Reunion pictures that didn't make the cut

From the Mouth of Taylor

We had some family over tonight for games. Toward the end of the night I was helping Taylor get into his jammies. He took off all his clothes (and I mean all) and said "I need to go pee". It was too urgent for him to get his clothes on first, so I told him to hurry into the bathroom and I'd make sure that no one saw him naked. He finished and ran back into the bedroom. And here's the dialog that continued.

Taylor: Why can't anyone see me naked?
Mom: Because it's not modest. Only Mommy, Daddy, and doctors can see you naked.
Taylor: So, no cousins and friends can see me?
Mom: Nope, no cousins or friends.
Taylor: And no visiting teachers?
Mom: (laughing hysterically inside) That's right, and no visiting teachers can see you naked either.

The boy cracks me up!

Super Derek to the Rescue

When McKenna woke up crying this morning, Derek ran into her room before I could. I soon heard this on the baby monitor:

He's great at entertaining her when I need a few extra minutes.

No More Pencils! No More Books!

Today was Derek's last day of school. I can't believe how fast this year went by. It seems like yesterday that I was crying as I watched him run into his classroom. It just goes to show that things are never as bad as we think they'll be and that we can get used to the changes around us. And we survived 8:00 AM Kindergarten, which I never thought we could!

Derek really grew these last nine months. He made several friends, is great at addition, he's getting better at reading, and he has great handwriting. (I've got to figure out a good system to help him keep it up over the summer.) His teacher wrote a note on his report card that said: "Derek, you are such a happy guy! Your imagination is awesome. Your responses in class are g.r.r.eat! Thanks for being my friend. Love, Mrs. Paulsen". I was disappointed that they didn't have a Kindergarten graduation. I thought it would have been cute.

Here's the picture taken on the first day of school.

And here he is on the last day.

He's growing too fast! I'm sure going to miss my cute little Kindergarten Derek. First Grade here we come!

Doin' the Kinder-polka

Derek's school held their dance festival today. He's been telling me for weeks that he didn't want to dance because "it was too girly". When it was their turn to go out and dance, Derek sat for a while. I wondered if he was going to go out there, but he did get himself up. All the Kindergartners did the "Kinder-Polka". It was very cute. Later, his teacher told me that none of the boys wanted to dance with the girls. And she said sarcastically, "Derek sure loved this". I told her that it's funny that he'll dance at home with his brother, but this was just totally different I guess.

Here's a shot of the cute audience members.

McKenna's New Toy

Is this "blog worthy"? I don't know, but I'm posting it anyway. My sister has me all self-conscious about the things I post.

I went yard saling a couple Saturdays ago looking for an exersaucer for McKenna. I found a nice tall bookcase for only $15 and a huge rolling scrapbook bag for $7. And look what I found at my last yard sale!
It wasn't marked with a price, so I asked the lady what she was asking for it. She said "Fifteen dollars. Is that too much?" Rookie mistake. Never ask "is that too much". It opened the door for negotiation. So I said "how about $10?" She, of course, took the offer. Did I take advantage of her?...maybe. But I'm still thrilled to have received such a deal! The exersaucer is in almost perfect condition. McKenna loves it! However, she's still too small to play with the toys. She usually sucks on the fabric seat (which I think is gross and I pull her away when I see it). I think she likes the view and can be up with her family. Anyway, I just had to brag about my deal. I wonder if I could have gotten it for $7? Hmmm....

We Can't Get Enough of McKenna

You wouldn't guess by the look on Derek's face, but the boys love it when I put McKenna in bed with them at night. They love their sister way too much. (I just realized that Derek is sleeping on a pink flowered pillowcase in this picture. I'm surprised that he allowed it and didn't whine that it was "too girly".)