Merry Christmas!

Joy To The World! The Lord Is Come!

Last day of school until January

Rachel had her last day of school until January. She has really liked school so far. She had a student teacher for a semester- and all the kids really liked her. She came to visit them for their little party- they wore pajamas to school and decorated cookies.

Thanksgiving

The year has turned its circle,

The seasons come and go.

The harvest all is gathered in

And chilly north winds blow.

Orchards have shared their treasures,

The fields, their yellow grain,

So open wide the doorway

Thanksgiving comes again!

Halloween

Rachel loved Trick or Treat this year. After we went to a few houses and she realized she was getting candy, she kept saying "A couple more" (houses). Thursday she had a party at school and we also went to Boo at the Zoo. She dressed up like a princess. Friday for Trick or Treat she was a ladybug.

Fall Leaves

Fall, leaves, fall
Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away; Lengthen night and shorten day; Every leaf speaks bliss to me. Fluttering from the autumn tree. I shall smile when wreaths of snow. Blossom where the rose should grow; I shall sing when night's decay. Ushers in a drearier day.
Emily Jane Brontë

Fingerpainting!

Rachel's pre-school treacher emailed me a photo of Rachel fingerpainting with red paint. It was her first time fingerpainting and I'm not sure what she thought- she usually does like to get her hands dirty!

First Day of Preschool

Today was Rachel's 3rd birthday and it was also the first day of school! She goes to 3 year old Preschool. Her teacher this year is Mrs. Pauley. She cried quite a bit when I dropped her off- it made me feel bad to leave her. But she did ok. I hope she likes it after she gets used to going.

Rachel's 3rd Birthday Party

We celebrated Rachel's 3rd birthday with a party today at Oak Park. She wanted to have a princess theme. She got a lot of nice presents. The we went to another birthday party later- she had a good time!

Picking Blueberries

This morning we went to Hillside Orchard in Hinckley to pick blueberries. We picked 2 pounds of blueberries- after Rachel ate a few! Then we stopped for a picnic lunch.

Cleveland Children's Museum

We took Rachel to the Cleveland Children's Museum. She had a really great time as all of the exhibits are geared towards little kids. She really liked "being on TV" giving the weather report!

Swimming

Rachel loves to go swimming. She takes swimming lessons at the Y. We took her to Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky for a couple days "mini vacation".

school, maybe?

We registered Rachel for preschool in the fall. We actually have 2 options- a private church-based preschool or the public school system developmental preschool. She has to get tested in May. I'm not sure how the timing of it is all going to work out.

So Sweet

Rachel has been so excited when daddy comes home in the evening- she shouts "Daddy's home". Every night we tell her "I love you" when it's time for bed. Yesterday morning when daddy was heading out the door for work she shouted "I love you Daddy"- so sweet!

Freebies

Who doesn't love freebies! Great Harvest Bread Company offers a free slice of fresh, warm, homemade bread when you visit their store- yummy! They also have really good pepperoni rolls!

Get a free baby cone for kids 2 and under at Handel's Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt- my favorite ice cream place. There are also some coupons on their website.

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Today is hubby's birthday. Happy birthday sweetie from me and Rachel!



Rachel eating a cupcake- she loved the frosting!

YMCA

The YMCA is a wonderful place to take a class with your child. There are many classes for toddlers ranging from swimming to gymnastics in the $30-$35 range. We have taken shrimp swimming, little tumblers gymnastics and signed up for Kinder-rhythm. Classes are parent with child together.



We are lucky to have a couple different Y branches and some are nicer than others. You can check online for your local YMCA location.

Berean Christian Store

Children's story time on Fridays at Berean Christian store in Copley. Check their website for a location near you. Story time and a free book.

Library Storytime

Another great weekly outing is library story time. Our library has several sessions by age group. The two-year-old class is only 20 minutes. They sing some songs and hear a few stories. My daughter really looks forward to it every week.

At another nearby library they have something called "Born To Play" . They set up a room from 1pm-4pm with different developmental toys- it is open to kids from 6 months to 4 yrs.

The library is also a great place to "rent" free DVDs!

McDonald's

A McDonald's with a play area is another toodler fun idea- but beware! I have found these often to be very dirty. You best bet is a newer store. Speaking of McDonald's they are having a promotion Thursday 2/28 and Friday 2/29. Get a free McSkillet Burrito with the purchase of a medium or large drink.



I want to give a shout out to Moneysavingmom.com for the heads up!

Things to do with a Toddler

Since I have an active 2 1/2 year old, I am always on the lookout for fun things to do- especially if they are FREE! I will try to highlight some of the kid-friendly places I have found in our area. Hope you enjoy!



We just had a Chick-fil-a restaurant open in our area. It is a very nice fast-food restaurant with good quality food. Maybe a little pricey. The new store in our area has a wonderful kids play area that is very clean. My 2 1/2 year old daughter enjoyed it very much- we couldn't get her to leave!

Gotch Day one year later

Happy Gotcha Day!

Today is the one year anniversary of the day we got our daughter Rachel. It's hard to believe the time has gone by so quickly! She is now 2 1/2 years old and quite a handful! We had cake and balloons to celebrate. Rachel got to blow out the candle.