The Best Electronic Babysitter...

Sunday...

Our typical morning routine on a Sunday is to wake up, get showered/bathed, put on our church clothes, head downstairs, eat breakfast, and head to church.

Today was no different. We woke up, showered, put on our clothes, headed downstairs to eat breakfast, and PLAYED VIDEO GAMES??!!

Last night, the kids each bought 1 new Nintendo DS game with their own money they had been saving for the last couple months! By the time we got home from our long day it was time for bed, so the kids didn't have much time to enjoy their newly purchased games! Needless to say, they were beyond anxious to play them this morning! So anxious, that they were dressed and ready to head downstairs for breakfast in record time. Once at the table all plates/bowls were empty as fast I put them onto the table! When I finished feeding Garrison, I began to look for the older 3. I wanted to make sure they all had their shoes on so that when it was time to leave we would have no issues! As I was looking around the house for them, it was amazing how silent it was! I turned the corner and saw all the kids sitting in a circle on the floor glued to their DS'! I must have said each of their names at least 2-3 times before I got any type of response! Its very rare that they play their DS' all at the same time nevermind that they are that into it, to not hear me talking to them!

For those that aren't familiar with my parenting style...

I limit television and video game hours to a minimum. Its very rare that I allow the tv to be on for hours on end. Video games are played from time to time but my children are not usually glued to them! I like them to play creatively together whether it be playing board games, doing puzzles, drawing, doing some sort of craft project, or READING ( stress reading the most).

There are always those days where the tv is on a bit more than normal but its on occassion that it happens! I think on those certain days where I need some silence around the house, the DS is a GREAT electronic babysitter! I would never allow them to play it for hours upon hours, day after day but from time to time... they definitely have my permission!

Luckily this morning, they were all ready for church before they picked up their DS' otherwise they probably would have had them taken away! Thank goodness for morning routines right?!

Great, It's Already Starting...

Like everyday this week, the kids came home from school and were sharing stories about their day. It amazes me how things change in one year! Last year Liliana wouldn't share a single thing. This year she won't stop talking. I will gladly listen though! I think the reason she wants to speak up this year is because of Dillon and the word COMPETITION. They compete in the car ride to and from school, who can talk the loudest and get a response from mommy in the car first!
With that being said, today was no different. A very loud competition between both of them occurred on the way home from school. "mommy I had snack at recess" "mommy I played this at recess" "mommy my teacher said this" mommy my teacher said that" And so the competition went on until we got home, where snacks were being inserted into their hungry little mouths which kept the air quiet for a short while.
After dinner, Marc started to pry at Dillon about his day. While the boys were talking, Liliana came over to me and struck up a conversation about her school day. She talked about the normal things that happen in her day, then went on to describe a very funny conversation that took place afterschool while waiting for me to pick her up! She says "Mommy one of Dillon's friends asked me to kiss him on the cheek and told me he thought I was hot! Why do boys do that?" I quickly told her to tell Marc exactly what she had told me. Dillon was still sitting with Marc and listened as Liliana retold the story. Before Marc could even respond, Dillon said "See dad I told you my best friend thinks Liliana is hot, I don't know why he keeps saying it hes weird"
Marc and I were trying our hardest to not laugh. Luckily Liliana isn't too overly grossed out or bothered by this little boys words. After we sent the kids upstairs to get their pj's on Marc and I couldn't help but say "Great, It's starting already" and chuckle a bit!

Dillon's Second Day Of School...

Ok so I HAVE to blog about this for the record. Today was Dillon and Liliana's second day of school. Everyday when I pick the kids up I always ask how their day was. I was very anxious to hear what they had to say. Liliana said she made more friends and left it at that. She is getting to the age where she limits how much she tells me! Where as Dillon is brutally honest.

He first starts by saying he did NOT have a good day. "No days are good at school!" he said! Then he goes on in a very excited voice to say "But I have 3 best friends now!" So then I asked what their names were. He replied "I can't remember but 1 of them has a E then L then L then A or I"! So then I start saying names like Eli, Ella, Ellie. Then I ask if its a boy or girl. He says "Ugh mom its a girl name my new best friend!" So I ask the obvious "Is she gonna be your girlfriend?" He gets all red in the face and says "No mom I know that I can not have any girlfriends" He continues to tell me about his lunch, playground time, pictures, and learning worksheets he did in school. By this time we arrive home. As he is eating his afterschool snack, I am looking through his take home folder and pull out a numbers worksheet. There were 8 raccoons with different numbers printed on their bodies. The children were to draw in stripes if needed to match the number written on the raccoons! Dillon had them all correct, so I said "Good job buddy you got them all right!" He responded with "Well I got them right cause I copied my best friend but I knew some of them cause I used my brain"

I am not sure where he gets this stuff but it just cracks me up! Hopefully he didn't seriously copy his "best friend" but if he did at least he was honest about it!!

Later in the evening Marc was getting the kids ready for bed and Dillon informed Marc that his best friend thinks Liliana is "hot". We aren't sure where this comment came from as well but it never ends with him!

First Day Of School...

First Day Of School...

For some reasons I do not remember my first day of school in my younger years! Probably because it was such a high stress, nerve racking, and scary day! New year, new routine, new classmates, and new teacher. Its tough growing up!!

All the "news" of another school year is nerve racking enough but to top that off Liliana and Dillon had 1 added stress... NEW SCHOOL!

7AM

Despite their nerves they both woke up anxious for the day to begin! Our morning routine before school is very simple. We wake up, shower, get dressed, take care of beds and bedrooms, and then all together head downstairs to eat! Once breakfast is done lunches are put in backpacks and everyone gets ready to leave! Our routine was executed perfectly this morning! I had it planned so that I would not have to take Ava and Garrison with me when dropping the older two off at school! Main reason being the heat! It was 101 degrees at 8:45AM (their drop off time)!! Marc had to work so Papa was nice enough to come over and stay with the younger two.

8:35AM

Once at school, Liliana and Dillon posed for a nice picture in front of a tile collage on the front buildings wall. After pictures, it was time to find their teachers. We first went looking for Liliana's teacher. Once we found her, Liliana took a quick picture, put her backpack on the ground, kissed me goodbye, hugged Dillon while telling him to have a good day and then ran to the playground!

Next it was time to find Dillon's teacher. As we approached the kindergarten area, I noticed his teacher was no where to be found. I was informed a few minutes later that she was on duty in another area of the school yard. Dillon at this point was getting a little nervous. I tried to convince him to play on the playground with the other kids but he wasn't interested. He just stood right next to me with at least one part of his body glued to me! Once the school bell rang, he was curled up in front of me with his head nestled on my stomach! All he said was "Mommy I want to go home!" I am not the crying/teary eyed type but he was making me feel awful with those words. His teacher soon appeared from around the corner and called for her class to line up! Dillon was slow to stand in line but did so without any tears. As all the parents around me said their goodbyes, there stood Dillon with his hands folded together, sad puppy dog eyes, and head looking down at the ground. Before heading into school, the teacher told all the kids to turn towards the parents, smile, and wave goodbye. Almost all the kids around Dillon did as the teacher asked, while Dillon still stood with his head down! I knew this would be an interesting day for my little guy!

The day progressed in a very interesting way. Ava told me several times she missed her sister and brother. Garrison was in a "weird" mood. The house just didn't feel normal with both older children gone at school all day!

3:25pm

Marc came home early so that he could go with me to pick up the kids from school! The bell for dismissal doesn't sound until 3:50PM but most students at this school are picked up by parents and the area for picking up is rather small. This makes for one long line of cars waiting for pickup. As we entered the pickup "zone", I immediately spotted Liliana and Dillon standing on the sidewalk area. Liliana had her arm around Dillon and as we pulled up they quickly ran over to the van anxious to get inside! Both were asked how their days went...

Liliana replied with "Ok, I made a friend she is the daughter of Dillon's teacher... I like my new school but miss my old school a tiny bit because I know more people... I am not bringing my chicken lunchables anymore because they don't have a microwave for kids to use...I don't have any homework but will have some tomorrow...I guess my day went good!"

Dillon on the other hand replied with "I don't like school... I only made 1 friend and I can't remember his name... I have to sit in a girl spot because there were no more boy spots... I spilled my applesauce all over my sandwich at lunch and on my seat and knee...I played outside and ate my snack"

Marc and I decided to take the kids for a slushy from Sonic before heading home. As the kids ate their after school snack, I went through their take home folders. Liliana had a note saying that the day went well and to expect homework starting tomorrow! Dillon's folder had a couple colored pictures and a "certificate". On the certificate was Dillon's name at the top, followed by the words "had a great first day at school", along with the teachers signature and todays date. While this certificate was in my hand Dillon starts to talk... "Mommy I don't know why the teacher gave me that paper, she asked us to raise our hand if we had a great first day of school and I didN'T raise my hand. Then she gave us that piece of paper and told us to show our parents that we had a great day. I told her I didn't have a great day but she didn't listen to me"

The things he comes up with to say and the way he explains them!! Priceless! I felt bad that he was positive about his NOT great day but I know it will get better as time passes!

I would say despite Dillon's little "negative"story about not having a GREAT day, both kids had a good first day.

Power Boats...

Today was the Power Boat craft at our local Lowe's! The kids were very excited once hearing it was a power boat. Just like all the other crafts we have done, we lined all the kids up at a work area, showed them what piece to hammer where, completed the craft, received our patch and certificate, and off we went to enjoy the rest of our Saturday!

These crafts NEVER get old to the kids!

Ready For School...

Tonight was "Meet The Teacher Night". Hence the name, this is the night Liliana and Dillon were able to meet their teachers for this upcoming school year! We first went to Dillon's classroom where his friendly teacher attempted to talk to him, but he shyly put his head down and didn't say a word in response! After touring his classroom, we said or goodbyes and headed toward the 3rd grade classrooms! Liliana was VERY anxious to meet her new teacher! Her "meet the teacher" experience was far from the same as her younger brother! She inciated conversation, introduced her family, asked questions, and even checked out every nook and cranny of her soon to be desk! After guessing how many candies were in the teachers glass jar she said her goodbyes... but not soon enough because Ava was sitting on the teachers LAP! Ava had walked up to the teacher and said "HI". The teacher asked Ava her name. Ava replied "A-V-A. The teacher looked at Ava and said "You know your name what a smart little girl you are" I could see the jealousy brewing on Liliana's face! As I tried to round up all 3 kids (Garrison was in his stroller) I noticed the teacher had struck up a conversation with another family. Meanwhile, there was my Ava, still on the teachers lap! She so badly wants to go to school! I just hope her desire remains as the next two years pass before she is old enough for kindergarten! Liliana was content knowing she had a packet of paperwork and a "small homework assignment" inside! As soon as we arrived home, the packet was opened! Liliana quickly grabbed the two assignments! First she was to complete a name crossword puzzle. It had all her classmate's names in the puzzle! Second was a blank bookmark, which she was draw and color on. She sat at the kitchen table and completed both assignments rather quickly! She is very excited for this school year. I think she senses my relief of being at a better school environment!

Garrison's New Facial Expressions...

As Garrison grows, he continues to amaze us with the variety of facial expressions he makes on a daily basis! From his "cheesy" smile (as the kids call it) to his sad little curled lip, they are all so cute! Some of these faces, Dillon actually made when he was Garrison's age! It is so crazy how much he looks like Dillon sometimes!