Katie woke up happily in her big girl bed this morning, and she woke up early enough that we had time to read a few books all snuggly before getting up to dress for gymnastics class. Reading in bed is such a beautiful way to usher in a new day.
We dressed in our warm-up suits and went downstairs for a breakfast of oatmeal, good fuel for exercising. Because she has been sleeping in her big girl bed, because this morning was grey, and because I wanted to surprise her, I made her the first-ever mug of hot chocolate she has ever experienced in her life. I wanted her first taste of it to be the genuine thing, so I actually melted chocolate, milk, and some cream in a double boiler on the stove: she thought it was amazing! It was fairly rich, so we saved a good 2/3 of it for later.
We ate our oatmeal and sipped our mugs of hot chocolate together in the dining room, and then we packed our water bottles and left for class.
Yummy! Oatmeal with a dash of cinnamon.
At class, Katie was her usual hard-working, enthusiastic, sweet self:
Jumpy jump jump!
Katie does her somersaults all on her own now. This one went a little to the left, but she was stable when she landed. Somersaulting on her own is a skill she has developed through this class.
With Miss Nikki! Katie loves, loves, loves Miss Nikki. They have a little thing where they give each other high fives. Katie always gives her a high five before she leaves (we are teaching her always to greet and say goodbye to her teachers out of respect). Today, Katie also gave Miss Nikki a hug.
One of Katie's favorite stations is the bar flip. Look at her go!
As we were putting our shoes back on, I told Katie (as I always do) how proud I am of her hard work and her effort. Katie has internalized our constant message, because she replied, "You are proud when I try my best." That is very correct. Her daddy and I emphasize this to her constantly. What matters most to us is her work ethic and making good choices. As long as she is trying her best, that is all we can ever ask for.
Home again, we got out our bin of scrapbooking and card-making materials. I let Katie get into everything and experiment. She is getting so good at using safety scissors! We've been practicing. We were making a card for Great-Grandpa Yoder, whose birthday is approaching. Katie used her pastels to decorate white cardstock, and we cut it into a heart shape, mounted it on blue cardstock, and festooned it with pretty papers, ribbon, and paper flowers. I let Katie experiment with other papers and stamps: she loves the freedom.
Boppa dropped by to put the crib back together in Eric's room and to help with the garage. We ate lunch outside, and then Katie helped me make dinner. We made a beef stew with sage dumplings. If we can, we try to prep dinner early in the day so that all we have to do is cook it later. We cooked to the sound of Paul Simon's Graceland album (one of the best albums EVER in my opinion).
Katie took an early nap, and I culled through some magazines, rested, and gathered my thoughts. Then Amie came over and we put together the bassinette she is giving us (unfortunately, the family bassinette broke once and for all during Katie's use, so we are using a new one for Eric). So Eric's room now has a crib set up and a bassinette. I can't wait to get the paint and the wallpaper up.
My mom also trimmed my hair for me. I haven't been to a hairdresser for a haircut in over five years. The last time I went to a salon was to have my hair done for my wedding. My mom is so precise, and best of all, her hair services are free. I always love how she does it. I am such a cheapskate when it comes to things like that, and Bill and I prefer my hair and nails and so forth to be natural anyway (my husband's opinions really matter to me on this, to the extent that I try to wear my hair how he likes it since I am old-fashioned that way). I've never even colored it. I've asked Bill about that, but he says he definitely wants it to stay just how it is. So my hair needs are extremely simple... And my mom is great about meeting them!
Then it was time for dinner and bathtime...
A full and productive and happy day!
