First Day of School!

Today was a big day for Harper!  She started school!  Four mornings a week, Harper is attending the Early Childhood Intervention program in the Kearney school district.  

A bus picks her up at the babysitter's house and takes her to school and back.  

I was more than a bit nervous about sending my just turned 3 year old on a bus to a school where she wouldn't know anyone.  Harper is delayed in speech, so it was hard to know if she understood when I told her about going to school.  I've been a nervous wreck since February 12 when I learned she would be starting school today.  I knew she needed this program to catch up to her peers, but I was still apprehensive about sending her.  I was afraid she would be confused and scared.  As the days counted down, little things kept happening that reassured me everything would be OK.  When I called the bus barn to inquire about bus times, the lady who answered the phone knew me.  It was Tisa, Ashley's old bus driver who we have known for years.  Last night, I learned that Harper's teacher is the daughter of an old friend.  Another friend reached out to let me know her niece and nephew attend this school.  I felt so much better knowing Harper would be surrounded by people we trust.  Harper had some favorites for breakfast -- toaster strudel and eggs.

She got her backpack ready.

She posed by the fireplace for the obligatory first day of school photos.

Harper watched for the bus. She wore her backpack like a big kid.

Our wonderful babysitter sent lots of pictures so I wouldn't be worried!

She didn't cry when the sitter strapped her into the bus seat.

Her teacher was kind enough to email an update after Harper had been there for a couple of hours.  She reported that Harper was a little hesitant about getting off the bus, but was fine once she was in the classroom.  She learned about the letter Q, got to paint with Q-tips, listened to Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and ate a brownie with milk at snack time.  Her favorite part of the day was play time.  No surprises there!

School must have worn her out -- she took a 2 & 1/2 hour nap.

We are so blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people to help us raise our child.

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's Valentine's Day and Daddy surprised us with a peanut butter pie from Perkins.

Mmmmmmmmmm!

Harper has definitely learned what presents are.

She grabbed her Valentine's Day gift and had it 

nearly opened before I could turn on my camera.

She got some games for her Leap Pad.

Daddy helped her figure out the new games.

We had heart shaped sandwiches for dinner.

After dinner, we decided to make cookies.

Harper cut out the hearts.

Daddy helped with the icing.

Harper LOVED adding the sprinkles!

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Harper's First Dim Sum

Harper enjoyed her first Dim Sum today.  

We met some of my Aetna friends at Bo Ling's on the Plaza.

Never heard of Dim Sum?  

The literal translation of Dim Sum is the point of the heart.  It is a popular Cantonese tradition of gathering with family and friends to eat together. 

Traditional dishes, tea and personal connections are the heart of Dim Sum. 

Dim sum is Cantonese food prepared as small bite-sized portions of food traditionally served on small plates. 

There were lots of servers pushing around carts of food. 

It was nice to see all of the dishes before choosing what to eat.

My group chose several different plates and everyone shared the food.   

This was my first Dim Sum also, and I wasn't sure what to expect.

I'm not a very adventurous eater, and Harper doesn't sit still for very long so I was a bit nervous. The meal was over 2 hours long but Harper was good the entire time!

  I had joked to my Chinese friend that people would probably assume Harper was HER child and not mine. If Harper acted up, everyone would probably stare at her.   Fortunately, Harper was very well behaved in the fancy restaurant.  

We tried lots of new foods!  The most unusual item I tried was the tofu skin roll in oyster sauce.  I'd never had tofu before.  It tasted like a meatball.  I was very glad when no one chose the chicken feet off the cart. Harper really liked the spring rolls, rice noodles, and baked custard cream bun for dessert.

I forgot to pull and my camera and take pictures.  We had a great time 

and will definitely be going back for Dim Sum again!

Children's Literacy Fair

Harper and I went to the library this morning and there was

a Children's Literacy Fair going on.  There were lots of activities

and Harper had a great time!  She is a very outgoing, independent child 

who isn't afraid to try new things or venture into a crowd.  

She often pauses and looks back to make sure Momma 

is right behind her, but she isn't afraid to head out on her own.

Harper LOVES letters!

She enjoyed playing with the train.

She used a magnetic pole to go "fishing"

but decided it was easier to dive in the pool and catch the fish.

She got a kick out of shaking the maracas and making music.

Harper adores puzzles and has recently started taking an interest in numbers.  

I asked her, "Where is the five?" and she immediately chose the number 5.

Of course, we can't ever leave the library without playing on the computer.

Now it's time to read our books!