After Dinner Delight

Last night for dinner, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings (Daddy's favorite) and afterwards decided to stop at Dairy Queen for ice cream.  Growing up, my favorite was a chocolate dipped ice cream cone, so last night I got one, and it was just as good as I remembered.  Kathryn's favorite at DQ is the Dilly Bar.  They are both very similar products, one's in a cone, and the dilly bar is on a stick.  I could not finish my cone, so Kathryn decided to try some.  Naturally, she ate right out of the middle of the cone (how else should you eat an ice cream cone???).  Needless to say, after a couple of bites, we tossed the rest since we were on the verge of having ice cream come out of the side.  We all enjoyed our after dinner treat!

 

Week of the Young Child 2012

This week, The Red Barn participated in the Week of the Young Child.  Each day was themed, and Kathryn loved every single day. 

Monday: Garden Groundbreaking for Earth Day - Kathryn got to help cultivate her class's section of the garden.  She was so excited to tell me about preparing the dirt for planting.

Tuesday: Turn Off the Television Day - When Kyle explained to Kathryn there would be No TV, her wide eyed response was "WHOOOAAA!!!!!"  Followed up with, "Can we still watch DVDs?"  Kyle answered no to which she said, "AHHHH MAN!"  Then she said, "Well, at least we can still color!"  My girl cracks me up!  She actually did really well with no TV.  Generally, when we get home from school, she will watch a show or two while I get things around the house squared away.  On this day, she just played, and then we went outside to pull some weeds together as well as dig in the dirt.  After she went to bed, Kyle and I went downstairs to watch our show in bed...we felt like we were kind of cheating on no TV day, but Kathryn didn't know.

Wednesday: St. Jude Trike-A-Thon Day - Kathryn was so excited to take her bike and helmet to school.  She raised a little money for St. Jude while riding her bike with her classmates.

Thursday: Bucket Filling Day - The book "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" was read to her class and then they did activities to promote kindness.  Kathryn was excited to wear her khakis and Red Barn shirt to match her friends at school while showing her Red Barn pride.

Friday: No Child Left "Inside" Day - Today extra time will be spent outside playing.  Kathryn loves playing outside at The Red Barn.  She enjoys playing on the slide, playing with chalk, and picking "flowers" as known as weeds. 

We love The Red Barn!  Kathryn has grown so much academically through her experiences there.  She has also learned so much socially through playing with others and being exposed to the general curriculum.  We couldn't be happier with her preschool.     

Kathryn's Current Favorites

Seems like Kathryn goes through phases on things she loves...here is her current list...

1. Listening to a bedtime story on Daddy's iPad versus being read to (each day there is a new story)
2. Current favorite Nick Jr. Show: Max and Ruby
3. Jewelry and Sunglasses, she loves to accessorize
4. Sleeping in her sleeping bag on top of her bed  (she doesn't like "messing up" her covers)
5. Her Sparkle Shoes (silver glittery Toms) and her Tennys (her tennis shoes)
6. Monkey Bar Shorts (designed to wear under dresses, etc)...she would wear them out in public as actual shorts if we would let her
7. Chocolate Chip muffins for breakfast

Oldie but Goodie...
8. Ducky!  I think she might keep Ducky around until she is 20.  

A Little Bit of Lately

April has been a busy month and filled with so emotions as of recently.  Some highlights of the month include Bailey turning 13 years old, celebrating my father in laws 73rd birthday, throwing a baby shower for my friend and co-worker Letishia, and the other fun filled events which I have previously blogged about.  This past weekend was a little insane.  Friday evening, Kathryn and I went to Rivers and Spires and had a blast.  Saturday morning, we went to Alec Hale's 4th birthday party, then ran some errands, and went to Hoptown to visit with Momma Hope and Momma Pam.  Once we were back home, my co-worker and friend Kirsten called to tell me her son was found dead earlier in the day.  My heart broke for her.  I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child.  I am so sad for her...truly heartbroken.  Sunday after church, Kyle played with Kathryn so I could take a much needed nap.  I was so excited to just lay down for a couple of hours.  He has no clue how much this meant to me.  Sunday afternoon, I found out Letishia's baby had to be put on a ventilator.  Again, so sad for this setback and hoping that nothing major is going on.  This week is TCAP week which is always a stresser.  So, I am going to take this week one day at a time.  Thank God for all my blessings and hold my sweet girl Kathryn a little tighter. 

Festival Fun

Last night, Kathryn and I headed downtown to Clarksville's Rivers and Spires Festival.  I am not really into large festivals, but I knew Kathryn would love it, so we went.  And, just as I expected, she had an absolute blast, and therefore I did too.  Her eyes lit up, and she was so excited as we walked down the hill to the Kids' Zone.  Her expression was priceless when she saw all the inflatables and tents from afar.  Kathryn loved visiting the booths to play games and make crafts.  But, her favorite was jumping on all the inflatables.  She loved going down the huge slides and bouncing in the various houses.  She was so well behaved, and we truly had just a fun time together.  Daddy was working the festival for Kiwanis, so we went to visit him for a bit.  We didn't get to stay for long due to rain, but I am so glad we went.  We will definitely go back next year, and I will be on the look out for other festivals in our area. 

Since our evening was cut a little shorter than planned (due to the rain), we decided when we got home we would watch a movie and have some popcorn.  First, we took a bath.

Then we snuggled up, ate some popcorn, and watched Kathryn's newest favorite movie. 

It was pretty much a perfect Friday night for a Kathryn and Mommy date!  I truly cherish and love my one on one time with my sweet girl!

Short lived drama...

Our dinner time woes are already on the mend...or over.  Thank goodness!  Kathryn is a pretty quick learner.  For the past couple of nights, she has had less snacks and has eaten great dinners.  I am so thankful there have been no more melt downs. 

Also, our bedtime routine has greatly improved, and bedtime has gone back to being a pleasant time each evening instead of something dreadful.  Kathryn even is allowing Daddy to help brush her teeth AND read to her at night (well, they will listen to a story on the iPad).  This provides a nice little break for Mommy from time to time. 

Kathryn really is a fun, sweet, and smart girl.  She is full of life, and she is such a blessing to us.  We are lucky parents!!!!!

Dinner Time Melt Down

Everyday when Kathryn comes home from school, she is starving!  We usually allow her to have a couple of snacks to tie her over until dinner.  For the past couple of weeks, she has been all about snacks and less about mealtimes.  Last night was a prime example.  She ate a couple of bites of dinner (literally, like 3 bites) and said she was done, but then she immediately asked for a snack.  UGH!  We couldn't give in, so we let her throw a fit for about an hour.  FINALLY, an hour and half later, she decided she would eat her dinner.  Not so fun times, but hopefully this stage will pass soon!

Officially a Junior Auxiliary Life Member

For the past six years, I have been actively engaged in Clarksville's chapter of Junior Auxiliary.  My first year, I was a provisional member and for the past five years, I have been an active member.  During my membership, I have served in many positions, and I can honestly say I have enjoyed my time served.  The focus of Junior Auxiliary is serving and helping children in our community.  And, the service projects we do are truly amazing and a constant reminder of why Clarksville needs Junior Auxiliary.  This past month, I have closed in on my final year as a member.  This past week, I attended my last chapter meeting, and Saturday night, I worked my last event.  This is a bittersweet ending.  I am looking forward to having a little extra time on my hands, especially with a new baby on the way, but I will 100% miss seeing my fellow JA members each month.  Through JA, I have made life long friends and have been able to give back to my community.  I look forward to being a Life Member of Junior Auxiliary and continuing to help and support my chapter.     

My Little Leader

I love getting our weekly Curriculum Connection from The Red Barn.  And, on this week's connection, I liked how she revealed that she likes to be the line leader.  I am pretty sure Kathryn is a mini-me. 

Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend was a pretty busy one.  Friday night, we took Kathryn to the APSU/Murray Baseball game.  Kathryn insisted on changing into her APSU Cheerleading outfit, so who were we to argue that point.  We enjoyed some ballpark food and the beautiful baseball weather.

Enjoying a Ring Pop

Saturday morning, Kyle and Kathryn headed to Camden to with family, and I stayed home.  I had already committed to helping work a Junior Auxiliary event that evening, and I knew I would be up late.  Since I am pregnant, I thought it would be best for me to stay home that morning and rest.  I took advantage of alone time by sleeping in, doing laundry, and a little light cleaning around the house.  I finished up my alone time by relaxing.  Saturday night, I worked my final Junior Auxiliary event.  The event (which I named) Cheers for Charity was a huge success, and I hope JA does the event next year so I can participate.

Me and Brittnye at Cheers for Charity

Sunday was a great day!  We started out by going to church, or "Sunday Church" as Kathryn calls it.  After church and lunch at The Olive Garden, we went home to relax before our afternoon outing to see The Fresh Beat Band at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.  We had an absolute blast at the concert.  For the first 30 minutes of the concert, Kathryn was a little overwhelmed.  By the end, she was dancing and singing.  Her favorite song of the show was the Freeze Dance.  It was super cute watching her freeze.  It was so fun seeing her face light up and experience the concert with her.  We ended the night by having dinner at Margaritaville.  The food was delicious.  However, the highlight of dinner for Kathryn was the Pirate on Stilts making balloon hats.  Kathryn's hat was a purple and white flower.  We had a wonderful weekend, and we are so blessed we are able to do the fun things we do.  

Before the show began...We were glad Mimi and Papa could join us for the concert!

Enjoying some popcorn before the show

Excited for the concert to begin

Intermission

Loving The Fresh Beat Band

She was pretty overwhelmed and amazed by the show

Dinner at Margaritaville...fun Balloon Artist

    

Big Sis To Be

I found this super cute outfit for Kathryn.  It will be perfect for the day Baby Luther is born.

Fun at The Red Barn

These are some of Kathryn's Daily Progress Sheets and her Artwork from The Red Barn.  I love watching my sweet girl grow and learn.  Her newest thing is rhyming words.  She asks us ALL THE TIME, if particular words rhyme.  She usually does a great job with her rhyming words.  On occasion, she gets them wrong, and she loves to intentionally get them wrong and then laughs at herself.  She is a smart girl!

Working on writing her name...so proud!

Another family portrait

And, another one...Love seeing her drawings

On this particular show and tell day, the letter of the week was "Z."  Since chap stick doesn't start with a Z, I was a little confused, so I asked Kathryn, "Did your chap stick have something to do with the letter Z?"  Kathryn replied, "I hope so!"  She absolutely cracks me up!!!!!

Our family (Kathryn, Mommy, and Daddy), a Rainbow, and a few random letters

Pics from Mom's camera

These are a few of my favorite pictures from my mom's camera that have been taken in the last month.

Playing with Maxx at Momma Pam's

Cousins and Friends

Working on a Masterpiece at Aunt Kiki's

Just being cute

Spring Break 2012 Fun at Aunt Kiki's

Checking out the inch worm at Garrett's 6th birthday party

On the scavenger hunt at Garrett's birthday party

Singing Happy Birthday to Garrett

Easter Day Pictures