Easter Bunny

We took Kelsie to see the Easter Bunny on Friday and she was super excited. She didn't seem to have any problems until it was time to sit on his lap. She let me sit her on his lap without any issues, but we had a really hard time getting her to crack even a hint of a smile. She finally did smile a little at the end. I asked Kelsie why afterward and she said she was afraid the Easter Bunny would look at her. In other words she was a little scared of him. I can see why. I mean really how many times are you asked to sit on a big bunny in your lifetime?!? I am just glad that she did it and we got a pretty cute picture out of it to boot!

The Rodeo

We decided to take Kelsie to the Livestock show and carnival at Rodeo Houston. She loved it! She liked riding the train (metro rail) into the stadium. She enjoyed seeing all the animals and really loved the little petting zoo they had there. Surprisingly she also wanted to ride several of the rides they had at the carnival. She rode a genie ride with kids she didn't know which really shocked us. She also gave a kiddie roller coaster a try. She did say that it was a little scary, but that it was fun.

Her favorite part was a little section they had for the kids to act like farmers. They collected milk, wool, and some crops by doing certain tasks (like milking a cow or planting a seed) and then the kids sold their crops at the end. She was really excited when she realized that the money she made would buy her a real juice and snack! She couldn't stop talking about that for the rest of the time we were there. Kelsie is really into what is real vs pretend right now, so it thrilled her that the snack was real!

I can't wait to go again next year! I hope by then she will be ready to experience the actual rodeo by then, but we will see.

Our Visit with Riley

We went to visit Riley again now that everyone was finally well in their household. Unfortunately they have been passing a cold back and forth between them for a few weeks! Kelsie finally agreed to hold Riley (with a little help of course)! I think she liked it, because this time she wanted to sit by whomever was holding him. She even kissed him on the head a few times. As usual a little too quick for a picture.

We had a really nice visit at my brother and SIL's house and then we went to eat at Stake and Shake (one of my favorite restaurants). I was worried when there was a wait at the restaurant, but both kids did wonderfully! No crying, no whining and Kelsie ate fairly well given that it was only her second time eating there. I can't wait to visit again!

Kelsie's First time Carpooling to MDO

Yesterday morning Kelsie rode with Ms. Heather and Sophia to MDO for the first time! I couldn't believe how willing she was to do it and Heather said she didn't give her any trouble when she dropped the girls off. We have decided to switch off every other day from now on, so the girls can stay used to that routine. Kelsie even asked if she could ride with them again today. I explained that we were going to take Sophia today and she would ride with them on Tuesday and she said "that's a great idea Mommy!". I am so excited that my big girl is trying so many new things lately!

Zoo

Our fun day at the zoo!

Valentine's Party

Kelsie loves party days at MDO, and her Valentine's party was no exception. They had ice cream sundaes for their special treat and got to hand out Valentines to each other. She loved playing with everyone after the party. I was excited to get a few pictures with her classmates. Kelsie decided it was her turn to take some pictures and she actually did a really good job. I was a little worried about attending the party that day, because she was supposed to go to tumble bus afterward. I just wasn't sure if she would be OK with me leaving, but I had nothing to worry about. She lined up without even saying goodbye to me! I was so proud of her!

Our Independent Girl

Kelsie has really started to work on becoming more independent especially at her school! The school offers a few after school activities that we decided to let her try. The first, tumblebus, was completely her idea. Tumblebus is a bus that has been converted into a gym class. She LOVES it and she can't wait until Thursday when she gets to go. Someone comes and gets her from class and takes her, which is where I thought she would have a problem. Apparently she does great!

The second is called stay and play. She stays after on Wednesdays and they take her to a new classroom with different teachers to do craft projects and play. So far she loves that too. She always wants to know what they will be doing for the day. Although I can't always tell her, she is still excited to go. Every time I go to pick her up they say she had a great time and had no problems with her.

Those two activities are huge leaps from where we were when we started this school year. She wanted no part of tumblebus when if first started. She always would say she was too little and would only try it when she got bigger. I am so proud that she has decided completely on her own to give it a try. I was a nervous wreck the first days of both after school activities, because Kelsie has a tendency to say she wants to do something but then throw a fit when it comes time to do it. I was pleasantly surprised that she seems to have had no problems this time! In fact she couldn't wait to tell me all about it when I picked her up. :)

Today she shocked me again by deciding to try the drop off at school. We tried the drop off line when it first started as well and she threw a fit and cried when I dropped her off even though she said she wanted to try it. However when I suggested she try it today, because it was raining and very cold outside, she agreed without too much hesitation. Again I was nervous to see how it went once I left. Again I was pleasantly surprised that she did great! When I asked her teacher about it, she said that she walked in line and got her stuff out without any help. She even told her teacher what a big girl she was for doing the drop off today!!

I know to some kids these are very small steps toward independence, but in our world these are HUGE steps. Kelsie has been very slow to separate from mommy in any way. I am so proud of her for taking these steps. I am especially happy to see how proud she is of herself! Hopefully this trend will continue, so I won't have to worry so much when the time comes for kindergarten.