We've got spirt yes we do...

We've got spirit, how 'bout you?
Two weeks into the school year and we found ourselves at the first "Back to School" night at our new school. We have always loved participating and supporting our kids school events, but at a new school it's even more important to get out there and get involved. When we moved I decided that we needed to embrace the transition and jump into everything feet first, no holding back. So we bought the kids school t-shirts on day 1. (It's an important note here to say that we attended our previous school for 4 years and never purchased the school shirt. We did acquire two of them over the years as hand-me-downs, but I never purchased Joey Katie one.)
This was a back to school night like no other. They had two bouncy houses and free face painting, a Kona Ice Truck ($), Papa John's Pizza ($), cupcakes ($), local vendors with giveaways and games, and a silent auction. We are no strangers to the school PTA PTO silent auction fundraising game. We regularly bid for such items as "teacher time" and last year we won the coveted Principal for the Day auction. This year we managed to place the winning bid for teacher time for both Katie and Anderson. Katie gets to attend a movie night, and Anderson gets to go bowling. Principal for the Day went for a cool $350, but that was not our bid. We choose to put the money down on a 4 pack of tickets to LEGOLAND, and we won!!!
I think that we all left the evening feeling good. The kids had consumed two snow cones each, we had a box of cupcakes coming home with us, Anderson had exhausted himself with some friends on the bouncy houses, Katie had spent a good chunk of the time with a new found friend, they both had won an auction, Steve finally had tickets to LEGOLAND, and the PTO had made $250 off the McRaes.
Safe to say, we are definitely in the "we've got spirit" game!

We moved!

Based on the title of the last blog on here, it's been about 5 years since I graced you with my presence. Sorry about that!
Joey is now 9 and Anderson is an incredible 5 year old. We celebrated their birthdays this year in the most epic way possible...we moved them 887 miles away from the only home they have ever know. We moved them away from all their friends, their extended family, and pretty much everything familiar. If it sounds dramatic, it was. It was a hard thing for me to do as an adult so of course the kids found it difficult.
We are now residents of Winter Garden, Florida. We are 7.1 miles north of WDW Magic Kingdom Park, close enough to see the 9pm nightly fireworks from the front door. That's a pretty cool outcome of the move. We have been exploring the area quite a bit and starting to slowly adjust to Florida life.

Joey Turned 4!

(Back at the end of July...) With all of the regular fanfare she has come to expect around her birthday. This year, I wanted to make sure that she knew she was special as her birthday was just 11 days after the birth of Anderson. On her actual birthday we celebrated with my family out at Grammie's house to a maxed out Strawberry Shortcake theme! The following weekend we rocked out at Romp N Roll with several of her friends for a groovin' rock star birthday bash! Both parties were a ton of fun and she acquired way more "stuff" than needed.
She is more sassy at 4 than ever before. She is also just as sweet as ever and cute and funny too! She can melt my heart and make me so mad all in the same minute, but I wouldn't trade her for anything.

I always enjoy putting the birthday movies together and reflecting back on the year. I like looking back on the things we did as a family, the milestones she hit as a little girl and growth and change that one short year can bring. It is always bittersweet. So here it is, Joey's 4th year in review...

Joey's 3rd Birthday Video

I realized that I posted this to facebook, but never to her blog...oh I am all over the place with this girl's history! For some reason I can't get it to show up in the YouTube feed on the right hand side, but it will at least be in the blog history.

Joey's BIG News!

That is right! Joey is finally going to be a Big Sister! Her little brother is due to arrive on her birthday! Yes, you heard that correctly too. Not only will we be having another baby, but our second baby is due on our first baby's birthday!

Joey vs. the Vaseline

I'm sure you know who won...

We have those nights, you know the ones where your child just does not want to go to bed and they come up with any excuse to stay up. Well about a month ago we had a long streak of those nights! One night in particular she tried everything and we were at the point of ignoring most of it. So while Steve and I were reading in bed we heard a lot of noise coming from Joey's room, but we chose to ignore it. BAD IDEA! Ten minutes later she came upstairs to tell us that she was lonely in her room, or in other words it was a ploy to get into our bed with us. Steve looked her up and down and said "Joey what have you been up to?" She was standing there in nothing but inside out, backwards underwear and she was shinny. She was covered in Vaseline! 

Steve took her into the bathroom to clean her up and he yells out "the water is beading up and rolling right off her, I can't get her clean!" It took a lot of scrubbing on Steve's part and I'm not sure if the underwear made it, they must have weighed 1 pound they were so covered in Vaseline.

Oh wow, it was so funny that we couldn't even be upset about the situation. If it had not happened at night there would have been photos! Needless to say all her bed linens had to be washed so she got to spend the night in Mommy & Daddy's room after all!

Teeth

Gap-toothed Grin! 2011-2012 School Photo

Joey says to me the other night, "I lost a really little tooth in the front of my mouth."
I chuckled, this is the second or third time that I have heard her say this statement or something similar. I think it is so cute. I reminded her that it is just the way that her teeth are coming in that she has the little gap between her two front teeth. Of course I'm sure that her thumb sucking is not helping things one bit.
She went on to explain to me that turtles have a little egg tooth that they use to get out of their eggs and then they lose it on the way to the ocean. She fully believes this is what has happened to her.
I also went on to explain that while she hasn't lost a tooth yet, she will probably lose her first one in the next 1-2 years. But that it would be okay, because the lose of a baby tooth is followed by an adult tooth coming in its place. "Oh", she said, "I have baby teeth in my mouth, well these must be the Mommy & the Daddy" as she points to her two front teeth.
I love the thought process!

Funny of the day...

At dinner last night Joey says to me, "I like this boy, Ellis. He's my boyfriend and he smells really good!"

I laughed of course because it was cute...but she is like me a sucker for a good smelling guy! It's not like 3 and 4 year olds were cologne though. Glad she is learning to appreciate the little things that make a good mate so early. However, I do think that 3 is a little early to already have these thoughts. Just another sign that she is going to be a handful in about 9-10 years!

Joey Says the funniest things...

Saturday 9/24/11

Driving in the car, the whole family had been out and about running errands and had lunch. On the way home Josephine says "oh damn it". Steve and I look at each other and smirk. I had just said this the day before and she had repeated it so neither of us were surprised when it came back out the next day.
We tried to let it go, but after she said it 3 times I said "Joey, do you even know what that means?" To which she replies "it means your frustrated."
What a smart little girl!

Wednesday 9/28/11

Steve was getting ready this morning and asked Joey for kiss before he left. She says to him "Daddy where are you going?"
Steve: "To work"
Joey: "Why" (this is the main question asked right now)
Me: "Daddy has to go to work to make money so that we can go to Mickey's house this weekend"
Joey: "Oh, ok" and as Steve is walking out the door she throws in "Daddy, got some money for me and Mommy too, ok!"
Oh if it were only that easy!

Wednesday 9/28/11

It is still warm and humid here this time of year. It is about 70 (feels a bit warmer) when we leave the house in the morning and gets up to 78 or so during the day. Josephine is still wearing tank tops and sun dresses daily unless I fight with her to put something else on. This morning she had a tank dress on and I was trying to get her to put a sweater on, of course she said "no, I don't want it". Since it is new and I just bought it, I asked "Do you not like it for today or do you not like it at all?" So you looks at me walks away and says "I don't like today, tomorrow or ever!"
Well ok, 3 going on 13 here at our house.

Spring Break & Easter

Now that Joey goes to school we are subject to the school calendar for traveling. We just got back from a very nice week in Hilton Head with my father (Pop-pop). We had beautiful weather while we were there, we hit the beach all but one day! In addition to beach time we also got to play with our cousins, shop, eat, golf and hunt for Easter eggs!
I have uploaded some of the pictures highlighting the vacation. I took over 800 so appreciate the cut back that I did for the album. I know that some of the pictures seem similar, but when you have such a fantastic subject it is hard not to go camera crazy.
Pictures can be viewed on the right side of the blog or at this link.

How to make rainbow

On the short drive home from school today Josephine and I had such a great conversation. I am amazed daily on how bright my little girl is and how much she really takes in.
The sky was overcast and I was asking Joey if she thought it was going to rain...here is how the conversation went:

Me: Do you think it will rain?
JK: And make a rainbow?
Me: I don't know, but you need rain and sunshine to make a rainbow in the sky.
JK: Rain is water.
Me: Yes, you are correct!
JK: We can put water in our hands and throw it into the sky.
Me: That is a great idea.

What an amazing little girl!

2010 Milestone

There are so many of them that Josephine accomplished this year, way to many to even count. But the best one just happened 10 minutes ago!
We started 2010 like many 1 and 1/2 year olds...in diapers. She showed an early interest in potty training so we let her lead the way. Early in the year we made the transition to pull-ups and then underpants. By May and the opening of the pool, we were pretty much potty trained. We were amazed to have a daughter under 2 that was so advanced, and many other parents were jealous. By June we gave up the only remaining "training" pants...the swim diapers! She did all her training at once so we never had to do separate day and night potty training. She made it so easy for us, she is such an amazingly bright little girl.
When she started school in the fall she was the only child in her class to be potty trained much to her teacher's amazement and delight (she actually did a dance for us she was so excited).
And just now when I went upstairs to check on her (I heard lots of noise while it was supposed to be nap time) I was greeted with my daughter sitting on the big toilet - no potty seat, all by herself! She had done it...gotten up, pulled down her own pants, moved the stool over, got up and did her business! YEAH!!!
I called for Steve and we both screamed in delight and showered her with praise! Such a good note to end the year on!

Disney Trip (41 photos), by Kristen McRae

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

A Big Adventure...

In the car on the way to school today Joey told me she was going on an adventure. She was going to fly to the moon! I just love the imagination that they have at this age.
Yesterday afternoon we got to play at the park with our newest friend Erica. We met Erica and her wonderful family at the pool over the summer and have been developing a deeper friendship over the last few months. They are both wonderful little girls and right now both only children (although Erica is going to be blessed with a baby sister in March). They play together so well and are really quite good at sharing for their age. But being that they both are only children right now, they have fantastic imaginations and pretend to be and play with all kinds of things. It is so cute to see the things that they can come up with!

The Burger House

Some of you reading this might have not think this is a funny story, but Steve and I thought it was cute, so I wanted to share it. Josephine was not quite 1 the first time she tasted a McDonald's cheeseburger and she liked them the first bite! We end up getting a Happy Meal about once a month, and 95% of the time we get it with milk, and 50% of the time with the apple slices and not fries and never the caramel dipping sauce. We are trying to teach her healthy choices.
Yesterday we were driving home from New York where we had been visiting Steve's family for Thanksgiving. About 1pm she says that she is hungry and would like a burger. I think it is funny that she knows that "burgers" are what you eat when you are on the road. So we pass exit after exit with no sign of the golden arches and she says she is hungry and I say that I am trying to find someplace to stop. About 20 minutes later we get off on exit and there it is, McDonalds! Steve pulls in and she says, "there it is Mommy, the burger house, I found it for you."
It was really cute.

Everyone poops!

It is one of those truths of nature, everyone does it! The thing is as you grow up you just don't talk about it. But kids, they don't care. Joey tells me good job when I get off the potty, cause that is what I say to her. I appreciate the kind words! Today as she was playing with her little people doll house, she put the "Dad" on the potty to poop and then said it was the "Mommy's" turn! I just reminder her to make sure they washed their hands when they are done!

"All by myself"

These words echo through the house now-a-days. Multiple times a day, about all different types of activities...Joey takes great pride in doing things all by herself. She is growing up so fast and when I start to realize it, it can suck the wind right out of me.
This morning I took her to school and she told me that she didn't want me to walk her to her classroom. I hung up her coat,  took care of her lunch and she told me goodbye, that she was going to her room. I told her I would wait in the hall to make sure that she got there okay (the whole 20 feet away that it is) . She told me to go and walked into the room. I was sad...so I stood there for a moment trying to make myself happy that she is well-adjusted, that she loves school, that she is independent and that she is confident, but truly despite all of that I was sad. Then she came back to the door, peeked around and said "see you later". Then I was happy, happy for all those reasons and because she is caring too!
Moments like this that I feel like we might be doing a god job raising this human.

Best moment of my day...so far

Josephine was sick last night, not sure what it was, but pretty sure it was food related. She told us at dinner that her tummy hurt, but it wasn't until after tub when we were putting her to bed that she started vomiting. And it continued until after midnight. I ended up sleeping the the guest bed with her as we introduced her to the "bucket" last night.
Anyway all of that was last night and I wouldn't call any of those moments highlights!
So this morning she wakes up and is feeling 100% better, so I decide to take her to school. Yes I feel guilty, but she was so herself, that I think whatever it was is gone. So onto the best part...I dropped her off and walked her into the classroom and she goes straight to the teacher to show her purse off. I quickly talk to the teacher and head for the door as this particular teacher doesn't like parents to linger long. At the door I turn around and paused to look at her and she was already looking at me and started blowing me a kiss! I just love that little girl. I hate leaving her in the morning without a kiss and she must have known what I needed. It melted my heart and made my day!

Busted Lip

On Sunday night 10/3/10 Josephine fell and bit through her lip. She is fine, but it did give me a really big scare.

We had a great day on Sunday, lots of running around and playing outside in the nice fall weather. Everything was great until (insert dramatic music...dum, dum, dum)...it was time to go to bed. We had completed all of the nightly rituals and had just finished brushing teeth when she stepped back off of the stool and slipped and hit her chin on the bathroom sink counter. At first I thought it was just an "ouchie" but then I saw the blood. Then I saw the big teeth marks on the fleshy part of her bottom lip. Steve helped me clean it up and that is when I noticed the cut on the outside too!
I thought that we should go straight to the ER, but Steve was more level headed. I called Auntie Trimble who is my go-to for anything medical and she was also a calming force. Finally spoke to two nurses and made the call to stay home. It stopped bleeding pretty quickly and she only cried for about 4 minutes so we took our cues from Joey. We made it through the night with popsicles in mommy & daddy's bed, ice water and a special movie to fall asleep to. By the morning it looked 90% better. I am always amazed the healing power little kids have.
This picture above was taken the next afternoon and it doesn't look so bad, of course...it looked worse in "real life" and any boo-boo on my baby seems awful to me!

Don't cry over spilt milk...

Last night I was busy trying to make dinner in a hurry so that we could eat together before I darted off to the gym. Joey was under foot and wanted some milk so gave her a small amount in a sippy cup without the inner part. Now that she is 2 I have been giving her regular cups, but I knew that she was going to walk around with the milk so I thought the sippy cup was that better bet. She took it to the sofa, got up, sat down and promptly turned it over and and spilled it on herself and the sofa. When she told me I scream "Ugh" and came running from the kitchen with the towel. Steve sensing my rising frustration came into the room and asked Josephine "what happened?" To which she replied, "I spilled my milk, Mommy screamed." Well cut my heart out. I got down and apologized and told her that a little bit of spilled milk was nothing to get upset about...wow, lesson learned (the hard way).