More pictures...

ACK, finally got back in here...

Password kept getting kicked back...ugh.

OK, so, LOTS to catch up on now.

Morgan is doing very well in her Kindergarten class, seems to have made friends with not only every classmate but every other kid in school. I'm not kidding, she has a knack for it. Even the oldest know her by name and speak sweetly to her.
Watching the boys already, as there are two in her age range that seem awfully sweet on her. I don't mind that, but I've seen a kiss planted on her cheek more than once...easy now, son, y'all are only 5, OK? Thanks.

We took a trip down to Florida in October to visit with my parents and then spent the Thanksgiving holiday in and around Cherokee, NC. Yes, the strange twist of celebrating such an event while vacationing on a Reservation is not lost on me, certainly gave more food for thought.

Mo has her DIBELS testing this week...with most everything she is at the appropriate level and with some aspects ahead of the game - the challenge comes with the pressure of testing because much of this is 'how much knowledge recited in a minutes time', not how much have they learned since August, which is yet another scale to be evaluated some time soon...so, we'll see. I know what she's soaking in so am not so concerned with how well she does on the test itself. I mean, she's READING, doing light fractions and adding...none of which was happening in August but is now.
Have a good working relationship with her teacher, Mrs. Kramer (nice lady) and Mo and I follow through on any problems teacher may make note of...I'd already prepared worksheets of my own which proved handy.
Mo has a healthy homework load...math, 'logic', reading, spelling, everything phonics...there are weeks where it seems oppressive and others where it isn't so bad, even if the quantity doesn't really change.

Mo is developing well, maturity level is where she should be...though we are certain she is occasionally 14. She calls herself a "little girl teenager" and I can't argue.
She has her own tiny Dell laptop (pink) that she uses for Noggin-cum-Nick Kids games...nothing more. Sorry, no Face Book for Mo.

Still Panda-crazy. Nuts about those things. Pandy's family continues to grow.
But turtles still rock. We got another one while in North Carolina, to be kin to the retiring Turtley Turtle who now spends a great deal of time on Mama's bed keeping me company. The elderly have to stick together, don'cha know?
But this new turtle is not from the Sea...nope, it is a land tortoise and she will be quick to point that out. She named the turtle "Spring". I think she said it's a boy, but...

What else? I think she surpassed 43 inches in height, have to check the wall, Weight is 37-38 pounds. Wearing 5's...some are long enough, some don't even come close. Have to cinch the waist in on everything. Still just 19, 20 - 21 inches on a well-fed day. Got to go get some boy's sweat pants because the girls variety we bought back in August or September (Oshkosh or Carters) are already floods. Shrink and spurt combined. They fit, but cool socks are needed to made it not look quite as much like the accident it really is.
She'll be SIX at the end of January.

Her best friend is Hanna, a sweet girl in her class. Second best buddy would be a boy named Kash that seems to have a real thing for her. Watching that, too.

Kindergarten 2009!

Mo has completed her second week of Public Kindergarten and is looking forward to each school day...daily grades reflect her eagerness and I'm glad to say she's right in-line with all the other kids.
One sweet girl from Mo's former Pre-K is in her class and everyone seems to get along quite well.

Homework started this week and so far Morgan also enjoys completing whatever assignments. Nothing terribly complicated - her math book so far deals more with logic than actual number crunching, but I'd already started her on addition and subtraction this summer anyway...

The school is just down the road and takes mere minutes to reach, but the first few days were a bit insane...that pick-up and drop-off thing is all new to me and everyone was a bit spazzed.
It has normalized to the point that bringing her in is a smooth, quick process...pick up is still a matter of getting there 15 minutes early to wait in line but only 5-10 minutes once the kids start loading.

It would be great to just park and walk over, which I'd prefer, but the lot is so small that this isn't really an option. Parking in front of someone's house a street over is a bit...well...I'm thinking the neighbors wouldn't dig it.

If it were just a bit closer and the daily trip not involving such an incline...

When she gets older she can ride her bike. But for now, Mama taxis her to and fro'.



What else?

Hummingbirds finally came around - quite late this year...and the garden is slowly blooming. Things take MUCH longer to grow around here and I'm still getting used to that.

Morgan and I spend the early morning outside having breakfast if the weather is cooperative, and also lunch or afternoon snacks...

She is now nearing 36 pounds though this fluctuates greatly, dropping back if she doesn't eat well for a day or two...height is this month at 42.5 inches. Waist is about 19 inches. Looong torso. Looong legs. VERY lanky. Her appetite is improving, starting to really put the food away. She burns it sooo quickly.


I'm not sure if we've got colds or if this is the regional allergy kickin' us in the head again...she's stuffy, coughing...gurgling. I'm raw with a raging sore throat and just...UGH. Hot, cold...head hurts. BLAH. But the allergies around here are like that...Huntsville has some Native American history as a valley of illness, despite us living so near Monte Sano; the Mountain of Health.

That's it for now, will write more as I think of it!

Ooooh, yeah....meet Cassie:

Mo had enjoyed the tire horse swing thing at the October Festival last year -so much- that we decided it would be a sure thing to find one for a tree here, somewhere...

Only to find that there weren't any to be had.

Finally found one up the road in Tennessee and brought him/her/it home.

Well...since I can't leave anything alone, I asked Mo if she wanted this somewhat typical rubber contraption to become a zebra or a unicorn? Unicorn won.

And my fun began.

Here's "Cassie" as she is now, still awaiting a new neckerchief more in line with her mythical being, and the hanging from our Maple tree in front closest to the porch. Perfect branch there.

Jungle Gym is still in the picture, just have not settled on size and location.

Tomorrow is the last day of Pre-K. Time for Mo's summer vacation!

Mo and I had gone to Target and picked out two Thank You cards for her teachers...only to have her tell me the next day that nowadays she actually has 3 or 4...
since I can't keep that straight from week to week, I decided the best thing to do would be to make each of them a card, so I folded some construction paper and let Sweet Pea have at it.

She has said that she will miss her instructors, assistants and classmates but does not yet show any great sadness...she liked everyone (a few mentioned more than others) but didn't seem to bond with any one child in particular. No 'best friend' yet to replace Mama. I'd hoped she might find someone to buddy around with, build a friendship, but that has to be on her terms and at her own speed. With Kindergarten at Chapman Elementary (our zone) comes a whole new world and a greater exposure to many, many possibilities. Pals in the making, soon to come.

It will be interesting to see if after this last day she has a tinge of sorrow or if she is not yet at that level of comprehension.
Thinking we'll stop off on the way home tomorrow night and celebrate this milestone with a vanilla malt...she never finishes one but enjoys it all the same.

I have to verify whether or not she starts Public elementary on the 6th or 10th of August...Chaz and I will be enrolling her during the next few weeks. Very strange to think that I'm about to put Mo in to school...I don't have that weird "Oh, my baby!" thing going on...but it is a little disturbing on some low level. Proud and fearful, both. Glad she's moving forward, in want of healthy progression...hoping she's well-enough prepared for these new challenges.


We'll keep this updated.

Family Day 2009 (4th year together)

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR FULL SIZE VIEWING:






































Mo is just about finished with private Pre-K and readying for the BIG-K...she should be starting late this summer at the local public school. It will be quite the jump for her...but we'll see how she adjusts to full days, 5 days a week...less play and more homework.

She is maturing rapidly. My toddler occasionally turns teenage on me, but paybacks are hell, aren't they, Mom? ;)

I was just informed today that YELLOW is Morgan's new favorite color...however, she also pointed out that it was unnecessary to purchase everything in the current favor because she "likes so many colors now".

Turtle is slowly being set to rest...not being taken everywhere anymore...and she's probably grateful as she holds herself together by the last few remaining threads...does still have to sleep with Mo.
Pandy has a baby now, that Nana sent up for Easter...a tiny Beanie-like creature that immediately became "Baby Panda". Now those two, er, three are inseparable and Mo continues to take Pandy everywhere...I even bought a sling and fabric bassinet to keep them better contained.

Mo is still slight...I doubt she'll ever be plump...but her height is around 43-44 inches now...I marked it but haven't measured yet...weight is still in the mid-thirties but we're getting to the high end...she burns it off so fast...is now wearing 5's...YEAH! Some 4t still fits, or more specifically, little girl's 4, which is longer...but I've got her in some 5's if the waist is adjustable or elastic. Shoes are a toddler 9, just coming out of 8.5.

She enjoys helping me do anything...dishes (I let her put the plastic stuff away...) watering the plants...and she helped me plant some roses as soon as the frosts were over (writes as she sees a forecast low tonight of 39...uh...this is Alabama and it's almost summer...then we have a high of 80 a day later...crazy weather here.)
Mo now wanders safely around the property, checking the woodland garden with me and draws with her chalk on the steps and front porch. She is learning to read. Still working on shoe laces, basically because she doesn't wear lace-ups very often yet...

She gets along with the other kids in her class and deals well with the troubles that come along - is able to shrug off poor behavior where-as in the beginning she took it quite personally. I have come to notice that the one boy she said "bothers" her actually LIKES her...we thought he was harassing her. Ha! Not exactly. He pays a special attention but being a boy gets kinda...well...you know.

I'm watching her right now from the window as she struggles with the hose to wet her own garden under the Dogwood - it's a long hose but she's determined.

That's pretty much it for right now...we're possibly going to take a road trip to TN next w/e for a night in a cabin...and through-out the summer work on the landscaping and paint what still needs it. Come F/T school time I be able to really get the house in order and studio up and running...hard to do with Sweet Pea as a constant distraction. :)

The missing images:

From November/T-Day, Monte Sano, Home and Aunt Edna's in Auburn:

Wintery mix


Nana and Mo:


Mo's drawing of Bullseye:


Crashed-out on the way back to Huntsville with a new pal...


Aunt Edna's house:

Auburn playground:



T-Day




Monte Sano

A few miles up the road:




Chinese New Year Celebration:









BIRTHDAY!!!!

















(It's a long story...)


Pre-K Worksheet


G is for GARDEN:


The birds I made for her class (birthday celebration)


Taking over Mama's laptop, 5 going on 15...


Mo making stuff for Nana and Pop-Pop:








The NEW BIKE!















Walking DOWN to the park...

SHE is FIVE!

What a wonderful day, except that the snow Mo wanted turned to slushy rain instead...

We've reached several new milestones, including Morgan's latest big girl moment -- starting Pre-K twice a week, full days. She is completely out of pull-ups during the day, and doesn't even mind the fact that there is no 'squishy seat at the school facility (her classroom has one adult-sized throne, unlike the other Pre-K classroom we were originally shown with all those tiny toilets).

She has adapted well to the idea of 'higher learning', loves being with the other children and is thriving on the limited but valuable education she receives during the school day...making friends - all the kids are nice to her, except perhaps one Little Emperor who seems a bit put off by everyone. Her teachers are quick to report any advances and all praise her manners - was told she is the politest child one assistant had "ever seen".
Chaz said that was kinda scary...but to me that means Mo is trying to behave well, consistently, and succeeding.

Her speech is still a bit difficult at times - focus matters there. Her writing is quickly improving. We'd been working on that at home but now surrounded by other children she is a bit more excited about achieving certain goals - when she sees that someone else her age can already do something, it drives her to try a little harder.

We're going to tackle shoe laces again - I think she's nimble enough now where before she had trouble manipulating the knot.

Her birthday today is as she wished for - Care Bears - although she since Thanksgiving has had a new favorite doll...(I know, getting hard to keep track).
Nana and Pop-Pop gave her a panda bear while we were visiting Aunt Edna's in November and to everyone's surprise this plush critter immediately became numero uno. She already had two other pandas which did little to stir her imagination, but this one was in her eyes the PERFECT bear.
So since then, "Pandy" as she is called, is the thing that goes everywhere with her...and Turtle. Yes, Turtle is still hanging with us, as important as anything else in her life. :) A bit worse for wear, Turtle is still her preferred pillow and occasionally Pandy's, too. Oh, and Turtle taught Pandy how to fly.

Ok, let me explain...

One day while Mama was being silly (Who? Me? Never!) I showed Mo how Turtle could 'swim' through the air using her flippers, which of course looked more like flying...
Pandy is quite soft and unconstructed, so she can walk, run...and now "fly".
The flying Panda.

Bork, the kitten doll that was, prior to this, a loner living in Mo's bedroom, is Pandy's best friend. BTW, she named the cat Bork two years ago - was her first 'real' naming of anything. And then the cat was basically set aside.

So Pandy rates so high that she even got her own Xmas present. I scored some fingerless mittens off EBay in an infant size (which are still huge but what we needed) to complete her 'winter' outfit...a hand-knit scarf and hat purchased at the local craft fair two months ago.

So that's explains the panda in the previous pictures.

Next.

The pink triple bunk beds...Pop-Pop (my father) made those for Morgan and brought them up when they visited...had to hide all that until Xmas. Now that is in Mo's bedroom under the canopy (works better than the bed did) and all her most beloved (currently cherished, anyway) stuffed animals and/or a few hard toys sleep there. She also has the Victorian cradle Dad made her a couple years ago on the other side of her bed, where her baby dolls rest.

What else?

I gave her several Care Bear oriented gifts; Birthday Bear necklace, new warm (and impossible to find) pajamas, a calendar, big girl britches and a fuzzy pink child-sized backrest for lounging...not over-board as the holiday just passed was generous. However, Chaz and I agreed it's time for a big girl bicycle, so tonight we will tell her that this w/e she gets to pick one out! :)
She has to be in on this because of her size - we have to make sure she and the bike are compatible.

Later, after she finishes cleaning up her playroom (4 days and counting...;)) we are going to, together, make a Care Bear cake. I found a cake pan in the shape of...one of them...and Mo picked out the flavor and icing (white cake, cream cheese icing). She is then going to decorate the cake however she damn well pleases, so those pictures might be rather amusing. :)

I think that's all for now. I will update later after the day is over.

Holiday images