I'm finally getting caught up on our blog! I've been doing a lot of posting lately, so scroll through the older posts (at the bottom of the page) to see other recent posts. One of these days I will actually be caught up! :)

Sunday, March 27, 2011

School Days

I love pictures of Elaina at school, so that's why I'm always posting so many of them. Something about her time at school is a bit of a mystery to me because she's gone from me 7 1/2 hours each day, 5 days a week. I'm curious about every minute of it (we talk a lot when she gets home because I'm full of so many questions about her day)! So I love to go visit often and get to know her friends, her teacher, her school routine, and what she's learning. I love that she's still excited about me being involved in this part of her life. I hope she's always ok with me being interested in her life...and I'll try not to be that overbearing Mom :)

Off to School


Hallway Etiquette
When the kindergartners walk in the hallway, they have to put a bubble in their mouth and "bears in cages" (which means hands clasped behind their backs). I think they look so cute walking down the hallway like this.

Even Erin knows the rules:



Lunch Time
When your grandparents are in town, you get really lucky and they bring you McDonalds "hangaburs" for lunch...

...and everyone wants to be your friend when you get McDonald's for lunch!


Recess
Right after lunch they go outside and do some active songs. Elaina gets totally into it. I need to get a video of some of her favorite songs


Elaina with her friends, Haleigh, Sonovia, and Becky

She loves the swings!


Erin and I often have lunch with Elaina and then stay for recess afterward. All the kids love it when Erin comes and they all want to play with her. Sometimes random kids will come and grab Erin's hand and take her off somewhere else to play with them. So naturally Elaina gets a little possessive, and makes sure Erin is within her sight, or holding her hand, at all times - she doesn't like other people competing for her sister's attention! She's happy to share her sister, just don't take Erin away from her!

Monkey bars!


Elaina and her friend Cathy, deep in conversation

My Dad became a popular guy when the kids started seeing him carrying the girls around the playground like this. All the kids started asking for a turn!

***
A funny side note:
One day when I was at Elaina's school during recess a group of kids from a different class came up to me and asked if I had a baby in my tummy. I said yes.

Their response:
"oh."
[and then a long pause as they thought about this]
"So....do you have to get married now?"
Lucky for me, that was the first step! :)
***

Elaina gives us a tour around the classroom

Where she hangs her backpack

where she does calendar time

Her favorite center: The Home Center (also a favorite is the art center)

Mrs. Nelson reading stories to the class

Showing Nana her schoolwork

her cubby


Home from school

She rides the bus home and walks down the street with friends on the block. Sometimes they stop and chat at "the big rock" on the corner. She talks about it as if it's the local hangout :) The highlight of Erin's day is when Elaina gets home and she often runs down the street to wait for her.

I love this picture of the girls saying goodbye to each other after recess. I can only imagine what important words of wisdom Elaina is passing on to her sister, or what she's instructing Erin to do in the 2 hours until she gets home from school!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Erin's Preschool

My Mom went with Erin to preschool one day and got some cute pictures:







Sunday, March 13, 2011

Random Stuff

These are just some fun pictures to show things that we've been up to the past few months. Enjoy!

Elaina, hard at work making her Valentine's

Erin faithfully checks the mailbox every day...usually at least 3-4 times a day.

She is so cute!!! Don't you just crack up to see her riding down the street like this? Oh, I love her!

Hugging the fire hydrant

Elaina did this to herself one Saturday morning. She planned to keep it on all day...but lasted about 20 minutes. It was an unusually quiet 20 minutes. This girl is SO talkative.

Maybe it's an age thing. Erin lives in her dress ups, just like Elaina did at 3

Elaina on her scooter

Looking for rolly pollies

The girls love playing in the backyard!

Cutie pie

Elaina earned 4 tickets to the A&M Men's basketball game earlier this year by participating in a reading challenge. We went with the family of a girl in her class and had a great time!

Erin at the basketball game

Erin and Millie during naptime. I love to see Millie cuddled up next to the girls. I think it's so sweet

Elaina and Millie having a sleepover

Elaina all grown up and ready for CTR 5

Erin and her new scriptures on her very first day of Sunbeams

The girls love to watch movies and have sleepovers together in their tent!


Erin has to ring the bell outside of the library every time we go

Erin at the library storytime

Erin loves attending preschool! She goes once a week, and the Moms and I take turns teaching, just like I did when Elaina was 3&4

Erin doing crafts at preschool

I taught the preschool class about winter clothing one day. We played a game where the kids rolled the dice and had to put on an item of clothing, corresponding to the number rolled on the dice. They all looked so cute decked out in their winter gear!

Elaina had to make a boat for some boat races at school. She and Daddy are hard at work in the garage

Best mode of transportation!