NAVY BAND

This weekend our national park is celebrating it's sesquicentennial anniversary of the assaults on Vicksburg. There have been programs throughout the week, and planned for the entire Memorial Day weekend. We plan to attend a few events this weekend, starting with the Navy Band performance tonight. We met the Kennedy and Sanchez families for an evening of music outside the visitor center, where we picnicked for dinner and let the kids run wild until well after bedtime. We saw our friend Ashley there as well, and our kids had fun playing with hers - they may even have made it on TV, since they were all climbing the cannon and rolling down the hills in the background behind the park ranger they were interviewing. Hanging out with our friends and honoring the many service men and women in attendance of the concert was a great way to start the weekend!

(James took this picture for us!)

Towards the end of the concert I asked the kids to sit still for 2 seconds so I could take a group photo. James immediately obeyed and told all the other kids to come join him. They all sat, but nobody would look at my camera. When I said 1, 2, 3 to try and get a quick smile from them, Leo yelled "Go!" and lunged forward to get moving again. Meanwhile Cora was being her usual creepy self rolling her eyes up into her head (and yes, she does that when she's angry/annoyed with us too...) No wonder the boys were playing a game of pretend that involved chasing a witch (we *think* they got that from Scooby Doo, which they watch at school sometimes). By the time I corralled them all for another chance at the photo, Leo was no longer interested in sitting down and Will was too distracted by the hills, but Manu suggested to James and Cora that they all make "mad faces". Yeah, totally believable guys...

AMCA AWARDS CEREMONY

Oh, it all started off so well... 

The kids were calm, cute, and happily telling each other to hush for the show.

Then when it was the preschoolers' turn to get up and sing their two songs, I tried to help Manu down the aisle and he somehow tripped, face-planting, causing a bloody nose and bumped head. And I think he was pretty scared too. Poor buddy! I went in the bathroom with Sophie to tend to him, figuring my kids would go up and sing their songs, but apparently they just broke down crying (worried about Manu and upset that I was out of sight) because another mom brought them into the bathroom, red-faced and cheeks covered in tears and snot. Once everyone calmed down we went back to sit in the audience and awaited the awards.

Cora got the "Fritos Award" for "being the go 'to' student when the teacher was out". I assume that means she bosses all the other (mostly younger than her) kids around, in addition to running notes up to the office for her teacher. She was quite pleased with her water bottle filled with treats and bag of Fritos, and I was pleased that she went up there by herself to get her award, after initially telling me that I had to go with her and making me hold her hand until we got to the front of the room. (Her teacher gave each of her 1- and 2-year-olds awards named after bags of chips - it was pretty cute.)

James did a good job cheering on the other students, clapping and calling them by name.

When James' name was called, he got off his chair and went all the way to the front solo. Mr. Independent. I was actually really proud of him for his award of "Most Improved" because I know how far he's come this year in respect to listening to direction, staying focused for seat work, and spending less time getting in trouble for climbing tables and wrestling his buddies. He was also thrilled with his award: a beach bucket filled with chips and juice and other snacks.

I had planned to get a photo of them with their awards, with their friends, but a lot of the preschoolers left early, and we ended up leaving early to. Well, attempting to. We got stuck in the parking lot due to being blocked in, so the kids just sat around eating cupcakes while we waited for a clear space to escape. When we got home, we showed Gramma the awards and took a commemorative photo.

(She's actually smiling, it's just a crazy Cora smile. To match her crazy hair. As all her teachers tend to say at the end of the day, "That girls' a mess!")

BITTY BABY

Cora received an early birthday present last night! Her Gramma has been wanting to get her an American Girl Bitty Baby doll for a while now, and decided that her 3rd birthday was the perfect occasion. Cora was entranced, and hasn't let Bitty Baby (or any of her accessories) out of her sight since. I took a lot of photos (because it was SO cute to see her excitement), so here's the reveal: 

Seeing Bitty Baby for the first time and giving her a kiss through the box

Waiting anxiously for daddy to release Bitty baby from the box...

Entertaining herself with the box lid and Bitty Baby's baby book while daddy freed the teddy bear:

Thrilled that Bitty Baby's eyes shut when she's laying down:

Putting Bitty Baby in her crib (an American Girl Bitty Baby hand-me-down from her second cousin, Julia) and spinning the mobile for her:

Opening the box of Bitty Baby accessories:

Learning how to put Bitty Baby into her carrier/backpack:

Check me out! I can carry my baby on my back just like mama carries me!

Thank you Gramma! Our little mama-in-training is super happy with her first birthday gift!

GO FISH!

Gramma brought a new card game with her! The kids are learning how to play, which currently involves everyone playing with their cards up so they know what to ask for. It's funny, but they're getting it. Pretty soon we might teach them how to hold their cards up secretly...

P.S. Uncle Jamie, we've been playing dominoes with them too. The "Cars" movie version (pictures of Cars characters instead of dots). They really like it and definitely get the concept. Gramma tries to let them win (since we play this also with dominoes facing up), but we don't let her. We'd prefer the kids to learn from the start that "you win some, you lose some"!

LAST DAY, 2013

Who's ready for the last day of school? "ME!"

And my obligatory comparison of the last day of school: 2012 vs. 2013. 

My how these kids have grown...

"Look mama! It's a SNNNAKE!"

(Funny unrelated story... I was sleeping with Cora a couple weeks ago when she woke me up in the middle of the night with a pair of swift slaps to my hip, as I was sleeping on my side facing away from her. I was completely startled, and quickly turned to look over at her. She was sitting up, staring at me with wide eyes, seemingly completely awake, and excitedly whispered to me "Mama, there's a SNAKE in my bed!" Confused and aggravated to have been woken up so early, I told her "No there's not, go back to sleep", to which she promptly laid down, closed her eyes, and was back asleep in seconds. One of the weirdest awakenings I've ever had. Due to a child, anyway.)

NO SNACKS?!

Cora had to go to the doc for a rash check. Turns out it's a staph infection - boo! A round of antibiotics and some antibiotic ointment, and it's already healing nicely. She sure was mad in the waiting room when she found out we'd forgotten to restock the backpack snacks post-camping though...

NAPTIME DUTIES

First she moved her baby crib back from the closet to the side of her bed, turned off the lights, and tucked all her babies in for nap. Then she decided the crib was too full, so she put some of them in her cradle. Next thing I knew she'd dragged the baby-laden crib into the living room, packed her backpack full of books, a baby bottle and paci, and a blanket, and set them up under the chair so she could read them bedtime stories (while occasionally spinning the crib mobile or readjusting the bottle or paci). I think it's so cute how careful, sweet, and attentive she is with her baby dolls. She'll make a great mama someday!