A tough adjustment

This has been a rough 3 months for us here. As everyone knows, Stephanie started kindergarten in August. What an adjustment that has been! We have had ups and downs since August, but recently I, and Chris, took a good look at the past 3 months and realized that we have really had a whole lot of downs and not so many ups at all. Ever since school started we have noticed a significant trend in rebellion for Stephanie, whining, crying etc. At one point I finally admitted that the hardest part of the day was the moment she arrive home from school. The question of what would set her off today was very prevalent in my ind and I never quite knew what to expect. She cried or whined about the littlest things, out right refused to do other things and was just rebellious. Getting dressed in the mornings was always a battle as was the evenings. I was missing my sweet Stephanie and experiencing a side of her that I really wasn't prepared for. All that said, I assumed that all of this was just the beginnings of a new stage, or just kindergarten in general. Now let me say also that Chris was out of town a good bit over the course of a month. This certainly didn't help with the attitude. That is not to say that I can't control my child, but there is definitely something to be said about a child who knows when they can press the limits! Well, as discouraged as I was, I refused to give up and just say that this was the way it was going to be. We recently decided after much prayer that it was time for Chris and I to step down from choir for a while. It was just getting too hard to be gone the extra night every week. I work on Wednesdays and it was just grueling on me to have to leave work, eat on the way to church and then wait until after church to see the girls only to merely bring them home and put them to bed. So we stepped down. Well, still after trying to slim down our activities and be home more I was still seeing the same response from Stephanie. So, I gave it some thought and talked it over with Chris and we decided to try and implement something else. We both agreed that while Stephanie denied being tired(I mean really, what 5 year old says they are tired?), that a lot of her attitude and rebellion had to be directly linked to exhaustion. We both agreed that as hard as this would be to do, we had to make a conscious effort to give it a try. So, we have now backed up bedtime to 7:30. This really means that most nights she is in bed by 8 with the occasional 830. But this is way better than 830-900 every night. Guess what? Yes, it has been successful. We have seen less temper tantrums, crying, whining, and much less rebellion. Now yes, daddy is no longer gone on trips which helps, but we both believe that a large part of the problem was just exhaustion. So, I say all this to say that we now have seen a return of our sweet, compliant Stephanie( for the most part!) and we are both so thankful. Now our challenge is to keep it up and make a habit before we throw a baby into the mix in just two short months!!!

GO Gamecocks

Chris decided that it was time for all four of us to go to a Gamecocks game together. He picked a great weekend. It was a night game and the weather was perfect. Chris had an overnight trip to Boston on Friday so friend graciously volunteered to give the girls and I a ride to the game, complete with a pit stop at a hotel to drop off our stuff. Thanks to our friend, he not only took us by the hotel,but also he and his daughter helped to give my kids a shoulder ride into the stadium--a life saver for me by far. The girls and I got to the game and were seated just as kick off was about to take place. We successfully climbed up to row 39(or maybe I should say I did) and had great seats in the lower level on a row with extra foot room. A major plus since we were cramming 4 people into two seas. The extra space gave the girls room to move around. Aside from being next to the visiting band the seats were pretty good. We only have 2 season tickets and so these were the extra tickets we bought. Chris decided to use these seats instead of our regular seats since ours are in the upper deck. I must say that this was a great decision on his part! Chris arrived shortly after the game started. The girls were excellent. As I said earlier, the weather was great and it was nice and cool. The girls made it thru the whole game and were dancing and everything else to the music. Stephanie even got into the gamecock cheer. After the game we walked back to Chris's car which was not a close walk(at least as far as the girls and I were concerned). Chris alternated piggy back rides for the girls while myself and the other girl held hands and walked the distance mostly down a rocky railroad track. No complaints whatsoever were uttered from their mouths. We were so proud of them and will definitely plan another game for next year.

Just like Uncle Ben

I found Katie in the sun room on Tuesday and this is what I saw. She loves to play dress up and sometimes she can come up with the silliest outfits. She is so much like my brother Ben it is scary. Her demeanor, character and her ability to just enjoy life is almost a carbon copy of Ben. All of these make her such a sweet and loving young lady and she is really turning out to be so much fun.

It's a....

BOY. Yes, in case you read this and didn't know we are having a boy. I am sure that this is not news to many as most who read this blog are just friends nearby anyway, but I thought I would share it anyway. His name will be Andrew Jarrett. The first name is a name that Chris and I have had picked out for years and 'Jarrett' is his mom's maiden name. We decided that since she has passed away we would carry on her name in him, whom she was never able to meet. Vicki made this. It is made from all the kinds of things you would find in a little boys pocket. My mom came up this weekend and helped me finish painting the nursery. She and Vicki moved the furniture and put the crib together. I am excited that this is all done and now all that is left is just little stuff like decorating etc. VIcki is working on a mural for his room which is a scene from Guess How Much I Love You. I am so excited and can't wait to see what it will look like. I have seen the drawing she did, but not the final product(she is actually making it on foam which I will then attach to the wall) The girls have these kind of pictures on their walls and it is very nice. My mom has again outdone herself and made the nursery bedding. All of it is done with the exception of the crib skirt. She is finishing that up. All in all we are close to being done with the exception of lots of little things. I am looking forward to having it done before the holidays. Helping mom make the bed. Look at how big they are! So hard to believe that this used to be their crib!