Joshua graduates from Kindergarten!

Joshua had his last day of Kindergarten today! I showed up at 9:15 for the kids to get their awards in Ms Garrett's classroom. She gave out their certificates that they successfully completed Kindergarten and then she gave out individual awards to all of the kids. Joshua received the Peace Keeper's Award for keeping the class from getting out of hand even when Ms Garrett lost her patience (per Ms Garrett). He looked so cute in his graduation cap that she passed out and it was fun to watch all of the kids get their certificates. She then put on some music that the kids love to dance to and they all started getting their groove on. It was too funny! Joshua was really getting into his dance moves and so I had to videotape the party. Then it was time to go to the awards. We all headed to the ceremony and the kids sat for 2 hours of awards and speeches. They did really well considering they didn't receive any awards and even I was getting antsy. Joshua was really struggling to sit still, but we got through it and now he's all done with school! Joshua got a goodie bag from Ms Garrett and I picked up the flowers that she gave me for being PTF Rep and then we headed to Jason's Deli to meet Taylor and Daddy for lunch. After lunch we headed home, cleaned up the baby pool, and the kids played in it until they were worn out! Congratulations, Kindergarten Graduate!! We love you and are sooooo proud of you!!

Field Day!

Today was quite the day...Taylor and I helped out with field day this morning. Well, I helped out with field day this morning being the teacher's helper for Ms Garrett's class...Taylor had fun running around after getting acclimated, but initially was very clingy and I had my hands full helping out the class and making sure that she was alright and nearby. The kids did such a great job with all of the activities. They had a sit ups, push ups, Frisbee, 50 yard dash, and obstacle course competitions. I was so proud of Joshua. He did 24 push ups in a minute and won the push up competition for his class. I didn't know that he had it in him! He later complained that his stomach hurt and I told him that it was called sore muscles!! He also tied for 2nd place in the obstacle course. Ethan Harper won first and Joshua and Javier tied for 2nd place at 23 seconds. They had a tie breaker, and they tied again at 21 seconds! So...we just let them have a tie for 2nd place and leave it at that. Taylor had a great time running around and trying out the hula hoops on the obstacle course once the kids were done. She wanted to be a "helper" with the Frisbee toss and pick up the Frisbees once the kids had thrown them. She just wasn't too keen on giving up the Frisbees once she got them. Once the kids were done with all of the activities, our class was the only one left on the field and the Atlanta Thrashers mascot showed up. The kids all screamed in excitement and had fun running around with the bird and chanted for him to do the obstacle course. The bird did an exaggerated form of stretching and then did the entire obstacle course...even crawling through the tunnels that he barely squeezed himself through. I thought for sure that he was going to get stuck, but he managed to wiggle through. He also ran the 50 yard dash with all of the kids running with him. I had to get video footage of that! He gave a picture of the Thrashers with his autograph which both kids got. Taylor reached up and squeezed on his nose which was hilarious. I think that the bird that she was pretty cool, too. Joshua had fun playing with the mascot. We all trekked back inside and had lunch and then the Chick fil a cow made his appearance. Taylor was the most excited of the two of them. She could not get enough of the cow. She stayed with him almost the entire time he stayed in the cafeteria and mostly played with the cow's tail as he hugged the kids. There was such a mad dash to the cow when he arrived that I'm glad that she did not notice him at first or she may have been trampled. Poor cow got devoured by the rush of kids! Taylor and I left after lunch and Joshua got to do other field day activities like the dunk tank, blow up jumping area and silly dress up races. I think that all of the kids had an exhilarating and exhausting day! I know that I was tired when my shift was over!

Loose tooth!

Joshua and Taylor had dental appointments today back to back. Joshua went first...hoping that Taylor would once again see that it was no big deal...although the plan didn't work so well! Joshua didn't want to get in the chair, but it didn't take much prodding to get him to agree to it. His teeth looked good and they said that the wearing down of his front teeth were due to his lower teeth coming in front of his upper teeth when he puts his teeth together. He will likely need orthodontic treatment at age 7. The dental hygienist said that his molar coming in in the back has deep grooves so that it will be a good idea to get his adult teeth sealed to help prevent cavities. He also has a loose tooth! His lower front right tooth is slightly loose...which we thought was going to happen soon because he complained of his tooth hurting recently when biting into something hard. He has been wondering when he was going to loose a tooth with many of his classmates losing teeth around him. He's quite excited about it!

Taylor had a more traumatic experience. She saw Joshua go through his cleaning, and then decided that she wanted nothing to do with getting her teeth cleaned. I had to hold her on my lap facing me and then leaning her back onto the hygienist's lap to get her teeth cleaned. She cried the whole time and then perked up at the end when she got a sticker and got to pick a prize with the token she was given. She picked a ring and Joshua picked a mini car. We chose a morning slot for her next appointment hoping that she will be in a better mood and not being tired. We will see!

Paci Free!

It's been two weeks now that Taylor has given up her pacifier. We reverted to giving her suckers temporarily to help her get over her oral fixation, but she seems to need the suckers less and less and hopefully soon, she won't ask for them at all. It wasn't as horrible as I had built it up to be, and I am really thankful for that! Way to go, Taylor!

New mattress for Joshua

Joshua was definitely overdue for a new mattress. The mattress on his bed was passed down to us and has been well used, so he was excited to go help pick out his new mattress. We went to The Original Mattress Factory. Joshua and Taylor had so much fun running around the store trying out all of the mattresses. Joshua picked out the most expensive mattress in the store as the one he thought was most comfortable. It had a nice pillow top that was very cushioned. We told him that he had four mattresses that he could choose from and eventually Mommy and Daddy made the decision and he seemed happy with the result. Taylor thought it was great getting to lay on all of the big people beds and she wanted one, too. Soon enough, Taylor, you will be in a big girl bed because you are growing up so fast!! Enjoy your new bed, Joshua!!

Braves Win!

Joshua's classmate, Samantha, gave 50 Braves tickets to her classmates after her mom won 50 tickets at work to give to a charitable organization. Joshua and Daddy headed to the Braves game tonight and had a great time. They had great seats...about 20 rows up from the field, and Joshua spent most of his time chatting with his classmates and running around. He got to eat cotton candy and a huge Sprite and Daddy watched the game. They got rained on just a tiny bit, but it was warm weather, so it wasn't a big deal. Around the seven inning, Joshua was ready to go home, but Daddy detoured him by showing the area upstairs where the kids can run the bases. Joshua spent the last two innings running bases while Daddy got to watch the rest of the game...and the Braves won!!! Daddy says that it's probably the first game he has been to for the Braves that they won. They got home around 11:45 and Joshua was still wide awake...I thought that he would have zonked out in the car as soon as they left the park, but I guess that he was too hyped up from running to fall asleep so easily. What a great Daddy and son night!

Obi Wan

Day Four of Operation No Paci

Taylor is doing better each day without her pacifier. She tossed it this weekend while we were at Amicaloa Falls and we told her that paci went bye bye and that she didn't need it anymore. She really wanted it back, but we literally did not have another one to give her, so she had to make it home without it. We decided that that was it and that she needed to give it up as the doctor had and we had decided to initiate soon so that her speech would improve. It has now been four days, and she is asking for it less and less. The first three days, we went through lots of suckers to distract her from the want of having a paci and it worked pretty well, and hopefully, she will not need a sucker or have thoughts of wanting a pacifier by next week. Her personality is coming out more and more without the paci and she seems to be excited about the fact that she is becoming a big girl, too. Wow...what a huge milestone for her...we can see her sweet smile and mouth now and it is so nice!!! Go Taylor!

Obi Wan Kenobi...coming to the Harding household

I finished sewing an Obi Wan Kenobi costume for Joshua tonight. Tomorrow, each of the students get to dress up in their favorite bible or story character and bring the book that has the character in it to school. Joshua told me that he wanted to be Obi Wan Kenobi...so...I put my newly acquired novice sewing skills to work and put together a Jedi robe with hood and tunic underneath. I have to say that it turned out pretty well...I think that the kids will know what his character is by his outfit...hopefully! And if not, the light saber should give it away:) I can't wait to see him in the full get up! I may have to show up and take some pictures of all the kids tomorrow because they are going to look too cute! Joshua seems to be happy with his outfit and I hope that he will wear it for Halloween as well considering the time spent making it. I'm "sew" excited that I have learned to sew...you just never know when it will come in handy.

Taylor said "Joshua"

Joshua came running in the house today and said, "Taylor said Joshua" "Taylor said Joshua". He was so excited that she said "Joshua" instead of "JaJa". All because the paci is not impeding her speech anymore. So exciting!!! And it was so sweet to see Joshua so happy that she said his name. Too sweet.

Joshua's Unbirthday at school

Joshua got to celebrate his birthday early at school this week. He was really excited about it and he wanted to have a "Star Wars" themed cake, but I told him that we would do that for his actual birthday. I did buy "Star Wars" napkins, and made cupcakes and brought goodie bags for the kids. I thought that I would be creative and added to the the store bought frosting to give it some extra flavor. I found a recipe that said that the frosting would taste more like homemade. The extra ingredients were vanilla extract and instant coffee...well, I thought that the instant coffee was a bit odd, but that maybe it would be just a tiny bit and would add to the richness of the flavor. When I mixed it all together, it smelled a bit like coffee and I was worried that the kids wouldn't like them. At school, the kids sang "Happy Birthday" to Joshua and then we passed out the cupcakes and goodie bags. Most of the kids liked the cupcakes, but Ethan asked me why the cupcakes tasted like coffee...oh, my worst fear...I felt awful! The other kids liked the cupcakes, so he must have gotten one that had more coffee grounds in it. Live and learn...sorry, Joshua!!! You liked the cupcakes, though...thank goodness! Ms Garrett had a sign up in the room for Joshua's birthday and he had a sticker on that said "Today is my birthday". She also gave him a present...a large coloring book with stickers in it. Very thoughtful of her. I got to read the kids a book, and Taylor enjoyed being in the classroom and playing and hearing the story. Happy Early Birthday, Joshua!! We love you!

Mother's Day

You all were so sweet to me on Mother's Day. Daddy brought me flowers, a really sweet card and made we yummy meals all weekend long. My gift was some Silpada jewelry which I will order when the new catalog comes out. Joshua brought me a gift from school and also cut out a heart for me which was really sweet. Taylor and Joshua both made me Mother's Day gifts at church. Taylor colored a butterfly and put her fingerprints on it, and Joshua made me another card with a big heart and a drawing of him and a drawing of me on it. Both were very sweet:) After church, we ate lunch at Sweet Tomatoes and then headed up to the North Georgia Mountains to visit Amicaloa Falls. We let the kids play on the playground first and Joshua rode around on his scooter some, and then we headed over for a hike. The hike was a struggle for the kids...Joshua fell on the way up and skinned up his side. Taylor didn't want to be in the backpack and didn't want to walk either...her choice was for one of us to carry her, which was not an option so the hike was a bit of a challenge. We ended up driving up to the top of the mountain, hiking down a bit, and then hiking back up. We did get to see some extremely large tadpoles relaxing under the water on a branch that had fallen in. That was exciting to see considering I've only seen really tiny tadpoles, and these were quite impressive! It was the perfect day outside with mild weather and sunshine. I'm blessed with a really thoughtful family and I love you all!!

Joshua's creative mind

Joshua's creation made from Magnaformers...a person on rollerskates! How creative...love this boy's imagination. Keep it up, Joshua!!

Joshua's Mother's Day gift to me

Joshua brought home a Mother's Day gift to me from school today. He was really excited to give it to me. It was a beautiful wooden frame that he had painted in yellow, orange, and green and a picture that he colored that said "I only bug you so much cuz I love you"...it was really cute, and then I got an award for best mom. Very sweet and thoughtful of his teacher to have the kids make something for us. I love your work, Joshua!! Love you so much:)

Spring Fine Arts Concert

Joshua had his Spring Concert tonight. Daddy and Joshua got there first and Daddy got some really cute shots of Joshua's classes all lined up in a row in the sanctuary and Joshua "flirting" with the ladies. Taylor and I showed up right at 7pm for the concert and watched the K4 class first. Then it was K5's moment. Joshua looked so cute up there...he was searching for us in the audience, and when Taylor held up her lamb in the air, he saw it and got a huge smile on his face and waved to us. He did a great job and smiled a lot while singing. He winked at me at least five times, which was too cute and precious to his mommy and he made us both very proud. The K5 classes sang "Rain," "All the Pretty Little Horses," and "All Things Bright and Beautiful." Taylor enjoyed watching Joshua sing, but then decided to start getting a little loud towards the middle of their second song...I think that she wanted some of the spotlight, too! I had to get out the tried and true coloring book and crayons to keep her occupied through the rest of the concert. Joshua was adorable up there, and even got in a yawn during the last song. I could tell that he was tired after he got home from school, but he made it through the concert! The kids loved the goodies at the reception (although Taylor turned down a brownie and cookie!!!...what happened to our girl?) She found a cupcake that she wanted and only licked the icing off of the top. We then headed down the hall towards Joshua's room to look for his artwork hung on the walls, and we couldn't find it! He couldn't remember what he had made and the names were on the back of the artwork. After I checked behind a few of the pieces, but removing the staples from them, I gave up and hopefully, we will get his artwork sometime next week.

Taylor's paintings

Taylor painted the first three and we painted the last picture together...she wanted me to paint and so I painted a sun and a kitty and some birds, and she added the pretty clouds to the picture. Fun with my girl!

Joshua's artwork from school and home