Ballet Part Deux

Kate's second session at ballet was fabulous!  To be honest, I had to bribe her but whatever.  Mommy told Kate that if she was a good girl and listened to Miss Catherine (her ballet teacher) and "no fits" she could go to the dollar store and buy 3 things.  Kate LOVES the dollar store by the way.  The bribery worked!  Kate did not cry and did not tell Miss Catherine "no" once.  Did I mention at the first ballet class Kate was super sassy and yelled "no!" to Miss Catherine?  Anyhow, Kate was SO excited about ballet and was following instructions and kept looking at me or coming up to me and telling me, "I'm being good", "can I go to the dollar store now?", "mom I did it!  I'm doing ballet!".  It was really really cute.  I did have to sit in the room with her to get her to cooperate but it worked.  The third ballet class was even better as Kate listened to Miss Catherine and I sat in the waiting room with all the other parents.  I could hear Kate yelling at me "Mom I did it!"  "Mom look at me!".  She is so cute.  Kate earned her lollipops the past two sessions.  Papa took her today, her fourth lesson; I can't wait to hear what he says about Kate.

1st Day of Ballet Class

Kate was SO excited to be a ballerina and go to ballet class!  When she arrived she was smiling and making friends with her fellow ballerinas.  She was running around the studio and showing everybody her twirls.  Class started and she engaged in the stretching and was following directions.  Then the teacher told the ballerinas to do certain things, you know teach them ballet stuff, and Kate had a massive fit and started crying.  "Mom, I want to goooooooooooo"...this lasted about 5 minutes, I think, but it felt like 15 minutes.  Kate just doesn't like people telling her what to do.  In Kate's mind she knows how to twirl and be a ballerina so why can't she just do whatever she wants right?  Makes sense to me.  It was comical and annoying at the same time.

Before class started, Kate was happy and showing off her moves!  Notice Daddy sneaking out? 

Kate crying when she could not do her own thing

So after the crying episode, Kate and mommy had a talk.  She was given two choices.  She could either stand with the ballerinas or sit in the corner and watch, but NO crying!  Kate chose to sit in the corner and watch the ballerinas.  This is a picture of Kate looking through the glass saying "hi" to me in the waiting room.  I heard her say things to the teacher like "I can do that" and "I know how to do that".  The teacher asked her if she wanted to join the class to earn her lollipop, Kate said, "no thanks."  At least she is polite.  

Mr. Howard

Mr. Howard is doing great at his new job!  Suspensions, hearings, and dealing with lovely middle-school aged children every single day.  Sounds like a dream job to me; not.  However, it is what Chris has always wanted and dreamed of.  He knew from a very early age that he wanted to be a teacher.  It takes a very special person to work with kids, they are lucky to have him!

Mr. Howard has his own designated spot; haha every educator drives a Camry !

Mr. Howard in action; notice the box of tissues for the crying children?  "But Mr. Howard I didn't mean to call the teacher a %!@*"  

He even gets his own bathroom!  Kinda girly, but we can "man" it up

Mommy & Me

I found this cute "Mommy & Me" interview form on Pinterest.  This is how my interview with Kate went:

What is your name?  "I don't know..."

How old are you?  "4"  (Kate is 3 1/2)

What is your favorite color?  "Red"

Who is your best friend?  Kate pointed to me...aw, melt my heart!

What is your favorite animal?  "Sheep"

What do you want to be when you grow up?  "Dora"

What is your favorite movie?  "Dora byastics"  aka - Dora Gymnastics

What is your favorite book?  "Round and round"  aka - The wheels on the bus go round and round

What makes you happy?  "Dora"

What makes you sad?  Kate pointed to the tv (she probably hates the crap I watch like Real Housewives and Honey Boo Boo)

What is your favorite food?  "Mac n cheese"

What is your favorite song?  "Round and round" aka The wheels on the bus go round and round

What is your favorite game?  "Peter Piper"

Kate write your name for me:  "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

source: http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/2011/02/document-what-they-say/motherandchild/

First Day of School

Ha ha fooled you all!  You probably thought that I was writing about Kate's first day of preschool, right?  Since this is the happenings of the Howard's I have to write about Chris' first day as an Assistant Principal!  Well from what I heard from my husband, it went very well.  Look how happy he looks coming back from parking lot duty dressed up in 115 degree weather.  Why not wear a short sleeve button down shirt with a tie you ask?  Because it looks lame and not stylish...remember who Chris is married to?  Plus we don't want him looking like Sipowicz from NYPD Blue.  

In other news...Chris was the AP at McGraw for 3 days.  He is now the AP at Gila Vista Junior High.  What it comes down to is that McGraw did not have the enrollment amount expected to support a position for an AP.  The AP at Gila Vista got a job at the District Office so they moved Chris over.  He is nervous about this, but I read a quote that fits this situation perfectly:  "If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try" - Seth Godin

Good luck Chris, I know you will kick ass and be a great Assistant Principal!  

California

Grandma Linda and Grandpa Mike have a time share in Escondido, CA (Welk Resort) and we go and visit them each year around this time.  I told Kate that were going to visit grandma and grandpa in California.  I told her we could run and play outside without burning up and go swimming.  She was SO excited!  On the day of the trip Chris and I had to work so I had to explain to Kate that she was going to Lori's house first (our babysitter) and then after work we were traveling to California.  Well, we all know that having a child wait for anything is pretty difficult for them to understand.  We avoided a tantrum, mostly by having Chris deal with this situation - yes, I am the parent who passes of the tasks and situations to Chris when I don't feel like dealing with it.  Anyhow, we picked up Kate after work and she continued to ask if we were going to California.  On the freeway she asked when we were going to be in California.  We told her very soon...even in San Diego she didn't believe we were in California because grandma and grandpa were nowhere in sight.  Kate thought California was the house that grandma and grandpa were staying in.  It was really funny.  The next day we went out shopping and on our way back when we pulled up to the time-share Kate yelled, "Look, it's California!"  On another side note, Kate calls "Mexico" "Mixer".  So the time-share is California and Ma's house is "Mixer".

This is California!

Kate and our lovely view

Kate and Papa at "California"

We had a really nice trip despite Chris having to take off early.  He received some good/bad news on Thursday afternoon.  The good news, he was appointed the Assistant Principal at Gila Vista Junior High.  In my eyes, this is good news because his goal is to work in the Middle School and he is going to be working with an incredible principal, Rusty Tyndall, who has over 15-years experience as the principal at Gila Vista.  Chris is going to learn SO much from this opportunity.  The bad news, Chris has to leave McGraw Elementary and say good-bye to another incredible mentor, Adar Garcia, who gave Chris this opportunity.  He has to leave a staff who he has worked for over 2-years.  So this is a bittersweet moment in his life.  We all believe in Chris and know he is going to do a fabulous job in this new role.

So while Chris took-off, the girls took-off too to go shopping!  Kate got a ton of clothes of course.  We all go crazy and I LOVE having my little girl look fashionable and trendy.  She is into dresses and skirts right now.  She is the perfect mixture of girly girl and rough and tumble, active girl.  Valley girl too.  My mom said, I don't know if I want Kate sounding like you.  And I was like what - haha - get it?  Kate will say things like, "Oh my god that is crazy funny" or "Oh my gosh that is so funny" or the best one "Oh my gosh, HOLY CRAP it's hot!"  Mom of the year over hear - hold the applause please.  After shopping, we hit the swimming pool.  Kate made a friend at the pool.  This little girl came up to Kate and started showing her that she could reach the ground and do this that and the other.  Kate very awkwardly responded after a bit, "That's my mom, that's Annette".  To which grandma Linda asked, "what did she say?  my mom's a nut?"

She hates the camera

Kate in her new tutu

The next day, we all said good-bye to the cooler weather (as compared to hot ass Yuma).  We made a pit stop at Viejas where we did more shopping.  Kate was running around the Gap and found a pink tutu that she wanted.  So of course, since Nana Delia was footing the bill I said sure.  I told Kate to follow me to the dressing room so I could try on my clothes.  Kate replied, "I need to try on my skirt too."  The funny part, as she was walking to the dressing room she started taking of her skirt in the middle of the store.  I think some poor guy saw her under-roos and butt crack.  My mom said Kate started getting into all of the women's jewelry so she told Kate to go look at the kid's jewelry.  Kate grabbed a necklace and ripped it out of the package and put it on.  So, we added another item to the pile of clothes we got.  Thanks Nana!

My sweet girl sleeping...little did I know what was to come!

We had a peaceful ride home.  Kate watched her iPad the entire trip.  She of course waited to fall asleep when we got off the 16th street exit.  When we pulled up to grandpa and grandma's house (we had to do switching of cars and such at their house) and told Kate she needed to get out of the car (to get into mine) and she threw this MASSIVE fit.  Yelling "NO" at the top of her lungs, tears running down her face, sweat dripping off her forehead, running around all of the cars as I am chasing her in 115 degree weather.  When I picked her up to throw her in the car she started clawing at my arms and pulling my hair.  I actually started laughing as I thought anyone looking at us would have to find this funny.  A cute girl in a pink tutu and pigtails pulling her mom's hair and pretty much kicking my ass.  I had no chance.  Kate wins.  Mommy loses.

End of Summer 2012

Well, the time has come to say goodbye to Summer.  Technically Summer is not over I know, but we are done with our Summer fun as we go back to the real world.  The first day of school is August 8th, which is my first day back.  Chris started on July 23rd with his new gig as Assistant Principal.  I can't recall anything too exciting we did, but it was relaxing and stress free not worrying about getting to work on time that is for sure.  I was especially stress free as Kate spent most of her days at the sitter's house.  Yay for Lori!  We attempted a couple of classes for Kate; swimming and "tumbling".  She dropped out of both classes.  She went to tumbling three times but was SO clingy to me it was more annoying than fun to take her.  She lasted 30-minutes at swim class but figured after slapping the lifeguard and screaming bloody murder for me that this was not going to work.  Yes, I let my child quit.  She is 3, no biggie.  Let's hope ballet classes she starts in a week will work out better.  Maybe we will have better luck if Chris takes her.  Daddy don't play as he says.

Tumbling school drop out

A happy moment                                                       

Before she started assaulting the lifeguard

Kate is growing and talking nonstop.  I always mention this, the talking bit, because (1) she talks NONSTOP...and (2) she has this incredibly funny muppet voice.  I am finding that this age is very challenging.  Kate is bossy.  I feel like I hear constantly "mom, don't say that", "don't say it like that", "mom, want to play...do it like this".  If she says or does something funny we often get, "it's not funny, don't laugh!".  If she wants to play she dictates every single little move that you have to make.  So it is not much fun playing with her because she is the puppet master.  But, of course there are the good moments...let me get back to you on that.

Chris has been super busy.  I have been trying to get his office ready before the first day of school.  When I get a chance I will post of picture of his office.  He seems really happy and loves working with the staff and parents.  He is really excited for the first day of school.

I am looking forward to getting back to work, but not in this heat!  It is no fun getting all dressed up in this heat.  I bought some mini hairsprays to keep my hair poofy all day long.

Kate eating her free breakfast at daddy's school

Kate is very brave in the pool!  She loves her "water wings" and jumping in the pool now!

Kate loves her cousin Maria too.  See, there is she ordering Maria around.  "Push me in my stroller!"

Our excitement this Summer, trying to outrun the haboob in Phoenix