Preschool

Madison Claire is going to Preschool 2 days a week from 9-2:30pm.  She LOVES school and has already learned so much.  They are working on writing her name and learning different letters, shapes & colors. She has learned the pledge of allegiance, and takes pride in telling us every day that her bird did not come out of the tree (that means she behaved at school) :).  I dread the day when her bird does come out of the tree because she is going to be devastated!!  She is also very serious about her ribbon that says "I made my mat all by myself".  It's precious!  She loves show-n-tell every week and has taken everything from my Pure Barre Ball (she thinks I work there :)) to her Dora light, flashlight, & her real goldfish. 

I'm thankful for having a place like Germantown Baptist where she can learn how to follow instructions, learn basic truths about the Bible, engage in fun activities that I would never be creative enough to think of at home, and have fun with other kids.  I just can't believe how fast she is growing up!  Sweet Angel!

 

First Day - 2012

Disney on Ice

We took Madison Claire to Disney on Ice as a surprise.  We couldn't wait for her to get to see the princesses in person.  I think Ryan and I were more excited then she was!  It was a blast and she loved the show - especially the Rapunzel section.  She kept waving at the princesses - adorable.  It made us really excited to take her to Disney next summer!



Beach - Take 2

I've made it a tradition over the past few years to head down to the beach in late July/early August while Ryan is in two-a-days.  This way, he gets to work 24 hours a day without any pressure from me, and I get to enjoy a trip to the beach!  Annie and I took the kids and spent a few days in Panama City & a few days in Destin.  It was a more difficult trip than usual because Annie was working through some things that were happening in her life but we somehow managed to enjoy the sun, shopping, Kilwins, and time with the kids.  One of the highlights of the trip for me was when we took Madison Claire to the rides at Pier Park.  She had a ball - she loved everything - even the adult rides like the scrambler!  She was a little dare-devil!  She even did the trampoline jump and laughed, with an ear-to-ear smile the ENTIRE time.  It made my week. 

We also had fun getting to see Kim & Josh for a few days and Madison Claire made progress in her sleeping thanks to the purchase of an air matress & Dreamlight.  Praise the Lord!!

I'm very thankful for the McSwains and my parents for opening up thier condos to us so often.  We feel very blessed!!

Drama, Drama

Madison Claire got off her routine thanks to our beach trip in late June/early July.  She spent a week at the beach, a week with my parents, and then a week with Ryan's parents.  3 weeks off her normal routine = DISASTER!  Note to self - do NOT do this again!

When she finally got back home, she was so used to sleeping with someone that she literally would not go to sleep at night.  She would throw a full out, 100% tantrum every single night at bed time.  She thought of every excuse in the book - she was scared of the dark, scared of the airplanes that fly over our house, scared of the possibility of a storm, her legs hurt, her stomach hurt, she needed water, she needed more toys in her bed, basically she just wanted us. 

When we would leave and shut her door, she would turn into a possessed person - screaming in a voice unlike anything we've ever heard, kicking, trying to trick us by yelling out "Oh no" so we would think something had happened in there.  It was exhausting and one of the biggest parenting challenges we have faced with her.

We tried everything - positive reinforcement (think sticker charts, bribing with something fun if she goes to sleep with no yelling), negative reinforcement (think spankings, no bed time story, etc.) and NOTHING worked.  We prayed a lot and sought advice from friends.

Praise the Lord, it only lasted around 2 weeks.  We ended up finding success through consistently not giving in, letting her have a popsicle for breakfast every morning she woke up and had stayed in her room with no yelling, and getting her a Dreamlight, which lights up her ceiling while she is falling asleep. 

*Note - it's now 4 months later, and sometimes, when I go get her in the morning, she still looks at me and says "I stayed in my room with no yelling!  Can I have a popsicle?"  Hee Hee :)

Happy Anniversary to Annie

July 13th was Annie's 3 year anniversary with us.  Madison Claire was in Nashville, so she sent Annie a message while she was away. We are very thankful for Annie and how she has loved our kids for the last 3.5 years.  She has decided to pursue a dream of fashion school so is leaving us in June - it's hard to imagine replacing her so for now, we just don't think about it :).  Denial always works, right?!

Annie's first day - 2009

One Year Anniversary - 2010

Two year Anniversary - 2011

Three Year Anniversary - 2012

Visit with the Haleys

On our way home from Chattanooga, we made one last pit stop in Nashville to spend a few days with our friends, the Haleys!  They were on thier way to an oversees assignment in England, and we wanted to spend some time together before they headed out of the country.  We had a fun few days in Nashville - complete with a visit to the library, Monkey Joes, some shopping, and a girls night out thanks to Don & the McSwains!  I miss my sweet friend but look forward to a trip to England sometime soon to visit :)



Family Reunion

After our beach trip, we headed straight to Chattanooga for the Howard Family Reunion.  It was a hot day in Chattanooga, but good to spend time with our extended family.  It was complete with lots of food, games, singing, butter making, craft making, and storytelling but wasn't the same without Papa Howard there.  We had the event at my grandparents church and Ryan and Madison Claire pracitced walking down the aisle...precious!