So much better!

Today was Grace's second day of gymnastics. I guess the teachers saw how chaotic it was last week, so this week there was another teacher (making three total), and they divided the kids up. There were only three kids in Grace's group (including Grace). It worked out so much better this way!
I had a talk with Grace before we went about how she needed to listen to me and her teacher, pay attention, and sit still. She did a lot better with it this week. She had her moments, but overall I was very proud of her!
The parents don't have to go out with them anymore after this week, but I think I will go with her for at least one more week. There was one little girl whose mom didn't stay this week, and she ended up in our group. The teacher had to spend most of her time with that girl because two-year-olds need help. I don't know why her mom wasn't there. She should have been, but oh well.

I actually got some pictures of her this time!!

She loves to swing on the bars.

Getting ready to do a back flip into the foam pit.

Crawling through the foam pit (she pulled her pigtails out).

She has to have her hands and feet exactly lol.

Getting ready to jump to the bar (with her teacher's help).

Her teacher kept saying that her flips were awesome, and I have to agree. Watching the other girls, they have to have help, but Grace just does it, and she does it perfectly. All I have to do is tell her to flip, and she puts her hands down, tucks her head under, and rolls. Her teacher had to put the other girls' hands down, help them tuck their heads under, and then help them roll. We may have a future Olympian on our hands! Lol, hey, I can hope right??

Brentley also had his 9 month check-up today. He weighs 26 lbs, 7 oz, and he is 30 in. long. He's in the 90th percentile for height and has consistently been off the charts for his weight since he was born. However, I mentioned that he hadn't gained much weight since he started crawling, and she said that she agreed. She said that he is still off the charts for weight, but hasn't climbed any higher since he became mobile. Maybe he won't be a sumo wrestler after all. I guess I can settle for pro quarterback :p Yes, meet my children... Grace, the Olympic gold medalist, and Brentley, the pro football player. That sounds about right!

Here we are at the doctor's office.

I promise he had pants on. She took them off when she was doing his check, and I hadn't put them back on yet. I only let him roam in a diaper at home.

She said he is doing great, and is still pretty far ahead developmentally since he is WALKING now! He walked earlier than Grace! He's not all over he place yet, but I'm sure he will be soon. I don't know if I'm ready for that?!? Lol. Oh, and he has six teeth now! Yes, he still breastfeeds. I broke him of the biting early, lol.

Well, I suppose that's all for now :)

Grace's birthday!!

I know, I know... her party is not for another 5 months, but I just can't help myself. I am a perfectionist, so planning it this far ahead allows me to get everything exactly right.

I decided that I wanted to do a CandyLand theme for her party. Oh, I am so excited about this!! The first thing I wanted to do was get the actual game so I could use it to go by, but I didn't want to pay full price, so I decided I would hit some yard sales... Would you know, the very first one I went to had it, and they only wanted 0.50 cents!! The box is a little beat up, but all the pieces were there and the board is in perfect condition. I'm going to get her a brand new version of the game for her birthday, but I won't be opening it.

The first idea I got from the game was to use the cards for a drawing. I'm just going to use the ones with colors on them because there are multiples of each of them. I figured I would give them out to people who have kids at her party, then put the matching ones in a bowl, and draw cards throughout the party. By the end of the party, every child will have gotten a prize. I'm thinking Hot Wheels for boys, but I'm not sure what to do for girls yet.

For another activity, I am going to have a cookie decorating station. I'm going to use my gingerbread man shaped cookie cutter to cut sugar cookies, then we'll have icing, sprinkles, M&M's, chocolate chips, etc. for the kids (and adults) to decorate with! Since this is the first birthday where she is going to have activities, I figure that is enough.

I want these invitations... they are customizable, so it will obviously be for Grace's party.

I'm going to make her cake two layers... the bottom layer will have suckers like this...

And that layer will be covered in Kit Kats like this...

Then the top tier will look like this...

Except, instead of M&M's coming out of the top, there will be a couple of spiral lollipops, a 3 candle, and the little pieces that go to the CandyLand game. I can't wait to make her cake!!

For decorations, we will have things like this...

Except, I am going to change up the ones in the last picture a bit. I am going to cover them in bright colors, then wrap them in plastic wrap like the balloons above. I have already started saving our toilet paper and paper towel rolls. I'm just going to get a couple different colors of wrapping paper and some plastic wrap from Dollar Tree to wrap them in. Cute and cheap :) We will also use the board game itself as a decoration. Plus, we will have different colored plates and cups. And I would like to make a banner for her like I did last year. 

We will also have goodie bags. I'm not sure if I want to load them with candy since it's a CandyLand party, or just put the same stuff in them as last year. I'll figure it out though.

As for presents, we already got her a Cinderella guitar because it was over 50% off. I would like to get her a child's umbrella and a brand new CandyLand game for sure. I'm not sure what else at this point.

Her party will more than likely be at the same place that we had Brentley's baby shower (and will have his birthday party), and it will be on her birthday since her birthday falls on a Saturday this year. I'm really excited to throw this party, and I think she will love it!

What an uneventful few days...

Chris works tomorrow, then he is finally off on Wednesday! FINALLY! I have been going stir crazy having him gone so long everyday.

Every morning, Grace comes and wakes Brentley and me up between 8 and 9. We get breakfast, then we play, read book, and/or watch some tv for a few hours. We eat lunch, then Brentley will fall back to sleep sometime around noon. If Grace falls asleep then too, then I sometimes nap with them. We usually all sleep in the recliner together. Brentley on me and Grace at my feet on the part that extends up lol.
Once he wakes up, I usually try to get some cleaning done. He follows at my heels most of the time. If I'm putting dishes in the dishwasher, he is there trying to take them out. If I'm putting close in the dryer, he is there trying to shut the dryer door. If I'm trying to clean up toys, I have to sit on the floor and crawl around to keep him happy. If I'm cleaning the tub, he stands at the side of the tub with me. LOL. He is definitely a mama's boy.  Once the cleaning is all caught up, we usually do a mini lesson. Grace and I are working on colors right now. She knows blue, red, yellow, purple, and orange (she pronounces it OR-AN-JUH lol). I also write some of her letters and numbers and have her identify them. She is great at identifying numbers and getting good at identifying letters. For Brentley, I am trying to teach him his basic body parts, and to say the word "uh-oh" because I think it's so darn cute when babies say that lol. We also read books during this time. Around five, I call Chris to see if he's going to be home around 6 or 7, and I start making dinner 30 minutes to an hour before he is going to get home. That is pretty much all I have been doing. Sometimes the order of these things is different, but we do these things every day.

Not much else to post about right now...

I have noticed (thanks to the new dashboard layout) that I average about 30 views a day when I haven't posted and about 70 views on the days that I have posted something, yet very few people comment. Please feel free to comment! I would love to get to know some more of my followers :)