Back to the Grind

It's been the usual eventful week and Hayley excitedly went back to preschool on Tuesday. She's definitely enjoying her two days a week there and seems so much more grown up each time I pick her up. She's earned stamps for being good and seems to understand the order and structure of school now.

I've mentioned before that Hayley is a quick study. She pretty well takes in whatever I tell her on the first go round. Now whether she does what I ask is a whole other issue, but I am sure she "gets it." We have bedtime rules that Hayley will recite before each nap (more like non-nap) and bedtime.
1.) Don't kick the wall
2.) Don't pick your border (those lovely animals that Brian and I spent HOURS pasting to her wall... gone! Little stinker!)
3.) Stay in bed, close your eyes and go to sleep.
4.) Love your Mommy and Daddy
I usually have to go in and tell her at least once a naptime to stop kicking the walls. And when I go into tell her that I usually see a flash of light as she yells, "Oh, no" and bolts across the room to her bed with a handful of picked off border. Yep, she gets it. She's just a rebel.

So apparently in her mind Hayley has created school time rules that she has begun reciting on the way to school each day. In the car I will ask her what she thinks she will do at school for the day. I usually offer up:
1.) Going outside and playing on the playground
2.) Singing songs
3.) Saying the Pledge of Allegiance
It's at this point that Hayley takes over with:
4.) "Obey" (Yes, Hayley, easier said than done I know. At least her heart is in the right place!)
5.) "No kwyin' boys." (Those darn little boys... they just can't follow the "No Kwyin' in Preschool" rule.)

Speaking of boys... Todd is one step closer to becoming a man. Upon our return from Denver, Todd took it upon himself to drop his dreamfeed. I think all the "what a little chunk" comments must have gotten to him. So, we now say goodnight to our big boy at 6pm and don't see him again until 7am the next morning. It's freeing to be able to go to bed whenever we feel like it. Because Brian and I? We like to be spontaneous, to live on the edge... you know, bed at 8:30pm one night and (gasp) 11pm the next! (Gosh, times sure have changed!) But, it's kind of sad to say goodbye to another baby stage, especially this time around when we know how fast our little boy will change.

Todd is 5 MONTHS old today! Here is his comparison picture to Hayley at 5 months. Don't mind his hair. The wind and humidity that we're receiving as a result of Hurricane Ike has wreaked havoc on Todd's hair. What's a guy to do?