First Babysitting experience

On Saturday, we went to a party and Tatiana had her first babysitting experience.   It was a success.   The babysitter was Toby and Brody's older sister Elisa.  Elisa had never babysat before, except for her brothers.   It looked like they played games and Elisa tidied Tatiana's stuff.  That night Tatiana asked when Elisa could come back, so Tatiana was obviously happy.   Elisa seemed to be happy too, although tired when we got home.  She was thrilled with the money, so we paid her enough. 

Tea party and Santa's handwriting

Yesterday she went to a tea party.  Donna, one of the twins, and Piper, Donna's little sister threw a 'tea party'.  It was incredibly cute!   Fortunately Scotland mentioned that you Must where a hat to a tea party.   So she picked out a hat and I attached a silk daisy hair barrette to it.   She also picked out a fancy necklace to wear.   Good thing too, otherwise she would have been the only one without a necklace.  The girls had lots of fun. 

She told Scotland that she knew Santa didn't come to our house because 'the note from Santa last year was in Daddy's handwriting.'    We don't remember a note, but it must have been the 'To Tatiana From Santa' note.   I'll have one of the Stallmans write the note when they drop off Alisa for babysitting. 

Twirling noodles

Tatiana was so proud of herself yesterday, it was cute.   Her daddy had made her spaghetti and she had figured out how to twirl the noodles onto her fork!   She did as good of a job as adults do.   I kept telling in the past that she just needs to practice  When she'd been a toddler, I didn't mind twirling the noodles for her.   I'd never been able to feed her baby food, so this had been a substitute.  But, then I stopped because she needed to learn. 

MY Sweet Tatiana

Yesterday was raining and dreary.   Around lunchtime Scotland and Tatiana went to a group activity at someone's house.   Tatiana made something with leather.  I haven't seen what she made yet.  Afterward Toby and Brody came over to play.   They are such nice boys.  At one point, Brody came to the parents complaining that Tatiana hid the 'rainbow glasses' they had been playing with.  The rainbow glasses came with a Kiwi crate on optics.  They have little pinholes in them so you see spots of rainbows.   Scotland told Tatiana to bring the glasses to him, and she did.   Then he asked why she hid them,   She said, "Because Brody wasn't letting Toby play with them."    That is MY sweet girl. 

Tatiana watching football with Daddy

This is Tatiana and her Daddy watching football together yesterday.   Her interest might have had something to do with her choices being
a) doing her math
b) being quiet in her room
c) watching football with her daddy. 


She normally has a playdate with Kristen on Mondays but they cancelled for Christmas prep.   There had been a scheduled playdate that afternoon with Lindsey's kids but she flaked out and didn't even cancel.    The Ferdinand movie came out recently, and we were all looking forward to that.  So, we went to that.   It was a nice evening. 

shoelace tying

Yesterday, Tatiana proudly demonstrated her shoelace tying skill.  She even does a double-knot.   She was so proud! 

JJ came over to play yesterday.    There is such joy when they play together.  Tatiana got out her new paper plane book.   They made some planes and flew them off the crow's nest of the tree house.  I went out there with my camera, but they switched to "playing mail".   In the Christmas decorations was a little post office box.   They pretend to send each other stuff.

Tonight, Tatiana and I are going to her Cheerleading practice.  I am really looking forward to it.   Last week was the first practice and I wasn't able to go because I was at the dentist's.   Scotland said that they sat around and made cheerleading props.   The girls giggled a lot.  Tatiana really enjoyed it.   She got girlie time without the distraction of an Activity. 

Hershey Chocolate

Gram Post :
We were looking at Hershey Chocolate World in PA on computer. We got idea to do that after looking at Hershey Chocolate syrup bottle last night. one of photos shows that you can make your own candy bar. It shows a long long ribbon of chocolate. She said that it looks so good that she needs to stop looking because she might want to lick computer screen! LOL!

Nutcrackers

Gram Post :
When we were organizing Hershey figurines = we decided to put out Thanksgiving ones . They have a fall look. Last time she had put out Halloween ones. One of Thanks deco was a Thanksgiving nutcracker. She said "I Love nutcrackers. "

Movie Night

Gram Post :
What a movie night that she & I had. First watched Captain Underpants. Then we had our ice cream on Sunday. Then "Singing in the Rain". She danced & danced along with it. There was tap & a little ballet & show biz type dancing. It was extra special watching her dance during movie.
I asked if I could delete Singing in Rain =& she said no because  she wants to watch again.
She said there was more dancing than singing. So they should have called it Dancing in the Rain. LOL

Apple Crisp

Gram Post :
Grandpa & Tatiana are making apple crisp to take to ELKS this afternoon.

As they work = I can hear him call her "Sweetie" like he often does!

 What was amazing is that last night = she did  not want lamp on her bedroom. Dad tucked her in = because I will do it Sunday night.  When I went to bed = I could see that she had Princess wall light. It was so cute.

 

 

 

Piano Lessons

Tatiana just asked "When is my piano lesson?"   Scotland said, "An Hour."   Tatiana, "Come On!"  (as in she is disappointed she has to wait that long)

Ordinary day

Now that we are back from the eclipse trip, school has started.  She is doing dictation.  Scotland wrote up a paragraph from each day of our trip.   She hadn't done her dictation by the time I came home.   She had just started on it when JJ came over to play.   They haven't been able to play much at all this summer, so I said she could play.  There was lots of whining about it when she started on it again.

Eclipse Weekend in TN

This last weekend we had lots of fun going to see the eclipse.   We left Friday evening when we were done packing.   We listened to the Whatever After series, "Once Upon a Frog."   Even Scotland enjoyed it.  Tatiana and I had been listening to the series at bedtime.  Scotland had listened to another one on the Florida trip, and enjoyed it.   I really loved listening to an audio book with my family, and hearing them laugh.   The trip was uneventful.   We arrived at about 8:30am.  The front desk person had been doubtful that our room would be available, but it was.  She said that only three were ready for check-in.   I think we got lucky because I'd requested a fridge, so they'd designated that room for us when it was available.

We immediately went to see the Parthenon.   That was great.   We got lucky because it was family day so we got in free.  Anyone with a kid, got the entire family in for free.  Tatiana liked the weeping willow trees.   They had a large variety of trees in Tennessee.  We ate at a nice BBQ place.   Tatiana really liked the pulled pork.  We bought a variety platter, and they had a variety of BBQ sauces so they served it dry.   Tatiana isn't a fan of BBQ sauce.  Then we went back to the hotel.  I took a nap while they played in the pool.  I hadn't been able to go to sleep in the car.   We watched a kid movie, Descendent's 2, on TV in the evening.

Sunday we went to the Hermitage.  Tatiana wasn't as interested in that.  I thought it was really neat.   The place where I'd wanted us to eat was closed, so we went to a second choice.  Tatiana liked that because they advertised a giant monster-sized brownie Sunday.   We shared that.   Then we went back to the hotel.  This time I watched them swim.   I'd had enough of being outdoors but I wanted to be with my family.  A girl about her age came to the pool.   Tatiana's eyes lit up at the idea of a playmate.   But, I think that there was something mentally wrong with the girl.  We watched some more kid's TV in the evening.

Monday we woke up at early to an alarm.   We'd had the car mostly packed the night before.  We ate breakfast at the hotel, then drove out there.  I was glad that we didn't run into traffic.   We got in line to enter the state park.   People were in a cheery mood.   We got lucky and picked a spot next to a guy with a fancy solar powered telescope.   He put the image on a laptop screen.   That was neat.  Tatiana got whiny and bored.    She wanted to play with a girl (for some reason) and there were mostly boys.   I wasn't happy with her.   Then when the eclipse started, she met a girl that she could play with, then she had fun.   I took a cute photo of them watching the totality together.

We drove home and traffic was horrible.  

Monday evening, leaving the State Park, Tatiana was saying that she hadn't had any fun at all.   We were quite upset with her negativity.   She seems to think that if every moment isn't filled with joy, then it wasn't any fun.  We had a talk with her about that.   We told her that even in the most wonderful activity, that there will be boring moments.   That she needed to concentrate and think about the fun parts.  Tuesday night she told me how much fun she'd had at the eclipse.   She must have listened to us.

Happy Evening

We had a very happy evening yesterday.   First was going to soccer practice.   We picked up Macy and her and Tatiana were gabbing in the back.   Tatiana explained that she likes soccer better than ballet.   Scotland glowed.   It was fun to hear them talk.   Soccer practice was nice.

Then we got home, I made Tatiana a soft-boiled egg.  Actually I made her a medium-boiled egg because I used the wrong line.   I had fun eating an egg with her.  

Then Tatiana decided to 'sort through the books in the living room'.    She would look at each and pull out the ones she wanted us to read her in one pile, ones for her to "look through" in another pile, and a third were ones she wanted to put someplace else.  Apparently all Princess books should be put together.   What made me very happy was when she'd make a happy noise seeing some of the books.

Cleaning room quote

Tatiana and Scotland were headed to her room to build a fort and she was bragging about how nice her room looked.   He said, "Of course, it looks nice.  You took everything out of your room and brought it here" (they were walking by the playroom).  She said, "Not everything.   I put one thing away."

making cookies

Tatiana and I made cookies yesterday.   When we were discussing it, she said she wanted to do all the mixing and most of the measuring, and ALLL of the licking of the bowl.  We agreed that the last was the most important job.   She is getting so good at cookie making.   She gets the scale very precise.   Scotland's job is to bag up the cookies after they are cooled.   I am usually ready for bed by then.

Saturday with Macy

On Thursday afternoon, Tatiana and Macy had a ton of fun playing.   The only problem was that they were wanting to play girly things, and Max kept wanting to join.   Just Candice and Macy were going to come over on Saturday evening.  But, that afternoon Macy called to ask if we could come over there instead.  Her cousin was over and she didn't want to leave.  So when I finished the pepperoni rolls, we went over.   When we got there, they were playing with those water balloons that you blow up all at once.   But, 100 balloons for 7 kids doesn't last long.   So, then they got out the house.  Jason had the bright idea of telling Macy and Tatiana, "Go hug your mommy".    I love Tatiana hugs, even when they are cold and wet.  Then they turned the slide into a water slide.   Then they'd land on their butts in the mud and slide for several more feet.   Tatiana slid the farthest since she was the only one in pants.  I went home to get more clothes.   When I got back, They asked if Tatiana could spend the night.  I said she could.  At one point, all the kids were playing Zombie/Hide-And-Seek.   I think that there were teams based on boys/girls.   But because that would make it 5-2 some of the boys would volunteer to be 'girls.'    Tatiana was tired when she got home.  

Makeup

I'd thought today was the photo day at the dance studio.   So, I took makeup along.   But, it was really the day she got her dance costume.   So, I had the makeup.  Tatiana wanted to try and put it on herself.  I said she had to wait until we got home when she could do it in front of the mirror.  She put her PJ dress on, and then she did a great job.  I am especially impressed with her lipstick job.   Better than when I do it on her.  Although she twitches her lips when I do it.

Tuesday

I had a work dinner so I got home late.  We went as a family to check on the chickees.  Part of the reason might have been so that Scotland could show off the fence he'd mostly finished.  I think it is done, but he thinks he needs to do something in the corner.  They told me earlier in the day Tatiana took out 7 chickees and cuddled them in the yard.  They loved it.  JJ was there too.   The nice thing is that the last three chickens walked into the henhouse to be with their friends when it came time to put them up.  She said cuddling the ckickees was the best part of her day.

How to Lift a Lion book

I had a nose bleed on the way home from work yesterday and at bedtime I started to have a little problem with it again.   I'd been reading a book that Tatiana really likes, "How to Lift a Lion".    It is a kid's physics book on simple machines.  I was halfway through when I had to sit up.  She said, "That is OK mommy.   I will read the rest to you.   And she did.

I see London, I see France

Last night was Tatiana's AHG meeting.  The leader had a really nice carefully prepared plan for stuff for the kids to do that was both fun and informative.  The badge was on taking care of yourself, hygiene, going to the doctor, etc.   At the end of the meeting, the kids colored paper-doll doctors and then colored a lab coat outfit and one of those head-lamp things they were.   Then both were attached with tabs as paper-doll clothes are.  It was hard to cut out the outfit, so many of the dolls didn't have clothes for a bit.   Riley asked what Kristen's doctor was wearing and said it looked like she was wearing underwear.  Riley was going on a bit about the underwear thing.  So, I sang, "I see London, I see France.  I see Kristen's doctor's underpants."    The girls thought that was the funniest thing they ever heard.   It was obvious that none of the girls had ever heard it before, and were filing it away for later use.  The mothers weren't annoyed precisely, they were more thinking, "Oh, great! Now I have to listen to this a million times."   I said, "Mommies, you are welcome." as a way of saying Oops.   That song was song a great many times for the rest of the meeting.   When I told Scotland he commented that probably none of the kids at the local elementary school had heard it since two of the girls at the meeting go to public school.   So, soon all of Farmersville will have me to thank for the proliferation of that song.  After the meeting, Kristen came over to play and her mommy said that the song is likely what they will remember from the meeting, not the carefully crafted activities.

Tatiana did something super sweet

we went to the library this morning

she filled out a why "Why I love my library" heart

they gave her a valentine made of two of the chocolates you guys keep in the fridge

she ate one of the way home

we pulled into the driveway and JJ was really really happy to see her, and invited her over.

She said,

I have to do something first

the thing was finding her daddy and giving him a chocolate

he said, "You don't want it"

?

She said, "It is a valentine  It is for sharing."

Isn't that the sweetest?