SMITH STORIES: October 2012

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Let's PARTY!!!....Mickey Mouse Clubhouse style

"Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog
It's a brand new day
Whatcha' waiting for?
Get up, stretch out, stomp on the floor!

Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog!"

We hosted Owen's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse birthday party at our church family life center. He was so lucky that all of his grandparents traveled to East Texas for the festivities!! We were also so happy to have plenty of other family members and friends (new and old!) in attendance to celebrate with us.

Outside wreath to welcome guests

"We've got ears; say cheers!!"

Birthday Banner

Favor bags for the littlest Mouseketeers

Table centerpieces (hard to see - age number and colorful peanut M&M's in a glass mason jar- thanks Pinterest!)

Food table (we served Daisy's garden veggies, Minnie's fresh fruit, Hot diggity dogs, Pluto's pizza balls, Goofy's goldfish, Clarabelle's cheese balls and Mickey ears)

Clubhouse cupcakes

Water bottle wraps

Paper goods

Owen loves bounce houses (and really, what kid doesn't?!) We had two of them set up in the gym for kiddos to enjoy :)

The kids also enjoyed the "Cookie decoration station"! They were welcome to decorate their very own Mickey Mouse shaped sugar cookie. Most decided to eat it right then instead of taking it home :)

Owen knew exactly how to blow out his candle this year! The only issue is that he wanted to blow it out during the song rather than at the end (oh well, it was his special day)!

The birthday boy and Sweet Miss Elise :) Her mama (Lauren) and I were college roomies and we are so happy to now live close enough to get together more often!

Our family of four (obviously I couldn't convince somebody to wear a Mickey shirt!)

Monday, October 29, 2012

First Field Trip

I was happy to chaperone Emma's first field trip today! She was thrilled about getting to ride on the big yellow school bus with her classmates! Here's a conversation we had at bedtime last night:

E squealed: "I'm so excited about the field trip on the bus!"

My reply: "And where exactly is that bus taking you?"

{She paused for a few moments}

E: "I don't know, I'm just sooooo excited about going on the bus!"

Well, bright and early this morning that bus took them about thirty miles down the road to the Crockett Civic Center to watch the Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats. I followed in my car and Owen went to MDO an extra day this week :)

Emma and her Kindergarten BFF, Alyssa :)

Lansberry Elementary was well represented!!

(Kinder & 2nd grade classes)

The show was highly entertaining for everyone! The acrobats were incredibly talented and skilled! Wow!

Sweet friends walking back to the bus....

Emma said it best:: "I'm such a big girl to go on the bus all by myself!"

What a fun outing with my girl and her class!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Owen at THREE years old

Owen is three and is cute as can be!! His nicknames include "Oh Oh", "Owie bowie" and "OB". He wears size 8 shoes, size 5/6 diapers, mostly size 2T outfits and strongly prefers to dress himself (and pick out his own outfit!). He weighs 33 pounds (50-75th percentile) and stands 36.5" tall (just under 50th perc). Our new pediatrician, Dr Knight, said that Owen looks great and healthy! He did a routine hearing test and Owen was cooperative and received perfect scores! He was such a good patient and acted so mature at the check up.

I am happy to report that he is finally sleeping through the night (most of the time)! Bedtime is usually around 8:45pm and he usually falls asleep fast. His nap time routine got way off track when school started. He will still nap for 2+ hours if allowed, but this isn't an option on weekdays since we need to pick big sister up from school!

While he can still be the sweetest and most affectionate child on Earth, a switch has been flipped....almost overnight! He has definitely started testing his boundaries more and finds himself in time out quite often. Over the past few weeks he has become much more aggressive, assertive and argumentative. He has also become extremely physical (punching, kicking, throwing, etc.) We have definitely entered a new era which I will refer to as the "trying three's".

Owen still speaks and eats very little. At his two-and-a-half year well child visit Dr Dewbre referred him for speech therapy. It turned out that the waiting list was months long. Since we were moving I just decided to wait and see how he progressed during the Summer. Although he is still a our man of few words, he has started linking more words together and even surprises me with new phrases daily! Some of his newest include "let me try", "it's doity" (dirty), "Whachu doin mama?", "Me do dat (that)", "Can't catch me," "Time go geet Emma?" "Why dees way" (why are we going this way?), "Purprise!" (surprise!) and "No me like that." He is also very consistent in using his manners. He says "fweeze (please)" and "Kaku" (thank you).

His favorite things right now include being outdoors, bouncy houses, playing football with daddy and watching Disney Jr. His least favorite things include running errands, finishing his dinner and being told "no".

He still seems to enjoy most school days. Some mornings he is grouchy and says "No me go 'cool; me stay home" but usually comes around and gets happy about it before our arrival. Lately he has become Mr. Independent and wants to walk to class all alone :) His first parent/teacher conference went well. Ms. Candace is great and enjoys having him in class.

Owen is still learning to count (1,2,8,9,10). He has become very observative and asks questions all.day.long ("Why mom?", Where ees it?" and "Wha ees dat?")

Owen has become such a cute and fun little boy! We are so proud of him and look forward to what this next year has to bring :)

Monday, October 22, 2012

First Report Card and Parent/Teacher Conference

Time flies when you're having fun! Emma still LOVES Kindergarten and has now completed her first full eight weeks! She has especially enjoyed learning to jump rope in PE and playing sight word Bingo in class. This month she looks forward to riding a school bus and going on her very first field trip! After the first six weeks we attended open house. Ms. Thornton had her report card folder and goodies arranged on her desk space when we walked in. We are happy to report that she is satisfactory in all areas. Next year in 1st grade she will get number grades. (I must add that I felt like such a grown up signing that report card as a parent!)

Owen made himself right at home! He loves visiting her classroom and would probably stay all day too if I let him ;)

Emma's favorite classroom job is being the line leader. She takes her responsibilities very seriously!

She recently received first place on this creative masterpiece in fine arts class!

The day after report cards were issued I attended her first parent/teacher conference. Ms. Thornton had wonderful things to say about Emma! She described her as competitive, dependable, kind, motherly and a leader. Boy, does she know our girl!! Emma thrives in a classroom setting and enjoys routine. Ms. T even mentioned that Emma (respectfully) points out if something is forgotten in the daily grind! Furthermore, she plays school for hours upon returning home most afternoons! Throughout the year Kindergarten students are required to take the Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI) three times. This is an assessment tool that provides a comprehensive idea of reading/language arts development. She took it the first time during her sixth week of school. Ms. T explained that at this point students are not supposed to pass. Well, she DID!! We are so proud of her and it is such a huge relief to receive confirmation that she is where she needs to be. Way to go Emma!