Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Well, today was Averhy’s first day of preschool. Eek! She is attending First Baptist Preschool, just a few minutes from our house, and she loves it. Every time we drove past it this summer, whether on the way to the gym or a friend’s house, Averhy would spot it out the window and say “that’s my school I’m going to this fall!” Well, today “this fall” became “today”! Her teacher is Mrs. Foster, and she already knew a few kids at the school through our church (Noah, Jack, and Nolan) and the Tolono library playgroup (Erin) but only Noah is in her class.
She was all spiffed up with french braids (I asked if she wanted braids or ponies in her hair, and she said “braid ponies”) and a skirt that spins nicely, as well as her pony backpack that my mom made for me when I went to preschool. When I dropped her off at her classroom, she hardly looked back to say bye! Busy finding fun things to do…
Eden and I enjoyed running some errands and going to the gym, then back to pick Averhy up at 11:30. She was excited to report that she saw Noah again, as well as meeting two girls in her class, both who are named Sophie. (This reminded her of Aunt Jenny’s puppy named Sophie, so then we had to remember the name of their cat as well – Phoebe.) I decided to start a “first day of school” tradition – so we headed over to Jarling’s Custard Cup for ice cream! A strawberry teddy cup for Averhy and a pumpkin pie snowstorm for me (oh, and Eden enjoyed some squash as we waited for Jarling’s to open at noon).
Averhy was also excited to open (and watch) a special gift from Grandma and Grandpa – a new VeggieTales DVD – before eating lunch and then taking a LONG nap. School can wear you out! But she can’t wait to go again on Friday… (and every year for the next 14-18 years!!! eek!)
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Well, Eden is a mover. Officially. Crawling all over the place, mostly army-style, although I caught her on hands and knees this morning… time to baby-proof for real now…
And Averhy is a mover too – climbing all over the rock-climbing walls at the playground today, nearly fearless. I was pretty impressed!
No shakers I guess…
I neglected to write about our recent trip to Colorado… so here’s a belated post!
The first full week of August, we flew out to Colorado to celebrate cousin Hayley Martin’s marriage to Ty Schraufnagel, as well as spend a week with Sky’s family for a reunion. We had many exciting adventures throughout the week (beginning with missing our nonstop flight to Denver and having to fly through Phoenix instead… and then Averhy getting carsick because her tummy “doesn’t like curvy roads”… or climbing the “mountains” on the golf course next to the house… and then there were the friendly hummingbirds… and the fun swimming pool…) but Averhy would tell you that her favorite part of the week was “dancing with the boy in the white shirt.”
At Hayley and Ty’s wedding, Averhy had a blast on the dance floor… first dancing with Mema, then being tossed in the air by Daddy, and finally dancing with the only other kiddo her size (well, he was about a foot taller than her)… the boy in the white shirt. He did some fancy moves in the middle of a big circle out on the dance floor, and that must’ve caught Averhy’s eye… because the next thing we knew, they were slow dancing together for about a half hour! Or perhaps longer than that! Since she was about a head shorter than him, Averhy spent much of the time gazing up into his eyes… at least until she started falling asleep as they danced! We decided to call it an evening at that point… didn’t want her to fall asleep and fall down! It was a great evening, and a great week as well.
Today Averhy took her first trip to the dentist! Eden got to hang out with Colin and Dalton Rice while Averhy and I drove through a downpour on the way to Dr. Hill’s office. Luckily, the rain stopped just as we arrived. Averhy chose to bring her little kitty (thank you “Old McDonald’s” happy meal) with her to the appointment. She had fun playing with the toys in the office as I got my teeth cleaned, occasionally watching and commenting “Your teeth are shiny mama!” At times, she leaned in so far to see my teeth that I wondered if the hygenist could see past Averhy’s head! Then it was her turn…
…and she did great! She opened wide and let Miss Amanda, the hygenist, count all of her teeth (10 on top, 10 downstairs) and clean them with the electric toothbrush (and bubble gum toothpaste of course). Then she gladly repeated the counting process for Dr. Hill, and excitedly chose her new sparkly toothbrush and a bouncy ball from the prize basket. No cavities for this kiddo!
We just got back from a little show at the Iron Post in Urbana, where we listened to the music of Lynn O’Brien – a semi-local artist that we really enjoy. The Bubblegum song made Sky teary-eyed. Averhy went up to Lynn after the show (with me) and after a bit of prompting… A: “I like your music.” L: “Well, thank you!” (me: “Tell her your favorite song, Averhy…”) A: “I like the Italy song.” L: “Thank you! Do you play music?” A: “Yes, I do.” L: “Do you like to play piano?” A: “No, I like to play some different kind of music.” L: “Well, I’m glad you came!” (me: “Say thank you, Averhy…”) A: “Thank you.” L: “Thanks. That just made my night!”
I’m glad that we take the girls to things like this, and I hope we always do. I love exposing them to things that are interesting and different from what I experienced growing up… like intimate piano concerts in a little bar… or Thai food!
Well, I’ve been 30 for just over a week now, and I still feel 23… wonder if that will ever change…
Sky, Averhy, and I went sailing on my dad’s boat for my birthday last weekend and we had a great time, despite the lack of wind and the annoying flies. It was fun to watch Averhy “help” her Grandpa steer the boat, and to listen to hear excited squeals as we crashed through the waves. For a while, she and Sky sat up at the bow and she sang at the top of her lungs! After sailing on Saturday, we drove over to the beach and let Averhy splash a bit in the chilly water of Lake Michigan and squish the sand between her toes…
It took my dad 26 years to build the boat – he started when I was almost 2 – and it is so neat to watch him enjoy it now, and be able to enjoy it with Averhy… especially because he started the project thinking that he’d probably be out sailing by the time I was Averhy’s age…
by Allyson
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