Kindergarten--The Verdict

Wednesday:

Me: So, did you have a good first day?

Hannah: No, it was better than good, it was GREAT!


Thursday:

Me: How was school today?

Hannah: It was better than yesterday!



So, I think it is safe to say that Hannah is really enjoying school! That definitely makes it easier for this momma to have her baby be gone all day.

She gets off the bus everyday with a huge smile on her face and telling the bus driver that she'll see her tomorrow. :o)

Aside from being sad that my first baby is gone all day, I was sort of stressing out about Hannah's lunches. Hannah is a picky eater and I don't want her to get stuck in a lunch rut. But so far she has been eating most everything I pack in her lunch box.

I've done pb&j, a bagel, a muffin, and an English muffin as her main food. Then I've combined that with cheese and grapes, or rice chips and apples, or veggie straws and an apple sauce pouch. Plus, I'll put in a special little treat--either a cookie or some fruit snacks or something.

Granted her lunch is heavy on the breakfast side, but I am still pretty happy with the balance of foods she is getting.

I just wish she would eat some type of lunch meat so I could do sandwiches or skewers or something. :o/ Who knows, after a while she might see the things other kids are eating and want to try new foods.

Hannah is pretty much gone from 7:30-2:45 and I can tell she is tired when she gets home, so she is definitely still adjusting to being at school all day. But at least she is loving it!

And last night was our first night of doing homework so that was exciting.



The first of many evenings helping her at the kitchen table. :o)

Hannah's 1st Day of Kindergarten

Hannah woke up so excited today.

"I can't believe today is kindergarten day!"

That made it slightly easier for me to send her off on the bus...slightly. 

But Hannah just hopped right on that bus and sat in the very first seat...with a huge smile on her face!

I managed to hold in the tears until the bus started driving away. :o(

I know she will have fun and I am excited to hear all about how her first day went!!

Last Day Of Summer (And I'm A Mess)

Well...today is the last day of summer for Hannah.

It's the last day for her to play with her brother and have the freedom that goes along with being at home.

It's the last day for this momma to give snuggles and cuddles on the couch in our pjs.

I am a giant mess of mixed emotions today as tomorrow is the first step in allowing my baby...my first baby...to truly grow up.

I am sad and incredibly nervous to watch her get on that bus tomorrow morning...knowing that once that bus leaves my sight, she is no longer being taken care of by myself. For the majority of the day, someone else will be taking care of my baby and I am having a hard time coming to terms with that.

But I am excited for her to learn and grow and make friends.

Hannah is a very smart little girl, and I know she will do well in school and absolutely love it.

I just don't think I am quite ready to let her go yet...

I really hope her brother adjusts well to having his main playmate and friend being gone all day.

I hope Hannah misses me just as might as I will miss her. We have our matching mommy/daughter bracelets all ready to go so we can wear them tomorrow and think of each other.

I hope tomorrow is easier than I think it is going to be, as I say goodbye to her I the morning.

Time really is a bitch and its not fair!!!

The Remaining Vacation Pics

The kiddos had a blast playing down by the beach. Every morning, when they woke up, it was "can we go to the beach?" They just loved it!

And no trip to Mercer--the Loon Capital, would be complete without getting your picture taken by the giant loon! :o)

Happy 11 Months, Miss Hailey!

Little miss is now 11 months old. We are now counting down until Hailey turns the big 1 year old!

She is still on the smaller side...wearing 9 month clothes with the occasional 6 month outfit. I did just bring up all 12 month stuff though so I'm sure I'll start putting her that soon.

Still a great eater. We do 3 bottles a day with 3 meals. I am trying to do a lot of meals as finger foods but still give her then occasional purée. She is loving peaches, pears, strawberries, bananas, and avacado cut into cubes. She also like broccoli. I have given her peas and carrots but she's not a huge fan of the pea texture. She also likes pasta. 

Hailey is still doing well in the sleeping department. She usually goes to bed around 8 and wakes up at 8. Although we have had some random wake-ups. I constitute that to growth spurts, or Nick waking her up when he is getting ready in the morning. I'm sure if she was in her own room she wouldn't wake up as much. Or if she was waking up she would eventually put herself back to sleep. But since she's in our room, I usually just get up and give her a bottle and she falls right back asleep.

She is also still taking 2 naps a day.

She now has 4 teeth--2 lowers and 2 uppers. 

She can wave bye-bye and clap and has just started giving kisses... which are absolutely the best.

She can say dada, mama, ni-ni (night night), uh-oh, ah-da (all done), da-er (Dodger), and uh (up). Obviously to most people some of these would not sound like words but since I am with her all day and actually working with her on these words, I can translate. :oP

She is cruising the furniture and I have caught her standing all by herself. Will she walk by 1 year?? I'm not sure. The other 2 walked at 14 months and I would have sworn both would have walked sooner. 

Not sure on weight and height. She has her 1 year appointment in a month.

Hailey is still such a laid back and happy baby. She just goes with the flow most of the time. Vacation with her was a piece of cake. No crying on the long car ride. Perfectly content playing with toys in her pack n' play. 

We just love her to bits!!

Happy 11 months, Hailey!! You're on your way to beig a big 1 year old!!

Vacation--The Petting Zoo

When I was little, during vacation we would go to the petting zoo in Minoqua. I knew that we had to take our kiddos there as well!

They have added animals and made improvements but it was just as I remembered! :o)

As soon as you walk out into the zoo you are greeted by the goats. And actually it was more like bombarded by goats. They were everywhere!

One little goat even wanted to take a ride in the stroller! :oP

The kiddos thought that feeding them was just the coolest thing ever!

Then we stopped to see some of the other animals in the 'petting' section.

You could give the bears a drink, so of course we had to do that.

Nick tried the 'soda' and said it tasted very similar to Green River. :oP

Then we stopped to pet and feed the deer. 

We had a great time at the zoo and the kids really got a kick out of being able to feed the animals. 

I wanted to try to smuggle out one of those little goats but I figured the 3 kids, 2 dogs and myself and Nick were all that our home could handle. Although, maybe it would have helped with our mowing... :oP 

Mercer, Wisconsin--Fishing Pics

Last week we went on our family vacation to Mercer, Wisconsin--a place I went ever year with my family.

I was so excited to take our kids to a place that I love.

They were super excited to get out on the boat and fish so we wasted no time!

I went with them and my dad their first time out so I was able to get some pics of them fishing.

They both caught a few little fish their first time out.

Here is Colson's first fish.

He caught about 3 fish and then lost interest but he did very well!

Here is Hannah's first fish.

We had to get a picture of Hailey at least on the boat--but no worries, we didn't take her out on the lake. She's still a bit too small. Next year maybe!

Nick went out fishing with the kids, too.

And then papa took each kid out by themselves.

My dad used to do this with me and my sister when we were little so I wanted my kids to be able to go out and do the same thing. It definitely brought a smile to my face just seeing how excited they were to be out in the boat with papa! :o)

On Hannah's trip out with papa she actually ended up catching her first Northern! She was so proud! :o)

The kiddos definitely loved fishing! 

And I love that they love fishing! :o)

They have already asked about going next year so hopefully everything works out and we're able to go!

Next week--petting zoo pics and other random vacation photos.