Spring Animals!

Happy Birthday to Aerya x3

We had 3 parties for Aerya this year. First, with her school friends at the pottery store beside their preschool. They had a great time painting their little animals and running around. The woman who owns the store was so amazing with the girls!






Derek and I took Aerya to Chuck E Cheese and then to see Shrek 4. It was so much fun! Derek always takes Aerya's birthday off from school so it was a quiet weekday at CEC. Many people said we were brave. After 3 hours of crazy kids we determined we were insane! We ended the evening with cake and presents at Grandma's house. Aerya LOVED it!







We also held a big, contified party at Fuzzy Acres. The kids played games, ate way to many cupcakes and wacked away at a Hannah Montana pinata. Aerya was completely exhaused by the end of the day and still has all the decorations up in her room!

Preschool Graduation

Today, Aerya had her last day of Three Year Old Preschool at Les Tournesols French Immersion Preschool. Aerya has grown and matured so much over this year, thanks largely in part to the devotion of her amazing teachers, Mme. Lucie and Mme. Gisele.

Over the course of the year Aerya has gone from crying when I dropped her off and not letting me leave, to saying a quick goodbye as she excitedly played with the other kids. She has learned her alphabet, how to spell her name, numbers and about 75 french words and phrases. She will often slip in a few french words while speaking with us which just excites us so much.

Stations were her favorite part of the day, but she really did enjoy most everything. The kids always came home with great little crafts like ladybugs (out of paper plates), sandscapes, picture frames and of course tons of coloring pages. While at first Aerya was hesitant to join in, she quickly began singing along at song time (and most of them were in french!) and answering the questions to games. The only thing I'm a bit concerned with is that Aerya is easily distracted (gee Derek...!) and her attention will wander from the task at hand. But this usually happens only with group songs and games, and not during stations or craft time - until she is finished that is.



Probably the best part of preschool was the time Aerya spent with the other children. She became much better at understanding sharing and taking turns - even if she still didn't want to do that! She would often take a second to talk to a quiet child, or reassure one who was sad. Aerya would discuss this with me at home, and decide how to handle these situations if they arose again. It warmed my heart to see her reaching out to the other students. Even though Aerya still explains that she doesn't like it when others win at games, or get to go first, she at least now lets it happen without a fit or complaint (most of the time.)
She also clearly came into her own extroverted personality. Aerya would often be heard telling stories to her teachers, explaining just what was what and trying to direct her friends in a game. Her best friend at school was Taylor (in front of her with the purple shirt and no hat), a very sweet natured little girl. The two of them were inseparable! Finishing out a trio was Jaina (beside her with pigtails and the pink/green dress), whom I was so happy to see with Aerya. They both have quite dominant personalities and had to come to terms with each other. There were days that Aerya wasn't thrilled Jaina was there (especially when Jaina was spending time with Taylor) and Jaina often went home with comments of Aerya's bossiness (which we also heard about Jaina!), but by the end of the year the three of them were great friends. Aerya and Jaina both gained a lot from learning to balance each other.





We are so very proud of Aerya and all the growth she has shown this year. She is returning to Les Tournesols next year (3 days a week) and we are so excited for what that may bring.

Hungry Girl

I took a nap and even though I'd gotten Aerya breakfast, a snack and a drink I woke up to her having eaten 3 nectarines and a bowl of Special K (which she poured herself and then put away!) Later, I went to work in the office and told Aerya she could not have any more snacks before lunch. Half an hour later I return to the livingroom to find that she had poured herself a bowl of pancake mix! While she made a huge mess of it on the couch (I mean who can easily eat dry powder without blowing it all over) she did pour it neatly into a bowl and put the box away. Needless to say, I quickly figured it was time to make lunch.

Shoe Obsession

I have forgotten that Aerya is obsessed with pretty shoes. When I brought out all the summer shoes she quickly absconded with my sandals to line them all up in her room. She explained that she just HAD to have them to look at all the time!

Good Girl (for chocolate anyways)

Derek bought me an Aero bar as a little treat. When Aerya saw it she of course thought it was for her. Derek told her that if she was a good girl tomorrow, Mommy would share some with her (it was bedtime.)
Aerya came over to me and said: "Mommy, I promise to be a good girl tomorrow, so you can give me your chocolate now."
I think she's somehow missed the concept!