2nd Grade Concert

Parker had his second grade concert on Thursday.  I took a few videos as well, but I don't have the time to blur out all the kids' faces, so you'll just get pictures.  Parker has had a helper stand or sit with him the last 2 years and I was expecting the same this year.  He walked in with his educational assistant, took his spot on the risers and she sat down.  I immediately thought, "she's just going to let him stand there?!?!?"

To our surprise and overwhelming joy (I literally cried), he stood in his spot with NO redirection for 30 minutes.  THIRTY MINUTES!!  That is a huge deal for him.  We recently started him on on some medication related to a new diagnosis of ADHD.  It's hard to know for sure, but I definitely see it helping to calm his body.  We had his IEP meeting after the concert and several people on his team mentioned seeing improvements.

They sang a bunch of songs about food.  Parker doesn't usually like to sing with others, but he did participate in the actions.

Proud grandpa, mom, and dad!

Hot Wheels Racing Garage and Trip to Two Harbors

The children's museum has a new exhibit based on Hot Wheels cars that we had to check out on Saturday.  Both kids really enjoy playing with cars and Parker loves wheels and anything that spins.

There were a ton of activities with small cars and other ones about race cars.

My favorite activity was the pit stop challenge.  You got to jack up the car, change the tires, and gas it up.  Esme was having a blast.

We also made stops at our favorite permanent exhibits, Our World and The Scramble.

Sunday was a bit of a marathon.  We'd already missed a couple weeks of church due to sickness and I really didn't want to miss again.  That means we didn't leave for Two Harbors until almost 11:00.  We drove up to celebrate our niece and nephews birthdays.  Esme's favorite part was the chocolate ice cream!

That was closely followed by playing with their bulldog, Gus.  He got a little too close at one point and started licking her whole face.  It seems to cause an allergic reaction and she started rubbing her eyes and got some hives on her face.  She isn't around dogs a lot but has never had a reaction, so it was likely the intensity of the encounter.  Jimmy's sister got her some Benadryl and we gave her a bath to wash off the dander.  We also gave her clothes a quick wash. She was feeling better petty quickly and was able to get in a quick nap.

We spent a couple more hours hanging out before making the drive home.

It was after 9 before we got home and both kids were ready for bed.  A long day, but well worth the family time.

School Fun, Daycare Transition, Pub 42

Parker has been having a really great year at school.  We regularly get picture updates of things he is doing.  Here are a few of them. 

Music class is one of his favorites.  He doesn't always participate, but loves to listen and observe.

Another unexpected change over the last couple weeks was Esme switching daycares.  While we had really liked her previous provider, an incident happened to another child that made us concerned for her well-being.  Luckily, we were able to find a new one with a short term opening and Esme seems to really like it.  She is having a couple behavioral issues, but she's been going through a lot of change lately.  I got a couple of sweet pictures sent to me on the first day, which really eased my mind.

 

With the stress of all that, Jimmy and I were grateful to have an evening out together while his parents watched the kids.  We had been to Pub 42 once many years ago and have always wanted to go back.  We finally got around to it and it didn't disappoint.  We started with the popover basket and I got a Loon Juice cider.

For our meals, I chose the walleye sandwich and Jimmy got the ribeye grilled cheese.  A great meal and great chance to relax.

Pretzeldent's Day 2020

My favorite off-brand holiday is here once again, Pretzeldent's Day!  My friend Brianne bought a house recently, so we have a new venue!  The food was amazing as always.  A new addition was some fancy cookies made by Brianne's sister, Sarah.

 Esme enjoyed playing in the sensory bin and we played a lot with the beach ball.

 There was a bit of a love theme to go along with Valentine's Day this year.  The first game was hilarious.  Brianne used the Face App to make presidents and first ladies look like the opposite gender.  It was then our job to match up and name the couples.  A few of them were easy, but most of them took several tries to get right.

Another addition this year was the Prezeldent's Day song.  It was a bit of a last minute idea, but I was able to pull it off.  You never knew this is what you needed in your life, so, you're welcome!

Happy Prezeldent's Day everyone!

Valentine's Week

We had a fun week in the Herrmann house.  Parker has become quite the little laundry helper.  He gets upset if we don't let him move the clothes from the washer to the dryer.  Esme is trying to be a good helper too.

 We stopped at a Culver's fundraiser on Monday night.  Esme had her first butter burger and loved it!

 Esme and I also had some fun with Instagram this week.  I am rarely on there, but like to use their silly filters.  She was a big fan.

Valentine's week means another fun valentine for the kids to share at school and daycare.  We went with bouncy balls since the kids have been having a lot of fun with them over the last year. 

Parker got a pretty great haul from his school party too!

 Finally, we continued our Valentine's fondue tradition and invited over our friends, Steven, Lindsay, and Miggy. Hope you were able to share some love this week.

Nebraska Christmas

We finally celebrated Christmas in Nebraska after it was postponed due to snow at the end of December.  We headed out Friday afternoon for our first road trip in the van.  We made really good time, but got held up by a train less than a mile from the hotel.  It wasn't moving at all when we stopped, but it got moving pretty quickly.  We grabbed some breakfast before heading to the pool.

We got ready and headed over to my great grandmas for lunch, presents, and cards.

We also celebrated a few birthdays.  My uncles, Aaron and Faron, and my cousin, Robbie.

Both kids got some toys and clothes and I made a photo book for my grandma of her 80th birthday last summer.

The best gift was the pedal-tire contraption my grandma's boyfriend, Larry, made for Parker.  Both kids loved it!

The kids got a little outside time with Jimmy while the rest of us played cards.  It was an exciting day, so it was no surprise that Esme zonked out pretty quick.

We enjoyed some down time in the hotel Saturday night and got some rest for the drive home.

Cinnamon rolls, let's hit the road!

We knew there would be some weather for the last half of the trip.  There was a lot of blowing snow, but not much accumulation, so we were able to maintain highway speeds most of the way.  I've also decided that minivans are the BEST ROAD TRIP VEHICLE EVER!  Not sure what my hang up was, but this weekend validated the purchase once again.

The snow had stopped by the time we got home and Jimmy cleared a path for us.  Looking forward to making the trip again soon.