Poor Dakota

It's rough having a 2-year-old girl as your best friend...

At least she'll always look pretty!

Red Day

Today was "red day" at Kate's school.  She was supposed to wear red, learn about red things, and eat a red snack.  When she came home, I thought she was too cute not to snap a picture.

I hope you all had a good red day!

On your first day of school, it is important to remember to...

eat a healthy breakfast...

have proper hygiene...

do your summer reading...

wait patiently while we sit in the parking lot waiting for the rain to let up...

have a good attitude while you're waiting for mom to come pick you up...

and always display your work proudly!

Kate's first day at preschool was a huge success!  She loves it, and I adore the teachers and other families.  I was fine when I dropped her off, although there were a lot of wet eyes (mostly from the other mom's).  She went right into her class room and knew just what to do with her bag!  Her teacher gave every parent a mini case of tissues and a poem about dropping your child off at school.  I was smart and didn't read the poem until after I picked Kate up because I saw the poem triggering a lot of tears!  Kate didn't ask for me at all, which is pretty bittersweet to hear as a mom, but I really like that she settled in well.  She told me that she's going to stop sucking her fingers, but only while she's at school, she was sure to let me know that she's still going to do it at home (although in the second-to-last picture, it appears as though she forgot)!  She's already asked when we're going to go back, so I'll take that as a very good sign.

A Fun Birthday Party (long overdue)

Last weekend we headed to New Braunfels to celebrate Kate's friend, E's, birthday!  Mickey Mouse paid a visit, which Kate LOVED, plus there were Mickey themed games and cartoons.  I have so much to learn when it comes to birthday party planning, I'm such an amateur.  My birthday falls so close to Christmas that I never had parties when I was little because we were usually visiting family out of state, and all of my friends were busy with holiday stuff.  Therefore I have very little party-planning experience, but I'm learning little by little.

We all had fun at E's party, but unfortunately my camera ran out of battery power.  I did capture a few pictures before my camera died.

Getting ready to have fun in her party attire!

She really really wanted to give this ball to Mickey, but she got a little nervous and never worked up the nerve to walk over and do it.

Balloon animals are always a big hit!

Velcro the nose on Mickey, a very safe alternative to "pinning" the nose, and when you're at a party with toddlers, safe alternatives are always good.

She loved this game!

I think we know what Santa might be bringing for Christmas!

This is what happens....

when a 2-year-old puts on her own underwear....