Dear Kindergarten Ainsley

I went to a brunch today for Ainsley's class.  We were asked to prepare something to say about our children.  Knowing that there was a chance I would be in the hospital having a baby, I wrote mine out for someone else to read.  But I got to go.  And it was a wonderful time.

 

 

I thought I would share what I wrote about Ainsley as well.  She is so precious to me.

My Dearest Ainsley

In the Bible, God changes people’s names before He does something major in their lives.  When you were born, God changed my name.  I was no longer just Tracey.  I was now Mommy.  And God changed me in a big way when you were born.  He made more complete into the person that He wanted me to be.  The biggest way He changed me was in my love.  He taught me brand new ways to love someone and that someone is you.

I wanted to share some things about you and how very proud I am of you.  This year has been a huge year for you and it has been a joy to watch you grow; Physically, Academically, and Spiritually.

This year I have seen you grow so much physically.  You are always on the move and your dad and I have loved watching it happen.  Your growth in your swimming has been amazing.  We watched you grow from the summer last year where you were scared to do a lap in freestyle to this past meet when you won your heat.  It was also so fun to watch you learn to ride your bike and now race around the neighborhood with your friends.

Ainsley you are becoming a wonderful student as well.  I have loved watching you grow in your love of learning.  It’s been awesome to see you go from barely reading at all to reading 30 page books and trying to read everything you see.  You are a sponge and are soaking everything in and we love it!

The biggest thing I have seen this year is your spiritual growth. We have watched as you memorized scripture and learned about the Bible at home, school, and in church.  This is the year that the gospel became clear to you.  You asked Jesus into your heart this year and your father and I are so excited.  There is nothing bigger you will ever do in your life.  Just this past week, you courageously spoke to Pastor Jeff about being baptized.  That’s a huge deal and we cannot wait to stand up with you on the day that it happens. 

Ainsley, you are going to continue to grow in your life.  We know you are going to go places and be a leader.  Your dad and I want to encourage you to keep growing.  Keep pushing yourself.  And most importantly, follow Christ always.

 

Today's Lesson

Ainsley has been giving money to God every week for some time.  A few months back when she asked for her money for God she decided she wanted to keep it for herself instead.  Ryan and I decided that this would be a good time to start giving her allowance and begin teaching her about financial responsibility.

Ryan set her up with 3 banks.  One is for savings and is a special piggy bank.  One is for God and is a clear mason jar she can empty out each week and bring the money to church.  And the last is for spending any way she wants.

She gets 3 quarters every week and is fantastic about putting the money in each jar.  I looked at the jars this week and noticed that the spending jar was starting to get pretty full.  Grampy gave her an additional $5 recently and so she actually had enough money to buy something.

We counted the money and put it in a baggy.  She had $9.67

 

We got in the car for a special trip to Target.  We went right to the toy section and right to the My Little Pony's.  There were some there that she liked but were over the amount of money she had.  She got to learn quickly that we can only buy what we can afford.  There were a couple also that were less expensive and not as cool.  And there were a few that would deplete her money completely.  She debated over which one to pick.  But then she settled in on the one that would take almost all her money.

 

We went to the cash register and she checked out all by herself.  I helped her count the money out and hand it to the cashier.  She was so proud of herself.  She was even excited about getting her own receipt.  She even had some money left to take home and put back in the jar for her next purchase.

 

 

 

My baby is growing up more and more every day.  We couldn't be more proud.

 

It Could Be So Much Worse

It seems like something always happens when you are on vacation.  A couple years ago Ainsley fell off the bed at my sister's house and couldn't walk for over a week afterwards.  Last year, Ryan was training for a 5K and ended up really hurting his knee and it wasn't right for over 2 months.

This year our story is way more crazy than any of that.  We are at my parents' house in the Adirondacks.  The first part of the week my sister and her kids were here.  Ainsley has been talking about jumping off the boat with her cousins for months. 

Sunday afternoon shaped up to be a great day and so we took my dad's pontoon boat out.  We found a small beach that wasn't inhabited on the other side of the lake.  The kids spent time jumping off the boat and swimming back and forth between the boat and the island.  About 10 minutes in, Ryan decided he would join Ainsley and jump off and swim with her. 

As soon as he got in the water and swimming with her, she whispered to him, "Daddy I need to go poop."  Being the fantastic dad he is, he set her up on the small beach and taught her how to poop outside.  He grabbed 3 leaves from a nearby shrub and wiped her down.  He then used leaves from the same bush to clean it off the beach.  He then cleaned her off a little better in the water with some sand.  We all cheered him on and didn't think another thing about it.

Tuesday morning Ryan woke up and his eye was kind of swollen.  I joked with him that he looked like Rocky.  I joked with him that I was Adrianne.  It got better over the day and we assumed it was a spider bite. 

About 2:00 in the morning on Wednesday, he woke me up.  He said both of his eyes were swelling shut and he needed some benadryl.  I woke my mom up and the man who takes no medicine took a double dose of benadryl. 

This morning he woke up and looked 1000 times worse.  We made an appointment for him at the doctor.  He went in and sure enough, it wasn't a spider bite or an allergic reaction.  It was some sort of dermatitis.  We kept thinking about when he was even in the woods.  We couldn't figure it out.

Then it hit me.  The leaves!!!  I google imaged the different poisonous plants.  What he wiped Ainsley's butt was poison sumac!  We don't have that where we live. 

Here's a picture and a link of the description in case you were wondering

So now he is on prednisone and zyrtec.  Both of his eyes are swollen shut.  His neck is covered.  His arms are covered.  His stomach is covered.  He looks horrible.  For his dignity, I will keep the Rocky pictures to myself.  Here's a picture of his neck though. 

As with everything, you have to look for the silver lining.  This time it's pretty huge.  Ainsley is free from rash and spots.  We think she is either not allergic or the sand wipe off cleaned it off enough.  Either way, we are counting our blessings that Ryan has all the reaction and she has none. 

Can you imagine her poor bum???!!??!!?!

The Year Winter Lasted a Day

Now that Ainsley is old enough to really enjoy the snow, we have been waiting for it to arrive.  Oh the irony of the warmest winter I can ever remember.  Then they started predicting snow for last night.  It was hard to believe it would really snow since the day before it was 60 degrees.  We didn't tell Ainsley about the possibility but prepared ourselves just in case. 

Well, we got a whooping inch of snow, but it was really sticky and wet snow, perfect for sledding and snowmen.  So we decided to make the best of it.  I called my neighbor, Marci, who has been giving me a hard time for not getting Ainsley out sledding the past couple years.  She agreed to meet me this morning to take Ainsley sledding. 

We bundled up and we were ready to go. 

 Even David had his snowman outfit on that included boots.  He's pumped.

Marci provided the sled and we were off.  We drove to the library where they have a hill that isn't too big but big enough.  It took one time down the hill and Ainsley was hooked.

She quickly graduated to getting pushed down the hill by herself.

And she squealed with glee on each trip.  At the bottom of the hill, she would say "Let's do it again" EVERY TIME!

I even got to get on the sled with her. 

It wasn't fast enough so we went back to pushing her down the hill.  Side note, only in NC can you wear jeans and a sweatshirt sledding and not be freezing!

And don't think for a second that I wasn't going to teach her that she has to bring her own sled up the hill.

The excitement was all just a little bit too much for David

When we got home we had to make a snowman.  Actually, we made 2.  A big sister snowman and a baby brother snowman.

And what caps off a snow day better than a cup of "Hot Chocolate Tea"?  (We may drink a lot of hot tea around here)

And now it's 12:00 and the snow is almost gone and it's supposed to be 54 tomorrow and 63 on Wednesday, we will look forward to winter again next year.

And So Begins a New Chapter

With the birth of David, we decided that it was time to start Ainsley in preschool.  She has been under MaryBeth's care for 3 years now (minus a small break when she had Toby).  Unfortunately, MaryBeth won't be watching Ainsley and David.  She and her family have moved closer to her husband's family.  While it's a good decision for them, it makes us sad.

Seeing that Ainsley wasn't going to get the stimulation of 2 rambunctious boys anymore, we decided that preschool would be a good outlet for her 2 days a week.  We chose one based on proximity and we also happen to know the educational director.

Today was her first day.  And since my last post was so wordy, I think this one should just be about the pictures.

Dressed and Ready to Go!

Excited about her New Backpack she got for Christmas

Just before getting in the Car

Checking In

A little nervous with her hands in her hair

 At the end of the day we got a great report from her teachers.  She adjusted well and had a great time. She even got to meet a hedgehog!



Move More, Think Less

We started Ainsley in gymnastics in the beginning of the summer. She's definitely not a physical kid so I wanted to see what would happen when we put her in a really physical situation. She was in the 2 year old class and was the oldest one in there. The class was structured as a parent involved class. I thought this was a great way to get her started and then in the fall she could transition into the 3 year old class that was not parent assisted.

I bought her a leotard and got her dressed for class the first night. She couldn't have been more excited.

We met her teachers, Miss Lori and Miss Jasmine.  She instantly fell in love with both of them, especially Miss Lori.  She barely knew I was in the class with her.  She was attached to Miss Lori's hip.

Some of the skills were pretty easy for her.  The balance beam seems to be her best, followed closely by somersaults. 

But other things were really hard.  Jumping really wasn't her thing.  She would try and try but she really couldn't get off the ground.  It was then that I started looking around at the other kids in her class.  Most of them were young 2 year olds.  They seemed leaps and bounds ahead of her.  This was when I started to get concerned.  I started to pay closer attention to her skill level compared to the other kids in her class.  It was pretty drastic the difference. 

So Miss Lori worked with her every week.  She got a lot of one on one attention.  She definitely improved.  But not enough.

So this past week, I took her over to Physical Therapy.  They evaluated her and she is indeed behind.  But we are going to catch her up.

Then today we started the 3 year old class.  Where I could shield her from realizing she was behind before, I couldn't do it now.  I'm not in the class.  So I sat on the side and watched as she got passed by other kids in her circuit.  My heart broke for her.  Then after class her teacher approached me.  I hadn't warned the teacher but she figured it out pretty quickly.  She asked me if I thought she needed to go back to the 2 year old class. 

While it's one thing to know there is a problem, it's a complete other thing to have someone who has only known your child for 45 minutes pick up on it enough to say something to you.  Maybe it's hormones or maybe it's just my mama bear instinct protecting my cub.  Either way, it doesn't matter.  It still hurt.  But I decided to keep her in the 3 year old class.  I think the peer pressure will be good for her.  I think being away from me will help remove the crutch she leans on. 

And so we move on and get her to move more.  That might be a good philosophy for me too..."Move More, Think less"

Hands

There is something about hands.  They are so distinct.  I feel like if you know someone, you know their hands.  You know the length of their fingers.  You know how they keep their nails.  You can picture them in your head. 

The other day we were at lunch with Ryan's family.  Ainsley was fascinated with Great Grandma's hands.  It was like she was memorizing them.  Maybe Ainsley knows deep down that Great Grandma, who is 91, won't be with us forever.  Maybe she was taking that mental snapshot. 

 
Or maybe she was just being a 2 year old interested in why Great Grandma's hands have so many wrinkles and bumps. 

Either way, the snap shot is not only here now, but it's in my head.  It will stay there forever because I love both of these people that belong to these hands.

Let it Grow

I love the garden. I love watching it grow. I love harvesting. I love cooking with fresh ingredients. I love eating those wonderful fruits of our labor.

Yesterday I put the remaining parts of the garden in while Ainsley was napping. It was back breaking work but worth every but of sore muscles and sun burn. I did not have enough energy to weed between the rows. Who does that anyway?

There was one last plant that needed to be put in today. Ainsley's plant. It's a cherry tomato plant that Ryan got from a coworker. Ainsley has watched it grow inside and today it was time to put it in the ground. After church Ryan and Ainsley got in old clothes and ventured to the garden to plant the last plant.




It was so fun to watch her and Ryan out there working and fertilizing. Such a sweet memory.

I can't wait to start the harvest!

Find Those Eggs

I have been struggling with what to put up on my blog.  I have this general feeling that my blog should always be profound and deep.  But sometimes my life isn't deep at all.  Actually most of the time my life is commentated by a 2 year old.  And life with a 2 year old can only be so profound. 

So this post is exclusively about a 2 year old and her Easter Eggs.  It made her smile so it made me smile.

We went to our church's Easter Egg hunt this past Saturday.  They were calling for tornadoes so it was inside.

Patiently Waiting for it to Start

No Eggs Yet

Listening Carefully to What Pastor James is Saying

And He Lost Her

Look Carefully



"There Egg" - Each time she found an egg

She even found her good friend Karene

Checking out the Loot

Look Mommy - Candy!

And A Book About Jesus - Which she quickly declared that she loved.

Heading Home One Happy Girl

And we beat the storms home.  Quite the Success!

Like a Fish

My mother in law has a pool in her backyard so we decided it would be a good idea to get Ainsley in swimming lessons this winter/spring to get her more comfortable with the water.  Ryan was on the swim team when he was 5 and loved swimming.  We wanted to pass that love of water on to her.

We have been going to the Y every Saturday with Ryan's coworker, Megan and her little boy Colton.  Ainsley loves it every Saturday.

Seeing that I just got my new camera on Thursday, I brought it to the class this morning and snapped over 200 pictures.  Yikes!  I won't bore you with that but how about 5?

Daddy getting her excited before class even starts

Megan and Colton

On the Kick Board

Daddy must have said something funny

Worn out in the car ride home