Watching the clown on stilts (notice how you can't even see his waist, that's how tall he was)
Watching the elephant paint a picture
The Greatest Show on Earth
With Auntie Christine
With Tutu
Caty crashed out
Monday, September 15, 2008
Our Circus Adventure
This past Saturday Caty had her first circus experience. Scott was heading out of town for Saturday night and his mom, Caty calls her Tutu (grandma in Hawaiian) and his sister, Auntie Christine came to spend the weekend with us. I had an LPA officers meeting in the morning, which they graciously watched Caty for me. After the meeting, we had lunch, then headed out the door. Caty lucked out on this day as she wasn't going to have to take a nap. I had wanted to find something exciting for us to go and do on Saturday and luckily enough the Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus was going to be in town. So the four of us went to see the Greatest Show on Earth, which I hadn't been too since I was a little girl. We arrived an hour before the show started as during that time they allow the audience to come down to the floor and see some of the acts close up. Caty got to sit on a motorcycle and dance with clowns on stilts - that was a site to see, talk about two extremes!! We went and found our seats, which were in the upper level, but the second row - we had a great view of the floor. The show started and Caty was so excited about seeing everything - the lights, the acrobats, the tigers, the clowns. She was dancing in her seat and held a HUGE smile the whole time. She really wanted to see the elephants, but before they took to the stage she fell asleep. I tried to wake her up, but she was sound asleep. Now how she could sleep with all the noise going on around here, I have no idea, because at home, she wakes up at the slightest sound. So she got about a 20 minute nap in while we watched the rest of the show. I was finally able to rouse her when the lights came back on and the show was over. Even though she missed what she had been asking to see, she said that she had a fun time. Maybe next year we'll see the show again and hopefully she won't sleep through part of it. Enjoy the pictures!
Watching the clown on stilts (notice how you can't even see his waist, that's how tall he was)
Watching the elephant paint a picture
The Greatest Show on Earth
With Auntie Christine
With Tutu
Caty crashed out
Watching the clown on stilts (notice how you can't even see his waist, that's how tall he was)
Watching the elephant paint a picture
The Greatest Show on Earth
With Auntie Christine
With Tutu
Caty crashed out
Friday, September 12, 2008
Preschool Here We Come (for real this time)
Caty will FINALLY be starting preschool on Tuesday. YIPPEE!! She will be going to a preschool run through the parks and rec department - the one that we visited last week. We chatted with the teachers last week and again yesterday when we dropped off Caty's paperwork. I am very pleased with them and what they are doing to get the room ready for Caty. Ms Maggie, the director is going to go out this weekend and purchase a potty and stool, just like what we have set up at home - one that we know Caty can get on and off of. With written permission, the teachers are willing to help her with undressing and dressing when using the potty. They don't normally help the kids out, but are willing to with our case. Caty was able to hoist herself up into the chairs, but the tables were just a tab bit too high, so they will lower them for her. These teachers are just so willing to make the room accommodating to her, it's wonderful.
Caty is excited about starting, however we will see what Tuesday morning will bring. Luckily two of her playgroup friends, Hayden and Oliver, are also in the class, so that might help out a little bit. I'll take pictures and fill you in on the details afterwards!
Caty is excited about starting, however we will see what Tuesday morning will bring. Luckily two of her playgroup friends, Hayden and Oliver, are also in the class, so that might help out a little bit. I'll take pictures and fill you in on the details afterwards!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Remembering 9/11
September 11th, 2001 will always me etched in my mind as well as every other person around the world. Scott and I were getting ready for work and turned the television on. We were shocked at what we saw, as was everyone else. I will never forget the feelings that I had that day and in the days to follow - from immense sadness to such pride in being an American. I cried every time the song "God Bless the USA" came on the radio. And today, 7 years later, it still brings tears to my eyes as I watched this video.
It is difficult to believe that so much time has passed -- it seems like yesterday -- since we heard those first unbelievable reports that a plane, then another plane, had crashed into the buildings of the World Trade Center. The anniversary of the terrorist attacks offers a time to remember, to reflect about this unforgettable moment in history, and to reconsider the effect that September 11 has had on our country and the world.
It is difficult to believe that so much time has passed -- it seems like yesterday -- since we heard those first unbelievable reports that a plane, then another plane, had crashed into the buildings of the World Trade Center. The anniversary of the terrorist attacks offers a time to remember, to reflect about this unforgettable moment in history, and to reconsider the effect that September 11 has had on our country and the world.
A video with the music of Alan Jackson
"Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning"
"Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning"
A video with the music of Lee Greenwood
"God Bless the USA"
"God Bless the USA"
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
LPA Weekend in Pinecrest
This past weekend we hosted an LPA weekend up in Pinecrest, where my family has our cabin.. Scott decided, at the last minute, to stay home, due to the fact that he had just started his class for his Masters on Tuesday. Yep - he's gone back to school to get his Masters in Education with an emphasis in Math. Anyways, he had a paper due Sunday evening and needed to work on it. The Masters Program is through Walden University and it's all done online. So back to our weekend adventure....
Caty and I left Friday morning and got up to Pinecrest around 2:00. It took longer than our usual 3 hour drive, as we made a stop to get out and stretch our legs. During out stroll around Longs Drug Store, Caty said that her nose was hurting. We had spent Thursday morning at the in-home day care center and several of the kids had runny noses. So I thought that it might be a good idea to get some cold medicine - I sure am glad that I did. As the day went on, her nose got worse - poor thing! We got into Sonora and it was lunch time - we stopped and then hit the road again, luckily for only another 30 miles. We arrived at the cabin and started unpacking. I thought that it might be a good idea to walk down to the general store and get some chicken noodle soup for Caty. On our walk home (which is through the campground), we checked out where the sites were for the 2 families camping. The sites couldn't have been any closer to the cabin. Like I just mentioned, there were 2 families camping and I had invited another family to stay with us. Gerrie is our chapter president, Jim being her husband. Gerrie uses a scooter most of the time and I didn't see that happening around the campground, so I offered up a room at the cabin, they greatly accepted. I digress... We got back to the cabin and did some major sweeping on the front porch - think of what a months worth of pine needles might look like.
Finally we were situated and Caty went to play in the dirt with the cars and I pulled up a chair. Jim and Gerrie showed up around 5:00 and we got them settled in. Now with Gerrie's scooter I wasn't sure how she would get it up onto the porch, but out came the ramp and at a 45 degree angle, up she went with just a little help from Jim. After dinner, Caty, Jim and I took a walk over to the campground to see the Chase's and the Coehlo's. We chatted for awhile, but needed to head back as it was getting to be Caty's bed time and we had left Gerrie sitting on the porch. Caty went to bed when we got home and that was about it for the night.
Saturday morning Caitlyn decided that it was a great morning to sleep in; I think she eventually woke up around 8:30, thank goodness!! We spent some time playing around the cabin - mainly Caty playing in the dirt. The Chase's and Coehlo's came by for a visit. Around lunch time they all headed back to their campsites and we decided to meet up at the beach later. After our lunch the Marick's showed up. Paula and I were talking and I learned that she grew up in Sonora and went to school with my cousins (Jon and Eric) and a co-worker of Scott's (Brigette). Paula and Eric were in the same class and one year ahead of Brigette. What a small world! We headed to the beach, met up with everyone and the kids had a BLAST!!! The kids splashed and build sand castles and just had so much fun playing together. After the beach we walked back and then the other families joined us for a pasta dinner followed by a bon fire and SMORES!! The kids got incredibly sticky, especially mine, who luckily could go straight into the bathtub! The kids were getting a little tired so the Chase's, the Coehlo's and Marick's headed their own directions. The night ended with everyone exhausted and into bed early.
Sunday morning was spent at the cabin getting it cleaned and straighten up. We headed home and boy was I glad to get there! After chasing Caty around all weekend, by myself, I have a new found respect for those of you that are single parents. SHE EXHAUSTED ME COMPLETELY!!
We had such a great time sharing Pinecrest with our LPA family and I hope to make it an annual event! Thanks to those of you that joined us!
Enjoy some pictures!
Caty and Ashleigh playing in the dirt
Aidan, always with a vehicle of some sorts in his hands
See what I mean
The girls reading some books
Caty, Sarah and Shane playing in the lake
Caty and Aidan (I met Aidan's family on the Parents of Little People Yahoo Group,
come to find out that they live only about 20 minutes from us and Caty is just 6 weeks
older than Aidan. We are so lucky to have the so close by!)
All the kids playing (I was pretty lucky to get them all in one shot)
Caty, Ashleigh and Isabel
Caty and Sarah
The girls!
Roasting marshmallows!
Brian helping his kids out
Want a bite?!!!
The group
Caty wants to thank everyone for coming!
Caty and I left Friday morning and got up to Pinecrest around 2:00. It took longer than our usual 3 hour drive, as we made a stop to get out and stretch our legs. During out stroll around Longs Drug Store, Caty said that her nose was hurting. We had spent Thursday morning at the in-home day care center and several of the kids had runny noses. So I thought that it might be a good idea to get some cold medicine - I sure am glad that I did. As the day went on, her nose got worse - poor thing! We got into Sonora and it was lunch time - we stopped and then hit the road again, luckily for only another 30 miles. We arrived at the cabin and started unpacking. I thought that it might be a good idea to walk down to the general store and get some chicken noodle soup for Caty. On our walk home (which is through the campground), we checked out where the sites were for the 2 families camping. The sites couldn't have been any closer to the cabin. Like I just mentioned, there were 2 families camping and I had invited another family to stay with us. Gerrie is our chapter president, Jim being her husband. Gerrie uses a scooter most of the time and I didn't see that happening around the campground, so I offered up a room at the cabin, they greatly accepted. I digress... We got back to the cabin and did some major sweeping on the front porch - think of what a months worth of pine needles might look like.
Finally we were situated and Caty went to play in the dirt with the cars and I pulled up a chair. Jim and Gerrie showed up around 5:00 and we got them settled in. Now with Gerrie's scooter I wasn't sure how she would get it up onto the porch, but out came the ramp and at a 45 degree angle, up she went with just a little help from Jim. After dinner, Caty, Jim and I took a walk over to the campground to see the Chase's and the Coehlo's. We chatted for awhile, but needed to head back as it was getting to be Caty's bed time and we had left Gerrie sitting on the porch. Caty went to bed when we got home and that was about it for the night.
Saturday morning Caitlyn decided that it was a great morning to sleep in; I think she eventually woke up around 8:30, thank goodness!! We spent some time playing around the cabin - mainly Caty playing in the dirt. The Chase's and Coehlo's came by for a visit. Around lunch time they all headed back to their campsites and we decided to meet up at the beach later. After our lunch the Marick's showed up. Paula and I were talking and I learned that she grew up in Sonora and went to school with my cousins (Jon and Eric) and a co-worker of Scott's (Brigette). Paula and Eric were in the same class and one year ahead of Brigette. What a small world! We headed to the beach, met up with everyone and the kids had a BLAST!!! The kids splashed and build sand castles and just had so much fun playing together. After the beach we walked back and then the other families joined us for a pasta dinner followed by a bon fire and SMORES!! The kids got incredibly sticky, especially mine, who luckily could go straight into the bathtub! The kids were getting a little tired so the Chase's, the Coehlo's and Marick's headed their own directions. The night ended with everyone exhausted and into bed early.
Sunday morning was spent at the cabin getting it cleaned and straighten up. We headed home and boy was I glad to get there! After chasing Caty around all weekend, by myself, I have a new found respect for those of you that are single parents. SHE EXHAUSTED ME COMPLETELY!!
We had such a great time sharing Pinecrest with our LPA family and I hope to make it an annual event! Thanks to those of you that joined us!
Enjoy some pictures!
Caty showing you her dirty feet (they were almost black by the end of the day)
Caty and Ashleigh playing in the dirt
Aidan, always with a vehicle of some sorts in his hands
See what I mean
The girls reading some books
Caty, Sarah and Shane playing in the lake
Caty and Aidan (I met Aidan's family on the Parents of Little People Yahoo Group,come to find out that they live only about 20 minutes from us and Caty is just 6 weeks
older than Aidan. We are so lucky to have the so close by!)
All the kids playing (I was pretty lucky to get them all in one shot)
Caty, Ashleigh and Isabel
Caty and Sarah
The girls!
Roasting marshmallows!
Brian helping his kids out
Want a bite?!!!
The group
Caty wants to thank everyone for coming!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Another Preschool Update
Well, there is good news and there is bad news:
The good news - Caitlyn qualified for the Head Start Preschool Program
The bad news - It is MANDATORY that she attends 5 days a week from 7:30-11:30
So we obviously are not going to be going with the Head Start Preschool - bummer.
I called Child Action after getting off the phone with the director at Head Start. They took all of our info and were able to give me a list of several preschools in our town, both Child Care Centers and Family Centers. Well, the good news here is that there are so many near us, the bad news is that most of them run about $150 a week for part time - way more that we wanted to or are willing to spend. Back to square one. I then decided to do my own looking. We have some playgroup friends that are in a preschool program through our local parks and rec department. So I called the office and got some info about their program. There are several different school sites where they run these preschool programs. The one our friends go to is a 3 day a week program, however we are just looking for a 2 days per week. Luckily one of the other school runs one that fits our needs and it's only $18 a day - for a month it's roughly about $145, a much better sounding number. We're going to make a visit to the site to check them out and see if it is something that will work for us. Wish us luck (again)!!
On another note, Caitlyn qualifies for Speech Therapy and we will be starting this coming Friday. I'll let you know how it goes.
Helping Savannah ride on the horse
Trying the slide out
The good news - Caitlyn qualified for the Head Start Preschool Program
The bad news - It is MANDATORY that she attends 5 days a week from 7:30-11:30
So we obviously are not going to be going with the Head Start Preschool - bummer.
I called Child Action after getting off the phone with the director at Head Start. They took all of our info and were able to give me a list of several preschools in our town, both Child Care Centers and Family Centers. Well, the good news here is that there are so many near us, the bad news is that most of them run about $150 a week for part time - way more that we wanted to or are willing to spend. Back to square one. I then decided to do my own looking. We have some playgroup friends that are in a preschool program through our local parks and rec department. So I called the office and got some info about their program. There are several different school sites where they run these preschool programs. The one our friends go to is a 3 day a week program, however we are just looking for a 2 days per week. Luckily one of the other school runs one that fits our needs and it's only $18 a day - for a month it's roughly about $145, a much better sounding number. We're going to make a visit to the site to check them out and see if it is something that will work for us. Wish us luck (again)!!
On another note, Caitlyn qualifies for Speech Therapy and we will be starting this coming Friday. I'll let you know how it goes.
Playing Go Fish with Savannah
Helping Savannah ride on the horse
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
