First Day of School

Today was the day I'd been waiting for with a mix of excitement and dread...Charlotte and Jensen's first day of preschool! We began our morning with a healthy breakfast:

"Do you have any idea why she keeps taking our picture?"

After we were all dressed and ready to go I had to take some pictures of my little stinkers. Fortunately for me, Uncle Dot had dropped by on his way to the gym, so he was able to get a really good one!

All three of us looking at the camera...a rare feat!

Then, we were off to school! Drop-off went easier than I expected. I had been insisting that I was going to take them by myself, but at the last minute I wussed out and had Brian meet me there to help walk them in. Jensen, of course, walked right in like he owned the place and began playing with the toys. Charlotte clung to me until her teacher showed her some balls (her fave!) and we got out her bunny from her backpack. We took it slow but we eventually handed Charlie over to her teacher, and Brian pushed me out the door (like, literally...there was some shoving involved). Which was probably good because I had no time to cry, nor was I there to hear the crying that I'm pretty sure Charlie started as soon as we left.

I expected the hours of 9:00-2:00 to drag by at a snail's pace, but the time actually seemed to fly. I kept myself very busy with trips to Target, Kohl's and Marshall's (amazing how easy it is to get in and out of those places without a double stroller!). I sorted through all Jensen's clothes and weeded out what no longer fits. I ate lunch, picked up the house a bit, paid some bills, got Wordless Wednesday posted, and even worked on a few Pinterest-inspired crafts for Charlotte's room. Of course, my cell phone stayed glued to my side throughout the day (yep, even took it to the bathroom with me). I was so sure the kids' teacher was going to call and tell me she couldn't get Charlotte calmed down. Every time the cell phone rang, my heart skipped a beat until the caller ID popped up...and whoever was on the other line got a stern lecture about how they were not to call my cell phone again until 2:30!

I had planned to be good and not leave the house until 2:15...I only made it 'til 2:05 before I couldn't resist the urge to hop in the car and pick up my kiddos. Unfortunately, I got stuck behind the longest, slowest train EVER (I didn't look at the time when I first got stuck at the tracks, but it was over ten minutes from the time I texted Brian that I was stuck waiting for a train until traffic started moving again). I was in a panic that I was going to be late picking Charlotte and Jensen up from school on their very first day. I ended up getting to their classroom at exactly 2:30 and poor Charlie and Jensen were the last ones to be picked up. However, the good news was that Charlie was playing happily and Jensen was sitting in the teacher's lap reading! 

I got a full report from the kiddos' teacher, and they both did GREAT! Charlotte had a few crying episodes and only napped for 20 minutes on her nap mat...but despite those things, she did so much better than I had expected. I am so proud of my little Bug for being such a brave girl! Her teacher reported that she loved music time and that she is good at coloring. Jensen did great, as expected, and his teacher was very impressed with how easygoing he is (or in her words, a "piece of cake!"). He loved playing with a toy car on the playground and slept the entire time on his nap mat (which is totally shocking to me!).

Here are their reports from their teacher:

I was so happy to get my babies home and play with them. I was sure they would be cranky and tired (especially Charlotte, after only sleeping for 20 minutes). But they surprised me by remaining in great moods throughout the evening!

Ok, so maybe Mr. Dude was a bit tired...

...or a LOT tired.

However, his sis was raring to go!

Happy Bug! She had lots to "talk" about tonight...I can't wait until I can understand her!

So we have one day of preschool under our belts. I am so proud of my stinkers for being such brave little kiddos. It was so strange to be at our house without them...there was definitely a feeling that something was missing. And it was easier to shop without them, but it was also completely uneventful. I missed Charlotte and Jensen and worried about them pretty much nonstop, but I am so happy with how today went and I can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for us!

Wordless Wednesday

Preschool Prep

In exactly two days, Charlotte and Jensen will start an exciting new phase in their young lives with their first day of preschool! I never imagined that they would be starting a preschool program at the age of just 16 months, but I also knew exactly which preschool I wanted them to attend...and it turns out that if you don't get your kiddos in by this age, they will end up on a waiting list a mile long. So in February, I got my tiny girl and little dude all signed up for an August start. Back then, August seemed like a lifetime away...yet here we are.

I am so excited about this preschool. It is a faith-based curriculum and they emphasize learning through hands-on activities and play. We had our meet-the-teacher night on Thursday, and we love Charlotte and Jensen's teacher. They are in a class with two other little boys, and all four of the kiddos have birthdays within a month or so of one another. Best of all, their teacher seems very willing to work with Charlotte and any separation anxiety issues we may encounter. She said we could see how it goes, but if necessary we can start with only leaving Charlotte there for a few hours and then work up to the full 9:00-2:30 day. Of course I am incredibly nervous about leaving my little Bug (and her brother, too) but I have a feeling that they will soon feel very comfortable with their teacher.

While Brian and I (and the other parents) spoke to the teacher, the four kiddos ran around and explored their new classroom. Jensen of course made a beeline for the books. He picked one out, took it to one of the other moms, handed it to her, and then plopped himself down in her lap for storytime. Yep, that's my friendly little dude! Charlotte walked around the room checking things out and "talking" in her little Charlie-language. Overall a successful evening!

I've ordered and received their monogrammed nap mats, and on Friday Tita took us shopping for backpacks and lunch boxes.

Planes, trains and automobiles for Mr. Jensen. Owls for Charlie Bug.

I have labels ready to go for all their belongings, and I suppose I had better get to labeling! We tried out our new nap mats the other day. The kiddos were very interested in them. Jensen, of course, wanted Charlotte's pink one:

So Charlotte hopped into Jensen's blue nap mat:

(This face is one of Charlotte's signature expressions...kind of looking down her nose at you. Brian says she gets it from me, but whatever.)

There's a tiny smile.

I really wanted to get some pics of the kiddos modeling their new backpacks, but they aren't too keen on wearing them...so I just let them play with them for a bit. Jensen first tried to fit his backpack into his toy drum...

"Will it fit? No? Lame."

...and he then became very interested in the owls on his sister's backpack...

"Hmmm...maybe I like sister's backpack better than mine!"

...but he soon became distracted. By what? By his sister, who came up behind him and began hitting him with a giant stuffed dog (much to Jensen's delight, of course!):

On another note, Charlotte has some seriously crazy hair these days. I kind of don't know what to do with it.

So in the midst of all that craziness, I only managed to get one picture of either of them wearing a backpack:

Every time I look at this picture, my heart hurts just a tiny bit. Because I know that I'll blink and that little backpack with planes and trains will be replaced by a real one full of books and homework. Preschool will turn to kindergarten, kindergarten to elementary school, and so on. But for now, we've got preschool to conquer...I hope we can do it. I think we can. :)

Sixteen Months!

Wait...didn't we just read a 15-month post, like, a week ago? Yes, that's what happens when I get behind. I'm attempting to get back on track...so on that note, Happy 16 Months, Charlotte and Jensen!

Charlotte Anne at 16 Months

Blueberry face!

Little Bitty Bug: I bought her this skirt from Baby Gap in size 12-18 months thinking it would fit. As you can see, it does not...it literally falls off her. By the time she gets to wear it, it will be wayyyyy past Labor Day!

Looking sweet in her smocked dress.

The morning after her first night in two-piece pajamas.

She stole Jensen's prized horse for a quick ride.

Charlie has been doing a bit better, attitude-wise, in the past few weeks. The other day I noticed that she has two more teeth toward the back (molars, maybe? I am pretty much the worst dental hygienist-wannabe ever!) so maybe some of her fussiness has been caused by teething pain. That brings her total up to ten teeth. She is still wearing mostly size 12-month clothes, although they are starting to get too short on her.

Charlotte is beginning to show a bit of a nurturing side toward her brother. We have begun putting the kids in time-out when they don't listen to us or do something they know they aren't supposed to do, and Charlotte is very sympathetic when Jensen is doing his time. The other day she actually brought him a sippy cup of milk when he was in time-out...it was a real struggle for Brian and I to maintain our "stern parent" faces and not break into laughter! She will also feed her bro pieces of her snacks and bring him his shoes and "softies" on occasion. Charlotte still LOVES her naps. When we ask if she's ready to go see her bunnies (our code for nap time or bed time) she squeals with excitement and raises her arms to be picked up. She then begins to say "bye-bye" to anyone else in the room (usually just her brother, but sometimes Daddy) and when I get to her little pack-n-play (yes that's still where she sleeps!) she practically throws herself in. I am soooo lucky that she loves her naps...I hope that's always the case!

Jensen Todd at Sixteen Months

Stuck in his drum...again.

This little tree sprouted up in our backyard. We thought it'd be fun to get a pic of the kids beside it to see how the tree and kids grow...this was the best we could do!

Sunscreen in hair + nap = Nick Nolte mugshot hair.

Little dude could NOT figure out how to drink from a straw...until one day, he just did it. Now he loves straws!

I am proud to report that my little dude has gone from four teeth to eight teeth! (Well, they are technically still just white points but they have broken through his gums so I say they count.) He's been a crabby guy due to getting four teeth at once, so (although you can't tell from the above pics!) he's not been as happy as usual. He is wearing 18-24 month clothes and his size 4.5 (wide) shoes are getting too small for him...another trip to Stride Rite is in our near future. I just noticed that he needs yet another haircut so we'll probably do that before school starts, too.

Jensen is trying really hard to communicate, but words don't seem to be coming too easily for him. He still gets his point across by pointing and making noises for what he wants, and he is also so observant and great at following instructions. I can ask him to go get things and he usually will, even if it's something that is in another room. The other day I couldn't find my cell phone. I said, "Jensen, have you seen Mommy's cell phone?" and he looked at me for a second, then walked over to his toy box and pulled it out. I guess he'd hidden it there earlier, little sneak! Anyways, our doctor is not concerned about his lack of vocab since he is clearly very social and interested in communicating...so I guess I'm not too worried either.

Happy 16 months to my troublemaking duo! I love you two more each and every day!

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

(Yes, he's asleep)

(Yes, he's asleep...with his pants pulled down and hiney in the air!)

J-E-L-L-O & Other Assorted Fun

Today was the first day of school for most of the kids in our area. Charlotte and Jensen, however, don't start until next Wednesday...so we decided to take advantage of the much-less-crowded mall and have ourselves a little outing.

First stop: Watching the ice skaters!

Okay, there was just one ice skater. But she was really good!

Next up: Sharing a pretzel while watching the carousel.

The beauty of our carousel-watching is that C & J haven't yet figured out that they could actually get ON the carousel...so for now, they are content to watch the other kids ride it. 

So our mall trip was a success, except for a certain twin who realized that a) the mall is cavernous, which means screaming is way more fun because it echoes! and b) the elevator is not a desirable place to be and therefore a major fit is the only way to make the ride bearable. I'm sure you cannot guess which twin that was!

In other keeping-cool news, I decided to make Charlie and Jensen a special treat: Jell-O.  No offense to Mr. Bill Cosby, but I found a recipe online and made my own using plain gelatin, agave nectar, water and blueberry juice. It was really easy. Jensen was not quite so sure of the Jell-O...

 

His sister, on the other hand, dug right in and was soon squealing for more!

For everyone who did start school this week, I hope it's going well. We have meet-the-teacher night for Charlotte on Jensen on Thursday so you know I'm already nervous about that!

Rules Were Made (By Parents) to be Broken (By Grandparents)

Charlotte and Jensen are used to eating healthy foods...they even love broccoli and spinach! But when their Grandpa is around, it seems that anything goes:

Mom's rule of the kiddos only drinking water and milk? Doesn't apply at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Grandpa thinks they need to enjoy some limeade!

And Mom's rule of limiting sweets? Again, Grandpa finds this way too strict. Might as well go big or go home and give the kids a sugary treat from south of the border!

Mmmmm...churro!

Petting the dog while eating the churro (and wearing a lei!). Multitasking.

This next one isn't really breaking any of Mommy's rules, but it's pretty cute. Jensen has been having some major teething pain lately (as you can imagine; he has only had four teeth up until this point!). So Grandma took pity on him one day and cuddled him while he enjoyed a nice cold popsicle. 

 

I guess that's what Grandparents are for!