Our Trip to NC

Last weekend, the girls and I took a trip to NC to see good friends/former neighbors The Todds. Thinking Stefan would be working massive overtime (which he hasn't really) I planned this trip as a break for me and the girls. I'd be able to "get away" for a bit and Lexi would be distracted from Daddy's absence by seeing her friend, Mary, whom she has not seen in over a year but misses terribly. Stefan did not work, but it did afford him the opportunity to ride his bike a few times.

Our trip began on Thursday morning. The girls and I left the house around 10:30 a.m. to pick up Jennifer, who would be riding with us. Daddy returned from servicing lawns to bid us farewell and Abby even said "bye-bye" happily to him as we left (surprising because she is such a Daddy's girl). We picked up Jennifer and headed out of town. Thankfully, Stefan had bought a GPS for the business the day before and I was able to test it on the trip. Pretty cool! It definitely proved it's value, but you'll read more about that later. Anyway, we made it through ATL and down I-20 a bit before Abby had her first twinges of a meltdown approximately 120 miles into the trip. We used the GPS (who I named Garmindy because it has a female voice) to locate the nearest McDonalds and were directed right to it. We grabbed some lunch, let the kids play on the playland for about 45 minutes then we were off again. Abby, of course did not want to get back in the car, but we needed to put more distance behind us.

Finally, after much effort, we got the girls buckled safely back in their seats. We made it about another 150 miles before Lexi asked for a drink. Once Abby heard this, she too wanted a drink. We used the GPS to locate another McDonald's, but there wasn't one for about 20 miles. So we chose to search for a public park for the girls to run around and found one in Camden, SC (ironically, there was a McDonald's as part of a gas station just off of the exit, but there was no playland. GPSes can't always be counted on!). This is the "Oldest Inland City in SC" as was stated by multiple signs throughout the community. There were reenactment sites and a lot of history in this quaint town. We finally found the park. It is a square shaped park with beautiful shade trees, a gazebo with a fountain, canon replicas, the perfect little play gym for the girls, and it was all surrounded by colonial-style homes with to-die-for foliage. It's so charming. The girls had a quick snack and played for about 45 minutes, then we were off again.











When we left there, we were on our final long stretch of the trip. Abby did start fussing after awhile, but we pushed her the final 50 miles before we stopped. We met Jennifer's friend at a McDonald's in Dunn, NC that had the most awesome playland I've ever seen. Diane was meeting me there because she didn't want me getting lost in the dark with two girls (she's so sweet) but she was understandably running a little behind because she was wrangling her two kids on her own. I grabbed some dinner for the girls while we waited and Jennifer and her friend were nice enough to stay and keep me company while I waited for Diane. Diane finally showed, and Lexi and Mary were reunited. I thought they would be more dramatic with big "I missed yous" and such, but the gave each other a quick hug like they saw each other yesterday and proceeded to play for about an hour. We left the McDonalds at about 9:30 or 10 and drove the 35 miles to Diane's. I was so glad we were there. I was pooped.

She has a beautiful house yet she felt the need to apologize for the "mess" and the accommodations and anything else she could think of. I don't know why. Compared to my house, her house was in "show condition" as if she were selling it. The accommodations were absolutely perfect--nothing to complain about. We had a great time. We went out to eat a lot to get the kids out of the house. We went to places that we don't have in Georgia like Rock-ola Cafe and The Mash House. During the days (and nights) Lexi and Mary played. They only had a couple of arguments, but that's to be expected when kids their age are overexposed to each other for an extended period of time. Nothing tragic. Lexi loved all of Mary's dress-up clothes and they played that a lot.







I have purposely left out Wilson, the baby, up to this point because he has a special little story of his own. First of all, he is one of the cutest little babies I have ever seen...and he's a flirt. But he is a Mama's boy which is completely understandable because Daddy is currently deployed for 15 months. Anyway, this little kid had some sort of beef with me. Whenever I would shake my head, tell him 'no' or 'yucky', or anything that could be perceived as slightly negative he would scowl at me, stick his lower lip out, and then start a faint whine that would progress into a full on cry and want his mommy to cuddle him. Diane said she thought he had a crush on me because he didn't do that with anyone else...EVER! One day we were sitting on the front porch watching the girls pick flowers and Diane asked what I wanted for dinner and I said, "I don't know". Wilson perceived this as 'no' and repeated his routine. "K-N-O-W! K-N-O-W!" I argued but the routine continued through the whole process to the Mommy cuddle. He totally broke my heart, but it was cute and you had to laugh.





We left to return home the morning of Stefan's birthday. I met up with Jennifer at the same McDonald's. We let the girls have breakfast and play for a bit and then we took off. Abby did considerably better on the return trip. She watched a movie, took a nap, and allowed us to put 250 miles behind us before we had to stop which was perfectly fine because I need to fill the gas tank anyway. That was the only stop we made. She was an absolute angel. We returned home just in time to go with Stefan, his parents, and his brother to Provinos for dinner. I was exhausted but the kids were wound up, but I'm glad we were able to celebrate his birthday with him.

Well, that's our girls-only trip to North Carolina in a nutshell. Hopefully we'll be able to do it again sometime. I'd hate to think that was the last time I'd see Diane or the last time Lexi sees Mary.

Lexism of the week

After dance, I usually run through the drive thru at the McDonald's by our house. I had placed our normal order and proceeded in line and began to dig in my purse for a means with which to pay when I realized that no such means existed. I had no cash, no check card, not even a credit card. We had to drive away. "They're still working on our order!" Lexi proclaimed. I then had to introduce her to basic Economics 101 explaining that you have to pay for stuff that you expect to receive from a business and that food is not free unless you have a coupon which we didn't. "I wish McDonald's was giving away food today," Lexi pouted.

About a week later we were all at Zaxby's and Lexi said out of nowhere, "We need to come back here tomorrow!"

I was confused. Stefan was confused. "Why?" we asked.
"Because that sign says 'Free Lunch Tomorrow'!"

Again another Economics 101 lesson was taught. We explained that the sign was there everyday--that it was a joke. Realizing she had been fooled, Lexi laughed. Now, whenever she sees a similar sign she points it out and the fact that it's a "trick sign".

More Dance

A couple of weeks ago, Lexi's dance class had another parent observation day. I love these days as it gives me a chance to see Lexi's progress. Lexi loves these days because SHE gets to show ME her progress. Normally, I'd invite along Nana or Grandma to come and help wrangle Abby so I can have my hands free to take plenty of pictures, but I forgot about this coming up and called upon a friend that owed me an hour of babysitting. That was a nice break--not having to worry about Abby during this time--and Lexi was able to have my full, undivided attention. I had to laugh when they showed us the work they've done on their tap dance so far. They start the dance with their noses in Dr. Seuss books and after only a few counts of music, they snap the books shut and proceed with the dance. All the girls executed this fine, but Lexi was too busy reading the book. Go figure.

SUCCESS!!!

Today I was getting ready to walk out the door with the girls for Lexi's dance class when Abby came trotting into the kitchen with her pants around her ankles and her diaper halfway torn off. I tried to remedy the situation by fixing the diaper but she ran toward the bathroom. Seizing the opportunity, I asked if she wanted to sit on the potty. "Potty, potty!" she replied emphatically with a huge smile. I took off the diaper which was only somewhat damp and sat her on the potty. Unlike previous attempts when she'd hop right off she actually sat there. So, Lexi and I sat in the bathroom with Abby at the center of attention. The clock was ticking and we were going to be late...but I didn't care. After about a minute, I asked Abby if she wanted to get off and she shook her head no. So we sat...and waited...and waited some more. I turned the faucet on to a mere trickle to assist the attempt. Finally, she tinkled! Just a little bit but she did it. Lexi and I cheered for her and she basked in the glory.

I didn't want to get my hopes up. This was probably just a fluke after all. That's what I thought until we returned home and she repeated pulling down her pants and heading to the bathroom. This time there was no tinkling action, but she was dry and she sat there for a good while before giving up.

I will continue to allow her to call the shots on this process. I will not force her to sit on the potty unless she decides to because she isn't even 2 yet and I decided that I would start pushing the issue in about 4-6 months. If she can do this on her own before then, that will just be a bonus for me!

Spring Break!!!!

Lexi is officially on Spring Break. She has quite the eventful break from her studies. She'll have a sleepover with her Nana and Papaw Monday night. On Tuesday, she and her nana will go to a puppet show. She'll then have a couple of days at home which I'm sure will feel like eternity to her as she will be looking forward to what is coming next.

Since this is in the midst of Stefan's supposed busy season (I say supposed because he has only worked a week and a half of overtime) he's not allowed to take any time off. I seized the opportunity to plan a Girls Only! trip to visit our ex-neighbors and good friends, the Todds, in North Carolina. Normally I wouldn't brave a roadtrip alone with the girls but it just so happens that my local friend, Jen, takes frequent trips to North Carolina to visit a friend of hers. I called Jen to see if she'd be up for a trip over Spring Break and it just so happened that her North Carolinian friend had just called the night before asking if she'd go there for a weekend in March or April. This works out perfectly. I have adult company in the car who can also hand stuff back to the girls while I drive. She'll ride with us up there and we'll meet her friend at some halfway point between the places where we are staying (which are only 45 minutes apart).

Now a little about the Todds....
They used to live directly behind us. Diane is one of the sweetest, most sincere people you will ever meet. Her husband, Will, is in the Army and currently serving a tour of duty. They have a daughter, Mary, who is a bit younger than Lexi but they get along famously. They also have a son, Wilson, who just turned one a couple of months ago and I haven't seen him since he was a newborn. We're excited. I miss Diane. Lexi misses Mary. And I'm curious to see how Abby and Wilson will get along.

Ok, ok. I admit it. I'm excited too.

What's Stefan going to do while we're gone? He's already told me not to check the mileage on his bike. Hopefully, he will be able to get some riding time in considering the weather is supposed to be rainy on Saturday.

Abby's Ever-increasing Vocabulary

Every day Abby comes out with at least one new word. Her latest additions are

Sassy (for Cassi)
trash (which she says very clearly)
teeth (she says as she points to her teeth...she's a toothbrushing fiend)
out
shew (a very southern, drawn-out way of saying shoe)
NO (I hate this one. Especially when she screams it over and over as she is climbing
out of her crib)
Bayuh (bear)
Sissy (in reference to Lexi)


There are many more, I just can't recall them right now.

Yesterday, she said her first 3-word sentence. She said, "I see Woo" (Woo is Lou-Stefan's dog).

Lexism of the week: She's your child!

Stefan went and had lunch at Lexi's school yesterday. They both look forward to these events. After lunch was over, Stefan asked the parapro (teacher's assistant) what the plan was for the remaining two hours of the school day. She told Stefan that the class would be attending the book fair (which Lexi was not purchasing anything this time around) and not much else as it was the last day before Spring Break. Stefan asked Lexi if she wanted to go home with him. Her answer? NO!

Stefan came home scratching and shaking his head in disbelief saying that only MY child would choose to stay at school instead of cutting out two hours early. That may be true.

Okay...enough is enough!

At this point in Lexi's soccer season we should have 5 games behind us but apparently that was not in Mother Nature's plan. The first two games got rained out and rescheduled. We have since had two regularly scheduled games and one make up game. I thought we were making progress until today's game got canceled and it too will have to be rescheduled. It's like the old saying, "one step forward and two steps back" (or were those Paula Abdul lyrics). At this rate, we'll be playing through the end of the school year when we were supposed to finish up the first week of May. Quite frustrating!

Brain Droppings

- I have come to the conclusion that Lexi is a warm weather only soccer player. Yesterday in 40 degree temperatures she just couldn't get her feet moving and was in the way more than anything.

- Abby's coming out with new words everyday and that is very entertaining.

- I registered for Summer and Fall semesters. Come Fall I should be kept on watch as I will be attempting 15 credit hours (the most I've done since having Abby is 9) and will be slowly losing my mind over the course of those 16 weeks. I will probably be eligible for commitment to the Insane Asylum at the halfway point.

- I am ready for my trip to NC in 2 weeks. I'll be going to visit my cool ex-neighbor. The girls are going too but Stefan will be hanging behind because of his supposed busy season (that has only required 1 week of overtime thus far). He'll probably use the time to ride the bike. I'm not stupid AND he told me not to check the mileage when I come home. That's rocket science to figure out!

- I'm not believing that Abby will be two in 5.5 weeks.

- Speaking of Abby, she fought a nap so bad yesterday that Stefan had to put her back in the crib about 15-20 times. Finally she passed out on the floor just inside her door.

- Lexi did very well this reporting period at school. She got "AC-accomplished" in everything but two areas which she received "IP-In progress" on. We are very proud.

- Since Lexi sees me preparing for Abby's party in May, she is already putting in present and location requests for her birthday...in October.

- We planted some vegetables in some pots and they were really doing well as long as the weather was nice or we kept them inside, but all of a sudden they got attacked by fruit flies and are not fairing well at all. I always feel badly when we plant things with Lexi and they don't work out. It makes me feel like we let her down.

- Abby is a Daddy's girl through and through. If he's in the room and then leaves for a second, she screams and cries until he comes back. Nothing I can do will console her. This is a frustrating phase.

- Lexi told me she wanted to move again the other day. The last time she said this was because she wanted all of us except Abby to move because Abby was getting on her nerves that day. This time the rationale is that she wants her room to be pink (instead of the deep lilac it is now) and she wants posters on her walls. So we're supposed to relocate for that? I guess we'll be painting this summer.

- Found out that our old neighbors are moving back into the house they've been renting to a really nice family. I couldn't be more underwhelmed. This neighbor has been known in the past to cause a lot of drama and I've been enjoying the peace and quiet while she's been gone.

- I can't wait for this semester to be over. I'm taking classes I really don't enjoy which has just been making the semester seem drawn out.

Fugitive!!!!

Tuesday I put Abby down for a nap in the afternoon. She was screaming and carrying on, but I insisted on allowing her to "scream it out" because if she didn't take a nap, she would have been cranky for the sitter who would be watching her while I attended Lexi's dance class. After about 20 minutes, she got quiet so I thought she had gone to sleep. I proceeded to play a little Guitar Hero when all of a sudden Abby was standing at the baby gate. She had climbed out of her crib and came downstairs and had taken a spot as an audience member with her binky in her mouth and a blanket slung over her shoulder. I knew that things had just drastically changed.

Well tonight, I went to put her to bed and she immediately climbed out of the crib. This was not going to go well. I then recalled some sound advice from Super Nanny about getting difficult children to bed. Her "Going to Bed" technique goes like this,
* The first time he gets up, remind him that it’s bedtime, lead him back to
bed, give him a kiss and a cuddle, and leave the bedroom.

* The second time, do the same but use a firmer voice and make the kiss and
cuddle brief.

* The third and any subsequent times, say nothing at all as you lead him
back to bed, tuck him in, and leave the room. This is the hard part, and
it’s very tempting to give a cuddle. Remember that a gentle, consistent
approach will convince your child that you’re there for him, but that you
insist he sleep in his own bed.

I used this technique. I stood guard outside her door and for twenty minutes I felt like I belonged on the Super Nanny show. I followed the technique to the letter and after 20 minutes and over 20 times returning her to her bed, she finally gave up and went to bed. I felt quite accomplished because I have watched some episodes that it took the parents over two hours to get their unruly children in bed.

The funny part was that she seriously tried to outsmart me through all of this. I would be standing outside the door and hear her climb out of the crib. She'd tiptoe to the door and open it. When she saw me she'd try to make a run for it, but I'd scoop her up and return her to bed. I gotta tell ya...it was very hard to stick my ground when she looked so cute with her binky in her mouth and a blankie tossed over her shoulder. There were times when she'd open the door and (as I reached down to scoop her up) she'd make a run for it to a corner of her room as if she was going to find some escape within the confines of her room. Perhaps the funniest instance was the very last one. I stood outside of her door rather exasperated and wondering how long this was going to last when I heard her lower herself out of the crib for what seemed like the hundredth time. She tiptoed over to the door and when it opened she had the blankie over her head. I guess she thought that I wouldn't be smart enough to figure out that she was under the blankie. I returned her (with the blankie still over her head) to her bed and the was the last I heard from her.

Times are changin' as we move onto another phase of the unknown with this munchkin.

Our Little Chicks

Easter was a good day. The girls woke up about 8ish which was a nice break. They opened their baskets from the Easter Bunny. He left one with princess dress up stuff for Abby and one with Strawberry Shortcake sports equipment for Lexi. They were both excited. It was then time to hunt eggs. Poor Abby didn't have a chance in the world. Last year she got the first egg but this year Lexi was a mad woman. I didn't even get any pictures of Lexi hunting because she was just going way too fast. Anyway, here are some shots of Abby.









Later that afternoon, the girls played in the backyard. They were having a blast, but I had to research class options for Summer Registration. All of a sudden, Stefan opened the back door and told me I had to come out and see something. A bit frustrated because he broke my concentration I got up to look and found Lexi's Jeep up on the slide of the backyard climber. Apparently, the wild woman drove it right up the slide with Abby in the passenger seat. By the time Stefan knew what happened, he saw Abby tumbling off the back. Here are some pics of the scene of the accident. Good thing Uncle Chris wasn't here to write Lexi a ticket!

Lexi's First Soccer Game, Dying Easter Eggs, and Sami's Birthday Party

Lexi's first soccer game finally took place last Saturday. I say 'finally' because this was supposed to be the third game of the season but the first two were postponed because of weather. Anyway, the game was memorable but not for the obvious reasons. First of all, it was at 8 a.m. Who the heck schedules a 6 year old soccer game at 8 a.m.? Whoever it is, they obviously don't have a 6 year old. Secondly, it was COLD and that was magnified by the fact that the field she was playing on was in the shade (which made it only colder) and I thought that it would be warmer, so I totally underdressed her. Finally, Lexi started the game and when she caught a glimpse of a whole other team on the field, she flipped out and pulled herself out of the game never to return. She claimed the main reason was that she was cold but later admitted that she was nervous because she didn't know the other team. Go figure.

After the game, Abby took a nap while we dyed some Easter eggs. Lexi had a great time, and we made an egg with Abby's name on it so she didn't feel too left out.





Once Abby awoke from her beauty rest, we hightailed out to Cumming to Sami's birthday party. Man, does Angie know how to lay out a spread of food! Unfortunately, half the people that said they'd be there did not show up, but that left more for the rest of us. Anyway, we sang some karaoke which Abby decided she was into.



She finally decided to share the mic with the birthday girl, Sami.



Move over Hannah Montana, here comes Abby!



After karaoke, Angie had the kids hunt some Easter eggs in the backyard. Unfortunately, she didn't chose the hider very carefully as she left it up to her mischievous older boys and they were entirely too creative for the likes of 4 year olds (which was the average of the ages of the kids hunting). I think the kids found half of the eggs before the older boys had to show them where the rest were. At any rate, they had fun and that's what counts.







After the egg hunt, Abby started fussing. Her schedule was way off and it was showing. She didn't want anything to do with me. She didn't want anything to do with Daddy. She did, however, decide that Sam was pretty cool and befriended him.



Finally it was cake and presents time. If you ask Abby it couldn't have come quicker. She perked right up at the thought of sweet, homemade cake. However, once the cake was gone so were her smiles so we had to dodge on out of there before the meltdown.



When we got home, we gave the girls a bath and sent them off to bed. Once they were down, Stefan's energy collapsed and he went to bed too. I gave up about an hour and a half later. I think we were all in bed by 9:30 that night...and boy did we need it!

Lexism of the week

Lexi has the idea that you are as tall in feet as you are old in years. So, she thinks that since she is 6 years old, she is 6 feet tall.

So, with that in mind...

Lexi and Abby stayed at my parents' house last night. After they picked the girls up, they decided to go to Lexi's favorite pizza buffet, Stevie B's. While there, Lexi blurted out that Nana (Stefan's mom) is the biggest in the family. Taken a bit off guard, my mom asked why Lexi would say that. Lexi then told her that she is so big that not all 60 candles (Nana just turned 60 in January) would not fit on her cake (the one on the card that Lexi handmade).

The irony?

My dad is 63 and my mom is 62. Go figure. Selective memory I suppose.

CORRECTION: My dad sent this to me via email last night.
"Your blog would not let me comment.

I [am] 64 and mom is 63!!

DAD"

Most wouldn't mind some shaving off of their years, but apparently this ruffled Dad's feathers.

No Freaking Way!

I am using my Spring Break wisely and taking the time to get ahead on schoolwork and...::gulp:: planning Abby's 2nd birthday party. I decided to go with a JoJo's Circus theme. This is so fitting since she loves the show. In fact, today she said "JoJo" for the first time. It wasn't a fluke either because she continued to say it whenever she saw JoJo. It's too cute. It also makes me excited because this Halloween she'll be able to repeat the JoJo costume Lexi wore a few years ago. I thought it would be a fight to get Abby to agree, but now I think she'll be excited.

All this talk, yet I am still in denial that my baby girl is turning 2. It seems so cliche when people say that they grow up so fast and I used to roll my eyes when I'd hear it...BUT it is so true!

I Do NOT Like Them. Sam I Am.

This week in Lexi's kindergarten class, they celebrated Dr. Suess' birthday. Since they've been studying sequencing events, the teachers thought a lesson in making green eggs and ham was in order. They gave the kids squares with recipe instructions on them and, as the teacher prepared the dish, the kids had to put the recipe in sequence. Very cool!

Anyway, Lexi came home with her recipe and asked if I could make green eggs and ham. I said sure although the thought of it made me sense vomit in the back of my throat. Well, tonight was the night and that's what she and Abby had for dinner.

Of course I had some help making them... (the recipe is on the red paper and Lexi checked off ever step as I did it to make sure I did it correctly)



Lexi mixes the eggs.



Sizzle, sizzle.



Ready to eat



The girls really loved it!




My thoughts on it? Gross!

Mom of the Year...Well, at least to a six year old.

I said in this post that Lexi wanted to be #5 in soccer because she was 5 at the time. Well her new season began last week with practices on Monday. Shirts were handed out tonight during practice and I was able to snatch #6 for her keeping the previous rationale in mind. When practice was over I told Lexi I got her jersey and she asked if I got #6. I became the best mom in the world when I was able to answer that yes, I did in fact get #6. At least that's something I can do right.

On the unfortunate side, I got her game schedule and her games are all at 8 or 9:10 in the morning. With this being Stefan's busy season at work and him not getting home until 4:45 am, I doubt he'll make it to any games. This is sad.

Abbyism of the Week

I always suspected that one day Abby would have a run in with the law, but I didn't think it would happen this soon.

Today, I was killing a few minutes before I had to get Lexi ready for soccer. Lexi was in her room watching TV and Abby and I laid on the bed relaxing to a little Oprah. She was fiddling with the remote...or so I thought. Apparently it was the phone because I started to hear "Hello? Hello?" I reached over and took the phone from her. Confused, I responded to the voice on the other line. "Hello?" I asked. "This is 911, can I help you?" I was mortified! I explained that the baby had dialed the phone and apologized profusely. The dispatcher asked if everything was okay and I assured her it was. Nonetheless, a few minutes later a very serious, very inquisitive officer showed up asking if everything was okay. Again, I assured him everything was fine. He looked over my shoulder into the house and then stared into my eyes and asked, "Are you sure?" A light bulb went off and I realized that he thought I might have been in a hostage-type situation. Again, I assured him everything was fine and apologized about nine more times.

Kids!!!!

Lexism of the Week

Yesterday, I was driving with Lexi in the car and we had a conversation that went like this,

Lexi: D-I-C-K

Me: Excuse me?

Lexi: Is that how you spell Dick, Mommy?

Me: Yes, but why are you spelling that? Use it in a sentence.

Lexi: I like Dick...

Me: silence.

Lexi: ...and I like Jane.

Me: Oh!!! Yes, Lexi, that's how you spell Dick.

She was talking about her Dick and Jane primer books, but since she hasn't been reading those lately, the initial part of this conversation frightened me a bit.

Am I Seeing Double?

Abby's a little pretender. Actually, let me restate that. Abby loves to mimic others. I have my keys on a lanyard that I wear around my neck when running errands. It definitely makes it easier when you're wrestling two kids in car seats and whatever bags of goodies you're trying to manage. At least with them around my neck, I don't have to dig for them in the bottom of my purse or worry about dropping them somewhere. Whenever she gets the opportunity to hijack my keys she tosses them around her neck and struts around the house pointing her finger at the dogs and telling them to "go, go, go" which they respond to by going in their crates. Then she'll wave and act like she's walking out the door.

Since Lexi started kindergarten, Abby was been keenly aware of the routine in the morning. We get up, have breakfast, watch some TV while I do Lexi's hair, then Lexi puts on her coat and backpack, and we go to the bus stop. The other day after school, Abby stole the opportunity to dress herself in Lexi's coat and boots. She then brought me Lexi's backpack which I put on her back but she fell over under the weight. She was satisfied with the coat and boots and was thrilled when I started calling her Lexi.

Here are some pictures.

Lexi's First Publication

Lexi's teacher sent home a packet for The Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest. Her teacher thought that this was something that Lexi would enjoy and she was right! When I sat Lexi down to write her story, I opened up her writing tablet and noticed she had already written a 3 page story so we decided to use that. Invented spelling is admissible, so I did very little correcting. The following is her submission. Sorry for the poor quality. I took pictures of the pages.


"The Two Princesses
Written and illustrated by Lexi Ann Lewitt"


"Once apon a time, there was a dragon. He lived outside of a tawer and he blowed fire."


"The tawer belonged to a king and a queen and princesse's."


"But there was a wicked witch nearby. The witch was trying to catch the princesses." The princesses in the picture are screaming, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"


"The witch put the princesses in the dungeon. The princesses stuck now."


"The wich is gone catch the king and the queen too. The princesses tryed to get out...but the witch came bak." The witch in the illustration is saying, "Oh queen Oh king Where are you?"


"The witch put the king and the queen in with the princesses. They are trapped naw."


"Then the princesses' fairy godmother came to the rescue."


"But then princes came to marry the princesses and they lived happly ever after."

Here's a shot of her working diligently on the piece.