Pretty good, if you ask me

Kellie captured this photo of Grace carefully writing her name on a coloring page at Mayna's birthday yesterday.

This morning I asked her to write her name the best she can and this is what she produced.  I think it is great!

Saturday morning

After getting up at 5:30 Monday through Friday (Grace gets up at 6:30) I am happy to sleep in, have a late breakfast, and just hang out on the weekend mornings, especially in the winter. Grace doesn't seem to mind, either. In the spring and summer, I would rather get up early and get outside, but during these long, gray, dreary winter days there really isn't a reason to rush into the day.
Unless, of course, you have a birthday party to attend! Today, we were excited to get out of the house and help Mayna celebrate her 4th birthday at The Little Gym. It was a perfect way to spend a winter afternoon with our friends.

Grace decided to ride the back of the couch like a "choo-choo" while she waited for me to get all our stuff together!

Gymnastics show

Last night was Grace's "big" gymnastics show where the preschool "Funny Bugs" class had the chance to show off the skills they have been learning for the last 10 weeks. They had three routines - one each on the balance beam, floor, and uneven parallel bars.

Each routine consisted of individual skills (forward roll, straddle, monkey jump, etc.) strung together with the teachers reminding them of the steps and standing nearby to spot the kids. They also tried to do their normal warm up and group activities with minimal teacher assistance.

The parachute group activity.

Unlike during their normal class, the students had to sit and wait until

it was their turn to "perform". Grace did a nice job of waiting her turn
and clapping for her classmates.

Bribery

Bribery.  That is how I got Grace to pose for a few pictures. She wanted to watch TV and I wanted a few photos that didn't take a lot of begging and pleading...win, win, if you ask me.

New friends

Addie must have made a big impression on Grace. Addie attends Grace's preschool two days per week when her mom is working. Grace is there all day, every day. But, even though they only see each other a couple of days each week, Addie is someone Grace talks about all the time. A few weeks ago she asked me if Addie could come to our house to play. Hmmmm.....this was new to me. It was the first time Grace had a friend that wasn't the child of one of my friends. So, I invited Addie and her mom over on Sunday afternoon to talk and play. It was a really great afternoon. I always welcome the opportunity to meet like-minded, educated women with children the same age. And, it is so important for Grace to have friends to play and share with. I think the girls had a lot of fun icing and decorating cupcakes, making a craft, and just playing with toys. I have to admit, my favorite part was when they took turns doing each other's hair. So cute! And, it is a relief to meet another mom of an almost-4 year old who is trying to figure out the balance of dependence and independence!

For their craft project, Grace and Addie made butterfly visors.

Like a good hostess, Grace helped wash the dishes after Addie and her mom went home. Of course, I had to wash them all again... but she felt like she was helping.... :-)

Monthly "me" Monday

We do a lot of cool things. I realized, though, that someday Grace might look back at this blog or at the books I have made for each year (3 so far!) and wonder where I was. Of course, I have been there. Who else is taking the photos and narrating each entry? But, whenever that day comes, I also want her to have pictures of the two of us together. So, my plan (I won't call it a "resolution" but I guess it is) for this year is to try to be in at least one photo each month. This is hard for me. I hate giving up the control of the photography. I like doing it, I am selective about the photos I call "blog-worthy", and I really hate looking at myself in pictures. As a result, I'd much prefer to be behind the camera than in front of it. But, for those same reasons, this is a good exercise to challenge me to hand the camera to someone else for a change (in this case, Kyle). 

So, here we are on Saturday at Severence Hall. We were there for the "Musical Rainbow" series where we learned about and listened to keyboard instruments like the accordion, harpsichord, piano, and organ. The concert was in the main hall this time and were were astounded at how beautiful it was. The kind of place that makes you say, "Wow" as you enter.

From screen to skates

Disney has done it again! They always manage to entertain children and their families like no other. And today's performance of Toy Story 3 on ice was no exception. It was a fast-paced show of songs, "dance", laughter, and non-stop entertainment. Although Grace has been to many performances, this was her first experience with a show on ice. Just being in the arena where the Cleveland Cavaliers play basketball and where so many major bands rock into the night was an exciting thing for her. The enormity of this venue alone was enough to occupy her attention and interest for hours. Add in tons of people, bright lights, great seats (Good job, Kellie!), some of her favorite characters gliding by, and friends to enjoy it with and you have the perfect combination for a great time!


She looked like such a big kid dressed in this new outfit. When she put it on, Grace danced around the house like a ballerina. But after the show, she told me she was a skater like "Buzz". According to Grace we went to see the Buzz Lightyear and Zurg show. She knows it was Toy Story 3, but Buzz and Zurg are her favorite characters. Zurg was in one short part near the beginning, but she LOVED it!Notice the new hairdo - we are considering growing Grace's bangs out. So far, she doesn't mind these little clips I found. If she will keep them in, we might be able to attempt the months of "in-between" stages. I love that I can see her pretty eyes when her hair is pulled back.

A little New Year's bubbly

No, not THAT kind!....Bath bubbles!