Soup With Seuss

I am such a terrible blogger lately, but I really do have an excuse and it's called "Graduate School".  But now that my classes are over for the semester, I can start to focus on some other aspects of my life. 

One of the things I finally got around to doing the other day was to upload pictures from my camera to my computer.  I haven't touched that since Christmas.  YIKES!  Anyway, I forgot to share about our evening of fun at our school's annual Soup With Seuss event. 

The Soup With Seuss event began when I taught at A.D.Owens the year I was pregnant with Kaci.  When my dear friend Shannon moved to Crossroads a few years ago, she brought the event with her.  I must admit that this event is near and dear to my heart (somewhat because I had a part to play in it's start) but  mostly because it is a reminder of how far Kaci has come.  You see, 5 years ago (well, 5 years ago back in February) I had scheduled a visit from The Cat in the Hat to visit our primary students and arranged for him to stay that evening for our event.  Plus, I had a bookstore lined up to be at our event selling Dr. Seuss books (which the Cat autographed!).  Needless to say, there was going to be a lot going on from my end that night.  However, the day before all of this was to take place was the day we went to the doctor to find out if the baby I was carrying was a boy or a girl.  WHAM!!!  We were hit with the news that Kaci was a girl and that she had gastroschisis.  As big of a wreck as I was, we knew that school was the best place for me to be the next day (plus I hate to not follow through on things I start...even in the midst of a crisis) so off to school I went the next day (it was pretty much a blur).  That day we wound up going to see a specialist and got some 3-D pictures of Kaci and then Jim and I rushed back to school for the family event (he was such a trooper to work the even with me that night).  I even bought a book that evening for my precious little girl Inside Your Outsides (quite appropriate I thought).

Back to the present time.  Each year Kaci has attended the Soup With Seuss event she has done fairly well, with the exception of one thing - The Cat in the Hat!  Every picture I have of us with him involves her screaming or crying.  She just didn't like The Cat.  Well, this year she insisted that 4 year-olds that are going into kindergarten next year are brave so she would take her picture with him.  Yeah right!  I told her I would believe it when I saw it. 

I guess she proved me wrong!

Shannon reading all the kids a story at the beginning of the event.

Face painting

Shannon, Kaci, Rylee, and Maddy

She even went back to see him again!

Making Horton's flower

Making Thing 1 and Thing 2 handprints

Green Eggs and Ham race (her favorite)

The Shot Heard 'Round the World

No, I'm not talking about the Revolutionary War, I'm talking about my child (and this proves even more how much like me she really is). 

Today, Jim took Kaci for her check-up with the nephrologist for her kidney disease.  She pleasantly refers to him as the pee-pee doctor since he makes her pee in a cup at each appointment.  Well, Jim and I knew that this visit was going to require some blood work to check on her kidney functions since she hasn't had any taken in almost a year.  Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am petrified of shots.  Seriously...petrified.  I hate them with a passion!  I guess I passed this gene on to my child.

According to Jim (hey, wasn't a TV show?), the minute Kaci heard the word "blood" she started to freak out.  She even pulled a classic Mommy move when she screamed in pain as they wiped her arm with the alcohol pad.  And you can only imagine how she reacted when the needle actually penetrated the skin.  YIKES!  It took Jim and the nurse to hold her still long enough to get a sample (and this includes stopping her from ripping the whole apparatus out of her arm-almost causing her to have another needle stick) all while she screamed bloody murder.  It reminded me of the time it took my mom, the doctor, and 2 nurses to hold me down just to get my finger pricked.  I'm also the lady that wasn't afraid of giving birth, only afraid of the IV they would want to put in my arm.  Anyway, Jim said that when they walked out, the whole waiting room cocked their heads and gave them a pitiful look.  The kind that says, "I heard everything and I know your pain."

The truth of the matter is that Kaci will have many more needle sticks in her lifetime and I can only hope the experience gets better, but if she's anything like her mother, it won't.

On a happy note, my baby now weighs 32 1/2 pounds and her kidney function is doing so well that she won't need to be seen for 6 more months (versus 3).  Woo hoo!

Preschool Performance

Earlier this week, Kaci's preschool class performed some nursery rhymes at a parent night.  Here are some clips of Kaci's performance.  Enjoy!

Procrastination

3 assignments.  That's all I have left to complete this semester and I am really struggling to get them started or finished.  I'm always griping at Kelsey or my sister to not procrastinate and now it seems that I'm the one having issues.  I just need the motivation to get them started and finished.  Time to dig down deep and remember that classes will be over in a month and then I'll have a short break before my summer class starts.  Wish me luck!

Graduate Assignment

I am taking 2 graduate courses this semester and one of those courses is technology.  Now, I must admit that I am struggling to find the connection between this course and it's true relevance to the leadership degree I am getting (unless you are just making the connection that principals need to be aware of technology and how to use it in order to best lead their staff...but that's a discussion for another time).  However, my assignment this week was to take a photo and edit it 3 ways.  Ok, not a big deal and actually one I was happy to do. 

I have Picassa 3 on my home computer and that's the program where I upload all of my photos.  I can then send them to my web album so that they are always safe in case my computer ever crashes on me.  Having this program made my assignment so much easier.

So here's my assignment.

The original photo (one of my favorites from her 3 year old pictures)

Here is the photo as a pencil sketch

Here it is cropped, black and white, softened with a mirror edge

And finally, cropped, softened, with a frame and her name

Now, you tell me what this assignment had to do with becoming a school principal because I'm struggling to find the connection.  But, it's ok because I genuinely enjoyed completing this assignment and learned something new in the process (even if it had nothing to do with my degree).

The "K" Word

So yesterday at school, I went to my mailbox and pulled out a stack of papers waiting to be put into the kids' take home folders.  Pretty normal stuff at a school.  However, this particular stack took me by surprise and within an instant the smile left my face and tears began streaming down my cheeks.

Why?

The papers were to announce the dates of our kindergarten registration. 

Kaci has already been going to Crossroads with me for 2 years as a preschool student so it's not like much is going to change next year, except for the fact that she'll now be going to school all day instead of a half day.  But for some reason this one piece of paper made everything a reality.  Kindergarten now isn't too far away and I don't know if I'm really ready for it.  My baby isn't a baby any longer; this solidifies the fact that she truly is a big girl.  And in just a few months I'm going to be sending her off to kindergarten, off to the start of 13 long years of school (and then I'll be crying because she'll be graduating).

I was taken back to my first day of kindergarten and how the teacher had to send my mom away because of her uncontrollable crying, and then it hit me...I really am my mother.  I have a feeling I am going to be that  mom.  The mom that gets sent away because I can't stop crying. 

I don't know why it's so hard to let them grow up (but I bet on the first day of school my child will be the one telling me to grow up in between my sobs).  I just wish I could keep her little just a short while longer.

From the day she was born

As she grew

And started preschool

Where did my little girl go?

Better Late Than Never

I know I have been neglecting my blog lately (as my mother so kindly told me) and even though I had the best of intentions to update much sooner than today, I guess it's better late than never.

When I last left, I had planned on updating pictures from our Disney trip.  Meeting the Princesses was Kaci's favorite part of the whole entire trip and Jim was so great to wait in line for many of them while we wandered around the park.  So here is a run-down of everyone we met.

Cinderella, the first princess she got to meet inside the castle.

Snow White

Sleeping Beauty, Kaci's all-time favorite.

Ariel

Belle (Kaci wished she had been wearing her yellow dress)

Daddy waited in line a long time so she could meet Rapunzel.

Jasmin and Aladin (she kept looking everywhere for Abu)

Tiana and Prince Naveen