Special Sister Time

Ally's new favorite thing to do is try and get Vanessa to sleep with her every night. Vanessa lasts for about 10 minutes and wants nothing more to do with it. The one night I peeked in on them and found Ally reading to Vanessa. They were having so much fun together, it was super cute!

She Still Loves Her Chair

Vanessa still loves her chair. I was worried when I bought it that it was going to be a waste of money but it has been nothing but fabulous!

Check out that smile! Doesn't it just scream love!?! The best part is that she has started to use it fr the purpose I bought it in the first place, to hold her own bottle (yes, she still has a bottle, I tried to get it away from her but couldn't handle the fight right now. Those of you who know Vanessa understand what I am talking about. Yes, another reason the mother of the year committee will not be calling me this year). And even better thing, she will fall asleep in the chair!

Makes mom's life a little easier and helps me get a few more things done during the day.

Ally's Dance Performance

This year Ally took two dance classes, a regular dance class and a song and dance class.  She really enjoyed both classes and did well.  She is a total performer and loves being on stage, definitely doesn't get that from me, must be her dad's genes.

She did a great job! I am so proud of her! I love that she enjoys dance so much and she gives her all when she's up on stage performing. It's so fun to watch.

Food Art

The other day for lunch I gave Ally and Vanessa some black beans and apple sauce.  I know it sounds like a strange combination but it was what was requested.  I left the room and came back to find Vanessa had created quite the masterpiece on the table.

Yes she was very proud of herself and Ally was too. I can't leave these two alone for even one minute. At least they are getting along and are happy and friends.

Poetry Cafe

Andrew's teacher put together an amazing poetry reading for her students to read their own poetry and some of their favorite poems. She sent home personalized, handmade invitations with tickets and everything. The evening was for the students and parents only so we left Ally and Vanessa with the Lewis' and went to the school. When we got to the school Andrew wouldn't get out of the car. He said he didn't want to go in. Jim and I got out and went into the school hoping he'd follow us in. When we got to the door their was a boy dressed in a white shirt and bow tie to open the door. We got to the classroom and were amazed by all the work his sweet teacher had done to transform her classroom into a cafe. The main lights were off and there were lamps lit all over the room. All the desks were pushed together with white table cloths on them. There were waiters and waitresses all dressed up ready to serve the refreshments. I went back out to the car and told Andrew he had to come in and see all his teacher had done to make this a special night. He reluctantly came in but was a little happier when he saw his friends and started eating the yummy food.

The poem Andrew wrote was a limerick so his teacher had him explain what a limerick is.

His poem was amazing! I couldn't believe that he wrote it by himself. I was so proud of him.

The angle I had wasn't the greatest so sorry about the picture but at least you can hear his poem.  All of the kids did amazing writing their own poems.  It was such a fun night.  I'm so glad we convinced Andrew to get out of the car. 

Andrew's teacher has been such an amazing teacher this year.  All Andrew has told me is how funny she is and how much fun she made learning.  I'm so grateful for such fabulous teachers that encourage my kids to learn and be enthusiastic about it!

Kindergarten Graduation

The sweet Kindergarten teachers at our school put together the cutest graduation this year. At the beginning Ally's teacher read a poem the teachers had written for the kids.

You are a very special person
And you should know,
How I loved to have you in my care
How fast the year did go!

Please come back to visit me
As through the grades you go
Try hard to learn all that you can
There is so much to know

One thing I tried to teach you
To last your whole life through,
Is to know that you are special
Just because, you are you!

You Rock!!

Then each class performed a couple of their favorite songs they learned this year

and then each student had their names called and received a diploma.

At the end the principal came in and performed a cute song they wrote to the tune of Frank Sinatra's 'New York, New York' entitled 'First Grade, First Grade.' You could see how much the end of the year affected the teachers. They were super cute and requested that each student invite them to their high school graduation in 2023. Wow! I can't believe Ally will be graduating that far away but I know it's going to come much sooner than I want it to. She's already done with Kindergarten and it seems like she was just born yesterday.

After the graduation there was a little reception in the classroom where the students and parents could say proper goodbyes to the teachers. I have absolutely adored Ally's teacher this year! She has the greatest personality and is so sweet to each and every one of her students. She knows each of their personalities and uses them to her and the student's advantage, she didn't ever try to squash their personalities. At one parent/teacher conference she told me that Ally was a party planner and she had her help on special projects. She has made learning so much fun for Ally. It was so sweet to see her tearing up when she was taking pictures and saying goodbye to her students.

What do you do when you're almost two to entertain yourself during graduation? When you're Vanessa you talk to and play with the wall

It was a fun day to spend with Ally and all her friends. Even though I'm sad she's growing so fast, I look forward to watching her as she continues to learn and grow. I really hope she continues to have the enthusiasm she currently has for learning new things. She has such a fun loving attitude and is willing to help anyone, I really hope that never changes.

Here's to a fun summer and then it's off to first grade!

More Vanessa Messes

What do you get when your kids leave the bag of cereal within Vanessa's reach? This...

Thankfully Dixie was more than willing to help with the clean up. And yes, those are Cocoa Puffs, my kids' breakfast for champions. So nutritious I know.

Garden Time

You'd never know by the weather we've been having but it's that time of year. Time to till the ground dig in the dirt and plant the wonderful plants. I became a lover of gardening three years ago when I was seven months pregnant with Vanessa. I love every part of gardening, even the most tedious part, the weeding but the absolute best part is harvesting and enjoying the delicious food it provides for my family. We'll see what this year provides with all the crazy weather we've been having.

Ally's 2011 Dance Pictures

This year Ally danced at Steps Dance Studio. She took a regular dance class and a song and dance class and loved them both. They had professional pictures taken which we haven't gotten back yet so here are a few of the pics I took at our house.

Vanessa saw Ally getting her pictures taken and had to join in. I think she finally likes having her picture taken again.

Moms and Muffins

Ally's teacher had all the moms come in for muffins and crafts with our Kindergarteners. It was such a fun time to spend with Ally and her teacher, her friends and all the other moms. We had muffins and juice and then got to do some crafts with our kids. We (the kids) painted pictures

(Ally's masterpiece)

and we created tissue paper flowers.

It was a lot of fun spending time with my princess. I'm grateful her teacher planned this time for all the moms to come spend time with their kids.

Hershey Track Meet

Andrew ran in the Hershey track meet this year and was so excited.

He ran the 50 and 100 yard dash. He came in 2nd in the 50 (could have been 1st but he was too worried about his hat falling off)

and 4th in the 100.

He had a lot of fun running and hanging out with his friends.

New Additions

We have some new additions to our family...new babies, twins to be exact. Oliver Truman and Paisley Laura were born on May 1. They both weighed about 4 lbs. 8 oz. and were born healthy and strong. Mom (Jim's little sister Dorothy) had some blood pressure issues but is doing well. It was so fun to see Andrew and Ally get so excited about their new cousins.

They couldn't wait to hold them.

Vanessa didn't know what to think

One thing we know for sure, she didn't like not being the center of attention.

We are so happy for Dorothy and Cameron and to have these adorable babies in our family.