The Sickies

One day C came home from school with awful allergies. Mrs.W. said that C had been sniffling and sneezing a lot in class. When I went to pick her up after school I noticed her eyes were very red and and she had a big red splotch under eye.  But she seemed to feel okay so we headed to the library. We were waiting for our turn on the computers and I touched her head and she was burning up!

We got home and she had a temp of 103.4.  Poor thing. I got her meds and settled on the couch and she was quickly asleep.  Of course Jake had to be by her side.

The next day she was still running a fever and she still had the allergies. But no other symptoms thankfully. She missed 2 days of school.

By the end of her 2nd day at home she had been fever free for 24 hours. So we had a late lunch of grilled cheese.

She was feeling a lot better. I am surprised that she has only missed 3 days of school all year.  I thought for sure with all the sickness going around she would have been sick more often. I am thankful for my healthy girl and that neither Jeremy or I got sick.

100th Day Of School

Today was the 100th day of school!! C and her class have been counting the days all year.  Mrs. W makes school so much fun. So for the 100th day, they had a fashion show.

They had to wear something with a "100" things on it. I knew most girls would make beaded necklaces or hair bands.  I scoured the Internet and found this cute shirt idea right away!

Meet our 100 googlie eyed monster.  Oh, so scary!!  C helped me hot glue all 100 eyes on it. It was a huge hit.

Love this picture of C and Mrs. W!!  What a fun, fun day!

Picture Purge

Last Friday I made C a cardboard box bus.  I used 2 rolls of duct-tape and still ran out.  But I think it looks cute. C LOVES it.  We put her little chairs in there and they are perfect height.

On Friday night we had a pajama, drive in movie. Maya, you can see Alicia's head peeking out behind C.

When C went to bed that night her friends got to enjoy it.

I swear I tuck my child into her bed, but when I go back to check on her I find her on the floor.  The 2 times I moved her back to her bed, she woke up and demanded to be put back on the floor.( or on her dog)!

We signed her up for cheerleading much to her Daddy's disapproval.  After the first class, she declared she did not like it.  Told us the same thing after second class.  I agree it is not a good fit for her.  It is 2 hours long and does not hold her attention span. I think Daddy was secretly happy that C did not like it. We are going to see if they will change her to soccer.

This was my car today.  It is winter right?  We missed breaking a record by 1 degree.  They said we will probably break a record tomorrow!  Jeremy told me that the HIGH in Bloomington today was 6*.  Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Arizona!!

Can't believe my girl is in short sleeves and capris in mid-January!!

We headed to the park to meet some friends for the afternoon.  When we left she told me she was hot!!

We went shopping to find me some slippers today. My feet are always cold in the mornings. I didn't find me any, but C came home with a pair. Before she went to bed, she laid them out next to her bed-stool. She told me to leave them there so she could slip right into them when she woke up.  Not sure where she learned that from.

C still loves to write us sweet notes and leave them for us to find. She left this one in the kitchen for me.  In case you can't make out what it says:  

"Mom do you know how special you are and do yo know that I love you more than anything in the world. love Chandler!"

Okay who is crying with me??!!  

I tell Jeremy all the time that she can have whatever she wants as long as she writes us notes like that!!

She has such a sweet, helpful heart. After the park I was cleaning the bathrooms and going up and down the stairs. She was playing in her room and called out to me. "Mom is there anything I can help you with? I will help you clean if you need my help."

Be still my heart!

The Hot Seat

In Mrs. Wienke's class they are learning sight words like the ones below. There are 10 lists and about 15-20 words on each list. So about 200 words.  The kids have to learn each list at home and then at school they are seated in Mrs. W's rocking chair a.k.a The Hot Seat.  Then she flips through the cards and the kids have to say what the word is. They can not sound it out. They need to know it by sight.  And right away.

C loved learning each new list. So we were not surprised when she learned list after list with lighting speed.  As of last week she became a Hot Seat Champion.  She finished all 10 of the lists. There are some kids who are still on list 1 or 2. And they started learning the lists in September. Out of 26 kids in her class, she is only the 4th kid to complete all 10 lists!! We are super proud of her!! 

Mrs. W said that only the words on List 1 are Kindergarten words. All the other lists are words geared for 1st and 2nd graders.  C has such a love for school. She loves to play school with her real friends and her furry, fake friends. And of course she always has to be the teacher.  We are so proud of our smart Champion!!

She's Five & A Half!!

This sweet girl turned 5 1/2 today!!  I can hardly believe it!  She was so excited to be able to celebrate her half birthday at school.

We got to bring a special sweet treat for snack time. Jeremy and I joined her for lunch. We even brought her favorite meal: cheeseburger and sweet potato french fries. 

This sweet girl was so happy to show off her crown and sticker at the end of the day.  After school C and I headed down to the mall. I had a coupon at Toys R Us, so I let her pick something small out. Then we stopped for a half birthday donut from Krispy Kreme. What a fun day for a 5 1/2 yr old!!

C is such an easygoing kid. She is very loyal and adores all her friends. She is very outgoing and a people pleaser like her Mom. She loves to dance. We are signing her back up for another session of ballet and tap next week. She is very good at it too. She loves all types of music. She loves to sing. Lately she can be heard singing "Frosty The Snowman" around the house.  She has joined Daisy's this year and is enjoying it. 

Luckily she is still a good sleeper. Now that she is in school she has a strict bedtime. She is in bed by 7:30 every night. Ever since Christmas, when I gave her a sleep mask, she has become obsessed with it. As soon as she hops into bed, she puts it on. And it stays on for most of the night too.

C still loves movies. Her current favorite for the last few months is "Charlie & The Chocolate Factory". The one with Johhny Depp. She has probably seen it over 25 times.  She is not into kids show anymore. She occasionally will watch Looney Tunes or a princess show. Other than that she is all about movies. She still loves to read and be read to. She still loves school and her teacher.  Her favorite toys are her stuffed animals. She will play with them for hours on end.  She loves to talk and can ask 1 million questions a day.

She is such a happy, loving kid. I am so blessed that she is all mine. Happy 5 1/2 birthday big girl!!

On To The Grand Canyon

Disclaimer: These photos do the Grand Canyon NO JUSTICE!!

 Seeing the Grand Canyon is indescribable. There are really no words to describe it. Yes it is BIG. But it is more than that. It takes your breath away. There is a sense of awe and peace surrounding it. It makes you feel so small and at the same time connected to mother nature. 

After our ride on the Polar Express we headed south about an hour to our hotel. The next morning we got up and went to check out the Canyon for ourselves. It was extremely crowded and cold. There are many lookout points along the canyon. We took the shuttle buses to different ones, walked on some trails and took in it's beauty,

Again these pictures do it no justice.

Some of the points had fences like this one. Some did not. I was surprised at the people who got close to the edge to take pictures. I was feeling queasy and sick just watching them.

Perfect example of no fence at the edge. That drop is a mile down.

One of my favorite pictures. The canyon is as far as you can see and then further.

We found a little store that had a deli and had a late lunch. The we met up with our Amber/Ron and Sofia. They live in our neighborhood and happened to be visiting the Polar Express and Grand Canyon the same weekend as us. 

At sunset.

Dinner with our friends. We had a enjoyable dinner and it was so nice to share it with friends. I am so thankful for Amber's friendship and Sofia's for Chandler.

I think these 2 pictures are the most accurate for showing how impressive and grand the canyon really is.

And just a few facts about the canyon. It is 277 miles long and 18 miles wide. The depth is over a mile. The canyon touches 3 states: Arizona, Utah and Nevada. It is considered 1 of the 7 wonders of the world.

It is definitely something to behold.

All Aboard The Polar Express

After Christmas and Maya left, the 3 of us headed up to the Grand Canyon for a few days. On the way we made a pit stop to ride on The Polar Express.  This train is like the one in the movie. All the kids wear their pajamas, enjoy hot chocolate and cookies, sing carols and enjoy a reading of the story.

We left cool weather of around 60* in Phoenix and arrived to snow just a few hours north. 

C was very excited to see snow and kept asking to play in it. And trying to eat it.

We got seated on the train and C began reading over the Christmas carols. Jeremy and I were both impressed with how well she could actually read them.

The train ride is about 30 minutes each way. We kept our eyes out for Santa's reindeer. We were lucky enough to see some elk. C was convinced they belonged to Santa.

Finally arriving at the North Pole!!

Santa boarded the train through the "A" car. We were on the "M" car. So it took him awhile to make his way back to us.  The chef on our car did a great job interacting with the kids and making the wait bearable.

Patiently waiting and waiting for the REAL Santa. She told me that she knew this is the "real one". We have talked about how the ones you see at malls and in front of stores are all the real Santa's helpers.  We explained that Santa can't be everywhere at once. So he has helpers who meet and talk with the kids all over the world. But the real Santa is at the North Pole.

Absolute JOY when she saw him.

He gave all the kids a silver bell like in the movie.

She remembered her manners. She thanked him for the bell and for the Doodle Bear he brought her. This Santa was great! He was so sweet and patient.

She was so happy to meet Santa. It was so wonderful to experience the joy and excitement through her. A big thanks to Jeremy for the idea and making it all happen!!