Becca's birthday

On Becca's actual birthday, the 10th, I brought cupcakes to her school, mostly because it was her birthday and we weren't inviting most kids to her party (only because we can't invite everyone), but we also had a church staff party that night. We were having her party on Saturday so didn't feel too bad leaving her because we were still going to let her open presents from us and some others that were sent. But, running, just a little behind as always, Darren came home later than hoped, I was finishing up cooking and getting myself ready, we weren't going to have time for presents. Becca of course remembered I said we could do presents. So, I let her open 1 before and promised we would open the rest when we got home. She was satisfied with that, thank goodness. That helped alleviate some of my guilt. We had a good time at the pastor's house. Everyone brought some really good food. I had a dessert sample because I couldn't choose, then we did a dirty santa gift exchange. Someone had a cute snowman glitter 'lava lamp' nightlite I thought Becca would like. When I took it, I told everyone it was Becca's birthday. A couple of people thought about taking the nighlite but thought they wouldn't hear the end of it if they took something from a child. So, Becca was excited when we got home. As promised she opened the rest of her presents and then had to go to bed to get up for school since it was already late.

We braved Chuck E Cheese this year for Becca's party. It wasn't as bad as some Saturdays we've been there. We had a mishap free birthday this year. She chose Scooby Doo for her theme. I'll hand it to Chuck E Cheese, they really do a lot for the kids. Becca got extra tokens, parade around the tables, dance with her friends & Chuck E Cheese, a chance to go in the ticket machine, etc. She had a great time with her friends.

The next day, on Sunday, our church had an evening of praise where all the different choirs sang, individuals sang or played an intstrument, etc. You know how there's always 'one of those' in every group...I got her. I'm trying to round up a better video, but for now, just watch her after the first song. She give a big thumbs up, big waves, and a loud whisper to her teacher, "that's my mom!"

She also had her preschool program at school. She was not as animated there, maybe because it was a much bigger group. They actually combined both preschool groups for the program. I really enjoy this age where you can see them perform; I enjoyed both.

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Becca & Barrett both had their checkups that week as well. Becca is in the 97th percentile in height and weight and Barrett is in the 50th for height and 25th for weight. It's funny, Becca has always been tall for her age and so far, Barrett has always been average. I think it would be funny if they ended up at about the same height, although may feel a little bad for Barrett.

Trip to OK

At the beginning of December, I decided to head to Oklahoma. I wasn't going to be able to spend Christmas with my family so it gave me an excuse to head down there and save everyone on shipping their gifts as well. We left on Thursday and came back Monday so we had several days there. It's the first time I had taken both kids on a long car ride by myself. I'm happy to report they did great! So far, I have really good travelers...I hope it stays that way. Except soon, I'll have to deal with fighting in the backseat, but for now, they're really good. It worked out to where I stopped for lunch when Barrett woke up, then when he woke up again, I stopped for gas and let them out of their seats for a bit then back on the road. I was in T-town by dinnertime...I know, impressive huh?

The main reason I go to Tulsa is of course for q-time with my family,however, some of the other reasons I enjoy visiting are no longer there...Tippins (who had the best french silk pie ever!) and Egg Roll Express who had the best Chinese food. However, I did get to enjoy Mazzio's, Braum's, some good Mexican food (I'm sorry, but it's a little bland and tex-mexy around here), and some frozen custard. Why frozen custard has not made it out this way, I'll never know; anyone want to invest in one? There were a few other places I didn't make it to, but that's for another time when I'm there longer.

I did a little shopping while there because I didn't have all my shopping done. Before heading home for the kids' naps, we decided to run into Toys R Us because I had coupons. It was cold and I was in a hurry and Barrett took his socks off again. So, I put everything down, put his socks on, bundled him up and ran into the store. We're getting in the long line at check-out and I realize I don't have my purse. Okay, I'm in Oklahoma and the only other person who has keys is in KY. We had to call my brother to come get us and drive us illegally (without car seats) to mom's house and wait for the locksmith to tell us he's on his way. Then we drove back, illegally again, to get the car which took only seconds to 'break into'. That was a day completely wasted.

Saturday, my brother's church had something called 'Breakfast in Bethlehem'. The kids came and had snowman donuts from Krispy Kreme. They then went to different rooms to do a super cute craft...it gave me ideas for next year at our church. (I later heard another good idea...a book called the 'Advent Jessee Tree' 25 ornaments to tell the Christmas story with devotions for the kids for each ornament) So, the lady showed the kids what they were making...clay pot nativity. They could pick out the color they wanted to paint each pot and the color for their headdress. Becca and Cade were doing pretty good and then came time to draw the eyes. Becca saw the example and decided Joseph's eyes needed to be big. They didn't look too bad but I told her she might want to make Mary's eyes a little smaller. Being the good listener that she is, she made them bigger...almost the size of her head. But, hey, this is a kid's craft and that's what makes it cute. They then went to the gym to run off steam and then headed back to the chapel for 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' while waiting for the rest of the kids. The preschool director then told the kids the Christmas story. It was really a neat thing and Becca thoroughly enjoyed it.

Here is an example of the craft

Here is Becca's rendition of the nativity

Sunday, we headed to my brother's house to watch their kids while they went to a Christmas party. The kids really had fun playing together. Becca was very cute with her cousin. This is when Barrett really decided to start walking. He had taken a step or two but there was a toy he really liked there and took 7 or 8 steps at a time. Wow, he really is getting big.

This is a carboard "house" my mom has but had folded up and put in the corner for the time being, Becca and her cousin decided to go through the door anyway. Notice the pair of feet sticking out...a la "Wizard of Oz"

November

It's been a busy month...surprise, surprise. The only thing is, I can't tell you exactly what we did all month. Darren was on jury duty for the whole month. But he only had to go in a few times and was never chosen to serve on a jury.

Becca's school did something cool for the kids called Pizza & Pages. They did a reading night where they gave tips and ideas for helping your child read. Then you went to your classroom while the teacher gave you a few specifics. Everyone went to the cafeteria to get a piece of pizza and a free book for their age. We all enjoyed it.

Thanksgiving was fun this year. Most years, we have spent Thanksgiving with the 3 of us.(of course now there is 4 of us) Darren always works Thanksgiving morning so we never travel. One of our families has sometimes come to us or we have been invited to friends houses occasionally. This year, our friends, the Morgans, decided to invite the game night group (who meet monthly) and a few others to their house. There were 17 adults, 5 teenagers, and 8 kids. It was a lot of fun. We had 3 turkeys: oven-baked, fried and smoked. We got there around 1:00 and everyone left at different times. Some of us stayed until almost 10:00. We ate, played some games, watched some football, ate some more, played some more, ate some more, etc. We're talking about doing it again for New Years Eve.

One sad thing is Barrett got his first haircut. He had such beautiful blond hair. It was a little long but I was hoping for just a trim up around the ears and neck. Darren didn't like the fact that many people called him a girl. It never bothered me because he's a baby but, I still agreed it needed to be trimmed. He took him to the barber and came back with short hair all over. At first, I was sad but I like it and he's still as cute as ever. Someone said that before he still looked like a baby and his cut made him look like a big boy. Maybe that's why I was so sad...he's getting big; 1 year old in 19 days!

Before with his beautiful blond locks

After, with his cute big boy cut

October

Having a part-time job really is time-consuming. I'll catch you up on some of what's happened in the last month.

I had my eye surgery again. My mother-in-law came and helped out again and she was a big help...again. My eye didn't swell as much but it hurt a little more. It was a little harder to follow the rules this time around now that Barrett is bigger and more mobile. I wasn't able to bend over and had to have ice on my eyes most of the first 48 hours. I then wasn't allowed to lift more than 10 pounds for a week. It was difficult not to pick up Barrett at times. But Donna did put him in my lap some so we could get some cuddle time. Luckily, I have a happy-go-lucky kid who goes with the flow quite a bit; He was great for his grandma.

Most of the month was consumed with getting ready for trunk or treat at church. I was so consumed with the big details, the little details stressed me out in the end. Even though we had to move it inside because of the rain, we had a good time. The bad thing was, Darren and I were both stuck running different games so I didn't get any pictures. The next night which was actually Halloween, we had some friends over, I made much too spicy chili, went around our neighborhood and got WAY too much candy.

One of Becca's favorite friends is Thomas. I used to watch him at my house and now they're in school together. Normally, they're waving to each other as she gets off the bus to get in one last goodbye. The other day when getting off the bus, she's saying something to Thomas and the bus driver is as well. Thomas is waving out the window as usual to which Becca just flips her head and walks inside. She told me he was calling her, "Rebecca Rodriguez" or something like that and she didn't like it. About 10 minutes later, I get a phone call from his mom saying that Thomas told her he needed to call Becca to apologize...he wouldn't let it go, so she called. I tried to listen to the conversation because I thought it would be funny to hear two 4-year-olds talk.

Becca: So, what did you want to say?

Thoams: (something about Rebecca Rodriguez)

Becca: (with a sigh)I know, but I just don't like that name

Thomas: I won't say it again

Becca: What's the next word? (????)

Thoams: I'm sorry

Becca: What else did you want to say?

Thomas: (obviously done with the conversation he says something about talking to his mom and says bye)

Kids really do crack me up. The next day, her class had a Halloween party and they were sitting at the table. Some of the kids started calling a little girl, "Rylea Banana". Now, who knows where kids come up with these names..nobody was dressed as a banana, nobody was eating a banana...Anyway, I watched Becca to see if she would join in the name calling thinking I could use it as a teachable moment later on. She looked around at the kids saying it and said, "Stop it, stop it, don't call her that, she doesn't like it." Needless to say, I was very proud for her standing up for her friend. Now, I'm sure I can't expect the same all the time, but she did the right thing at least once. I will say, I don't worry about anybody pushing Becca around. This has been a long post so I will end with some pictures of my cuties.

Aren't they so cute?

Eyeing that cupcake

Catch-up

Wow, time never slows down! I can't even begin to remember everything that's happened in the last month. I started my new part-time job as the preschool/nursery coordinator at church. Basically, I'm in charge of scheduling volunteers, workers, activities, etc for all our kids younger than kindergarten age. It has kept me pretty busy lately. I'm also beginning to work on the trunk or treat for our church...wow, is it only 4 weeks away?

Becca is loving preschool but it's hard to find out what she does for the 3 hours she's in school. Normally she tells me they played outside. Although she did tell me that they worked on the letter "D". I'm glad to tell you, I passed the background check in order to volunteer in her classroom. (I know some of you were worried about that) I hope to be able to go on field trips and help in other ways too. Unfortunately, the first field trip to Christian Way Farms is 5 days after my eye surgery so not sure I'm going to be up for that one. As a librarian, books are one of my weaknesses. Becca will be bringing home book orders once a month and I am going to have to budget myself. It's so hard not to support her school. (at least that's what I told myself when I bought books this last time)

Right now Becca has the flu and an ear infection. We waited in Convenient Care on Saturday for 5 hours. Luckily, Barrett is an easy baby and he didn't fuss much at all. She's run a fever off and on since Thursday and has a bad cough and stuffy nose. The hardest part is to try to keep her from coughing and sneezing all over the place and keep her hands off too many things. The last thing I want is any of us to get sick but am most concerned about Barrett. His little body wouldn't handle it as well.

Barrett is really getting so sweet and his little personality is showing through. He truly is a joy. Below is a video of him discovering a new toy and cracking up. Also, there are some pictures of him with a little girl I was watching a few times this last month. It was really cute to see them together.

First day

Today, my big girl, went to her first day of preschool. Darren and I took her up there and thought I would get her settled and leave. Darren did have to leave pretty quickly to get to work, but many parents were hanging around so I did too. We took her to her room and met her interim teacher: there still is no permanent teacher. The assistants from the previous year(s) are there so that is good. Every morning, they will go to the cafeteria for breakfast first. I stayed with her while she ate. Her friend, Thomas, who I used to watch in the afternoons is in her class. That is both good and bad. Good because she warmed up quicker and didn't have problems with me leaving. Bad because if she's too comfortable or knows someone, she may not listen as well or make friends as well.

She wanted to ride the bus home so she did. The preschool bus is strictly for preschoolers. There is the bus rider, plus another adult to help them. It is also a hand to hand transfer: they will not let your child off the bus unless you're there to get them off. So, I felt pretty good about letting her try it. With her friend on the bus too, she liked it. Tomorrow, she will start riding the bus to and from school. This also gives me a little extra time to get a few things done.

I tried to find out what she did today but when I asked her, she said, "We played outside." I felt a little better when another friend whose daughter goes to another school, told her the same thing. So, I'm not sure exactly what she did but I know she had fun. I also told her to have fun playing with Thomas but to make some other friends too. Like I said earlier, if she has a friend she's playing with, she doesn't always want to try to make new ones. I'm sure she will in time. As for me, I did pretty good. I went home to feed Barrett and the house was SOOO quiet. I got out, went to Target, and got back in time for the bus.

As for Barrett, he's still as happy as can be. He's finally got his second tooth which came in 3-4 weeks after his first. They're coming in slowly and he doesn't seem to be too cranky about it. He started crawling just a little last week. He's got it pretty perfected now. He doesn't crawl fast but he can get to just about anywhere he wants to go. Wow, one in preschool and one crawling. They really do grow too fast!!

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life - A

I saw this on a friend's blog and thought it was a cute idea.

African violets - My mom had many, many of these little flowers. She had a lighted stand in her bedroom that was filled with these pretty plants. She knew all the names and I remember her going shopping for new ones and getting excited showing us.

Aquarium - Everyone is always fascinated by an aquarium full of fish...big or small. My dad always wanted one. To get a nice one is not cheap so us kids discussed giving that to him as a gift one year. He never had space for it however so he would enjoy "visiting" when he went to his mom's house. It really is peaceful to sit and watch them.

Alligator - In high school, our youth group went on a mission trip to Cut Off, Louisiana. I had never seen rivers with boats in the median of the roads or "swamps" on the side of the roads. There was a guy in the church we called 'Alligator Jimmy'; in my small rememberances, he wrestled, caught, did something with alligators. We went to an alligator farm and got to hold some if we wanted...I chose not to. We also had a big shrimp boil with all you could eat shrimp, corn, potatoes, etc. They served cajun nuggets which we were later told was alligator meat. It was good, don't remember exactly what they tasted like...maybe chicken???

Amy - It's funny how names go in cycles. My mom didn't know a single Amy when she named me; she had only heard of 1 other. It became a pretty popular name in the 70s; I was one of 3 in my second grade class. Now, I haven't heard of anyone naming their babies Amy in awhile. It went from #2 in the 70s and droped through the decades to now being #116 in the 2000s.