Oh mommy, the fair... It's so pretty!

We drove by the fair the other day on our way home and Ella said, "Oh mommy, the fair... It's so pretty!" We skipped the fair last year, so we promised to go this year. Being able to go wasn't looking too promising with all of the crazy weather we've been having, but it ended up holding off last night while we were there. Everyone had a great time!


My cute M&M!

Hands up... so brave!

This may have been their favorite ride!

Two crazy train conductors!

Looking good guys!

Ava is so strong!

Sporting the Army car for daddy!

The men of the night :)

Aye, Aye pirates!

Deep in thought!

So high! Hold on tight.

Ready for the Ferris Wheel.

Jackie and Geoff

Waiting in line.

Content with his baba.

Sliding fun.

Smile for the picture :)

Mommy and her babies.

Check out Ella's pink stripes :)

The Fair!! :)

Three Year Old Tantrums.....HELP

My mom always said she hoped that I had a child that acted like me (pay back I guess).... I think her hopes came true! Most days Ella is an angel. She is polite, soft spoken, creative, and a pleasure to be around other than her slight bossiness and whining. Her babysitters seem to have less trouble from her than we do here at home. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. However, there are times... usually the same type of situation that will send our sweet angel over the edge. Today was one of them!

Ella loves her cousin Ava and usually is never ready to leave when the time comes. She and Grayson both go to Ava's house once a week while I am at work. There for a while she would scream like a mad woman when it was time to go home. Unfortunately, that made me almost dread those afternoons. On the other hand, she has gotten better at controlling her tempers on Thursdays which makes my life much easier! Today, for Father's Day, Kermie's family came to our church. I had a talk with Ella before we even got there about how she needed to leave without a fuss and that if we decided not to eat with Ava then there shouldn't be any moaning or groaning. She agreed and I had hoped for the best. Things didn't turn out quite so nice.... When lunch was mentioned, she threw a fit and literally threw her things at me, stopped the ground, screamed at the top of her lungs, and refused to move. The whole time she was throwing her tantrum, I had Grayson in the other hand as well as all of our raincoats and bags, so taming her wasn't an easy task. Finally, some lady came to help and Kermie got Ella out of the door!

To say the least, I always feel like a total failure on these kind of days. My child is acting crazy, I can't get her to be quiet, and our talk before hand had no affect on the situation. She literally drives me batty when she acts like this and drives me to tears which I hate because I am supposed to be the adult. We had a very long talk in the car about her behavior and had initially decided not to go eat with everyone, but I didn't think that was fair because I wanted to get to spend time with my own dad on Father's Day as well. So, we agreed that she would lose her tv in her room as well as a few toys and would have to sit in her chair while we were in the restaurant. She ended up doing really well while we were eating which made us happy to be able to enjoy our meal.

Kermie and I have decided that we are going to have to get tougher/more consistent with our parenting and discipline with Ella. This poor child is going to be sitting in time out for a majority of her summer, but I'm hoping that she realizes the correct way to act at home and out in public.

I'm not sure if anyone else has dealt with this, but if you know of things that work please share!!! I really enjoyed reading these sites: http://breezymama.com/2011/03/21/your-three-year-old/ and http://planningwithkids.com/2009/11/17/characteristics-of-three-and-a-half-year-old-behavior/.

Bath Time Fun

I am almost certain that Ella and Grayson's most favorite part of each evening is bath time. Ella usually is undressed and standing in an empty tub before I get there and Grayson screams of excitement until we finally get him undressed! They LOVE bath time and have so much fun playing! Tonight, I snapped a few pictures so we would always remember how sweet and fun bath time was when they were this age.


Not sure what she was doing here.

Standing in the tub! Oh no! He is nonstop and makes me nervous!

Ella letting her pony ride on Grayson's back.

Grayson reading a book.

Still reading.

Ella has called "shotgun" on the front of the tub, but Grayson has decided he likes the water spout and wants it too!

They finally came to a happy medium and shared the front.

This and That

Well, the school year is officially over! The students' last day was June 1st, so we said our farewells for the summer. This year was a different year for me. I think being on maternity leave the first 1/4 of the year had a lot to do with that. I LOVED not having to start off the school year and getting an EXTRA long summer, but at the same time I don't feel like I was able to form the same type of relationships with as many of my students as I feel that I normally do. Trying to get these students motivated was a struggle for me almost every day. On the other hand, I had more students crying about leaving for the summer than any other year! It breaks my heart knowing that some of these kiddos would rather stay in school all year than face what is at home. I am hoping to have some of my students come hang out with me and kids this summer. :)

So, while the students have been out since the first, I will be working until the 17th!!! Teachers actually had their last day today, but I am part of the deconstruction team for the district and am working on that for the next week and a half. I have really enjoyed it so far and love the group of teachers that I am getting to work with. Doing this content work has gotten me very motivated about the upcoming year! I am excited to be getting to welcome three new teachers to my team as well!

Poor baby Grayson is having a hard time lately! Right before Bekah's wedding he was diagnosed with another ear infection. We started Ammoxicillin, but (winning the worst mother of the year award) I got off track while on our trip and wasn't sure how to get him caught up. About 2 weeks later, he started with a runny nose and cutting another tooth. Three or four days later he ran a low grade fever. Two days later his fever rose to 104. My mom took him to the doctor on Monday and they said that he had fluid on his ears again. We put him on a stronger antibiotic. When I picked him up today he was covered in a rash. My initial thought was that he was maybe allergic to the medicine, but the doctor said it may be Roseola which makes perfect sense. I don't remember Ella's case of Roseola being as bad, but Grayson's back is covered. So, the poor baby has a double ear infection, is cutting another tooth, and has Roseola all at the same time. None of it keeps him from smiling though. :(

As for the rest of the Donovan Clan, we are enjoying our time together! Kermie just got back from a work trip to Florence. Ella is enjoying summer to the fullest by going to bed with nothing but a pull-up, staying in her bathing suit 24/7, and getting quite filthy outside. And, we are all (me and the kids at least) looking forward to sleeping in come June 18th! I will post some fun summer pics soon! :)