Lexi Turns 6!

These posts are a little out of order...

It's hard to believe that Lexi is 6!  Her birthday was on a Friday and it was the last day of drama camp.  Michelle was able to go to the end of the week performance and took Lexi to get her hair cut and her nails done.  It's a very cute haircut though the first evening, brushing her teeth, Lexi looked in the mirror and broke out in tears.  She thought everyone would think she would look like a boy.  It took her a bit to get her calmed down and she hasn't gotten upset by it since.  She has also gotten several compliments on her new look which has helped. 

Friday evening Lexi got to choose where we ate and so we went to Z Burger.  She got her own shake (which she usually doesn't get) - it was birthday cake flavored. :)

Saturday, we had her birthday party.  We finally had it in the playground where she wanted to have it 2 years ago but we had to move it inside because of a hurricane.  This year, they were calling for showers but it didn't rain at all. We had lovely weather in the afternoon.  We shared the party with Lexi's friend, Cyrus, from her school. They have the same birthday and Lexi thought it was great to do it together.  We sang happy birthday to both of them separately and there was plenty of cake and cupcakes to go around.  We probably had better attendance with a joint party. I think everyone had a good time.  Lexi was very happy with the day.

This year's cake was "My Little Pony".  She originally wanted a Dora cake but changed her mind when we looked at the possibilities at the grocery store.

After dinner, we finally let Lexi open her presents.  She was getting a bit impatient by that time.  She got a variety of books, clothes and accessories and gift cards.  It was great to have Uncles Andy and Russell and Aunt Michelle here to help us celebrate.

Stephen and I looking forward to seeing how Lexi grows, changes and learns new things this year!   

1st Day of First Grade

Lexi got sick late Sunday afternoon (fever, upset stomach) and was still feverish on Monday morning, so she didn't go to school on the 1st day of school.  Her first day of school was the 2nd day...and I think she was a bit nervous.  She didn't want to wear the outfit we had purchased for the first day of school.  I finally talked her into it - but she insisted on wearing a sweater over it.  I had her take it off for the obligatory 1st day of school picture.  Lexi really looks like a young lady.

Lexi also was anxious about lunch. In earlier years, if you have school lunch, the teacher makes you eat the entire lunch. Not so with home lunch kids.  She really wants to have home lunch every day as a result. I would rather she have school lunch for 2 reasons:  1) less bother for me and 2) she gets a great variety of healthy meals.  At home, I can't get her to eat many things; I know she will have to at school.  We are going to try and work out a compromise where she helps make her lunch some days and on days she has home lunch at school, she has to eat whatever Dad and I are having for dinner.  Not the perpetual PBJ dinner.

Reporting back on her first day, Lexi said that all they did was go to recess and have choice time.  She was worried about having fitness (her least favorite special) but found out that specials won't happen for the first two weeks.  The class is still about 2/3rds boys.  Her friend Ruth is at a different school this year as she moved to Maryland; it will be interesting to see who she bonds with.  Most of the girls in her class this year aren't ones she was close with.  Her teacher's name is Ms. Nolin and they are the Bulldogs classroom.  There are two teachers aides/assistants in the classroom as well.

Rapidly approaching 2 years old

Here is Natalie at 22 months, getting very close to that magic age of 2!

She has also recently done some funny and clever things:

For a while now, she has had a habit of climbing onto Sarah's lap during dinner - either to eat her entire dinner from there or after she's finished her dinner. Trouble is, Sarah is usually just getting started eating her dinner and doesn't really like the trouble of a toddler on her lap while she's trying to eat (having to feed food to a toddler in addition to herself). In addition, Natalie also has the habit of just helping herself to food on Sarah's plate. This also happens at breakfast most mornings - Natalie just plunges her hand into Sarah's cereal bowl, not caring if it gets wet with milk. Today at lunch, Natalie climbed onto Sarah's lap as she was eating a lunch that included noodles. After grabbing a few bites of noodles with her fingers, Natalie got down, walked into the kitchen, got into the silverware drawer, and got a plastic fork for herself, returning to her spot on Sarah's lap so she could continue eating Sarah's noodles with a fork.

Today I bought a Roomba, a robotic vacuum cleaner, with part of the bonus I got at work. After setting it up, I pushed the "clean" button to see how it works, and it set about scurrying around the kitchen floor. I called Lexi and Natalie to come watch this new machine do its work. Natalie found it delightful - laughing constantly as she watched and pointed at it moving around the floor on its own, whirring away. She followed it as it moved and also moved away as it came toward her. At one point, it gently bumped into her foot, and she instantly changed from laughing to screaming in fright. Sarah told me I needed to pick her up, and she started screaming - she was so scared. Now she is still half scared/half delighted by it.

Natalie has known the word light for a while, but she discovered yesterday that the switches on the wall can turn lights on and off. She had to get up on a stool today to play with the switches for the kitchen and dining room lights. I remember how fascinated Lexi was while we were living in Kenya when she discovered what power she had with the light switches.