Christmas "Pajama" Party

Tonight the girls had Kailey, Carleigh, Channing, and Hollace over for a Christmas "Pajama" Party. All of the girls dressed in their pajamas and had fun eating pizza "wreaths", making Christmas crafts, and playing games. We finished off the night by watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", eating popcorn and cookies, and drinking hot chocolate. The girls took home lots of goodies... a snowman puppet, a beaded candy cane ornament, two stocking ornaments, game prizes, and a gift from their friend. The moms had fun too! Cecili, Jenadi, and I all dressed in our pajamas and enjoyed eating pizza and helping the girls with their crafts. It was a really fun girls night "in". We will definitely do this again next year!

Mary Grace's Kindergarten Christmas Party

Today Mary Grace wrapped up her Christmas school events by celebrating Christmas with her Kindergarten class. This week has been busy at school. On Wednesday they had lots of activities about gingergread men. They went on a gingerbread man hunt, made gingerbread ornaments, a gingerbread foam craft and colored an oversized gingerbread cookie. Yesterday they all dressed in pajamas and watched the movie "Polar Express". They ate cookies and drank hot chocolate and were surprised to find a bell left by Santa in their cubbies to take home. So, today was another day full of activity including a wonderful lunch with yummy sweet treats, card making, and a book exchange. The class has been working on lots of Christmas crafts for the last two weeks and they were so excited to be able to share these with all of the moms and dads today. Mary Grace really enjoys school and is having so much fun. But, we are very excited to have a break for the next few weeks to just hang out and relax. Today's party was a great way to wrap up a wonderful first half of Kindergarten.

Little Kids Christmas Party

We LOVE Christmas parties. And, we are so excited that this year we have a total of 5 holiday parties to attend. The first for the season was a party just for the little kids at Tucker Smith's house. We have been to a Christmas party at the Smith house for the last five years. Cecili always hosts the best parties. So, while the big kids were in school enjoying all of their fun holiday activities, Carolyne and I enjoyed lunch, lots of crafts, games, and a visit from the big guy... that is right, good ole' Santa Claus. Carolyne was so happy to be a part of something so special. All of her friends were there... Tucker, Hollace, Channing, Brody, Hope, Hannah Chayse, and Jax. She had so much fun. She made a cute snowman craft, a Christmas wreath, and a little bit of reindeer food to share with Santa's reindeer on Christmas Eve. She was really excited when she realized that she was going to get to sit in Santa's lap and tell him what she wanted for Christmas. The sweetest part was hearing her tell Santa her list, and then without a second thought, say "My sister Mary Grace would like...". Mary Grace was so happy to know that Carolyne thought of her and that she shared her list with Santa too! They are such sweet sisters. We had tons of fun! Thanks, Cecili, for once again hosting a wonderful Christmas party!!

Christmas Parade Fun

Today we enjoyed the fun and excitement of the Hendersonville Christmas parade. This has been part of our Christmas traditions since the year before we moved to Hendersonville. The Hitchcock family invited us that first year and we have enjoyed watching the parade with them every year since. This year we found our parking spot right across the street from Kids Kingdom and set up camp. We were bundled up like little snow bunnies since it was only 34 degrees this afternoon... brrrrrr! Mary Grace, Brody, and Carolyne had a little pre-parade fun in the back of our Explorer, but they could not wait to get their hands on the dumdum suckers they always get once the parade begins. So, once the parade started, we wrapped up in our blankets and took a seat on the sidewalk. The kids loved watching all of the cars, horses, marching bands, dancers, and parade floats. They really loved seeing "Maggie", the cow from Maggie Moo's. Of course, the best part was seeing Santa ride down Main Street on top of the fire engine. The girls were waving like crazy! We had tons of fun! It finally feels like Christmas is near!

"Turkey Day" at Indian Lake

Today the students at Indian Lake celebrated Thanksgiving with class programs and a family turkey dinner. We joined Mary Grace in her Kindergarten class this morning to watch the class perform a poem and songs they learned about Thanksgiving. It was so cute! Earlier this week the children took a little bit of class time to draw Indian symbols on a homemade Indian vest, make a beaded Indian necklace, and make a feather Indian headband. Each student was asked to complete 8 skills such as counting to 100 by 10's and tying their shoes. Each skill earned them one feather for their headband. Mary Grace was so excited to earn all 8 feathers. So, for the program this morning, the kids dressed in their Indian vests, necklaces, and headbands. We continue to be blessed by the amazing creativity and hard work that Mrs. Seigenthaler shares with her Kindergarten class. She is a wonderful teacher and it is so clear that she loves each one of her students dearly. After the morning program, we headed to the cafeteria for a yummy turkey dinner. Mary Grace was so happy to have all of us, including her grandparents, join her for this fun event. It was a great day! Carolyne was once again thrilled to visit "sissy" at school. She is really looking forward to her Kindergarten "turkey day".

Roller Skating Sisters

Today we took the girls to Sumner Skate Zone for their first experience roller skating. We had so much fun! I was a little unsure about how the girls would handle being "on wheels", but they really did great! Mary Grace started out skating with Jason. It took a little time, but with each loop she became more brave and started taking a few steps on her own. Carolyne started out with a pair of Fisher-Price skates that fit over her shoes. She had no problem at all keeping herself upright and even braved it a little bit out on the rink on her own. So after some practice, Carolyne upgraded to the big girls skates. She had no fear. Even with the big skates, she was pulling her hand away so she could skate by herself. By the end of the "Wee Skate" time, both girls were skating on their own. They had a blast! Mary Grace now wants her very own pair of white roller skates with hot pink wheels. I can actually remember wanting the same pair when I was a little girl. After skating for about an hour, both girls enjoyed a cherry icee and had fun playing ski ball and air hockey. The girls are really looking forward to our next trip to the skating rink.

Our Favorite Halloween Party

Every year our friends, Cecili and Chris Smith, host the best Halloween party. This was our fourth year to attend. In fact, their party has been a part of our Halloween festivities every year since Carolyne was born. So for her, Halloween is not finished until we have celebrated with Cecili, Chris, Carleigh, and Tucker. This year's party was the best so far. The kids had their pick of lots of fun activities. They took a trip to the "pumpkin patch" where they picked out their very own pumpkin to color and decorate with stickers. They also colored a wooden mask of a bat and skeleton. They danced to their favorite music played by a great DJ and also played freeze dance for prizes. I think one of the most entertaining events was watching all of us parents compete in a dance off to fun songs from our past. Needless to say, I could barely move this morning. I should definitely leave the dancing to Mary Grace and Carolyne. After all of the crafts and dancing, we headed out back for a Halloween egg hunt. We were surprised to get a visit by the Wicked Witch of the East from Wizard of Oz played by Cecili's mom, Patti. The kids loved it! Then we went back inside for more dancing, a visit from Spongebob, and a trip through the Haunted House. Mary Grace and I gave the Haunted House a try, but after a few steps in the door, we decided we were not quite ready for it this year. We finished the night with the trick-or-treat line. We brought home even more candy than we collected the night before. The kids had SO much fun... and the grown-ups had a blast too! It was great to see a lot of the parents in costumes. Our favorites... Ben Talbot dressed as "The Man in the Yellow Hat" and the youngest Talbot, Brandt, as Curious George. I only wish I had a picture. Thank you, Chris and Cecili, for making Halloween so much fun. We look forward to your party every year!

Happy Halloween!

WOW! What a fun day! It seems like we have had non-stop Halloween activities today and it has been a blast! We started the day at Mary Grace's Kindergarten Halloween party. The kids had so much fun decorating pumpkins, playing games, eating yummy snacks and collecting lots of treats. Then all of the students at Indian Lake headed out to the front of the school for the Halloween parade. The parade was fantastic!.. All of the students were dressed in their costumes... some had the most creative costumes I have ever seen. Mary Grace sported her hot pink Super Girl costume. Almost all of the children had parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends attend the parade. It was a great event for the school. I am amazed daily by the overwhelming parent support at Indian Lake. After the parade we headed home to get ready for the Pumpkin Festival at Moss Wright Park. After spending the first half of the day watching Mary Grace wear her costume, Carolyne was eager to get dressed up as her "nice" fairy witch. This was our 6th year to attend the Pumpkin Festival. We started the tradition when Mary Grace had just turned one year old and could barely walk down the trail in her little ladybug costume. The girls always have so much fun! We met up with our trick-or-treat crew... my brother and his family, my sister, and my parents. We were also happy to see Carleigh in her awesome vampire costume and Tucker dressed as the cool red Power Ranger. Check out the picture of the group and the amazing, creative costume worn by my niece, Kailey... she is the box of popcorn. She will be featured in a few of the area newspapers, so look for her sweet "popcorn" face in your upcoming paper. After a trip down the trick-or-treat trail, we headed to the bouncy slide and Smores roast. The girls really enjoyed roasting marshmellows by the fire and making a Smores treat. Afterwards we visited with my grandparents before supper. We finished off the night with our annual stop by Brody and Colby's house to top off our Halloween buckets with yummy treats. We were excited to see Brody dressed as Batman ready to greet us at the front door. This has been a great day! We are exhausted, but the girls have loved every minute! They are already talking about what they will be next year for Halloween.

A Fun Day at the Pumpkin Patch

Today, Mary Grace's Kindergarten class visited Honeysuckle Hill Farm in Springfield. This was the first field trip this year and the kids had a blast! The day started with a bus ride to Springfield. This was Mary Grace's first time to ride a school bus. She was so excited! Jason and I, Carolyne, and my mom (Nana) were happy to be able to go along on the trip. Of course, we followed along in our car, although Carolyne would have loved to be on the "big yellow bus" with the big kids. The field trip started with a short lesson on how pumpkins are grown. The kids were amazed! Next we checked out all of the farm animals... pigs, donkeys, goats, cows, horses, chickens and even the farm dog named Trigger. They really enjoyed the booth that simulated the process of milking a cow. The girls were able to sit on a crate and "milk" a wooden cow. Carolyne got a big kick out of the water squirting out of the "utters". I think we went to that cow booth at least three times. We then took a short hay ride around the farm and finished the morning off in the corn maze and corn pit. What a sight to see... 21 Kindergarten students and their siblings knee deep in a pit of dried corn. They LOVED it! All of the classes took a short break for a picnic lunch and then headed to watch the pig races. We ended the day playing on the slides, swings, and seesaws, and then walking down to the field to pick out our very own pumpkins. What a GREAT day! Mary Grace had so much fun with her friends and really enjoyed her very first school trip. Carolyne had tons of fun too and is already saying that she can't wait until her Kindergarten trip to the pumpkin patch. A big THANK YOU to Mrs. Seigenthaler and all of the Indian Lake Kindergarten teachers for organizing such a fun fall adventure for the kids. We had a blast!

Way to Go Tigers and Green Monkeys!

Today the girls played in their final soccer games of the fall season. They have had so much fun! Since this was Carolyne's first year to play, she spent most of her time just running around the field. During the first few games, she did not attempt to get very close to the soccer ball. In fact, after getting tackled during the second game, she began waving the other players by to let them run past her toward the goal. But, by the end of the season, she was a little more aggressive and even scored a few goals. She has really enjoyed meeting new friends and has even volunteered on occasion to lead the team warm-up or end of the game cheer. Soccer has been a great experience for her to break out of her girly shell. She emerged as a team leader and even enjoyed playing a little rough... just like a little "tiger"!

Mary Grace also had a great season! Her coach taught her so much about soccer... I know at this point she could beat me in a game of soccer, hands down! She learned how to play many different positions on both offense and defense. She especially enjoyed playing defense... she could stand guard near the center of the field and give a power kick when the ball rolled in her direction. She scored several goals this season and assisted her teamates in scoring even more. Her team, the Green Monkeys, finished the season undefeated. I would have to say that she probably had the most fun when she was cheering on the sidelines with her teamates. She made some really great friends and is already looking forward to playing again next fall. She is really enjoying being involved in sports.

Carolyne's Visit to Kindergarten

Today Mary Grace celebrated her 6th birthday for the last time. It seems like we have been partying for weeks. Her Kindergarten class had one party today for all of the students with a birthday in October. All of the "birthday" parents brought a special treat to share with the class during lunch. Carolyne was so excited to be able to attend this school party. She has been asking for weeks to go eat lunch with Mary Grace and her class. So, this morning we packed Carolyne's lunchbox and headed to school. She was thrilled! Mary Grace was such a sweet sister... sitting next to Carolyne and making her feel like one of the "big girls!" Carolyne got lots of attention from Mary Grace's friends... she thought that was really special. After lunch she hugged all of the kids and said her goodbyes. She thinks she is ready for Kindergarten now. Lucky for me, she still has two more years to go! I know she can't wait to go to school everyday with her big sister!

Mary Grace's Birthday Bash

Today we celebrated Mary Grace's 6th birthday with a "friend" party at the indoor playground at First Baptist Hendersonville. Mary Grace selected a "Littlest Pet Shop" theme for her party. She invited all of her Kindergarten classmates, her close friends, and her cousins. She was so excited that 11 friends from school, Carleigh, Dylan, and her cousins were all able to attend. She had so much fun! They spent the first hour playing on the playground and the second hour enjoying pizza, cupcakes, face painting, and balloon animals. Each guest also got to take home a bag of cotton candy made during the party. She received so many wonderful presents and had a great time celebrating with all of her friends. It is hard to believe she is already six years old! Thank you so much to all of you who attended. This was one of her best birthday parties yet! Happy 6th Birthday, Mary Grace!

Fever Frenzy

As many of you know, little Carolyne has become our fever expert. Back in June of '06, Carolyne experienced her first high fever episode... six days of fever reaching up to 104.5 degrees. In the 10 months that followed, Carolyne had recurring high fever episodes every 4 weeks. These episodes led us to the Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. The purpose of our visit was to diagnose the cause of Carolyne's regular fevers... the signs were all pointing to Periodic Fever Syndrome, or PFAPA. To make a long story short, after our visit to the Vanderbilt Clinic, Carolyne began taking Cimetidine, a medication used to treat ulcers that has been found to prevent fever attacks in PFAPA patients. She continued the Cimetidine for three months and, to our surprise, was fever free. After a three month trial with the medication, the doctors suggested stopping the medication to see if the fevers would return. Typically, in PFAPA patients, the fevers do start again without medication. Fortunately, Carolyne remained fever free for one full year. In July of this year, the fevers returned. This time around, I began charting the fevers and even marking my calendar for future occurences. Luckily, this time they began occuring every 6 weeks instead of every 4 weeks. In September, I marked my calendar for October 16th. Carolyne's fever recurred yesterday, October 15th. Is that crazy or what? So today we found ourselves at the doctor's office one more time. Our pediatrician now feels confident with the PFAPA diagnosis. Unforuntately, there is no known cause for PFAPA, no test to diagnose it, and no specific treatment to cure it. We do know that most children outgrow the disease by 10 years of age. So, we will start the Cimetidine again next week. The good news... the fevers do not have a viral or bacterial cause, therefore, they are not contagious. Hopefully, the Cimetidine will do the job and ward off future recurrences.

Mary Grace is SIX Years Old!

On Saturday, October 11th, Mary Grace celebrated her 6th birthday! I really can't believe it! People always say that children grow up fast. I think that is impossible to understand until you become a parent and you are blessed to witness it for yourself. I can remember, very clearly, rocking Mary Grace to sleep every night. She seemed so small. And now she is a "big girl". She is no longer small enough to fit in my arms. She does not need, or want, to be rocked to sleep. She does not need to be fed or have her diaper changed... those days are long gone. I must admit, it makes me a little sad. I miss her being a "baby". But, I am very excited about watching her grow and change. I can't wait to see what God has in store for my little Mary Grace! On the day of her birthday, our family joined us to celebrate. We had cake and ice cream and enjoyed a lively game of kickball in the back yard with all the kids and "young" adults. Kickball is a lot harder than I remember. We had so much fun! Mary Grace really enjoyed playing with her cousins! She had a great birthday!

Indian Lake Elementary Good Citizen

We are so excited to share that this six weeks Mary Grace was chosen for the Good Citizen Award for Mrs. Seigenthaler's kindergarten class. One student was chosen for each Indian Lake class. All of the students in Mary Grace's class were asked to nominate someone who they believed had shown good citizenship. Mary Grace was nominated by a fellow classmate and then selected to recieve this award. She was very excited! As part of this honor, she gets to eat lunch with Indian Lake's principal, Mrs. McGhee, on Wednesday. Mary Grace is really enjoying school. This award has really encouraged Mary Grace to continue trying hard to be a great student! We are so proud of her!

Our Trip to Chicago

Last weekend we took a trip to Chicago. Nanna and Pop (my mom and dad) joined us on the trip. We arrived in Chicago late Thursday afternoon and checked in to our hotel... the Hampton Inn Majestic. Our hotel was located just two blocks away from the famous Magnificent Mile and home to the historic Majestic Theater. After settling in, we walked to Giordano's to eat Chicago stuffed pizza. It was incredible, if you like pizza that is as thick as a cheesecake and full of cheese, which I do! The girls were amazed by all of the tall buildings. They were especially excited that the hotel was only one block from McDonalds so they were able to finish off each night with their favorite dessert... a hot fudge sundae.

On Friday we spent the morning at the Shedd Aquarium. Then Jason and Pop headed to the Cubs game while all the girls spent the day at American Girl Place. Mary Grace and Carolyne had so much fun shopping at American Girl. They each picked a doll (Mia for Mary Grace and Molly for Carolyne) and one outfit. Then we had a wonderful lunch at American Girl Cafe. The girls loved the "fancy" dishes and food. And, they really enjoyed having their doll sit next to them in a special doll seat. It was lots of fun! On Saturday we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It was definitely the best zoo I have ever visited. We were able to see every type of animal up close and personal. As expected, Carolyne loved the bats. Mary Grace loved watching the gorillas. On our last day we visited the Field Museum. The girls were amazed by "Sue", the largest preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex ever discovered. They also had lots of fun at the "Underground World" and "Mammals of Africa" exhibits. The "big kids" loved the "Nature Unleashed" exhibit... a look into the causes of natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes. We were even able to "stand inside" an F5 tornado. The trip was tons of fun! We can't wait to visit Chicago again soon!

Pirate Princess

Yesterday we took Carolyne to visit a new eye doctor. Since Carolyne has now been wearing glasses for two years, we thought it would be best to get a second (and third) opinion on Carolyne's vision and a plan for the best treatment for her. We discovered yesterday that Carolyne has exotropia.... a fancy word for eye misalignment. This is not the same condition as amblyopia, also known as lazy eye. Exotropia refers to an outward deviation of the eye. With Carolyne, it is mostly only noticeable when she is looking in the distance. This basically means that the muscles on the outside of Carolyne's eyes are too tight. We are not sure what causes the deviation, but we do know that it affects her eye's ability to properly align on it's own, therefore, forcing Carolyne to constantly pull her eye into focus. When a significant eye misalignment exists, the brain's developing visual system does not acquire binocular vision. In some cases, if not treated, exotropia can cause the brain to "turn off" the misaligned eye to reduce double vision. So, it is necessary for us to treat this condition to improve Carolyne's eye alignment and, in turn, protect her vision for the future. Carolyne also has an astigmatism in both eyes. She will continue to wear glasses to treat the astigmatism. For the exotropia, we have a two phase treatment plan. As of today, we will patch Carolyne's eye for four hours every day. We will revisit the eye doctor in two months and again in four months to check her progress. Unfortunately, eye patching is not a permanent cure. It is likely that within the next year, Carolyne will require eye surgery to correct the exotropia. The surgery will weaken the muscles in Carolyne's eye to allow them to properly align without great force on her part. It is suggested that this surgery be done around 4 or 5 years of age. So, for now, she will be our little "pirate princess". I am sure the patching will be a challenge at times, but she had a great first day. She picked out a pink patch with crowns and wands. We went on a quick shopping trip this morning and she walked through the store singing "Yo ho, Yo ho, the Pirate's life for me!" It was precious! Leave it to a three year old to find the fun in any situation!

Soccer Stars!

Today the girls played in their first soccer games of the 2008 fall season. They had so much fun! They were so excited to get dressed in their soccer uniforms and get ready for the games. It turns out that both of the girls have green uniforms and both have the number 2 jersey. You can imagine that Carolyne thinks that is pretty special... she really wants to be just like her sister and having the same number and uniform color is about as close as she can get! Carolyne's game was first today. She did great! I think she was a little intimidated by the overwhelming number of boys on the field, but she held her own. She even kicked the ball a couple of times. It was so cute to see her run around the field following the ball wherever it went. She was a little sad that she did not get to play with her pink polka dot ball. But, I am sure all of the little boys were happy to play with a traditional black and white ball. Mary Grace played after Carolyne and did great! Of course, her age group is a little more serious about the game. She played in almost every position and even scored a goal! She had so much fun! She is learning so much about soccer and I think with each practice she likes it even more! When she was not playing, she was leading cheers for her team on the sideline. They named their team the "Green Monkeys". After our games were over, we walked over to watch their friend, Carleigh, play. She also did great and had lots of fun! It is no surprise that soccer is such a popular sport for kids!

Fishing Fun!

This summer our family started a new hobby... fishing. The girls LOVE it! Mary Grace has become quite the little "fisherwoman". She has her very own pink fishing pole and loves to use crickets as bait. She has learned to cast her own line and reel in the fish all by herself. Carolyne also loves to fish, although she is not quite as interested in fishing on her own. She loves her Barbie fishing pole and Barbie net. She likes to let the fish rest in her net before helping toss them back into the lake. Her favorite part of fishing is eating snacks while sitting by the lake!

Carolyne's First Day of Preschool

Carolyne has been looking forward to preschool for weeks... mostly because she thinks that going to school makes her a "big girl" like Mary Grace. She was up and ready this morning before 7:00 AM. She could not wait to put on her backpack and carry her lunchbox to class. We were able to meet her teachers last week, so she was welcomed to class by two familiar faces. Her teachers are very sweet and full of creativity. Today Carolyne got to paint on an easel, which was her favorite, and play on the playground with her friend Hollace. She had lots of fun! I must admit, I could not wait to pick her up this afternoon... I arrived 30 minutes early. Today was a little tough with both of my girls at school. I am happy that Carolyne will only be at school two days a week. I still have lots of time to spend with her while big sister is at school.

Let's Play Soccer!

Soccer season has arrived! For Carolyne, it has been a long time coming. This is Carolyne's first sport and she is ready! She has been talking about playing soccer for the last two years. She has been so patient as she has watched Mary Grace play one season of soccer and two seasons of softball. She has cheered on her sister with such love and enthusiasm. But, now it is her turn! Carolyne will be playing in the U4 Socceroo division. She is on a team with one other little girl and four little boys... and Jason is the coach! They have already starting practicing and she seems to be loving every minute! Here she is pictured with her pink, polka dot soccer ball. You know Carolyne, she is still girly and sassy even while playing sports!!

Mary Grace is playing in the U6 division at Moss Wright. We were thrilled to have her placed on one of our friends' team this year. It has been a lot of fun to see Mary Grace not only become friends all of the other girls, but also learn a lot about soccer in the process. Her coach is great and is really teaching the girls so much about the game... building their skill level so that they will be able to move up and play in the older age group next year. Mary Grace is having a blast!

Mary Grace Starts Kindergarten

Well, it is official... Mary Grace is in Kindergarten. I guess I thought this day would never arrive. For the last year, we have really been looking forward to Mary Grace starting school. We have "studied" everything from phonics to math so that she would be ready and ahead of the game. We shopped for school clothes, found the perfect lunch box, and decorated her Indian Lake tote bag. We met her teacher and had a few special trips to "practice" playing on the school playground. We were ready... or so I thought. Mary Grace was ready, without a doubt. She walked to the school door on her first day and said, "Okay, I will go on in and find Mrs. Seigenthaler... see you later Mom!". Oh no... you can't just walk in school by yourself on your first day. What was she thinking?? As it turns out, SHE was ready... I was NOT! I have spent so much time in my little comfort zone... being with Mary Grace and Carolyne every day. As moms, we always want the best for our children. I have been no different. I did everything I could to prepare Mary Grace for the inevitability that one day she would start school. We read books everyday, wore out our DVD player with Baby Einstein and always tried to stay up to date with the latest and greatest Fisher-Price learning gadget. We sent her to a great preschool and signed up for lots of toddler actvity classes. But, Kindergarten still arrived much too soon. Mary Grace walked into her class, sat at her desk, and began her work. She never even looked back. Jason and I just stood there, watching and waiting. But, she did not look back... no tears, no regrets, no fear. Jason says I should take that as a sign that I did my job well. I have "raised" her for these first five years to be ready to take on this new phase of life. Again, she was ready... I was not. But, I am so proud of her! We are all so proud of her. She is a big girl now. She loves school and is ready to learn! She wakes up each day so excited and full of anticipation for what the day will bring. I guess I can be thankful that she is not hanging on my leg each morning as I drop her off. But, honestly, if I could hang on her leg, I just might do it.