherry juice for daddy. Mrs. Dana at church told me that cherry juice would help with the gaut and Craig was willing to try anything (well not anything, but you know what I mean). After we returned from Bilo, Drew and Mikayla played a little more.

Drew decided that he wanted to try out his roller blades that Poppi got him for the first time! First, daddy got him all padded up, then he put on the skates. It was so funny trying to watch Drew stand up with these things on! Finally, he was able to stand up and actually did pretty well,even if he was only on carpet.

Mikayla's new laugh. She squints her eyes closed and covers her mouth! It is really cute, even if I do say so myself!

Before bed, we picked out three stories to read. Drew picked out one of his Thomas books, Mikayla picked out Good Night Moon, and mommy got the Dick and Jane storybook, and we began reading them in that order. When I got to the Dick and Jane storybook, Drew was very enthusiastic about reading it himself! While reading the first story (Dick), I would read a page and then Drew would reread the page. Then, while reading the second story (Jane), Drew was beginning to read some words by himself without me saying them first. By the time we had gotten to the third story (Baby), Drew was reading it almost completely by himself. He learned the words "Dick", "Jane", "Baby", "look", "see", "oh", "and", and "funny" tonight! I can't wait to start on the next story (Spot) tomorrow to see how he does with those words! While Drew and I were reading these stories, Mikayla was reading Good Night Moon from memory. This was a great way to end our night and the weekend.

Friday and Saturday

Our weekend so far has been really nice! Friday night, we went to Mimi and Poppi's house! Drew and Mikayla had been saying they wanted to go to Mimi and Poppi's house since Friday morning on the way to daycare. (We pass Mimi and Poppi's street on our way!) Aunt Laura and Uncle Ted were there when we got there, so it was nice to visit with everyone. Drew and Mikayla had fun playing with their Thomas trains, played with bouncing balls (which mommy didn't think was a good idea in the house), and they played a game of Candy Land. Then Mikayla drew and colored a little bit, while Drew played with his hot wheels cars. They also had fun showing everyone all the new things they have learned. Mikayla had just learned our phone number that night, and loved showing everyone!! We are so proud of her! At 16 months old, she knew her name and could spell it, she could count to 10, and knew some colors. Since she has turned two in August, she has learned her birthday and now her phone number! She can also count to 20 and knows most of her colors (although only when she's interested, of course). Drew, who had just started wrestling on Thursday, had to show and tell about all he had learned there. He also had to tell Aunt Laura and Uncle Ted about his trip to the dentist (Mimi and Poppi had already heard this once, but they didn't mind hearing it again!) Jonathan, Jessica, and Jennie and her friend Jennifer had all come in before we left. So, of course we had to stay a little while longer to visit with them. Even when we were finally saying good night, Drew and Mikayla still were not ready to leave.

Our plan was to go to Greenwood to see Nannie and Nana Saturday. However, Craig received an email from work Friday night and had to go in for awhile yesterday afternoon. So, we hope to get to Greenwood soon to see Nannie and hopefully Nana soon! Since we weren't going to Greenwood, we spent the morning playing around the house. Then we met Poppi and Aunt Jennie for lunch at Macdonald's. This is Drew and Mikayla's favorite place to eat (imagine that)! They especially like the Macdonald's here because it has a PlayLand, and we like it because the PlayLand is indoors. As soon as we got there, Craig took Drew and Mikayla to play while Poppi, Jennie, and I ordered, fixed drinks, and got everything together. When our food was ready they came to eat, and then went straight back to play! Drew was such a nice big brother while we were there. Mikayla can go down the BIG slide by herself, but we still ask Drew to keep an eye on her (there are enclosed stairs and tunnels leading up to the slide)! They both helped 2 other children about Mikayla's age find their way to the BIG slide and come down. One time, Mikayla started crying while she was in the tunnels at the top. Thank goodness Jennie was with us! She (along with another adult there with her granddaughter) immediately climbed up to where Mikayla was. We couldn't see them in the tunnels, however, we could hear Drew! He was saying "I'm checking on her, I'm checking on her!" What a great feeling!!

After we left Macdonald's, we went to daddy's work! Drew and Mikayla love visiting daddy at work, so they thought it was wonderful to be able to go with him. Since he didn't have much to do, we stayed with Craig while he worked. Mikayla was tired and had gotten a little whinny not long after we arrived, so she and I sat in the van. Drew, however, stayed with daddy and was daddy's little "helper".

When we got home from "work", we all took a nap. I guess we worked a little too hard. Then for supper, we enjoyed dinner at Outback (thanks Jonathan and Jessica for the gift card)!