2/8/21 – Well, That’s What I Call It

You came to my room around 5am and told me that you took your night pants off in your room before you came. You snuggled up next to me, wrapped your arms around me and drifted right back off to sleep. I had to wake you up this morning at 8am. You slept 12 hours!!!!

You went & got yourself dressed. When I reminded you that Ms. Sandy is coming back today and would be picking you up from school, you ran back to your room & insisted on putting on the dress she got you for Christmas. “I have to wear my butterfly dress because Ms. Sandy will love it!” I told you that dress doesn’t have butterflies on it and you said, “well, that’s what I call it!” You ate your breakfast in the car and colored a picture for her as well.

You were so excited when she picked you up from school. You couldn’t wait to show her how well you ride your big girl bike & you got to snuggle on the couch watching Ferdinand! As soon as I walked in the door, you ran out to my car to get your highlighters. You were waiting so patiently for me to get home because you wanted to show them to Sandy!

When Daddy & I got home it was time for more coloring lessons. We had to make Valentine’s cards for everyone. You were so excited about coloring that you didn’t even want to eat dinner!!! We took Harry for a walk & to get the mail. We got home around 8p and headed right to your room. You didn’t fall asleep until 9:30p because you were wiggle worming!

I love you so much!

2/7/21 – Super Bowl Sunday!

You didn’t wake up until 8:15am. You shot straight up and wanted to go play in your toy room. You still had ice cream on your face from last night!!! After we played, you jumped in the shower with me and we got ready to go to Katrina’s for Valentine’s Day photos.

You had a hard boiled egg & mozzarella balls before we left, then had two That’s It bars & a banana in the car. When we got to Katrina’s you learned that Chrissy brought donuts so that’s all you were trying to do was earn a bunch of donuts lol! You had so much fun playing with Kingston & Olivia. Katrina was cracking up because you took each cue and posed on point, especially when you turned around with the kisses sign and she said ok now, give me kiss lips!!! When we finished, you were climbing trees and shooting rockets with Kingston. I had trouble getting you to get in the car, so I gave you one final “my car is leaving, please get in!” You decided to keep playing instead, so I started my car and turned around in Katrina’s driveway. Of course, that got your attention and you finally came to the car, opened the door and gave me what for lol. You told me “you can’t leave without me! That empties my bucket!” I told you that it emptied my bucket that I had to ask you so many times to get in my car and you weren’t listening.

We called Daddy from the car to see what he was up to & decided to meet him for lunch at Anna’s deli. Of course after your breakfast plus three donuts you weren’t hungry for lunch!

We went home to cook and prepare for our small Superbowl party. You helped me grind meat for the chili & then gave Daddy & I another coloring lesson with your new highlighters. You changed into your Steelers jersey even though they weren’t playing.

Ash, Grandma Noot & Chrissy came over to watch the game. You were giving each of them lessons about coloring as well. We played outside for a little bit and you were a little grumpy & emotional. I didn’t expect you to be tired after the good night’s sleep you had, but I told you let’s go read books and do Lingos. You ran up to Daddy, gave him a hug and kiss & said it’s time for my nap! You hugged everyone else and waltzed down the hall to your bedroom. You climbed in bed, snuggled, did 2 Lingos and fell asleep by 8:15p with a house full. That has never happened in 4.5 years!

I love you so much!

2/6/21 – Freezing Feet

You came to my bed around 1:30am with freezing cold legs and feet. You climbed in my bed, kissed me three times and told me that you missed me and wanted to snuggle so you came to my room. Fortunately, you drifted right back off to sleep.

You woke up around 7:30am & we snuggled for a little bit before you went upstairs to look for Jackie, but she had already left. We got ready & left for gymnastics. You had a good class overall. You did much better at balance beam & your cartwheels, but did tell Coach Maddie “No” several times when she asked you to stay off one of the mats near the high bars because Coach Nickie’s class was using it and it wasn’t safe for you to be so close. I talked with Coach Tammy when we finished and she said you are frustrated with some of the skills you don’t have yet. You definitely outgrew the 3-5 year old class, but the girls in the 5-8 year old class are mostly 6-7 years old and there’s a big difference in skill. There are two other younger kids in the class and they are going to have two coaches per class so one can focus on the younger kids and one can focus on the older kids. She’s not worried about you & thinks it will help you build more confidence. I just want you to enjoy it. She said today once you started landing on your feet doing cartwheels you went from frustrated to excited so quickly.

After class, we met Chrissy & Olivia for fancy breakfast. You colored and played with her with numbers flashcards. The two of you are so cute together. She kept dropping the cards on the floor & you would get them… until Chrissy asked you (many times later) and you let out a huge sigh and said basically, I’ve picked them up a hundred times and I’m all done lol!

We went to Nordstrom and TJ Maxx. You and Daddy both got shoes and you tried to pick 10 dresses! We settled on a few and on the way to the check out we saw Coach Kirsten. You were cracking up and said just like we saw Ms. Jenny once in Publix and now we are seeing Coach Kirsten. You were so surprised! We headed home, snuggled on my bed and watched half of James & the Giant Peach while Daddy napped.

When he got up, we went outside and you played with the tables making building blocks out of them. Then you had Daddy & I coloring letters, words & pictures in accordance with your directions lol.

We went to Siesta to meet Chrissy & Olivia at the Hub for dinner. We had ice cream after then went home and went straight to bed. After being up late last night, waking up early this morning, playing hard and taking no nap you were exhausted. You were snoring by 9p!

I love you so much!

2/5/21 – My Mom Is A Smokeshow!

You came to my room at 5:30am wanting to snuggle with Daddy and then me. You were super chatty & told him that you wanted to snuggle with him first but that you eventually wanted to snuggle with me lol. We couldn’t go back to sleep but you sure did & it was tough to wake you up!

You made Jackie dance to Choo Choo Soul and All Around the Kitchen during breakfast. You told her “I am a FUPPA in training!” You walked Jackie out to the car as we were leaving for school.

When I picked you up from school, I said “hey, you asked me to come get you earlier and today I did!” You said, “no, I asked you to come earlier so I would have longer to play on the playground!” I explained that would be coming later not earlier. You went back up to the gate to try to go back in to play and told me to go to Whole Foods while you play lol! Of course, they don’t allow that, so you ended up going to the store with me.

Jackie and the Romos came for dinner. We watched Fed’s competition on the computer & you were so excited. You told Jackie “my mom is a smokeshow!”

You told Alexa to play Choo Choo Soul. You danced to Chugga Chugga Choo and ABC Gospel while Jackie & I were doing dishes. Daddy took you to bed but you came back out to get me. I took you back to bed & you were asleep in a few minutes at 10:15p hanging off the side of the bed!

I love you so much!

2/4/21 – Honk Your Horn Daddy!

You woke up early and came to my room around 6:30a to snuggle. You were so proud that you slept in your bed all night. When you got in bed, you were very happy Harry was sleeping on my bed and you wanted to snuggle with him too. Daddy made your breakfast, you did your jobs & then we waved goodbye to him when he left for work. You told him to wave with both hands and then insisted “Honk your horn Daddy!”

When I picked you up from school, you were so excited to see me at the gate. You asked to stop at Circus Park to play. We did and you had me climbing all over everything even though I was in work clothes! You didn’t care that I didn’t have sneakers on!

After the park we headed home and you FaceTimed with Ms. Sandy in the car. You kept telling her how much you love her. She will be back to work next Monday & you are so excited about that.

We had dinner and then snuggled on the couch to watch Moana together. When Daddy got home, you had dinner again lol. After the movie, we took Harry and went to bed. We did a few lessons in kids lingos and then snuggled up and you fell asleep. I went back into your room twice to just kiss your forehead one more time. You have been eating like crazy and sleeping so much more so it seems a growth spurt is upon us! I can’t believe how fast you are growing!

I love you so much!

2/3/21 – I’m So Proud of Aunt Deb!

When I went you your room to wake you up I found your sticker from Aunt Deb still on your forehead!!! Daddy made you breakfast and you were all fascinated with getting back to our “journal”- your Frozen coloring book from last night!

In the car on the way to school, you were telling me “Mom I’m so proud of Aunt Deb”. I asked why? You said “look at her journal. She did such a good job. Isn’t it pretty?” You thought she did a much better job coloring than I did so you gave her 13 stickers on her page and me none!

You have been saying “unerase” when you are talking about erasing something – I can unerase chalk and markers with my apple eraser at school!

I got this message from school today in the Sandbox App.

Today before we prepped our SweetTart Hearts for the art center, Pre-K worked together to make a tally chart, counting and comparing the number of candies for each color. First, though…we each made our prediction as to which color would have the most candy pieces in the bag! We counted individual pieces, grouped by fives, counted by fives, wrote the total for each color candy, then compared our results to determine which color had the most pieces and which had the least. I am so proud of these kiddos!!

This morning Giovanna tallied the green candies as the class individually counted them, then once we found the total she wrote the number on the board. During centers she visited the sand tray to practice letter formation using her name card as a guide, then chose to practice writing sight words on the etch-a-sketch!

The CANDIES have been CRUSHED and are ready to mix with water for painting hearts! Ask your child which of our five senses they used today during the math and art activities!

When I picked you up from school you asked to stop at Il Panificio for a cheese pizza. I told you we were having taco night with Grandma Noot, Chrissy & Olivia. You were excited they were coming and you said “I can’t wait to see my old Grandma Noot!” However, you still wanted pizza lol. So we stopped and you had a slice. You wolfed it down in the car.

When we got home, the Whole Foods delivery person pulled up and you helped her carry everything to the porch. You had fun playing & dancing with Olivia when she came. You were excited to play ABC Gospel by Choo Choo Soul for her. You guys ate, played more and took a bath. Then it was time for bed, so everyone left, I took you to bed and you were snoring hard in like 5 minutes!!!! These regular nights at home, with close friends and good food are just the best. I would love to freeze you right here!!!

I love you so much!

2/2/21 – 1st Time For Monkey Bars!

Last night you went to bed late so I came to check on you this morning and you were face down sleeping hard in bed. I moved your hair out of your face and gently kissed your forehead. I whispered to you that it was time to wake up a few times. You finally got up, did your jobs and had breakfast. You picked your outfit & we headed to school. You were full of smiles and looked so cute!

When I picked you up from school, you came out of the gate and immediately noticed that I got my nails done. You dropped your lunchbox to free your hands to fully examine my nails. You showed them to Ms. Shelley and said “Mama, your nails are beautiful!”

On the way home from school you asked to stop at Circus Park to play but we were already almost home. I offered instead that we could stop at Fruitville Park. You were happy with that. There were a few kids playing even though it was freezing! You were leading the other kids around, playing hide & seek and then you climbed up to the monkey bars. You crossed the monkey bars with no help. You always want my help on them but today you looked at me like I was crazy for trying to help and you sailed across with no trouble!!! I couldn’t believe it. You did it several times so I was able to catch you in action!

I was freezing and even though you weren’t, I finally got you to jump in the car around 6p to head home. I asked if you wanted to go get something to eat or go home and eat. You said “let’s go home and eat mama. You cook so great!” That warmed my heart!!!! You helped me get dinner together and when Daddy got home you were ready to play. Aunt Deb stopped by to bring you a Valentine’s Day gift. She gave you heart bead necklaces, heart headband, heart stuffy & a Valentine’s Vineyard Vines shirt (I got one too). You were so excited about our matching whale shirts! We colored in your Frozen book and you gave us stickers for staying in the lines. She had to leave to go pick up Fed so you & I headed to your room to go to bed at 7:45p. We did Kids Lingos and listened to some bedtime stories. You were out before 8:30p!!!

I love you so much!

2/1/21 – Bathrobe & Boots

You slept in even though you went to bed early last night. You finally woke up around 8a. You got dressed & we were on our way to school in no time!

Chrissy and Olivia picked you up from school because I had to teach a class to the Atlanta Tax Bar that started at 5p. Chrissy warmed up spaghetti & meatballs from yesterday and you enjoyed playing with Olivia. When I got home, you were showing her how to bite an apple.

After playing for a while, you two took a bath. You were walking around afterwards in your bathrobe & my Ugg boots! I was cracking up. Chrissy took you both to bed and you were about asleep in 4 minutes but then Olivia woke you up and it was 10:30p before I could get you back to sleep!

I love you so much!

1/31/21 – I Want To See Your Beautiful Face

You came to my room at 3am and asked me to come sleep in your room so of course I did. I woke up around 7a and just laid there snuggling with you & rubbing your forehead. When you woke up you asked if we could just stay in bed and snuggle. “I love snuggling with you Mama!” When I turned over just to lay the other way you said “Mama, please turn back over and face me. I want to see your beautiful face.” My heart melted. I missed you so much last week & I’m so happy to be back home with you.

We got up and made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. We got dressed and headed to meet Ms. Sandy at Shore on Longboat Key for lunch. On the drive you were telling me “I’m a fan of pancakes! Whenever I see them I tear ’em all up!” You ate so much I was surprised you were even hungry for lunch!

She was already seated when we walked in and you were so excited to run up to the table to hug her. You brought your computer and has a blast quizzing us on which animals were represented with each letter.

After lunch we went to Joan Durante park on Longboat and played for a long time. Your imagination runs wild and the things you say are just amazing.

We stopped at Kilwin’s for ice cream on the way back & at my office to pick up a shipment that came last week while I was away.

When we got home we played Lion King then watched a little bit of a movie. I took you to your room at 7:45p to read books and do kids lingos. Then we listened to a bedtime story podcast like you did with Daddy last week. You were asleep by 8:15p!

I love you so much!

1/30/21 – I’m Going To Marry Someone Very Special

You woke up at 5am & when you came in our room, you asked Daddy where I was. He told you I would be home later today. You said, then I’m going to go back to my room. He couldn’t go back to sleep knowing you were up, so he went to your room and checked on you. You wanted to go lay on the couch. He said no, it’s too small and it’s not warm. He had you come back to his room and let you sleep on his side of the bed since it was warm & he went to my side.

Daddy took you gymnastics and Coach Nickie taught your class today. You were counting your sit-ups with your fingers. After class, you went to fancy breakfast wearing socks and dressy sandals.

I drove home from Ponte Vedra today. When I got home, you were sitting outside playing with Daddy. I was so happy to see you and when you realized I was standing there your eyes lit up & you said “Hi Mama! How are you!” You showed me all your “projects” which were bowls filled with water and soap and you had carrots in it trying to “grow” them. You brought me inside to show me how your terrariums are growing. Then, you showed me the art projects that you and Daddy worked on while I was away. You told me “this is our beautiful artwork!”

We had about an hour after I got home to pack snacks, blankets & chairs to take to Siesta Key for tonight’s movie at the beach, Lego Batman. Grandma Noot came over and went with us. You woke Daddy up at 5am so he was tired. You kept telling him, “go lay down and rest honey!” so he took a nap. He woke up right before we left for the movie, but we left him home and had girls night!

When we got to the beach you immediately ran off with the kids around us and played. When the movie started you came over to sit with us and have pretzels & charcuterie. It was a little cool, but we snuggled with our blankets and had a fantastic night. Watching the sunset just before the movie started was amazing. I wish they did this year round!

In the car on the way home from the beach, you said “Mom. You know what? Someday. I’m going to marry someone very special. A boy. A boy who is as special as Daddy.” Grandma Noot & I were both melting when you said that. It was so sweet. We were all chatting and for some reason I said LOL. You said LOL is Mommy’s favorite nail polish. “LOL is my Mommy’s jam!”

When we got home, you jumped in the car with Grandma Noot and she took you around the block. You guys were in the driveway dancing like crazy to Hey Ya! I came out to finish unloading the car & I was cracking up at you guys.

We came in and you jumped in the bathtub. You wanted Daddy to sit with you. You played for a while and then we washed your hair, dried off and then you asked Alexa to play a bunch of dance songs. You were dancing with Daddy to Peanut Butter Jelly Jam.

You gave Daddy kisses so we could head to bed. We did two kids lingos, watched a video of Fed dancing in a sneak peak of All Shook Up and then you were snoring in my arms. I love snuggling with you. I couldn’t stop kissing your forehead. I missed you sooooo much. I’m so glad to be home.

I love you so much!