100 Days Smarter!

Today was Elizabeth's 100th day of school. To celebrate, her class had a big party where they shared their collections of 100 items, ate 100 snacks, created art projects displaying 100 things and did 100 exercises! Elizabeth brought a collection of 100 buttons and shared 100 marshmallows with her classmates. She had so much fun!

Each day, Elizabeth's teacher sends home a report of how Elizabeth did during the day. There are three options on it: "I chose to follow all of the rules today", "I chose to follow some of the rules today", and "I chose to follow none of the rules today". Matt and I wanted to reward Elizabeth because every singe day since the first day of school, Elizabeth's report has ALWAYS said, "I chose to follow all of the rules today"! Today that equals 100 days of good behavior! We decided to surprise Elizabeth with a new game for her InnoTab tablet.

Congratulations Elizabeth! You made it through your first 100 days of school. We are so happy for you and are so glad that you are such a good student!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! I have to admit that Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. Elizabeth and Zachary absolutely love it and their excitement is contagious. Elizabeth has been counting down for days and was so excited to burst into my room and announce, "Happy Valentine's Day!" this morning.

Once Matt got home from work, we gave the kids their red presents. This is a tradition that we started with Elizabeth's first Valentine's Day. We always get the kids something for Valentine's Day and wrap it in red wrapping paper. We explain that whenever they use their "red present" they need to remember that mommy and daddy love them so much. In addition, to the red presents, the kids always exchange gifts with each other. I love taking them each to the store and letting them pick things out for each other.

This year, Matt and I gave Elizabeth a VTech InnoTab 2 Tablet, a Brave InnoTab game cartridge, and some yummy candy.

Zachary was so excited for Valentine's Day this year. It was so fun to see him enjoying the day and really getting into the spirit of the day. Throughout the day, he would come up to me and say, "Mommy. I love you. I need a hug and a kiss." So cute!

Matt and I gave Zachary a VTech VReader. His face was priceless as he opened his gift. I will forever remember the look of joy on his face as he saw it for the first time. He exclaimed, "What! A tablet for me! Open it! Open it! Open it!"

Seriously, could he be any cuter!

We also got Zachary a Cars VReader game and some yummy candy.

My favorite part of the whole day was watching Elizabeth and Zachary exchange gifts. They were so happy to give something to each other. I love that they were more excited about giving their gifts away, then about receiving their own gifts.

Zachary gave Elizabeth a MegaBlok princess and unicorn set.

Elizabeth was so excited to give Zachary his little Hulk doll. She hid next to the couch and had Zachary close his eyes. She counted to three and had Zachary open his eyes just as she popped up from behind the couch. I am so glad that Matt was able to photograph this moment because I want to be able to remember it forever. It makes my heart so happy!

Zachary absolutely LOVES his gift from Elizabeth. He did not stop smiling and just kept hugging it.

I am so grateful for my valentine, Matt, and my two munchkin-valentines, Elizabeth and Zachary. I am so blessed to be loved by three amazing people, not to mention all of my extended loved ones.

My heart is full. Life is good.

Elizabeth's Valentine's Day Party

Elizabeth's class celebrated Valentine's Day today. She was so excited to be able to give all of her friends a treat...and to get treats from them! Earlier in the month, we headed to Target to let her pick which valentines she wanted for her friends. She picked Tinkerbell cards with matching lollipops.

She has been working hard on her valentines all week and was super excited when she finally signed her last one this morning! She even attached all of the lollipops to the cards all by herself!

I am so grateful for these fun experiences. It is so neat to experience all the different holidays through a child's eyes. Everything is so exciting and new...I love it!

Elizabeth absolutely loves her teacher and wanted to find something special for her. As we walked the aisle at Target, Elizabeth fell-in-love with this little monkey. She thought it would be the perfect gift for Miss Yorke.

When Elizabeth returned from school, she told me all about the Valentine's Day party. She had such a great time. They frosted cookies, made special valentines for their parents, and played BINGO. Elizabeth was so excited to show me each and every one of the valentines that she received from her friends. It made my heart swell with joy to see her so happy!

"I a Pirate!"

A couple of days ago, Zachary got a treasure box filled with pirate stuff as a reward for being in the no cavity club at the dentist. Every since, he has been sporting the hook and carrying around the dagger. Every chance he gets he declares, "I a pirate. Arrr!" It is so stinkin' cute!

My favorite though, is when he is sword fighting and ends up getting stabbed. He seriously cracks me up!

Zachary's First Visit to the Dentist

Today Zachary had his first appointment with the dentist. He was so excited for his appointment...until we got there and he figured out that the dentist needs to come near him in order to complete the check-up. Zachary spent his entire time in the dentist chair, in my lap, clinging to me and screaming at the top of his lungs. I am convinced that anyone in the waiting room thinks that the dentist was murdering someone...or at least ripping their arms and legs off one-by-one.

The dentist and hygienist were the sweetest and were very patient with my terrified little guy. As I apologized for all of the screaming the dentist nicely said, "Oh he's fine. At least while he is screaming his mouth is wide open and I can get a really good look at what I am doing!" Way to look on the bright side of things. I am sure that we were the topic of discussion during dinner at the dentist house tonight!

Once the check-up was over, and the dentist presented Zachary with a bag full of goodies (toothbrush, toothpaste, a ball, stickers, chap stick, etc.), Zachary calmed right down and even sat in the chair so I could snap a picture.

I am happy to report that Zachary is in the "No Cavity Club" and that we will not need to return for another appointment until six month from now. I am sure the dentist and hygienist will need the time to recover. Maybe I will bring earplugs and prizes for them next time!

On our way home, Zachary and I stopped at Target so he could pick out a present for being in the No Cavity Club. After looking at every toy, on every aisle, Zachary finally decided on a Jake and the Neverland Pirates Treasure Box. It has a Captain Hook's hook, a treasure map, a spyglass, and a dagger.