So it begins...The mystery hours

It is time to rock! Erin had her first day of kindergarten on August 21st with Mrs. Keddington at Aristotle Academy. I asked Pooky if she would like me to walk her to class, but my child declined. We got to the school. I got her out of the car and kissed good-bye. Erin put her empty backpack on and bravely marched to the door, where she was greeted by principal Peterson. He shook her hand and then escorted to her class.

Three hours later I returned to collect my student. She loved it there! According to her the teacher's name was Mrs. Cake. Also I could not find out what she learned or did at school, though by the presence of the grass on her socks I am guessing that at least part of the time was spent outside.  Also not one kid in the class had an easily remembered name though two of them were boys.

Of course I do not have a first day of school photo, because I am me and did not think to check the camera battery beforehand. Yes, my camera was indisposed on this very special day. Bah! However here is a photo after Pook's second day of school. She looks happy! This is how she looks at the end of each school day!

Erin's time at school is  a mystery to me. I am not used to not being there to witness every minute of her life. It occurred to me that those days are gone. More and more mystery hours are coming my way and I should hold on tight to the ones I am a participant of at the moment.

After two weeks of school I found out that she has been learning various songs, mastering the art of cutting with scissors, writing her numbers and letters, doing lots of coloring, matching, gluing, having story time and earning stars. Erin made a friend, but does not know her name. Her class number is 7 and she has had a chance or two to be the line leader on the way to class. Her turn to bring a mystery bag to class was last week and she chose a bunny named Allie (I hope she will take Danny's tooth next time). Erin gets a snack at school and also skittles when she fills a row with stars. The most important of course is that she loves going to school in the morning and is happy to come home in the afternoon.

Here is Allie

Danny has been asking about Erin's whereabouts each morning and seems to be satisfied with a reply that his sister is at school. He is always eager to go get her. Ah going to get her and dropping her off... So...having two charter schools on the same street creates a lot of traffic around 8. All the businesses must hate it. All of these folks trying to get to work in timely manner, stuck on 25 miles/hour street among minivans and SUVs, can not be happy with the way things are going, ha ha. I have learned to beat the rush by coming a few minutes before majority does. The school is about 7 minutes from home, 5 miles both ways. Not bad at all.

So far I am happy about everything and have words from Annie buzzing in my head "I think I'm gonna like it here!"

Ta ta for now!

Our tooth troubles

On Tuesday , around 7:30 pm our little man slipped and fell in the bathroom hitting his face on the toilet in the process. One of his front teeth got broken. Poor Danny cried, screamed and bled. We realized that his top right tooth did not look right and after he somewhat calmed down, called his dentist Dr. Howell, who I might add is awesome! At 8:25 Danny was laying on my lap with the doc looking at my boy's little toothie. It was broken, all right. The chomper split in half and had to be pulled. Luckily no damage to his permanent teeth was done. After collecting a prescription for Amoxicillin and being promised a phone call about the tooth extraction the next day we left.

Our little trooper behaved very stoically allowing the tooth examination, though when it came to X-rays he began to voice his objection. If there is any silver lining to this story than it is that to Danny the pain was bearable. For the next few days he resumed his normal activities though had to go without his favorite crackers and kakao. Only soft mushy foods were to enter his mouth and by that we abode. Erin agreed to conceal any candy in her procession. I must add that Erin screamed more than her brother when the injury occurred. Oh how did she cry and even came close to hyperventilating seeing Danny in pain. She tried her best to do her part in aiding us to get Danny to the doctor's office fast. She was first in the car trying to comfort her poor Danny after he got buckled up.

The next day after not hearing from the dentist's office I buzzed to see what was up with the arrangements for the detoothing. I was informed that he was scheduled for the 14th of September. Polite and dumbfounded I hung up and called Andrew. He told me to call back and talk to Dr. Howell 'cause this was too long. That I did not argue with and would have called as soon as the shock of the proposed "two-week-wait-to-get-rid-of-a-very-broken-tooth" would settle in. Anyhow after clearing the confusion Danny was scheduled to appear at the Utah Valley Medical Center (he had to be fully sedated for the event) on Friday at 12. No food after midnight and no liquids after 9. Now that was going to be interesting, but I would definitely rather put up with a cranky screaming toddler than with him ingesting his vomit. So fast my Danny did. He did great!

After he got up, he took a bath, then we went over to play with his friend Adam and then Caylee. We made it to the time we had to get Erin from school, and headed out. At that point Danny began begging for a yogurt, not expecting a denial. Now that was hard....But at least I was denying food not because I had none to give (just a thought).

We picked Erin up, delivered her to my awesome neighbor and friend Nathalie and headed to the hospital picking up Andrew on the way. So glad our Daddy could come! It made all the difference.

After getting admitted our wait began and lasted till three. This delay was expected 'cause everyone knows that hospital time is a few hours off. First we waited for and OR and next for our anesthesiologist to become available. Danny was not very enthusiastic about the place. At first he was curious, but when it came to vitals, getting the hospital jammies on and sitting on the hospital bed Danny began to wail. Then we just watched PBS kids. Fortunately Sesamie Street came on and as long as I held him Danny was somewhat content. I have to say that starving Danny is fairly docile. He weakly attempted asking for crackers and finally gave up. After my boy's last request his eyes filled with tears and bottom lip began to quiver. Gosh it was awful! We tried to kill time by walking outside in circles and finally it was Danny's time to go. Dr. Howell came, the nurse came and Chris-the anesthesiologist (with a monkey name tag clip). Danny did not like any of them, particularly the monkey clip guy and the way he addressed him as "Master Daniel" (I liked him though. To tell the truth the monkey clip did it for me, plus the fact that he has been knocking little people out for over a decade). Danny was given his sleepy meds and carried away. Did not like that! All we could do was wait or wait and eat.

I have been fasting along with Danny, Andrew was pretty starved as well, so we went to the cafeteria. I might add that earlier our nurse brought us three food coupons as a small compensation for extra waiting. Assuming that hospitals are a lot like airlines we intended to blow our newly found wealth on our meal and hope it will be enough. As it turns out hospitals are way more generous (but also expensive) than Delta or United. Each coupon was worth twenty-five buckaroos. So while our Danny was loosing his tooth Andrew and I feasted on grilled chicken sandwiches and other hospital delicacies, ha ha.

We made it back on time to speak with Dr. Howell who assured as that everything went great. the tooth came out clean and without much fighting. Danny was being woken up and should soon be returned to our care. That eventually did happen and we could not have been happier to be reunited. Danny was grumpy and groggy, but you can't blame him for that. He was offered some juice and Popsicle, which he wolfed down in record time. I think if some brave soul would attempt taking his treats from him he would bite them.

When we were leaving Danny's Popsicle leftovers fell on the floor and he cried harder than when his tooth was hurt, fortunately more of the icy goodness has been rushed to him and the tears seized. Then we headed home, where Danny boy gobbled down two bowls of chicken soup, a yogurt, a bowl of apple sauce and a tall glass of milk. The rest of the day was spent trying to catch up on playing with friends and finally sleeping. He had no side affects from anesthesia and when the dentist called late that night I could report that all was well.                         
     
And indeed all is well!

PS: Through this incident our boy acquired an adorable lisp. Without his "footh" he says "fifi" instead of "fishy".

PS: Andrew and I are cheap so for the next couple dates we are having our date night dinners in the hospital cafeteria.

PS: If you are not deterred by gruesome images than here is Danny's tooth in two pieces.

The beauty of freedom!

There is just one week left before Erin's school years commence. She is absolutely ecstatic about starting kindergarten, but of course she does not realize that it means her freedom will be somewhat kaput very soon. However, I am aware of it and am taking advantage of this time we have left filling days with various activities. We had no plans for Tuesday so in the morning I interrogated Erin about what she would like to do that day. Being Erin, my child informed me that she would be delighted to go to a beach.

"Bummer! We do not have an ocean, we only have mountains around here." 
"Than we can go hiking!" was her reply. So hiking we went!

After filling our water backpack and grabbing a few snacks Erin, Danny and I piled into our Bessiemobile and to the mountains we went heading east to the Battle Creek trail. The trail leads to a pretty waterfall and is slightly over a mile long both ways. Even our Little Monkey can manage that distance.

Everything did not go smooth. When we arrived at our destination I discovered that my silly child interpreted "Erin put on your pink shoes" as "Erin put on your pink flip flops!" Yeah! My bad! I ought to have checked before leaving house, but it was too late. At that point a couple hiking ladies came of the trail with their absolutely filthy dogs (No pun intended! Dogs have all the rights to get filthy on dusty trails leading to waterfalls), who looked like experienced kind of folks. Hence being new to this dragging a 5- and a 2-year-old to the hills I asked how long the hike took. After studying my crew and their attire the skeptical looking hiking ladies told me there was no way we would make it to the end, though we could probably get to the brook and splash in it. Challenge accepted, to the end we would go!

Up the trail we started. Erin pranced around like a wild pony and Danny walked kicking every rock in his path. I am not sure how many groups overtook us, but I did not mind. We were in no hurry in our flip flops and  sandals (The skeptical ladies also told me I would ruin my pretty sandals. Ha! They were wrong. I have already ruined them last summer. You can not ruin the same pair of shoes twice!) In about 20 minutes we came to an area covered in finest dirt I have ever seen! Kids were impressed, hence they proceeded stomping around and tossing it in the air creating a dust cloud. They looked like birds taking a dust bath!

After they became sufficiently filthy we moved on in the direction of a brook that became our second stop on this adventure. Danny kept walking, though as soon as he discovered that he could drink out of the backpack hose he insisted on being carried while slurping water out of that hose. The kid is a camel judging by how much he can drink when given the chance.

At the base of the brook Erin and Danny threw rocks into the water which amused them for a good 10 minutes. I have to admit that I myself am partial to tossing rocks in the water.

 

After this stop we continued until the waterfall (that the skeptical ladies did not think we could make to). I helped Erin on the steep hills and carried Danny here and there. I admit that more appropriate footwear would have made it easier, but we made it there even without it. So kudos to us!

Erin was delighted about making it to the top. So was I, particularly after cooling down in the waterfall mist. Can't think what is more refreshing than standing near one. Danny carried on with the rock tossing. By that time he was rather tiered and was happy to sit down. I considered offering the snack, but decided against it. I have nothing against eating with slightly dirty hands, when out in the nature, but Pooky's and Danny's hands stopped being "slightly dirty" at least 30 minutes prior. Snacks had to wait!

After resting a bit we headed back down. The view was stunning! If I were a poet than this would have been a proper moment to stop and pen a verse or two. At that moment, I was mostly a mom holding on to her kids tight so they would not face plant on a steep hill. On the way back Erin kept picking up rocks to take home, oh! and leaves, and acorns. I refused to store those treasures in my backpack (note to self: have her bring her own next time). I was tiered and hot, not a good combination for offering freight carrying services. Erin refused to leave anything behind and kept dropping and picking her load every few steps. Despite that we eventually made it back and were so thrilled to see our old Bessie. After we got home Danny boy went down for a three hour nap. My crew was exhausted, but happy. What else does a mama need!

Ta ta for now!

On the side note. I have so much respect for the pioneers who walked to these frontiers thought mountains and valleys, in cold and heat, with only little warm water to drink and not the tastiest of food to eat. I think about many children of 2- and 5-year-olds who had to make this journey on foot. What an exceptional generation they were!

Eat my dust!

As an early birthday present for her fifth birthday Erin received a bike from Grandma Olia and Grandpa Vova. She's been begging for one for a long time and even learned to ride one without training wheels a couple of weeks earlier. She's been borrowing her friends' bikes the entire month of  May. Her friend Jasmine turned out to be a great teacher!  In just a couple of days Erin went from training wheels to no training wheel and just a little bit wobbly. Going extreemly fast of course!
Finally she does not need to wait for a turn on a frien's bike anymore and is a proud owner of her own set of wheels. The training wheels got removed the next day after the photo was taken. Erin insisted!

By the way after falling off the bike and getting a bump on her forehead, Pook does not argue about wearing her helmet anymore. In fact she came to me after the incident and accused me of not making her wear it. Ha! this four-year-old has a short memory!

Danny adores Erin's new bike and tries to take a spin on it, though those efforts do not go past his attemps to set it upright. After he gives up Littel Moneky jut spins one of the wheels. He is more successful with the trike and the three-wheeled scooter. At this point he is too short to peddle or push hismself, but he surely tries. For now I push him around-he rides like a boss and I get a back ache!

Erin and her friends have races around the block and go way too fast for what should be a legal speed limit for kids their age. Anyhow, biking season is here and is very much enjoyed!

Ta ta for now!

Makeup anyone?

Erin got to my makeup. No need for comments here... The photos are rather self explanatory.

Ta ta for now!

End of the year recital

Today Erin had her dance recital. It was at UVU Regan Theater. Enjoy!

She and her friends got to perform on a real stage with lights and curtains. You do not hear this in the video, but when Erin came on stage, she tried to spot me in the crowd. After not succeeding she just yelled for me, ha ha!

My favorite part of the dance was when all the girls began doing jumping-jacks, though I am pretty sure they were not a part of the original choreography. Erin just did her thing and danced away. She particularly put her heart in the final bow! This was the part she practiced the most at home.

Our little dancer enjoyed the entire experience and we loved watching her. Besides Andrew, Danny and I aunt Theresa came. That made it even more special for Erin. After her dance I got Pooky and she got to see the rest of the show. Surprisingly it was very enjoyable. Though of us all Danny enjoyed it the most! He was very enthusiastic when it came to applauding. He also cheered and I suspect if he knew how, he would whistle.

At the end of the performance Erin got to return to the stage and receive a rose. Funny enough by the time our ballerina came back the poor flower's stem was broken in at least three places. Though what else do you expect when the flower is being twirled like a baton. At home I shortened the stem and it was like new.

Aunt Theresa gifted Erin two dollars for her stellar performance and Erin currently feels very rich. I feel very rich to have my wonderful Pooky ( I know! this was a cheesy thing to say, by deal with it! I feel cheesy, he he!)

Ta ta for now!

Catching up (part II)

Yes! This is my boy sporting yellow cupcake PJs. The exact words that came out of Andrew's mouth when he saw Danny ready for bed were: "I am sorry Danny!" Fortunately our little guy could care less what he sleeps in. Anyhow, I am going to buy him some manly sleepwear.

I guess as I have not posted his 18 month old well visit update from January I might as well do it now before he turns two. He finally began gaining weight and height. He made it into 3,41% for his weight of 21 lb - a great improvement from 0.4% at 12 months. His height was 31,5 inches landing him in 26% , that is from 5% at 12 months. Our little dude is growing. How he is doing it I do not know as he seems to adhere to a strict milk diet. It is his main food on par with pretzels and raisins.

He is still outrageously picky about what he consumes. Naturally, he will never turn down ice cream or chocolate. Occasionally, and I mean once or twice a week, he will eat dinner, the rest of the days he eats breakfast and pecks at his lunch. Despite that I have a hope for this little boy as Erin went through the same stage. Now she eats broccoli, green beans and as of today carrot sticks. One food he usually will not turn down is  mama's fired rice.

Danny slowly inched into the tantrum territory. He loves throwing himself on the floor wailing. My boy gets very offended when I meet this behavior with laughter. This child also began resorting to violence when he feels his rights and wishes are not being respected. As of recently he began biting. It is very rude to sneak behind mom and attempt biting her bottom, very , very rude (yes, you may laugh here). I lost count of how many times Erin has been bitten by this little piranha. He even managed to bite Pooky between her shoulder blades one time. Now that takes some skill! Of course we are working on stopping this naughtiness and I am seeing some progress.

Danny is my little helper in the kitchen. Any time he sees our dishwasher opened he hurries to get the soap from under the sink and bring it to me. Then we fill the soap compartment together. Next I return his closed soap bottle and he puts it back where he found it. To culminate this ceremony we fight over shutting the dishwasher's door. The Little Monkey insists on putting that soap to good use immediately and attempts to shut the door and push the button. I have to literally put my foot down on the door as it is usually not full enough to run it.

He also learned not to get garbage out of the trashcan and even throws away empty baggies, his diapers or spits up his apples. Have I mentioned how he eats apples? He requests one every day. He chews every bite very diligently and afterwards spits it out. He finally began doing it over the garbage can to save me some extra work. Now that it is warm outside I just send him with his apple to the back porch. Danny also knows how to use a vacuum. Though half the time he just vacuums himself. He discovered that he does not like the sensation of having his fingers being sucked into the hose.

Danny got to experience his second ever visit to Great Clips where he lost his beautiful locks. They were just getting too long and I have to admit that around the house I would even put a clip in his hair to keep it out of the eyes. This is what he looks like now. It took three women to get the job done. I held him on my lap, one of the employees was trying to read him a book and the third was doing the cutting. This communal effort finally paid off and my Danny was sheered like a ship. He screamed bloody murder the entire time, but did get a sucker at the end for his suffering.

Danny used to like watching Yo Gabba Gabba, but has recently converted to Sesamie Street. He is an Elmo fan! He says Elmo's name and also mama, dada, Ein, bite (as "another bite of food"), apple, banana, kashka, yukky, cracker, thank you and a lot of gibberish. While I mention his favorite shows, I should also mention the show that terrifies him--Ice Age. Erin and her friends were watching it one afternoon and he just began crying when the tigers attacked the village and tried to get the baby. Poor boy was so distraught.

Speaking of Thank you! Just like Erin at this age he helps me unload the dryer from inside. Danny climbs in and hands me clothes saying thank you every time I take something from him. This boy also likes to be in charge of what he wears. He pulls things out of his dresser and demands I help him put them on. For some reason he always chooses things that are too small or that are PJs.

Danny is definitely his father's son and is into computers and games. He loves to pound away on the keyboard and loves to hold console controllers. He even has his favorite Wii controller. Every time Erin plays something he is right there next to her with his it cheering her on.

So here he is my handsome blondie-sweetness an dterror in one, though way more sweetness than terror!

Ta ta for now!