Grandparent's Day...

Friday, May 1, was Grandparent's Day at Trinity. There was an assembly, a reception and then we got to tour Regan's classroom. Papa Doug and Mama Cook (Tony's parents) were in town for this special day. Regan's class recited a very cute poem called "Hurry, Grandma, Hurry!" By: Jack Prelutsky (see below), they sang "Old Dan Tucker" and square danced to "Old Dan Tucker." It was very lively. We will be going to a family reunion (my Mom's side) in Tenn. in June and we always square dance so Regan will be ready to square dance with her Grandpa (who loves to dance). At the end of the assembly, grades 1-5 sang "Who Will Be A Witness" and "Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning." It was very good and gave me chills to see all the children praising God in such a glorious way. Papa Doug and Mama Cook enjoyed seeing Regan's classroom and hearing and seeing what she has been learning about this month (frogs, butterflies, chicks, insects, spiders, multiplication and writing stories).

HURRY, GRANDMA, HURRY!
Hurry, Grandma, hurry,
Grandma look at me,
I'm right side up, I'm upside down,
I'm swinging from a tree.
I'm jumping like a squirrel,
I think that I can fly--
Grandma please don't worry,
Grandma please don't cry.

Hurry, Grandma, hurry,
see what I can do,
I'm roller-skating backwards
across the avenue,
Here's a lucious little bug,
I think I'll take a bite--
Grandma stop your screaming,
everythings all right.

Hurry, Grandma, hurry,
Grandma watch me please,
I'm climbing up a ladder,
I'm dangling from my knees,
I found this giant spider
that was stuck in gobs of paint,
Grandma take a closer look--
whatever made you faint?

By: Jack Prelutsky
Mama Cook and Papa Doug reading a story Regan wrote about frogs.

Baby Chicks....

Regan's class hatched baby chicks this month. They got fertilized eggs and incubated them for several weeks and were able to observe them throughout the process. They got to shine lights on the eggs and see the little chicks growing. Then, after about 3 weeks they got to watch the chicks break out of the shells. This was a very neat experience for Regan. She really enjoyed it. Then, last Thursday they got to hold the chicks and play with them. Riley, Reece and I also got to join in the fun. The chicks were so cute and very active and everyone got to hold them minus Riley b/c she did not want to get chick pee or poo on her cast. ;) One of the chicks did poo on Reece's hand and she is still talking about it. She is also wondering where the chicks went because they are no longer in Regan's classroom. The teachers gave them to a family in our school that owns a farm. I have to keep telling Reece this over and over again and to reassure her that they are in good hands.

Indian Princess Camping Trip

Tony and Regan spent the weekend in Arapohoe, NC at an Indian Princess camping trip. All the tribes from Raleigh/Durham NC attended. They had a BLAST. Regan did not want to come home. When they did arrive home Regan was instructed to say, "Daddy is the Man and he took good care of me!" :) But, being her shy self she just giggled and told Daddy to tell me. It was pretty funny hearing Tony tell me, "He was the man!" Although I do agree!!!! He is a good man taking his little girl on a weekend long camping trip. What a neat experience!!! I remember my Indian Princess days with my daddy and they were so special and now it is neat to see Regan having those same neat experiences. By the way Dad, I found my Indian Princess nametag the other day in a closet and my Indian name was "Walking Turtle." Tony and Regan got a big kick out of that and Tony said, "how appropriate for a cross-country runner to have the name Walking Turtle." :) What were we thinking Dad?? :)

They had a very busy weekend. They arrived Friday night and had an ice cream social. They did not get to bed Friday night until 11:30 pm. Saturday, they went canoeing, BB gun shooting, went on a ferry boat ride, digging for shark teeth (I think their total count was 69), swimming in the lake and playing on a waterslide, big bonfire followed by fireworks, and finally in bed around 10:00 pm. Whew....it was a busy day. Then, Sunday they had a devotion after breakfast and then went canoeing and BB gun shooting again and left around 11:30 to come home.

It was such a neat experience for both of them. They are already talking about their camping trip for next year. I asked Regan what her favorite part of the weekend was and she said, "EVERYTHING!" That pretty much sums it up. Tony was able to take some photos but not a lot because he was too busy having fun! He said a lot of dads were taking pictures so we hope to obtain some from them and then we can post some of Tony and Regan.

The cabin where they slept. Their whole tribe (8 dads and 8 daughters) was in this cabin.

This is a view from the outside of the cabin. The windows were screened so Tony said it got a little chilly and you could hear all the outdoor sounds. They loved this aspect feeling like they were outdoors but having a nice bed instead of a cold, hard ground. This is the view from their cabinThis is the big field outside their cabin where they could play ball or other games. They did play a little soccer, jump roping and some basketball.Regan sporting her "Daddy's Little Princess" shirt.Regan on the ferry boat rideDaddy and Regan canoeing.

Reece's 3 yr. old well check...

Reece had her 3 yr. old well check this past week. She has grown and is now in the 50% for weight and height. She used to be in the 20% for these categories. So, many of you have been saying she looks older and bigger and she is indeed!

Reece was an absolute hoot at the appointment - imagine that!!?? ;) They TRIED to do the eye chart with her but that was hilarious. The nurse and I had a hard time keeping a straight face. The nurse told Reece to cover her eye with the eye cover and that was funny. She kept peeking out and using both eyes. I finally had to stand there and help her hold it so she did not cheat. Then, she was playing with us. The nurse would ask her to read the top line of shapes and she went right across and said them all. So, we knew she knew her shapes. Then, the next line she could not get them without a lot of prompting. So, we were wondering if she could see them. But, then the next smaller line she would get them all again. She was being so sporadic and we think she was just playing. When she would not answer she would just stand there smiling at the nurse. So, the nurse finally just gave up and said "I think her eyes are fine but we will just try again next year." When the doctor reviewed the chart and saw the eye test results she said out loud, "vision normal, question mark, Miss Reece TRIED." So, that is what they had to put on Reece's preschool health form. :) Anyway, the rest of the appointment went fine. Reece was very good at answering questions and cooperating for the doctor. She was very happy to find out she did not need any shots because she was up-to-date on all of them. The doctor did detect some wheezing upon blowing out air so we are still suspecting she has mild asthma like Regan. :( She will be going back to the ENT for a follow up in June and we will see if they think she needs her adenoids out. Reece's pediatrician is still thinking that would be a good thing to have done.

When we got home I told Tony about the eye test. So, he tried to test her eyes himself. He stood far away and held up objects and asked her what they were. She got them all right. Then, he held up some fingers and did it. Then, I tried from even further away. I started with two fingers and she got that right and then I held up 5 fingers and I said, "Reece how many am I holding up now?" She responded by saying, "A LOT!!!" We just fell out laughing. Such a comedian. So, here is hoping she has her daddy's eyes and not mine!!!!

Funny comment by Riley...

Yesterday, we took the girls to Barnes and Noble because Coach K was there doing a book signing of his new book. We were hoping to get Riley's cast signed but the rules said, "only books" so we did not want to teach the kids to bend the rules. ;) We had a great time and Coach K was super nice. He shook all our hands and asked our names. He told us he has 3 girls too and we got to meet his youngest b/c she was also there signing the book b/c she co-authored it with him. Anyway, on the way home we were talking about how cool it was to meet the Duke B-ball coach and coach of the Olympic Basketball team. Then, I said, "Riley you have met a lot of "big name" people and started listing them...Coach K, Truett Cathy, Durham Bulls Pitching Coach..." and then Riley said, "yea, and the Dentist that came to my preschool!" I got a good chuckle out of that one. I said, "yea, I suppose he could be famous. " ;) Kid's say the funniest things!

A Very Special Day for Riley...

Riley is on Spring Break this week and her Daddy wanted to do something special with her. So, he took her to a minor league baseball game this afternoon at the Durham Bull's Ballpark. They happened to be playing our hometown city's ball team today, the Gwinnett Braves. And the Bull's Won!!!!! Sorry Papa Doug. :) It was an exciting game and went into 4 extra innings. I asked Riley what she liked best about the game and she said the activities they do between innings. ;) She liked watching Wool E. Bull (the mascot) ride around the field in a gocart. Daddy and Riley had great seats (front row right behind the Bull's bullpen). Riley even got her cast signed by the Durham Bulls pitching coach. She was going to get Wool E. Bull to sign her cast but got scared and decided not to. They had a great time but unfortunately did not get any pictures other than a photo of a monster truck that was on display at the ballpark - that Riley thought was REALLY COOL! :)

The special day did not end there....Riley and I had a deep conversation tonight about being saved. She has been asking a ton of questions for quite a while (since Feb.) and she said tonight that she was ready to ask Jesus to be her Savior. So, we prayed together tonight and she accepted Christ as her Savior! We are very excited about how God is working in her life and we look forward to watching her grow in her relationship with Christ.

A Must Know For All Parents...

My friend brought to my attention a wonderful website to create online chore charts for kids. It is FREE and incredibly EASY. My girls sat with me and we customized a chart for each of them. They get to pick out their own chart theme, stickers for the chart, rewards, point system, etc. and then they can go and update their stickers as they perform chores. My kids are addicted after one day and so am I. Yesterday, they spent all afternoon cleaning, helping me, being on their best behavior and looking around for ways to earn more stickers. My house was peaceful, clean, and happy yesterday. I am just praying this momentum continues. I love that the chart not only has chores but behaviors (such as listening, sharing, no tantrums, respecting, good manners, no whining, etc.)

I recommend this site to all parents. It only takes a few minutes to set up and then it is easy for the kids to learn how to get on the site and add their stickers. My kids are already pros at it after one day. I LOVE IT!!!! Thanks Heather for sharing this site with me.

www.goalforit.com