At Long Last!

OK, so I admit that my posts are few and far between. That's mainly because I feel like every time I post, I have to have a picture or two attached to it...if I could just use the blog as an electronic diary/journal, then I would post more frequently. I tend to upload my photos en masse, not piecemeal, day by day...fortunately, today I have uploaded my photos from the past 6 weeks or so, so you're in for a treat!

This post is about none other than my growing daughter. She's been in school for a little over a month now, and I can't believe how much she's learning! I am so pleased with how things are going (other than her constant disciplinary problems for not keeping her hands to herself!). Last night, we were drawing with chalk on the driveway, and she drew her first letter: E of course! I feel she's behind or at least challenged in the writing/coloring department. I can't get her to hold the crayon/marker the "right" way despite numerous attempts. She draws nothing but lines and circles. Lately she's been drawing those things and calling them something (like an animal, car, etc.). She drew a skewed smiley face (which she calls "crazy man") the other day, and I was overjoyed! Then, last night, I showed her how to make an "e," and she did it immediately! I picked her up and spun her around, kissing her until I got dizzy! After that, every time she drew another "e," she wanted mami to "get excited."

This morning before school, she grabbed Dr. Suess' Hop on Pop and basically started reading it to me. Memorization and referring to the illustrations, of course, but progress nonetheless. Could it be that reading so much to her will really help her learn to read? That's what the research says, but when you witness it firsthand in someone you love, it has a whole new meaning!

Attached are various pics giving attitude in her cute outfits. Grammy basically buys her wardrobe, and Em always looks so good in everything (alert: mom bias). Enjoy! Especially check out the one where she made the letter "n" with her magnets and the one where she arranged the play-doh balls in order of size! That's my girl!

Em's First Day of Preschool

We decided to put Em in a 2-morning-a-week preschool program for social reasons. She goes to Jacob's Ladder from 9:15-1:15 on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Acworth First Baptist. I really like the schedule. She has music on Tuesdays and Spanish on Thursdays. They have a letter of the week. They practice writing it (tracing), the sound it makes, and they even bring in something that starts with that letter for "show and tell." They also eat lunch together. She is loving it, although they weren't loving her at first! =) They have a stoplight version of discipline, where the goal is to stay on green and not get to yellow (time out) or red (no pick from the treasure box at the end of the week). Well, the first day in carpool line, I was informed that "she had a very hard time listening." How 'bout that for some encouragement. And even after talking it up, she still got on red the next day. So, I tried to motivate her by offering her a surprise if she stayed on green the following week, and it worked! She's been on green ever since (knock on wood). Hopefully, it was just a matter of adjusting to a structured routine since I don't really have that here at home. I can't believe how much and how fast she's learning--amazing! I love that I can actually talk to her about what happened at school, and, for the most part, she can tell me! I'm finding that my 8 hours "off" per week are even busier than if she were with me--I'm packing in endless appointments and errands that are faster/easier to get done alone than with a toddler tagging along, but I'm not to the point of using that time to rest at all yet...maybe that will come, but I doubt it! So, I'd say her life is pretty good with school on Tues. and Thurs., gymnastics on Mondays, and story time at the library on Wednesdays. Here are some pics of her first day. She walked into the classroom as if she owned it and shouted, "Hey everybody! Hey Miss Diane!" Not even a look back at the grieving parents. Unbelievable how social this kid is...we were never planning on putting her in a program until she was 4, but with no sibling yet, she's going a bit stir crazy!

More Beach Pics

For some reason, this blog will only let me upload 5 pics per post. If anyone out there knows how to fix this, please let me know! I will attempt to upload a video clip next...hopefully that'll work!

Hilton Head Island, SC--Family Beach Trip Aug. 2008

OK, OK, so I'm really behind! We went to Hilton Head for our first time (ever) in Aug. for a few days and just loved it. We stayed at the Hilton Oceanfront Resort, and it was perfect! Highly recommended! Loved the room, loved the beach, and loved the weather! The sand isn't white sand; it's darker and heavier, but the best thing about this beach is that when you're in the ocean, the floor is completely clean--no seaweed, no rocks--just bare, packed sand under your feet! Great for children! (The downside, though, was the lack of seashells.)

This was the first year that Em went running for the water. When she was 1, she didn't like the sand or the water. When she was 2, she preferred the sand. Now at 3, she definitely prefers the water--specifically jumping the breaking waves! We loved watching the numerous Nigels dive into the water (that would be a pelicans reference from Finding Nemo). We also really liked the layout of the island--there's one central horizontal thoroughfare with endless perpendicular turnoffs for each resort/hotel to the beach. On that highway, restaurants and other stores were plentiful, well within driving distance from our hotel.

Emily basically accosted any and every kid she laid eyes on. She would attach herself to the children and sometimes their families. It got so out of hand that we actually had to tell her to stop, that families wanted to spend time with each other and not pesky strangers (how sad is that?). The best one was a German-speaking male duo. They were something like 7 and 5, and were so excited to be in the ocean. The mom was back on the beach, and there went Emily greeting them and introducing herself. When they didn't respond, she tried her Spanish "hola." I tried to tell her they didn't speak English or Spanish, that they spoke another language and that they didn't understand her...but she persisted, and started repeating German phrases they used with each other. Eventually, all 3 of them were jumping the waves hand-in-hand, with Em in the middle! Too bad I don't have a pic of this. But we're pretty happy with the pics we do have--check them out!

Vanilla Chai is BACK!

Hello all, just thought I'd share my joy as one of my favorite faux-coffee drinks is back on the market. Dunkin' Donuts used to carry a drink called the Vanilla Chai, and I would get it on a regular basis whenever I needed a pick-me-up (from sugar, not caffeine). One day, they told me it had been indefinitely discontinued, until one time when I asked and they said it was gone forever. Oh, how my world changed. It shifted more towards Starbucks. Last night, I drove thru to pick up some b'fast for this morning, and I happened to ask if/when the drink would return...he said, we have it right now. I immediately purchased one, of course.

The Surreal Life

I just lived the most incredible day imagineable. Most of you already know what happened to me, but for those of you who don't, I must introduce you to my TV morning talk show addiction: Live with Regis and Kelly. I adore those two, especially the latter, who is the one that attracted me to watching the show on a regular basis. I watch them religiously, taping the show every day without fail. For the past 6-7 years, I have been entering once a day online to be a trivia caller in which I'd get a crack at answering a question to win a vacation package. Well, those years of relentlessly entering paid off, as I was called around 8:05 a.m. this morning. Yep, I had a conversation with Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa today. They said my name--correctly! They posted my name and city on the most popular and successful nationally syndicated morning talk show. As if talking with my idols weren't enough, I knew the answer to the question and subsequently won a trip to the La Playa Beach Resort in Naples, Florida! I can't even begin to describe the adrenaline high that has carried me all the way to midnight. I have been on the phone for the majority of the day with relatives and friends who've called to congratulate me. I believe I should also start charging a commission for giving out info on my line of work. That was the topic of discussion with R & K, and I received 3 phone calls and 1 e-mail from people interested in doing standardized test assessment online. I have truly felt like a celebrity today. I believe my 15 minutes of fame have come and gone. Boy, were they sweet!

NYC x 2

This past April, my annual TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) Conference was held in New York. I hadn't been there in a decade--since I went with my friend Leigh for my first visit as a college graduation gift to myself! I must say, the views of the city firsthand are equally, if not more, breathtaking. Sorry that my pics don't do it justice. (Do they ever???) The one of me in front of the Statue of Liberty is the last one that was taken right before I dropped and broke my camera! Good thing it was at the end of my stay...By the way, I've never understood how the infamous "they" could make an entire store and line of products out of a chocolate candy...but they're pretty cute!

Experienced bloggers and/or technologically savvy people--feel free to give me advice regarding photo placement/arrangement.

In-Law Visit

I feel like I have so much to catch up on since we've been quite busy this year. From the beginning of May until mid-June, Fernando's parents came to stay with us for the 3rd time in 7 years. It was a fantastic visit, a true whirlwind from start to finish. Here are some choice photos from all our "field trips." You can click on any picture to see it on the full-sized screen.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Emily Rose!

How could I begin my blog and not talk about my 3-year-old daughter? She's just about the center of our world right now, and she recently had a birthday! Fortunately, she had many family members present to celebrate. Thanks to those of you who sent her cards, phone calls, and L-O-V-E! She enjoyed all of that so much! I must say, as much as I adore her, she's not the perfect child by any means, but she gets excited over the smallest details of life and is truly thankful for those little, precious moments. Here are some pics from her day.

Storme Scare

Most of you probably don't know that last year around this time, we adopted an adult female rescued mutt named Storme (pronounced Storm but now affectionately called Stormy or, my personal favorite, Stormity). She has been a welcome and much-loved addition to our family. This morning, as per usual, the first thing I did was let her out right away. I let her stay out a few minutes longer than usual because she was sick. When I opened the door, she wasn't anywhere I could see her, and when she didn't come after I called her, I saw that our fence gate was wide open. I panicked and ran down to the cul-de-sac to look for her with no luck. I quickly ran back home to wake up and dress Emily so we could get in the van to drive around and look for her. I wasn't even down to the corner calling her out the window when she appeared by the van. She must've run pretty fast and/or far because it took her 30 minutes for her panting to subside. We're so glad that we didn't lose our Storme!