I don't know what to think!

Kat's birthday falls during the Easter holiday this year. Because of that I made sure to make her birthday cupcakes and take them into both schools last week. I wanted her to have the lovely experience and subsequent memory of sharing cupcakes with her class.

I slaved over the butterfly cupcakes from the "Hello Cupcake!" book. It took me hours and hours to make the wings. Thank goodness my mother took on the task of baking the cupcakes and frosting them so my only task was decorating them.

So! We took the cupcakes in to both schools on Friday and they were met with much fanfare. Everyone thought they were so pretty and I was so happy to see much being made over Kat's birthday treat and that Kat was basking in the glow of the praise.

During AM kindergarten Kat was given the Montessori birthday ceremony. Kat was able to select anyone in the room to hold the model of the sun while she held the model of the earth while her teacher spoke about her first 5 years of life. Kat was so sweet and selected her brother to hold the sun. <3 The ceremony lasted about 4 minutes and was so beautiful, so touching. I loved it and so did Kat!

For PM kindergarten Kat and I went into her classroom together. This almost never happens as parents are expected to say goodbye at the door and leave. Since the cupcakes were heavy and delicate I chose to walk right in and help her out. Ms. M admired the cupcakes and said to me, "Kat is perfect, you really ought to write a book to share how you did it with others." Very flattering but really? This is the same little girl that I could never take to the park because she would tantrum as we left. Tantrum for hours and hours. The same little girl who would scratch and kick and bite when she was unhappy. The same little girl who cried bloody murder when I tried to rock her to sleep at night. And don't even think about singing one of your lullabies, ma'am!

I think we're just lucky that Kat has turned out so well with our muddling through the first 4 years of her life.

So as we prepare to celebrate 6 years with Kat next week. I just have to say...we've come a long way!

Hooked on Phonics.

Okay, we aren't really hooked on phonics at our house but I enjoyed a phonetical moment with Drew today. We have a gallery wall in our home with many, many black and white family pictures on it. In the bottom corner of the grouping there is a hand painted sign that says, "Happily Ever After." This morning Drew went through and produced all of the sounds in each word then did it again quickly so that he managed to read the three words.
I was so proud! IN YOUR FACE CMV!

Like a sore thumb or why are little girls so stinkin' mean?

Kat has been saying that she wants a pair of Twinkle Toes shoes. They are $40, have BRIGHT led lights and are UGLY so naturally I said no. She's taken it well and actually has never brought it up again since the time we were standing in front of the display and I told her that I wouldn't pay for them.
I had no idea that she wanted them because there was a "Twinkle Toes" club at school. Kat was told that she could not join because she did not own a pair.
I feel badly but I am still not going to buy her a pair. I don't want to send the message to her that it is important to have things to fit in and I don't think that Twinkle Toes shoes are beneficial to the learning process at school. Kat has cute clothes, she has nice shoes. She looks like every other girl in her class, well kept, well dressed, and sweet.
However, I am kind of fed up with three of the little girls in her class. Kat has tried over and over to play with them and is always met with resistance. One of the girls who is excluding Kat is the daughter of a teacher at Kat's school. This is awkward.
I told Kat last night that even if she got the Twinkle Toes these girls would likely try to find a reason to exclude her from their little group. Kat was surprised but believed me. I am glad that she trusts my guidance at this point.
After this conversation Kat mentioned to me (quite proudly) that she is in charge of playing "Happy Birthday" on the piano while the children in her class sing for her classmate's birthday celebrations. It makes me wonder if the two are related.