No Homework

Our first week of school went great. We were all exhausted by Friday night, but the kids did an awesome job getting out the door on time every single day (thanks to their mom being very organized!). Monday, Aurora's only complaint was that a little girl in her after-school program didn't want to be her friend, and she was SURE they would be great friends. The next day (and for the rest of the week), they became great friends! Her biggest disappointment the second day (and let's face it, for the rest of the week) was that they had NO HOMEWORK! That's right, our girl loves everything about 2nd grade and has an awesome new friend, but darn it, she wants homework!!!

Clark is still loving his new class. He's been getting star stickers for peeing in the potty nearly everyday, and believe it or not, he just had his first homework assignment! We were asked to create a collage of family photos for a class project, which was easy and fun, though we could've used a little more space. He also asked me to take a picture of him in front of his school, which I was happy to do. Clark dresses himself and comes home nearly everyday with pants on backwards and his shoes on the wrong feet.

Since she didn't have any homework, I gave Aurora a super special project to work on. I posted her fundraising page for the LIVESTRONG kids ride to Facebook and within hours she had exceeded her goal! This weekend, she made special drawings and thank you notes for each of her generous donors, including her Grandmom Bernice:

When she finished all of her drawings, she packed up her little overnight bag for another sleepover at Presley's house. Chuck, Clark and I are going to enjoy our quiet evening together, which will probably include laundry and meal planning for another busy week ahead. Here's hoping she gets (and has time to finish) homework next week!

Last Weekend of Summer

I can't believe summer break is over! We may not have had a ton of epic adventures this time around, but Aurora loved her summer camp and she sure has had a great time with her friends and grandparents these past few weeks. Yesterday we spent one last afternoon swimming (and enjoying a mid-swim snack) at my parent's condo.

Tonight was LIVESTRONG night at the Dell Diamond, so we headed up north for a fun night of baseball! Many of my coworkers and friends were there, staying up way too late on a school night right along with us. It was a lovely evening and we all had a great time.

The kids spent hours playing, rock climbing, practicing pitching and cheering for the Round Rock Express. They had snow cones, did the chicken dance, stayed up way past their bedtimes and said things like "Mommy, I'm not at all tired" (Aurora) and "MOMMY I NOT AT AWL TIRED TOO!" (Clark). I hope they're not too tired tomorrow!

Not only was this the last weekend of summer break, it was also mom and dad's last weekend in Austin for a while. We were so lucky to have them here these past couple of months and we're all looking forward to seeing them again later in the fall. On the way home Aurora said she'd be so busy with school, she wouldn't even notice they were gone. I seriously doubt that, but I'll take acceptance over sobbing any day. And who knows, 2nd grade could be pretty intense! 

Ready to Learn!

Today Aurora got to try out her new school shoes as we headed to Valley View to meet her 2nd Grade teacher. She got Mrs. Stueve (pronounced Stevie), and as soon as we found her seat and supplies, Aurora got super wiggly and said she wished I had magic powers to make it Monday RIGHT NOW because she's so excited for school to start!

Clark's excited too, as they'll be riding to and from school together starting Monday. Of course, he got a head start and is already loving his new class. He's so excited to be an Otter every single morning, and if this sign is any indication, he'll learning all sorts of interesting things this year, too!

Sleepovers

Last week, after having watched Aurora more days than they'd originally signed up for, my parents reported that as much as they love spending time with her, Aurora really needed to play with other kids. After sending a few texts, I was able to secure two half-day playdates and two sleepovers. The first was at our house. Presley and Aurora have had more sleepovers than I can count, but they're usually at her house. Presley was feeling pretty homesick and the girls were having trouble agreeing on what games to play, but they made the best of it and had a good time.

Last night Aurora spent the night at her friend Melody's house. Her mom put some serious thought into planning out the schedule of events and the girls had a blast! They decorated an angel-shaped cake, watched Monster High, and in the morning they made pancakes before spending the day at the Thinkery. Wow!

Honestly, the difference between having a sleepover here or there is HUGE. Adding a third child to our family feels hectic. Clark desperately wants to play with the girls but doesn't know how, dinner and bedtime are exponentially more complicated, it's exhausting. Sending Aurora off to a friend's house who is an only child (especially when her dad is out of town, which almost always seems to be the case), makes that friend super happy! Aurora is an excellent houseguest, and having Clark alone for an evening is an absolute joy. It makes me realize how much my kids are constantly fighting for attention, and how much harder it is having two (or three) kids than one - especially when one of those kids happens to be a 3-year old!

Aurora is very excited to have another day with Grandma and Grandpa and it's clear that she's been loving these last few weeks of summer break, filled with lazy days spent swimming, having sleepovers and watching TV. It just doesn't get much better!

Ladies and Gentlemen...

It's the Beatles! You wouldn't think a special exhibit at the LBJ Presidential Library would be of much interest to our littles, but they love the Beatles! We sing Hey Jude at bedtime, they listen to Good Day Sunshine in the car, we've watched the Yellow Submarine more times I'd like to admit, and we even have John Lennon and Nowhere Man dolls. If Aurora had to choose between Katy Perry and the Beatles, she'd tell you one is her favorite band and the other is her favorite singer (let's not make her choose).

It was a really cool exhibit with interactive mics, guitars, drums, listening stations and photo ops throughout. Aurora brought her own money and even bought a Beatles magnet in the gift shop! Definitely a fun outing for the whole family, and a great way to wear everybody out on an otherwise lazy Saturday afternoon.

Otter Class

Yesterday ended up being more emotional for me and Aurora than it was for Clark, as we said goodbye to his teachers and friends at Children's Center of Austin. Everybody gave him lots of hugs and I think they're going to miss him.

I'm not so sure he's going to miss them... honestly, I thought he would, but the moment we stepped into his new classroom at last night's Open House, he was hooked. New toys, new friends, new teachers - AWESOME! He didn't want to leave. Seriously. I told him we had to go home to sleep but we'd be coming back in the morning, and he insisted he wanted to sleep there!!!

This morning we headed out bright and early with his new nap mat and lunch bag (he didn't need these things at CCOA) for Clark's first day in the Otter Class at the Valley View Elementary Childhood Development Center. One little girl was crying because she didn't want her mom to drop her off... Clark ran straight over to the boys playing on the carpet and said "Bye Mama!"

When I went to pick him up after work he was hot, sweaty, and VERY happy at their little outdoor play area, and yet again he did not want to go home.

This new preschool will allow us to have just one drop off and pick up everyday, it will save us money each month, and many of his classmates will continue with him into elementary school. Most of the kids in the program belong to teachers and staff at the school (or in the district), so it really is a great situation - made even better by how much our little Otter seems to love it!

Appointments

Today I took the day off of work. I'd like to say it was to hang out with Grandma Nancy, but we actually said goodbye to her this morning and then spent the day taking care of doctor and dentist appointments. We started with Clark's 3-year well-child checkup. He's sprouted up quite a bit and is 37" tall, which is 40th percentile for height. He weighed in at 26.6 lbs, which put him in the 5th percentile for weight. FIFTH! Such a skinny little guy.

He may be little, but he sure has a great big sister. She helped him put on his gown, then helped answer every question the doctor asked (you know, the questions she asks so she can hear him talk and understand where he is developmentally). Clark didn't need any shots and he checked out just fine, so it was a pretty painless appointment. The dentist appointment didn't go quite so well. Clark was okay sitting in the chair, but once tools and pastes entered his mouth he was DONE.

Aurora on the other hand - she was almost TOO excited for the dentist! I don't know if she was playing it up for Clark or trying to prove that she's the better patient, but it was silly. She said the dentist is her FAVORITE PLACE and declared this the best day of summer yet! I said "Aurora, I bet you love swimming more than coming to the dentist," and she said she doesn't know - she loves them both so much. It's not even a fun pediatric dentist or anything! Honestly, Aurora has been having a great time swimming at her Grandma & Grandpa's condo just about everyday for over a week. The whole family went together over the weekend and I must say, Grandma Nancy is a great swimmer and she has great legs. I would guess she likes swimming more than the dentist.

Now that the party's over, Grandma's gone, and the appointments are done, you'd think we could take a bit of a breather - but not quite yet. Clark is changing daycares this week! More to come.

Spider-Man Pizza Party

I asked Clark over a month ago what he wanted to do for his birthday. He said he wanted a Spider-Man pizza party, and he asked for sno-cones and cupcakes. That sounded great to me, and it sounded SO great to him that he's spent weeks asking "Mommy, is my Spider-Man pizza party coming today?" Well, the day finally arrived and I hope it was worth the wait! We had neighbors, friends and family join us for a get-together at our home. I attempted making sno-cones while we played outside, we had pizza, cupcakes and lots of presents. What more could a 3-year old ask for?

I asked him if he had a good time and he replied "Yeah, I wanna have another birthday party tomorrow!" Sorry buddy, you have to wait a year! Happy Birthday to my hilarious, high maintenance, stubborn, chatty and loving boy.

Little Volunteer

I wasn't planning on blogging today because we have such a big weekend ahead filled with big celebrations for our big 3-year old boy. But this has been quite a week and today was quite a day! Aurora spent Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with my parents, and today I brought her to work. I manage our office volunteers and have been needing more help on Fridays anyway. Her first job: picking out candy and putting together semester-end gifts for our summer interns.

Next she helped me ship out our previous day's eBay sales, and then our Graphic Designer asked if Aurora could draw a few pictures for a design they're working on. This year we're holding our first ever Kids Ride and Aurora's art will be on the t-shirts!!!

I wonder which picture they'll use? Afterwards she made puppets with a 14-year old volunteer who's been helping us at the front desk this summer. I've had several young volunteers lately! Sara and Aurora had a great time playing. My parents may recognize the outfit her puppet is wearing!

We had one more important job to do - we had to return some chafing dishes from a catered event I'd held the night before, so Aurora helped load everything into and out of my car. We ran a few errands, picked up Clark, then got ready to welcome Grandma Nancy for the weekend. I had told Aurora that if she was a good helper and had a good time, I'd have her back next Friday. Now I wish she could come volunteer every Friday!