My Favorite Time of Day

I was thinking as I was sitting in the carpool line yesterday that picking Madeleine up from school has become my favorite time of day. I can't wait to see her and find out what she's done for the day. I love watching her sit with her little friends and talk while she waits for me....what I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall and hear what they're talking about.

Then, I started thinking that my favorite time of day can't be that because it's my cuddle time with Harrison right before his nap. We snuggle and read books....right now we read Wonder Pets every day. Twice. We sing the song together and he just laughs and laughs! Then he snuggles down in bed and I sing to him. I love this time.

But, then I remembered that my favorite time of day is dinnertime when we all sit around the table and tell the best part of our day. Even Harrison is starting to get into this although his don't always make a lot of sense. :)

Or is it tucking my girl in the car in the mornings and seeing the anticipation on her face as she looks forward to what Kindergarden will hold for the day. I love watching her ride off with her Daddy as Harrison and I stand outside and wave, knowing that this is their special time together. Then Harrison and I head back inside to start our day, just the 2 of us.

Maybe my favorite time is watching Madeleine and Harrison play together after school, so happy to see each other after spending the day apart. They laugh and run and talk about their days. Harrison HAS to tell her everything we did that day. It usually goes something like, "I played play-doh, I went potty, I took nap in your bed, I go park..." you get the idea. He'll interrupt her over and over until he's given his spiel. :)

I guess I can't narrow down my favorite time of day. I may not love every minute of every day, but I wouldn't trade one minute of it to be doing something else. I love my job! :)

Queen For The Day

Last week Madeleine was finally Queen of her class for the day! She's been looking forward to getting to be the queen ever since school started and the first thing she'd tell me when she gets in the car would be who was the king/queen that day. I kept telling her to just wait, one day the teacher would pick her name from the jar.

She was SO EXCITED when she hopped into the car that afternoon! Apparently the Queen is also the line leader/supply helper which is a BIG deal when you're in kindergarden! Everyone draws a picture of the Queen too. I think it's supposed to help them learn each other's names.

Here's Madeleine with her book of pictures and her "crown."
And here's the picture she drew of herself. Pretty good, huh? :)

It's amazing how much she's changed in the past few weeks! She's growing up so much and learning something new every day. Her writing has come so far. It was pretty good to begin with, but she wrote pretty much in all caps....now she can write her little letters really good too! I'm impressed with her rhyming skills and the HUGE number of nursery rhymes she's learning (apparently nursery rhymes are big big big in kindergarden.). Last night she even recited the Pledge of Allegience to Me. Correctly.

Second First Day of School

Yesterday was Harrison first day of preschool! He's going to be going to MDO two mornings a week and he's been looking forward to it ever since Madeleine started kindergarden. He was super excited to get dressed and get ready and be a "big boy" and go to school too!

Here he is all ready to go! Such a handsome boy!
I wasn't sure if the excitement would last through drop off, but he did GREAT! I was thrilled to leave a happy kiddo. He has several kids in his class from last year, so there were some familiar faces which was nice. As soon as we got in his room he headed for some toys and waved bye to me and that was that! :)

I have to admit that having 4 entire hours to myself was WONDERFUL! I got through my grocery shopping in record time, worked out and did laundry....I really know how to party, huh?!?!

The BEST part was pickup time! I walked into his room to find him playing happily and when he looked up and saw me he ran to me with open arms yelling "mama, mama." I think I got the biggest hug EVER!! Since we're together practically every minute of every day, I don't usually get the excited missed-you-hugs, so I enjoyed every moment!

As soon as we got home, he had to immediately take his artwork from the day and hang it on the fridge. The pride on his face when he did that was unforgettable. Usually it's Madeleine that brings home papers for the fridge and I think he's been waiting for his turn! I can't wait to see all the cute stuff he does this year....he's got such a sweet teacher and I'm so thankful for this sweet little school!

After Dinner Entertainment

Here's a video of Madeleine singing a "new" song she learned at school (actually it isn't new, she already knew it, but says she didn't. Who am I to argue with my 5 year old???).



I love the way Harrison's laughing at her. I can't help but find myself laughing along. :)

Labor Day Weekend

We decided spur of the moment this weekend that we just needed to get away and this might be our last chance for awhile.....so we packed up and headed to Branson for some fun! Our first stop was Fuddruckers -- our favorite place to eat there! They have the yummiest hamburgers and milkshakes.

Madeleine being goofy while waiting for our dinner. :)

The chocolate milkshake was the star of their show! They chowed down on it first.

Here's Daddy, happy to be away for awhile! We all needed a break after the busy summer we had....funny, huh? And this semester is going to be nuts with Matt taking 6 hours of doctoral classes!! So, he's taking in this time away! :)

The kids LOVE staying in hotels! I mean, I think we could just go to any hotel, hang out and they'd be happy! So easy-peasy to please aren't they?? We booked a hotel with an indoor pool so they could swim (I was just the picture taker -- no one needs to see my big belly in a swimsuit!). The water was nice and warm and they had such fun!

Harrison in his favorite position on Daddy's back. Thankfully he's not TOO heavy yet! ha!

My cautious girl hanging onto the side and "swimming."

Another reason for heading to Branson was to do some shopping! I realized last week when we had some cool days that Harrison didn't have any long sleeved shirts that fit (I actually took him out in a 24 month outfit since it was the only thing he had warm enough!). So we hit the stores hard and I found LOTS of great bargain.....along with everyone else in Missouri, I think! That place was crowded!

We kept the kids happy by riding every ride along the sidewalk. Twice. :) This horse was by far their favorite!

Here's their mode of transportation. I left the double stroller at home which ended up being good since there were so many people there and it would have been hard to maneuver. So, matt was our workhorse!

We also had to stop for some good ol' bluebell ice cream one afternoon!

These kids LOVE ice cream. I think it's in their blood! :)

Here's another favorite ride.

I think her smile says it all, don't you??

We all had a great time and are hoping to squeeze in another trip sometime this fall if we can just find the time!

Soccer

Last Saturday was Madeleine's first soccer practice of the season. She's been waiting for this day for a loooong time and was so excited about playing with a team! They have 6 little girls on their team and they are so cute! Watching them practice is adorable and pretty funny at times. :)

Madeleine is quite the observer and quickly picked up on this soccer stance.
They went through a bunch of games with their soccer balls to teach them some of the basics.

They have a great coach! He's more interested in the girls having a good time than anything else! He's got a good bit of silly in him too which helps! :)

Her first practice was quite a success and she counted down the days until the next practice! We were the first ones there on Thursday for practice she was so excited. She's making friends with the other girls and it's been a fun way for us to meet some other parents too.