Gracie is officially a kindergartner now. Friday was her last day of pre-K. I can't believe how fast this has come upon us. She's so big, and the days of school will not end for at least 12 more years. Wow.
We went to her field day on Wednesday. I was the only dad there. Gracie LOVED having both of us there. We both loved being there. (A little anticlimactic. I was expecting three-legged races and a dunking booth. I got bubbles and face painting.)
I'm so proud of Gracie. She is such a good little girl. Well-mannered. Smart. Knows right from wrong. Kind. Loving. A little rough. And pretty head strong. But she is the only Gracie Jane Cearley in the world and I'm so happy she's ours.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Big swimming day
Swimming milestones today:
Gracie actually took breathes above water before getting to her final resting place. Usually she takes one big breath and swims from point A to point B all in one fell swoop. She just hasn't gotten that she can poke her head above water to take a breath and keep going. Well, that moment hit her today. I don't know what it was - probably watching Amalia do it and feeling comfortable enough to just try it - but I think we've turned a corner. The real test will be when we're in our home pool. Let's see if it carries over there.
Max, usuall skiddish, took to the water like a champ. I had to drag him in multiple times, but he soon realized that he was safe in his floaties, so float he did. He even got to the point where he would half-jump in from the shallow part. We got over his fears of whatever in the past couple of days. Again, the true test lies ahead.
Nick just took to it all like old hat. He floated. He swam. He wasn't afraid. He even seemed to like going under water.
We did this thing where we all jumped off of the big ledge, even with Nick and Max, and they loved it. Max wanted to do it over and over.
I hope our summer is filled with many more awesome memories of family and water.
Gracie actually took breathes above water before getting to her final resting place. Usually she takes one big breath and swims from point A to point B all in one fell swoop. She just hasn't gotten that she can poke her head above water to take a breath and keep going. Well, that moment hit her today. I don't know what it was - probably watching Amalia do it and feeling comfortable enough to just try it - but I think we've turned a corner. The real test will be when we're in our home pool. Let's see if it carries over there.
Max, usuall skiddish, took to the water like a champ. I had to drag him in multiple times, but he soon realized that he was safe in his floaties, so float he did. He even got to the point where he would half-jump in from the shallow part. We got over his fears of whatever in the past couple of days. Again, the true test lies ahead.
Nick just took to it all like old hat. He floated. He swam. He wasn't afraid. He even seemed to like going under water.
We did this thing where we all jumped off of the big ledge, even with Nick and Max, and they loved it. Max wanted to do it over and over.
I hope our summer is filled with many more awesome memories of family and water.
Our kids and the big kids
Max wants to be with all the big kids.
Gracie wants to run the big kids.
Nick could care less about the big kids.
Gracie wants to run the big kids.
Nick could care less about the big kids.
Hi Summer....
And summer officially begins again in The Woodlands. We're spending Memorial Day weekend with YiaYia and the cousins in the pool. Yesterday was great. The boys even swam by themselves (with the help of their floaties, of course), which is a feat, especially for Max. Today is a big party celebration and the pool awaits....
More to come later.
More to come later.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Max the tackler
I watched Max chase Gracie last night and tackle her to the ground like a linebacker. She would get up, he would too, and then he'd do it all over again. Sometimes he would fall before reaching her. Sometimes, she would fall on purpose. But mostly, he caught her and wrestled her to the ground. He's a brute. He's headstrong, even more than Gracie. He is going to get in a lot of trouble. And he won't be able to tackle it all, all the time.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Gracie is BRILLIANT
We had our first parent/teacher conference today at Gracie's school (FBS). I was very excited about it. Mrs. McClure showed us Gracie's progress with coloring, drawing shapes, recognizing numbers and letters and writing her name. In short, the girl is BRILLIANT!
She mistakes 9's for P's and 6's for 9's, but that's OK. She also can't draw a triangle, but we can fix that. Everything else, she aced.
I was concerned about her interaction with the other kids. Just seeing her interact with kids at the playground or the way she interacts here made me wonder how she is with others at her school. Sometimes she can be shy or timid and just ignore other kids - away from school. But Mrs. McClure said that she interacts very well with others. In fact, she called Gracie a "leader." That's right.
She said that Gracie has a great attention span. She likes to sit and listen to books. She likes her friend Alyssa, but will share with all the other kids when they are playing. She talks loud, but this is something that she does here, too.
Next year, we are going to send her back to FBS for kindergarten. Smaller classroom sizes. She'll go all 5 days of the week from 8-12. It will be good for her. And if today's results are any indication of what we can expect next year, when she goes every day, I'm not very worried about how she'll handle the transition.
Kudos to Stephanie, too. She's worked with Gracie all year, outside of school - both on school-type things and also on behavior and manners. Mrs. McClure said Gracie was very well behaved, one of her best, she couldn't ask for any better.
We're raising her right.
Kudos to Mrs. McClure, too.
She mistakes 9's for P's and 6's for 9's, but that's OK. She also can't draw a triangle, but we can fix that. Everything else, she aced.
I was concerned about her interaction with the other kids. Just seeing her interact with kids at the playground or the way she interacts here made me wonder how she is with others at her school. Sometimes she can be shy or timid and just ignore other kids - away from school. But Mrs. McClure said that she interacts very well with others. In fact, she called Gracie a "leader." That's right.
She said that Gracie has a great attention span. She likes to sit and listen to books. She likes her friend Alyssa, but will share with all the other kids when they are playing. She talks loud, but this is something that she does here, too.
Next year, we are going to send her back to FBS for kindergarten. Smaller classroom sizes. She'll go all 5 days of the week from 8-12. It will be good for her. And if today's results are any indication of what we can expect next year, when she goes every day, I'm not very worried about how she'll handle the transition.
Kudos to Stephanie, too. She's worked with Gracie all year, outside of school - both on school-type things and also on behavior and manners. Mrs. McClure said Gracie was very well behaved, one of her best, she couldn't ask for any better.
We're raising her right.
Kudos to Mrs. McClure, too.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Nick breaks arm
Yup, the first broken bone of childhood has happened in the Cearley household. Nick fell off of a bar stool the other night and while it seemed like it hurt, it didn't seem like he broke his arm. Then, the next day, he went to catch himself on a fall and it definitely got him. Apparently, he was incredibly sweet getting X-rays and everything. He kept saying "light." Well, at least now he's got a club to protect himself from Max and Gracie.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Our fun time
To say that parenting over the last month has been challenging is an extreme understatement. The kids are going through massive transition and the toll that it has taken on us feels massive.
Max is going through a lot right now. He wants to be a grown up in the worst way. He wants to sit at the table (not his chair), wants to drink out of a big cup (not his sippy cup), wants to dress himself (not be dressed), wants to walk (not be pushed in a stroller) - he thinks he is much bigger than he is. We're trying to find a balance between giving him freedom and keeping him safe. It is hard, though.
He has also taken up climbing as a favorite hobby. He's always liked to climb, but now moreso than ever. Because he's bigger and more grown up, he's a better climber. Since he's a better climber, he's more adventurous. This has caused great heartburn. It all started last week when he began climbing out of his crib. He did this thing where he would then crawl across the dresser, into Nick's crib and just by staring at him, make Nick cry. The crib is Nick's happy place and as of last week, Max learned how to invade it.
This went on until Friday when I took off one side of Max's crib. Then, he got out and would still climb on the dresser, into Nick's crib. He did this until he busted his nose on Friday night. Blood everywhere. Screaming.
I think that was after he had been up all night the night before with a stomach bug. Steph spent the night in his room with him, sleeping on the floor. That was a fun night.
Over the weekend, I got smart and rearranged the room. I thought that if he didn't have a dresser to crawl on, he wouldn't get out of his bed, certainly wouldn't climb into Nick's crib. Well, I learned 2 things: 1) there was no way he was staying in that crib, all open like that and 2) the disassembled bed really messed him up. He was terrified of the openness. I finally broke down and re-assembled the crib this morning at 3:30 AM, after Nick had been sick all night. That was another fun night.
Now, as I type this, Steph is sick. Since Gracie was sick last Sunday, guess who's getting sick next?
Joy.
Max is going through a lot right now. He wants to be a grown up in the worst way. He wants to sit at the table (not his chair), wants to drink out of a big cup (not his sippy cup), wants to dress himself (not be dressed), wants to walk (not be pushed in a stroller) - he thinks he is much bigger than he is. We're trying to find a balance between giving him freedom and keeping him safe. It is hard, though.
He has also taken up climbing as a favorite hobby. He's always liked to climb, but now moreso than ever. Because he's bigger and more grown up, he's a better climber. Since he's a better climber, he's more adventurous. This has caused great heartburn. It all started last week when he began climbing out of his crib. He did this thing where he would then crawl across the dresser, into Nick's crib and just by staring at him, make Nick cry. The crib is Nick's happy place and as of last week, Max learned how to invade it.
This went on until Friday when I took off one side of Max's crib. Then, he got out and would still climb on the dresser, into Nick's crib. He did this until he busted his nose on Friday night. Blood everywhere. Screaming.
I think that was after he had been up all night the night before with a stomach bug. Steph spent the night in his room with him, sleeping on the floor. That was a fun night.
Over the weekend, I got smart and rearranged the room. I thought that if he didn't have a dresser to crawl on, he wouldn't get out of his bed, certainly wouldn't climb into Nick's crib. Well, I learned 2 things: 1) there was no way he was staying in that crib, all open like that and 2) the disassembled bed really messed him up. He was terrified of the openness. I finally broke down and re-assembled the crib this morning at 3:30 AM, after Nick had been sick all night. That was another fun night.
Now, as I type this, Steph is sick. Since Gracie was sick last Sunday, guess who's getting sick next?
Joy.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Vocabulary
Nick's vocabulary: 16 words
Door
Shoe
Sock
Car
Truck
Tractor
Ball
Football
Cowboys
Momma
Dadda
Sissy
Bubby
Max
Gigi
No
Max's vocabulary: 8
Door
Car
Truck
Tractor
Thank you
Momma
Dadda
No
Max mimics Gracie, which isn't the best thing. And Nick mimics Max. The chain has begun.
Door
Shoe
Sock
Car
Truck
Tractor
Ball
Football
Cowboys
Momma
Dadda
Sissy
Bubby
Max
Gigi
No
Max's vocabulary: 8
Door
Car
Truck
Tractor
Thank you
Momma
Dadda
No
Max mimics Gracie, which isn't the best thing. And Nick mimics Max. The chain has begun.
Happy 2 years!
Crazy that 2 years have gone by. The boys are so big. And we are all 2 years older?!?!
It was a low-key birthday. We were all in Austin for SXSW (the thing that has consumed me since the beginning of the year - working for one of our clients) until Tuesday (3/16). Steph and I came back to Dallas - mom kept the kids, thank you mom! - to spend a little bit of much needed time together. Then, on Thursday, the actual day of the boys' birthday, my mom and Steph met each other in Waco. Steph brought the boys back and spent the rest of the day getting settled into the house. We decided that we would spent the evening together, just family, and wait for the weekend to have a little party.
On the way home from work, I stopped by the store and got balloons (they LOVE balloons) and an ice cream cake. We were all so excited to see each other because it had just been too long. I don't feel like I've been around much at all lately and especially being a part from each other for a couple of days - we were all wanting to be with each other.
The boys loved their cake. They loved the balloons even more (I got Gracie one, too). It was a great night together.
We didn't end up doing anything over the weekend. Nick woke up on Saturday morning with what looked to be pink eye so it has sequestered us to the house all weekend.
It's been a great weekend, but I don't know that any of us can believe that they are already 2. Sigh.
It was a low-key birthday. We were all in Austin for SXSW (the thing that has consumed me since the beginning of the year - working for one of our clients) until Tuesday (3/16). Steph and I came back to Dallas - mom kept the kids, thank you mom! - to spend a little bit of much needed time together. Then, on Thursday, the actual day of the boys' birthday, my mom and Steph met each other in Waco. Steph brought the boys back and spent the rest of the day getting settled into the house. We decided that we would spent the evening together, just family, and wait for the weekend to have a little party.
On the way home from work, I stopped by the store and got balloons (they LOVE balloons) and an ice cream cake. We were all so excited to see each other because it had just been too long. I don't feel like I've been around much at all lately and especially being a part from each other for a couple of days - we were all wanting to be with each other.
The boys loved their cake. They loved the balloons even more (I got Gracie one, too). It was a great night together.
We didn't end up doing anything over the weekend. Nick woke up on Saturday morning with what looked to be pink eye so it has sequestered us to the house all weekend.
It's been a great weekend, but I don't know that any of us can believe that they are already 2. Sigh.
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