YUM-O!

a perfect pizza!!!!

On Saturday Kristin made a pizza for lunch. She loves to cook and will watch "Emeril Live" or just about any cooking show over kids shows. Sometimes while "cooking" in her room I'll hear her yell "BAM" or "YUM-O" like Emeril and Rachel Ray.

Today was her first day of art camp. Ms Shawn took her and picked her up so I could rearrange my room at school (it's still a disaster). She said Kristin was a little nervous at first, but after a few minutes she was fine. Kristin said that she cut and glued some wood pieces and did some coloring. She also made a new friend, Rachel. Tomorrow they are going to paint and on Friday they will have an art display showing off all their work.

The pool water is almost completely clear!!! I should've taken a "before" picture. It was pretty nasty. I guess enough chlorine will kill anything!

New Glasses!!!

Kristin's glasses came in this afternoon and she is so proud! She's having a little trouble getting used to wearing them all the time, but all in all is very excited about them. Probably because she can see now! It's a whole new world!!!

I'm still working on the pool. Last year was easy getting it set up (once we got the ground completely level), but this year it's harder since the pool has been sitting since last summer. So, I'm adding chemicals and vacuuming until it's ready...which hopefully will be soon!

I Can't See!!!!!

Kistin has inherited so many characteristics from me--stubborn, no attention span, artsy, loves to read, and now we've discovered that she is lucky enough to have bad vision--like me!!

I'd planned to take Kristin to the eye doctor since I'd noticed her getting REALLY close to papers when drawing, reading, etc. I waited untilthey did a vision exam at the pediatirican's office for her school physical. Well, lo and behold, she had lots of trouble. So, I made an appointment for Thursday to go to the eye doctor. Chris said he'd heard good things about the doctor at the Wal-Mart vision center, so that's where we went. It was an interesting visit, to say the least. Kristin has issues with strangers, especially men, but by the end of the exam, she'd warmed up to Dr. Brewer (who was wonderful!). He said she is definitley nearsighted and has an astigmatism. He said that is rare to see it this early and the good news is that we found it early. The bad news is that her eyes will continue to get worse, as mine have done. When the doctor held up some lenses in front of her eyes and asked if she could see better, her eyes lit up, she grinned and said "YES"! So, we picked out some frames...the vision center was having a 20% discount for associates and their family, and we found a cute pair of frames on clearance for 10 bucks--thank goodness for Wally World! We are anxiously waiting for the glasses to come in...maybe today, if not then on Monday. I will post pictures of Kristin in her glasses.

We have been busy busy busy. Chris is back working nights for a couple of weeks and things at school have been hectic. Last night was graduation--it went well and it seemed to rain all over Siloam except for where we were. Now we have to get ready for our summer program. Next week Kristin will be going to art camp for a couple of hours in the morning. She is excited about it and I can't wait to see the creations she will come up with. Next Friday Chris and I are going to Eureka Springs for the weekend. Hopefully it won't rain on us.

I'm off to try to get our pool clean and running well...anyone want to come visit and help??hehehe!

Girls Day Out

Yesterday Kristin and I had a fun girls day together. Chris spends lots of time with her on his days off and they do things together and on the weekends we all three are doing stuff together, but rarely do Kristin and I have just a girls day. This is something we both needed, so yesterday we took off for a day of fun. We ate lunch at Chili's, did some shopping, then saw Shrek the Third. I knew Kristin was worn out by the time we left the theatre because when I asked her if she wanted to go to the mall, she immediately said no, which is unusual for her. About 10 minutes down the road, she was sound asleep. We are going to have to have a girls day out more often.

Hope everyone has a good Memorial Day. It's supposed to rain here. I was hoping to have the pool up and running, but so far it's just up. It's filled, but needs lots more chemicals to get the water nice and clean. I guess we could get in it now, we could just imagine we are swimming at the lake!!

I'm having camera problems, but I will post pictures soon. Kristin had her last Jitterbugs recital last weekend. If I can figure out how to download the movies to the computer I will post them. She was quite comical!!

WE DID IT!!!!!

We got our accreditation!!!! This is the small article that was in the paper yesterday.


Local Montessori school earns Arkansas accreditation
Staff Reports
Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Siloam Springs’ Sunshine Montessori, operated by Shawn Lawrence-Reed, has earned Arkansas Quality Approval Accreditation.
The school met the higher child care and early childhood programming standards needed to complete the accreditation as of April 25.
Sunshine Montessori is one of 40 programs in Benton County to receive the designation.
The approval accreditation is a state accreditation for programs that have met standards above those of basic health and safety standards set by child care licensing. The Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education assesses child care programs that have demonstrated quality educational programming in their facilities and recommends approval.
Sunshine Montessori is at 720 Walnut; phone 549-3644.

What a Week!!!

Whew...I'm glad this week is over!!! It seemed like it went on forever. Monday morning I finally made a visit to the dentist. At first the hygenist thought I would need root canals on both teeth, but the dentist was able to do a "build up" on them and fill them both. I made an appointment in May for a cleaning and whole mouth exam. I know there are other cavities that need to be filled. So, if you haven't gone to the dentist.....GO!!!!

Last week was National Week of the Young Child. We had various activites going on throught the week at school. On Friday we had a trike/bike-a-thon for St. Jude Children's Hospital. The kids had so much fun and we raised a good amount of money. Kristin managed to have only one minor crash! Also the Quality Approval lady made her visit on Wednesday. She arrived a little after 8:30 and stayed until 4:00. She watched us all day, took lots of notes, and we will find out in 3-4 weeks how we did. I think we did great, even when the toilets backed up while we were brushing teeth and getting kids ready for nap. Luckily the plumber was right down the road and made it to the school in about 5 mintues!!! It ended up being a great day. It was supposed to storm all day, but God was smiling down on us and sent us sunny weather!

Kristin at the trike-a-thon (going the wrong way!)



On Thursday evening Kristin and I went out to Ozark Adventist School to meet her teacher. She fell in love with Ms. Pam immediately and cannot wait to go to "big school." While Ms. Pam was talking to the kids, she told them that she really wants them to come to Kindergarten there in the fall. Kristin told her, "But I'm not 5, I can't go to Kindergarten yet!" Ms. Pam told her that she can come to kindergarten there even though she's 4. (They combine the pre-k and kindergarten kids; they are called Kinders). Kristin looked at me with wide eyes and said, "Mom, is this KINDERGARTEN?" I told her yes and she said "WOW!" She really is excited and so am I! The first day of school in August 13th--the countdown has begun!!!!

Ozark Adventist School Gentry, Arkansas

STRESS

Ok, anyone who knows me knows that I have huge issues with the dentist and will avoid going even though I know I should. I have not been to the dentist in years and now I'm paying for it. I've had a back tooth that has been bothering me for quite awhile. My insurance kicked in at the beginning of the year and I actually did call the dentist about the tooth, but since I was a new patient, it was going to be a month wait before I could get in. Well, the tooth quit hurting and I forgot about it. Thursday on my lunch break I was eating a fortune cookie and apparently the tooth that was hurting, part of the filling came out. I didn't know it and was chewing and bit down on the part of filling that came out. I felt like I'd bitten a rock--it hurt so bad and I have a high tolerance for pain. I spit everything out of my mouth, saw the filling and .....part of a tooth!! I think I kind of screamed at that point....I have recurring nightmares about my teeth falling out, so I was freaked out. I ran to the bathroom looked in the mirror and discovered part of my top tooth had broken off when I'd bitten the filling piece. The tooth that the filling came out of was on the bottom. So now I have two teeth that need work. I did a lot of calling to several dentists and found one who could squeeze me in Monday morning. So, I'm off to the denitst. Luckily we have great dental insurance, but I'm still dreading it like I've dreaded nothing before. I absolutely HATE going to the dentist!!!!

On top of all that...at school we are going through the process of getting our Arkansas Quality Approval. If you don't know what that is, it's a set of standards for preschools by the state of Arkansas. To get Quality Approved the school has to meet certain professional, educational and health standards. Also someone will come observe us all day to make sure we are meeting these standards. It's very stressful and a pain in the rear!!! Anyway, we are due to be observed this month, but we aren't told what day, so we just have to be prepared. With our luck she'll come on Monday---I'll be gone for the morning to the dentist, I'll come back in pain...next week is national Week of the Young Child and we've got all kinds of activities planned and it will be a hectic week. But if she waits until the last day of April to come...that's just mean. Oh, the stress!!!!!!

Holy Moses!!!

We have a new family member--Moses, a 4 year old Basset/Beagle mix we adopted from a family in Joplin. He is pretty funny and just fits right in. The poor dog has been called Charlie Brown all his life, but Kristin insists on calling him Moses. So, I guess he figures we are complete idiots and will keep calling him the wrong name! He really is a good dog--housetrained, doesn't get on the furniture, and is great with Kristin. Kristin wanted a baby or a dog, so we went with dog!!!

Not much else is going on, which is a good thing. We've about decided to let Kristin finish preschool at Ozark Adventist Academy, a small private school in Gentry (about 5 miles from Siloam). I'm thankful I've been able to have her going to work with me, but having her in my class is just too much. It's hard being her mom and teacher--there's jealousy issues for her and it's just really stressful. Anyway, Ozark has a great elementary school. The pre-k and kindergarten class is combined and the teach Montessori style through third grade. When I asked Kristin if she wanted to go to a new school in the fall and went on to tell her that I would not be there, her eyes lit up and she said "YES"!!! Freedom for both of us!!!

Just an Update

Well, once again things have gotten crazy. My Granny B (dad's Mom) passed away yesterday afternoon. She'd been sick off and on last month and then this past Tuesday my Uncle had to take her to the ER. A chest X-Ray showed a large mass around her lungs, numerous spots in the lungs and enlarged lymph nodes. They were pretty sure it was cancer and considering she smoked a long time, I'm sure it was. Anyway, they tried to do a biopsy Wednesday, but before they could do it, her oxygen went way down and they almost lost her. Mom, Lynn, and I went to Dallas Thursday and she was doing better. She was still on oxygen, but was talking, eating, joking and laughing. We left Friday and I got home Saturday and I found out when I got home that she'd died. But I'm very thankful we got to see her, that she was able to talk to us and knew who we were--there was NOTHING wrong with her mind, even at the end. And I'm glad that she wasn't really sick for long and wasn't in any pain. So, that's been my crazy past few days. I'll be going to Oklahoma later this week for the funeral. They will have a short service at the retirement home in Dallas and then she'll be buried in Oklahoma.

On a lighter note, the drive to and from Dallas was quite an adventure. Lynn drove, I read maps and mom was in the back. We never got lost and had a good time. I really like Dallas and want to go back.

Kristin is doing fine. Better than ever, actually. Chris kept her while I was gone and then she spent the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa. I was informed that she was PERFECT at school while I wasn't there---that figures! She's a mess when I'm there and an angel when I'm not! Oh well, a year and a half and she'll be going to kindergarten!

No computer

Well, our computer finally bit the dust. That's why I haven't posted anything in forever! My boss is nice enough to let me use hers when I need too, but we are going to have to get a new one...SOON! I never realized how many bills and stuff we pay online...it's crazy. Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions concerning computers, I would appreciate any!

We are doing good. Kristin has been sick this week with strep and another ear infection, but is feeling better now. Actually the whole time she was sick she never acted like she felt bad, but that's normal for her. She stayed home Monday and Tuesday and we were both glad to be back at school on Wednesday!

Chris is back working days now. He likes the day shift better, but misses being off every weekend and having a somewhat slower pace overnight. Although he's told me some crazy things that happened in the middle of the night at the store! Nothing overly exciting has been going on with us. Just looking forward to spring and some nice weather. Hopefully we'll have a new computer soon and I can post some pictures!

Catalina the Snow Queen

Snow returned to Siloam Springs during the week and Kristin made her first snowman, excuse me, snow QUEEN. She named her Catalina and is dreading the day it is warm enough for her to melt. Kristin's been a little overly emotional lately, so I anticipate that she will have her own meltdown the day that Catalina turns to water. Oh the drama!

We went to Cabot last weekend for Mom's birtday and had a good visit. I was prepared for Kristin to talk nonstop as usual during the drive, but she actually slept most of the time both ways! I was able to drive in peace!! Kristin is doing better each day since starting meds and I must say I'm surprised. She's doing well at school and has started learning her sounds. I'm thankful she has a late birthday and will get another year of preschool. Having that extra year really helps.

Chris is at work and Kristin is asleep---time for me to relax and enjoy a movie! Have a great weekend!

Christmas, Part 3

Well, I'm just now getting the rest of our Christmas pictures downloaded. These are some from Christmas in Cabot and also Chris' birthday. We went to Mom's weekend after Christmas and stayed for the long New Years weekend. We had a good time and the kids had fun, as usual. The holidays just flew by and now we are in the middle of January. We had some winter weather come through over the weekend and ended up with an inch or so of ice. We missed the worst of it, which was in Oklahoma and Missouri. Several trees are down around town, including part of a huge tree on our school playground. We are very sad about it since it provided us with so much shade in the summer. The next few days and nights are going to be very cold and for the first time ever, I'm wishing for Spring!

Chris and Kristin are both doing fine. Kristin got her official ADHD diagnosis last week (she was WAY off the charts in the areas of hyperactivity and ADHD). She's on meds and is responding very well to them. She is so much happier and so am I!! I never thought much about medicating children and was kind of against it until I had my own ADHD child...your opinions about things sometimes change once you are in the situation. But she comes by it honestly....I'm as ADD as the day is long! Anyway, we have lots of support from teachers, friends and family and that helps more than anything. Her pediatrician is wonderful also. Just don't tell Tom Cruise I've medicated my child...he'll have us in Scientology class trying to reach the state of "clear"!

Downward Facing Dog

Well, I'm doing it again...yoga. Some of you may or may not know that before Kristin was born, I was VERY into yoga and did it at least 4 times a week. Now, I wasn't standing on my head or wrapping my legs around my neck, but I was pretty good. I even did yoga for pregnancy. Then I had Kristin....and it was all downhill from there! I've often said I needed to start back again and have even done some yoga for kids with my class in the morning at school, but nothing consistent or that would qualify as a workout. By the way, nothing is funnier than watching kids doing yoga, especially the "Do Nothing Doll" pose where they lay on their backs, eyes closed and just relax. Many times I've wondered how long they would stay there if I didn't say anything! Anyway, I've also come to the conclusion that heart disease runs in my family and things need to change. SO, four years later, I pulled my yoga mat out of the closet and did some sun salutations. I don't know if you've ever done yoga, but you don't realize how had you work until you roll out of bed the next morning and can barely move. The only thing you can do...more yoga. That was me this morning. But last night I slept better than I have in MONTHS. So, here's to sun salutations and dog poses. I'm back on the yoga mat!!!!

Merry Christmas!

It's Amazing Allysen!!!

My Missouri husband WILL become a HOGS fan!

Enjoying 24 hours of "A Christmas Story"

Future Rock Star!

Having fun with the creativity table
Sound asleep after a long day.....

Well, once again Santa visited our house. Hope everyone had a wonderful day. We had a lot of fun. We spent Christmas Eve in Joplin with Chris' family. Since Chris had to work Christmas night, we just decided to spend Christmas at home. Kristin woke up around 9:30 (she slept better than in days--her ear and sinus infections are clearing up). She was so excited to see that Santa left an Amazing Allysen doll! That along with the pink guitar from Grandma and Grandpa are her favorites so far. Although we have put together and played with everything!

On Friday we'll be leaving for Cabot to spend the long weekend with Mom. Lynn and her family will be there again (they were there Christmas Eve and part of Christmas Day), so we'll have Christmas Part Two...no, part three--Christmas in Joplin, Christmas in Siloam, Christmas in Cabot--PHEW!!

Enjoy they pictures, hope everyone had fun and got what they wanted from Santa!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Daddy Dress Up

I walked into Kristin's room a few days ago and just cracked up. What you see in the pictures is what I found. Kristin had apparently talked her daddy into letting her dress him up and fix his hair. Isn't he just lovely? She is such a daddy's girl. Tomorrow night I'm going out with some friends, so Kristin and Chris are going to have a "Daddy-Daughter Date". They are going to a movie and out to eat. I'm not sure what movie they are going to see, but knowing them, I might be home before they are!

Snow!

Kristin went out today and played in the snow. The cold front came through Wednesday evening and we got three inches of rain. Around 9am Thursday the rain turned to freezing rain and sleet which continued for about 12 hours. Finally it all turned to snow and we ended up with a couple of inches before it was all said and done. Kristin and I made snow-cream...yum! Most of the snow has melted, but some is still hanging around.

We are doing pretty good. I went back to work this week and am glad I did. It's nice to be back in some kind of routine and it's hard to be depressed when you are surrounded by crazy kids! Everyone at work, the kids and parents have all been great, and I am thankful for them all.

Happy Halloween!

Well, Halloween is over. I love Halloween and this time of year. It turned cold today, which is just how I think it should be for Halloween. As most of you know, I love cold weather and Kristin is just the same. She hates wearing a jacket/coat and was mad that I made her wear a coat tonight, but she soon got over it. She had fun dressing up as Ariel and going trick-or-treating. Because it was cold, we only went around our block and to Ms. Brenda and Ms. Shawn's house. Kristin still ended up with a full bucket of candy, which is plenty. We called it a night pretty early, came home and warmed up with a bowl of soup. There were still a lot of kids out, so Kristin got to pass out candy, which I think she enjoyed as much as getting candy! I finally talked her into taking off her costume and getting ready for bed. After lots of moaning and groaning, she got in bed and was asleep within five minutes!

Future Teacher

Thanks to Ms. Brenda, Kristin loves school and is already practicing to be a teacher. Today her class consisted of a couple of Barbies and Bratz dolls. They read "Cars" and sang "Picky-Picky Bumble Bee" and at some point a Bratz doll got put in time out for hitting her friend who would not sit on the line with their legs crossed! Yes, my child is the future of Montessori education!!! Maria would be proud!

Sports in the Arft House

Well, the Cardinals made it to the World Series--woo-hoo!!!! Chris is happy as can be even though Kristin told him that she HATES (gasp!) baseball--oh the horror!!! I really couldn't care less, as long as Arkansas is playing well, I'm happy. Chris, on the other hand, eats, breathes, and lives sports. Now that the Cardinals are in the World Series, he's on cloud 9. Sunday afternoons involve lots of channel flipping for him, you see he has to keep up with NASCAR, the Chiefs, and baseball. It never ends! I'm happy though that the Cardinals made it...now if something could be done about the Chiefs.....I think that's a lost cause!

Fun at Cabot-Fest

Over the weekend we visited my parents and went to Cabot-Fest. Kristin had her first experience on a roller coaster (a kiddie one) and just like her mom and dad (we LOVE them), she had a blast! The picture turned out fuzzy, but you can still tell she was having a good time. Kristin will ride anything and was very dissapointed that she could only ride the kiddie-rides. We had a fun and as usual, the weekend flew by!