Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Ho Ho Ho
Santa visited daycare today. I had to bring a small, wrapped gift for Santa to give Miles. They do this every year. I didn't go last year, but the pictures that Miles' teacher took were precious. So, I couldn't wait to go this year.
Here are all the kids waiting for Santa....of course Miles is right next to Ms. Lee Ann...
Miles was very excited when Santa came out. He kept saying "Santa, Santa, Santa"...
Waiting for Santa to call his name...
He was such a big boy & walked right up to get his gift...
Miles, Amelia, and Avery Reece...
After all the kids in his class got their gifts, they went back to their room to open them...
The moment he realized it was an Angry Bird (the only thing he wants for Christmas if you ask him)...
What a sweet picture of Miles & Avery Reece...
I'm so thankful that Miles' daycare does neat stuff like this. It was complete chaos and I know it would have been much easier to not get all the kids stirred up by Santa & presents....but it sure was cute & they had a great time. Ms. Lee Ann said that Miles showed his Angry Bird to everyone he saw today. Now the countdown is on to the real Santa. 4 more days...
Here are all the kids waiting for Santa....of course Miles is right next to Ms. Lee Ann...
Miles was very excited when Santa came out. He kept saying "Santa, Santa, Santa"...
Waiting for Santa to call his name...
He was such a big boy & walked right up to get his gift...
Miles, Amelia, and Avery Reece...
After all the kids in his class got their gifts, they went back to their room to open them...
The moment he realized it was an Angry Bird (the only thing he wants for Christmas if you ask him)...
What a sweet picture of Miles & Avery Reece...
I'm so thankful that Miles' daycare does neat stuff like this. It was complete chaos and I know it would have been much easier to not get all the kids stirred up by Santa & presents....but it sure was cute & they had a great time. Ms. Lee Ann said that Miles showed his Angry Bird to everyone he saw today. Now the countdown is on to the real Santa. 4 more days...
Monday, December 19, 2011
A Must Have
If you have a little one and don't have flashcards, I highly recommend them. They play with them at daycare, so I thought I would try. So much of what we play has zero education to it. I know everything doesn't have to be productive, but flashcards are like a game to him so we might as well play.
Tonight he asked to play with them. Darrin and I were amazed at how many new letters he learned in a 30 minute time frame. I would pick a few letters that he knew and add some new ones...then the next round, I would add some repeats that he just learned and add some new ones. He picked them up so quickly, and I think he had more fun with these than anything else we played with tonight.
I got these at Barnes & Noble. They are called "Ready for School".
Tonight he asked to play with them. Darrin and I were amazed at how many new letters he learned in a 30 minute time frame. I would pick a few letters that he knew and add some new ones...then the next round, I would add some repeats that he just learned and add some new ones. He picked them up so quickly, and I think he had more fun with these than anything else we played with tonight.
I got these at Barnes & Noble. They are called "Ready for School".
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Sunday Afternoon Naps
The bedtime woes I talked about the other day are also naptime woes. We spent a little over an hour getting him to sleep yesterday, and last Sunday was dreadful. He needs a nap though. I would prefer to stick to the schedule that they use at daycare, which is lunch at 11 & then naptime, but I just can't spend a couple hours on Saturdays and Sunday trying to get him to take a nap.
So today Darrin & I talked about what to do and decided to let him watch a movie in our room, hoping he would fall asleep & could take his nap in there. We put in the one movie that he will watch from start to finish, Tangled, and waited to see what would happen.
We were pretty excited about the plan b/c it meant little interruption during the football games...none of which were worth watching BTW. I even gave him a bath & put him in his pjs b/c we planned to get comfy and stay home for the rest of the day.
He watched the movie for an hour, did not fall asleep, and then became bored with it & starting running around the living room like a wild man. He asked for a snack....so I gave him milk, rice cakes & some pineapple. He ate it and then crawled up in my lap & was asleep within 2 minutes. Darrin took him to bed and he slept for 2.5 hours.
Darrin & I were all set to watch the Broncos/Patriots game but then we both fell asleep and took a long nap ourselves. It was a good day in the McClure house. I see this Sunday afternoon routine happening again. It was perfect.
So today Darrin & I talked about what to do and decided to let him watch a movie in our room, hoping he would fall asleep & could take his nap in there. We put in the one movie that he will watch from start to finish, Tangled, and waited to see what would happen.
We were pretty excited about the plan b/c it meant little interruption during the football games...none of which were worth watching BTW. I even gave him a bath & put him in his pjs b/c we planned to get comfy and stay home for the rest of the day. He watched the movie for an hour, did not fall asleep, and then became bored with it & starting running around the living room like a wild man. He asked for a snack....so I gave him milk, rice cakes & some pineapple. He ate it and then crawled up in my lap & was asleep within 2 minutes. Darrin took him to bed and he slept for 2.5 hours.
Darrin & I were all set to watch the Broncos/Patriots game but then we both fell asleep and took a long nap ourselves. It was a good day in the McClure house. I see this Sunday afternoon routine happening again. It was perfect.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Bedtime Woes
My mom sent me a text a couple days ago that said, "I've been reading about your bedtime woes with m on Facebook"....and that's exactly what we've been having. With the exception of being an early riser, Miles has always been a great sleeper. For most of his life, we've been able to take him to bed and he won't wake up or come out until morning.
A couple weeks ago, that all came to an end. I have no idea why. Apparently he's been doing the same thing at daycare during nap time. All I can think is that he's testing his boundaries and trying to exert some independence. We began the Super Nanny bedtime routine last week...where you take them back over and over without speaking to them or indulging them with the attention they are desiring. Here's how it's gone so far...
Night 1 (last Wednesday) - Awful. 2.5 hours of pure torture. He screamed & cried the entire time. We physically took him back to bed 50+ times. Many of the times, he was already at the door when we closed it.
Night 2 (Thursday) - 1 hour, but little crying. We took him back to bed around 20 times. It was a pain, but not as agonizing as the first night.
Night 3 (Friday) - He spent the night with Darrin's parent's, so as with any grandparents, there was definitely no sleep training going on :)
Night 4 (Saturday) - We were out late & he fell asleep in the car on the way home, so we were able to put him in bed still asleep....imagine the angels singing...it was wonderful.
Night 5 (Sunday) - 1 hour, little to no crying. We took him back to bed around 10 times.
Night 6 (Monday) - 45 minutes, no crying. He eventually fell asleep in his doorway. I picked him up, put him in bed, and he never woke up.
Night 7 (Tuesday) - I don't remember, but it wasn't too bad. The first time he came out, we kept ignoring his whisper. He finally got a little louder and I realized he was trying to tell us that he had a poopy diaper.....opps.
Last night - 40 minutes, no crying. We only had to take him back to bed around 5 times. We had a repeat of the poopy diaper incident from the night before. I'm beginning to wonder if that's a new stall tactic.
He's spending the night at Darrin's parent's house again tonight, so we all have a night off from the dreaded Super Nanny bedtime routine. It's no fun, but I've been assured by friends that it works. I can see a huge improvement in the last week, but it's taking longer than I'd like (of course). I'm sure some of that is our fault due to our inconsistency. Every now & then, we will fall off the wagon and do something way off the plan out of complete frustration. This is not for the weak, that's for sure.
Since I don't like to post without a picture, here's a sneak peak from Miles' Christmas party at daycare today. Miles & his adorable little friend, Amelia...
A couple weeks ago, that all came to an end. I have no idea why. Apparently he's been doing the same thing at daycare during nap time. All I can think is that he's testing his boundaries and trying to exert some independence. We began the Super Nanny bedtime routine last week...where you take them back over and over without speaking to them or indulging them with the attention they are desiring. Here's how it's gone so far...
Night 1 (last Wednesday) - Awful. 2.5 hours of pure torture. He screamed & cried the entire time. We physically took him back to bed 50+ times. Many of the times, he was already at the door when we closed it.
Night 2 (Thursday) - 1 hour, but little crying. We took him back to bed around 20 times. It was a pain, but not as agonizing as the first night.
Night 3 (Friday) - He spent the night with Darrin's parent's, so as with any grandparents, there was definitely no sleep training going on :)
Night 4 (Saturday) - We were out late & he fell asleep in the car on the way home, so we were able to put him in bed still asleep....imagine the angels singing...it was wonderful.
Night 5 (Sunday) - 1 hour, little to no crying. We took him back to bed around 10 times.
Night 6 (Monday) - 45 minutes, no crying. He eventually fell asleep in his doorway. I picked him up, put him in bed, and he never woke up.
Night 7 (Tuesday) - I don't remember, but it wasn't too bad. The first time he came out, we kept ignoring his whisper. He finally got a little louder and I realized he was trying to tell us that he had a poopy diaper.....opps.
Last night - 40 minutes, no crying. We only had to take him back to bed around 5 times. We had a repeat of the poopy diaper incident from the night before. I'm beginning to wonder if that's a new stall tactic.
He's spending the night at Darrin's parent's house again tonight, so we all have a night off from the dreaded Super Nanny bedtime routine. It's no fun, but I've been assured by friends that it works. I can see a huge improvement in the last week, but it's taking longer than I'd like (of course). I'm sure some of that is our fault due to our inconsistency. Every now & then, we will fall off the wagon and do something way off the plan out of complete frustration. This is not for the weak, that's for sure.
Since I don't like to post without a picture, here's a sneak peak from Miles' Christmas party at daycare today. Miles & his adorable little friend, Amelia...
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Happy 5th Birthday Ava
We helped Ava celebrate her 5th birthday at YaYa's Island on Saturday. Miles & Ava actually spent Friday night together at Darrin's parent's house, which they both LOVED.
The birthday girl...
Yummy cupcakes...
The Limbo...
Opening the doll we got for her...
Olivia helped her read the cards...
And then onto the good stuff...
This is what Darrin and Uncle Steve did during the party... Boo!
Happy Birthday to our very special niece, Ava. She is one of a kind & we love her very much!
The birthday girl...
Yummy cupcakes...
The Limbo...
Opening the doll we got for her...
Olivia helped her read the cards...
And then onto the good stuff...
This is what Darrin and Uncle Steve did during the party... Boo!
Happy Birthday to our very special niece, Ava. She is one of a kind & we love her very much!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Christmas Parade
We'd never been to the Christmas parade before, but having a kid makes you do a lot of things you normally wouldn't do. We piled on some layers and stood in the cold, drizzling rain to watch firetrucks, motorcycles, horses, a few floats, and finally Santa.
Funny faces never get old for Darrin...I can't wait until Miles is old enough to make them too {enter sarcasm}...
The Covington's braved the cold with us...
Such adorable little girls...
So did the Cole's...
The kiddos are ready for the candy...
Miles and his friend Caleb...
Miles was having a hard time picking up the candy with his gloves on, so he finally took them off and threw them down...
He stuffed his pockets until he couldn't fit anymore, and then he started handing it to me...
He liked the firetrucks, but not enough to deter him from his candy search...
He did get very excited when Santa rode by though. He started clapping and yelling "Hi Santa!"
And there you have it.....our first Christmas parade (but surely not our last) is in the books.
Funny faces never get old for Darrin...I can't wait until Miles is old enough to make them too {enter sarcasm}...
The Covington's braved the cold with us...
Such adorable little girls...
So did the Cole's...
The kiddos are ready for the candy...
Miles and his friend Caleb...
Miles was having a hard time picking up the candy with his gloves on, so he finally took them off and threw them down...
He stuffed his pockets until he couldn't fit anymore, and then he started handing it to me...
He liked the firetrucks, but not enough to deter him from his candy search...
He did get very excited when Santa rode by though. He started clapping and yelling "Hi Santa!"
And there you have it.....our first Christmas parade (but surely not our last) is in the books.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)