Like every year, Reese gets to go to Chuck E. Cheeses for her birthday! This is the ONLY times we go here.... it's nice to still be at the age when things like this are incredibly special. She was SO.EXCITED. I mean bouncing off the walls since last night when I told her she was FINALLY able to go tomorrow for dinner. Scott, Riley and she went to the grocery store last night and she was able to pick out her own "big cookie" and Riley was able to get a "flat cookie".... Reese picked out a 3D dog and Riley her beloved "Brown's Helmet."
Linda said that Reese talked about her dog cookie, but Riley told everyone at least 50 times about her Brown's Helmet!!! Thankfully the girls went down for their naps pretty well but as soon as Reese woke up she was asking to go to Chuck E. Cheeses. We got dressed, piled in the car and met Ma, Pa and Uncle Shaun there and Dad came in a little later.
Reese loved playing all the games but especially being able to eat her cookie, after 1 piece of chicken pizza and 3 cups of lemonade! Another only birthday treat. It was a really awesome time for the girls.... I love seeing them have so much fun, when things like today are still considered special.
After about 2 hours of partying hearty she came home and crashed!
AND for the funny of the week that happened just this morning…… please no drinks in your mouth or food when you read this…. OMG, she’s going to kill me when she reads this later… but it happened JUST this morning and went like this between she and Scott:
Reese: Daddy, I have my Birthday Shirt next to my bras. Scott: You’re what? Reese: My bras! I have a red one and a white one. Scott: You mean mommy’s? Reese: No, my bras, hanging I my closet! **walking into her room where I was helping Riley get dressed** Reese: See daddy, RIGHT here! A red one and blue one. Me: [Laughing so hard on the inside my eyes are tearing up]. Reese, you mean your tank tops? Reese: Yeah, my bra tank tops.
I swear this kid KILLS ME!!!! I wear the nursing tanks 98% of the time and they are hung in my closet in the same position Reese’s tanks for summer are….. Hence, why this whole conversation came up
Almost as funny when walking through Target and Riley saw the entire lingerie section and yelled out "Mommy, BOOBIES! [bras]"
Reese, Riley and yes, even Ashton, participated in the Norton Ciderfest Parade this morning along with a few dozen of our friends from the Norton Panther Pals playgroup that meets every Tuesday. It was very last minute as we weren’t sure our group would be able to be in the parade, but I think we pulled it together incredibly well!!! This year’s theme was to commemorate the festival itself, so we were a wagon of apples! The kids made their paper bags (donated by ACME) by stamping apples cut in half during one playgroup last week (those photos to be posted on the kid’s site at a later date, oh so stinking cute too). All the kids that came today were so good with waiting almost 1 ½ hours to get moving as we had to line up early, #51 of over 70 participants, sitting still and throwing candy!
I apologize if I missed saying hi to anyone while we walked the mile or so behind the trailer while pulling Ashton in the wagon…. I was making sure that kids were sitting down and of course Ashton was doing ok… which he could have cared less!!! He slept through the ENTIRE thing, even with the bands playing and what I think all of Norton and Barberton in attendance! But I did catch a few of you and say howdy!!!
It was so stinking cute today at playgroup. ALL the kids created their paper bag costumes to wear during the Cider Fest Parade coming this Saturday. We turned it into an art project by stamping apples cut in half. Reese had a good time doing it.... a little too much. This week was also "What colors do ______ and ______ make?" so she was testing out the green and red.
The kids were amazingly neat about the whole thing and very proud of their masterpieces when done.
Johnny Appleseed Festival
Sunday, September 21, 2008
(3 years 11 months 2 weeks 3 days)
To kick off the fall season we headed to the Johnny Apple Seed Festival at the Mapleside Farm in Brunswick. It was nice, just stunk that everything was a charge… and it was rather commercialized. I suppose they have to make their money too, but I like the farms that are more family oriented. But I guess the bottom line is that Reese and Riley had a good time.
Our first stop was the pony rides for Reese and Riley to ride while I waited with Ashton. Reese went around the entire time, Riley went around one time and wanted off…. Slipping to one side of the saddle scared her…but that's ok, I was proud she got up there period!
We ended our afternoon by picking up a peck of apples!
Scott came home and took us all to the Barberton Mum festival. The girls had a good time looking at all the crafts and of course smelling the mums. The highlight was the water skiers doing stunts around Lake Anna.
Our every tuesday playgroup scored 50 free tickets to today's Indian's game. I didn't go because it wouldn't have been suitable to have Ashton in the heat for that long so Scott volunteered to take the girls AND as an added surprise, Tom (Pa), came along too!!!
The girls received bobble, or as Reese calls them "Gobble", head dolls, bracelets and other goodies for today's "Kid's Day." Scott also said that they had their pictures taken by the True Fan Photo people and are in the Gallery 22 of the KS game.
The girls also received lots of compliments on how cute they looked, and of course Scott got guff for having them be "Grady's Ladies"
Everyone had a good time even in the sweltering heat, walking about a mile and in the middle of naps. They lasted 2 1/2 hours, well into the 6th inning. Think the combination of cotton candy, ice cream and other sugary goodness kept them going! More photos are in Reese's 3 year 11 month section.
We took Reese to her FIRST day of preschool 2008 this morning. Scott couldn't go due to a conference call before flying out to Kansas City for the week, but he made sure to take a photo with all of us on her first day. Ashton of course was sleeping in the swing inside. Though Scott came out of Reese's room this morning laughing hysterically because Reese told him "Mommy can't take photos today, we'll be late!"
Linda, Reese, Riley, Ashton and I got to Reese's preschool in more than enough time and we took a photo outside of the school, like everyone else going in. At one point Riley wanted to take a photo with her and she wouldn't open her eyes when she was smiling, so Reese wheeled around and tried prying them open, it was hysterical.... I snapped a photo AFTER the prying.
Reese had a COMPLETELY different reaction this year to coming to school. There were absolutely no tears, no breakdowns with me not being in the classroom with her, no holding the teacher's hand.... it was as if I didn't even need to be there! She and Riley played in the play area for a bit and as soon as I was about to leave all the kids, 18 of them and 2 teachers, were asked to sit down in the circle, but Reese had to find her name on her apple and put it on the wall saying she was present. I was SO impressed that she found her name all by herself. THEN after sitting down in the circle she wheeled around and asked for her show and tell, as soon as I gave it to her she was good to go! My big girl!
I have NO CLUE what went on today DURING school....... very short yes/no answers when YOU ask specific questions, but just like last year, I'm sure she'll start to tell us what's going on, as well as more names of people in her class and the friends she'll make.
Oh what a relief! Reese I think is really going to enjoy preschool this year. A bit larger classes, 18 children per class with 2 teachers, but the set up of the room is amazing, the organization and the things slated for this year are really going to prepare to hopefully have Reese start kindergarten next year.
Open house started at 9:30 and Linda came with us so that she could see where Reese would be attending as well as see how pick up / drop offs are handled. I was given a pretty extensive packet of papers to read over, and Linda is right, I need to pour over them because there is a LOT of information covered, and we're probably one of the "new people" this year. So far everyone seems very nice and again, I think that Reese will thrive and hopefully open up a bit more in larger groups.
OMG, she’s going to kill me when she reads this later… but it happened JUST this morning and went like this between she and Scott:
Though Scott came out of Reese's room this morning laughing hysterically because Reese told him "Mommy can't take photos today, we'll be late!" 
