I hear Music Everywhere!

Johnny and his class performed at the school assembly today!

They were supposed to bring an instrument to play, Johnny chose to play the zipper on his jacket.

Stay tuned until the end of the video to see his dramatic finish!

It's October!

It is Fall at the Rutledge house! 

Maisy is learning new things every day.  She learned how to climb up the couch and sit on the window sill, just like Johnny.  Thankfully she forgot after this one time!

She also gets tired out easily and crashes wherever seems to work.  She has attached herself to this little blanket that I knitted her, after attaching herself to a scrap I had made while learning to knit years ago.  Johnny nicknamed it her "fuzzy"; but Maisy calls it her "FUDDY".  When she's tired she runs around saying "BOPPY?  FUDDY?".  Which is "paci" and "fuzzy" meaning she's ready for "night night" as she will tell you.

Johnny LOVES to jump off everything and loves having his picture taken while jumping.  He has many alien battles to fight in our house and does so on a daily basis.

Maisy got very offended when I did not include her while mopping the kitchen, so I got the swiffer out for her  Uncle Joel helped also, only he didn't realize it.

Momo knitted Maisy a poncho.  Whenever I put it on her she won't let me take it off.  It is very warm and soft like a blanket and Maisy loves all things snuggly.

Our front porch is finished and Johnny has totally enjoyed decorating it for Halloween.  This is Johnny's holiday.  He LOVES spiders and this is the only time of year that is filled with spiders.  We have a web out front and Johnny has collected all the spider figures he could find and put them inthe web.

Maisy continues to harrass Don.  He's so tolerant of her.  I love to hate Don, but really appreciate how gentle he is with Maisy.  Also, I am working on a new creation for my Maisy Cakes store....a Tutu Tie shirt.  (Also a plain old Tie shirt for those wishing to go tutuless.) 

As usual Maisy is my model and guinea pig for all designs and creations!

Momo showed us her cat's Halloween costume and I tried it on Don.  I'm pretty sure he LOVED it and wishes he had his own.  She also got Maisy this furry coat and Maisy thought this was an opportune time to go for a ride on Don.

Johnny is doing great in 1st Grade.  He's enjoying it and working very hard.  We had his conference today and his teacher said that he is always willing to answer questions, always does his work and tries his hardest.  Wow...I wish we could move into the school and have him act that way around us!

If you remember Johnny begins planning his Halloween costumes in November.  After last Halloween he wanted to be a spider.  But, during the summer he changed to wanting to be something that I really never understood what it was.  Then he changed to wanting to be a character from Teen Titans that was on the screen for probably 30 seconds one time...and a costume that would be impossible to create.  Then he decided he wanted to be a Spider King.  (I even bought the fabric for this one)  And then he decided he wanted to be a spider king that turned into something else that I have no idea how that would work or what it was.  And finally, I convinced him to be Ben 10 Alien Force.  Which has been his favorite tv show for years.  I've purchased the costume, ½ price even!  And he is very excited so I think this one might stick.

Maisy is going to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.  She even had toto in a basket.  I'm pretty certain she's very excited about this!

On Halloween we will be going up to baby Bailey's birthday party and then staying to trick or treat and spend the night.  Johnny is going to sleep in Bailey's room.  This is a big deal!  Last summer I asked Johnny if he wanted to have his friend Haven spend the night and he said "ok...but he can't sleep in my room".  When I explained that a "sleepover" involved sleeping in the same room together he said "I guess he could spend the night, but he can't talk".  (we decided to wait for a sleepover)  I will be spending the night also so it will be a safe place for Johnny to experience sleeping in a room with someone else.  (Have I mentioned that Johnny is VERY set in his sleep routines?!?!)  He's pretty excited and has listed about 200 items he wants to bring to sleep in bed with him.  (I'm assuming that Aunt Kim and Uncle Adam are giving up their king sized bed for this endeavor!)

Johnny LOVES to make videos of himself playing with his toys, with hopes of putting them on youtube someday.  Recently he made one and Gabe was the camera man.  Gabe sang along to some of the songs.  When we playedback the movie on the TV Johnny said "daddy, the camera makes you sing really bad".

Johnny lost another tooth.  He was pretty excited about a visit from the "pretend tooth fairy" as he calls it.  He's got alot of space in his mouth right now.  I have been hoping his front tooth will be in by Christmas, but I'm not too hopeful.  (This is the one he knocked out when he was 5!) I actually had hoped it would be in for school pictures, but it was not.  This will be his 3rd school picture missing a front tooth!

Maisy's development has exploded.  She's used the toilet a couple times.  (I remind you her brother was almost 5 before this occured)  She is sleeping all night.  (PHEW!)  She talks a ton and it is ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!  She will burp and say "CUSE ME".  (I never realized how much she burps) 

She still loves shoes.  She likes to paint and color at the easel and I think we are pretty safe in saying that she is probably a lefty.  She loves to kick the ball and loves climbing...everything.  She's also quite assertive with her buddies Brynn and Murphy and often (almost always) steals their toys.  Sometimes she pushes, she's also been known to bite and hit and sometimes even kick, and more recently spit.  As she's slowly learning that hitting isn't acceptable she will hit the air near her friends while looking at you.  She LOVES to tell on herself.  She has a certain voice she uses when she is doing something she knows she shouldn't and can't wait to come show you.  (Usually this is when she has broken into Johnny's room and is either coloring on something she shouldn't or eating a crayon or marker.)  She gets super excited on Sundays when Grammy and Grandpa and Uncle Joel come to visit and she runs around yelling "bee paw"; which means Grandpa.  She sometimes tries to get Joel to move where she wants him to go and will try to push him and then look at us and say "stuck".

Johnny and her absolutely LOVE each other.  When he's at school we spend most of the day saying "Johnny cool".  She gets so excited when she sees his bus coming.  He loves to hear about her playdates with her friends.  Maisy tried out a gymnastics class a few weeks ago and Johnny was so sad he couldn't go and watch her.  That is the best part.  Since they are so far apart in age I never thought  they'd be as close as they are.  It is wonderful watching their relationship....even if Maisy does spend a fair amount of time harrassing Johnny!

Both Maisy and Johnny are in really great places right now.  I wish I could freeze time.  As someone in our household (who shall remain nameless...GABE) thinks we are done having babies; I find myself sad that Maisy is getting older.  This evening I was reminded of a Dr. Seuss quote I've heard before need to my mantra..."Don't cry because it's over.  Smile because it happened".

Class of 2021....YOU ARE GRADUATED

...FROM KINDERGARTEN!

Kindergarten Graduation was on Thursday. Johnny had a wonderful time. He was SO PROUD!
He woke up in the middle of the night with a cold and started crying because he was worried he wouldn't get to speak at his Kindergarten Graduation. Luckily he was well enough!

He asked me to arrive early so I could go to recess with him. Little did I know that he wanted me to actually participate in recess with him. He wanted me to play all the things he plays during recess. I drew the line when the boys began playing war and were choosing sides and shooting at each other!

Johnny got a memory book with some of the special art work he made this year. It was amazing to see the difference. In September Johnny couldn't write his name. He could make a "J" and that was it. Last week he got a "gold glitter name"; which you earn when you are able to write your name using the proper "school" letters. I honestly didn't expect that Johnny would get a gold glitter name this year. His main area of delay are his fine motor skills. Writing is very hard for him and in the past his stubbornness has prevented him from working on it. This year Mrs. M. really sparked an interest in him and he LOVES writing and drawing. His improvement is directly related to this and it is wonderful to witness.

Johnny with Mrs. Muzatko

As we left the school parking lot I said to Johnny "Wow, what a great year!" and Johnny replied "Mama! My year with Mrs. M. was my best year ever!". How wonderful it is to see my son so in love with school and learning and his teacher.

Johnny with Mrs. Thacker, the para educator who helps in their class.

After kindergarten graduation we went to Meconi's to celebrate and then to pick up Maisy from Momo and Papa's house. In the evening we went to a classmates birthday party at Skateland. It was a wonderful way to finish the last day of school.

Maisy loved "skating". At least she thinks she did! They had rented the entire skating rink for the party, so she got to run on the floor. She watched the kids for a while and then she would walk a few steps and then dramatically fall down to her knees and stomach. Then she would look up at me and raise one hand in the air for me to help her up; exactly like she'd watched me to with the other kids. We repeated the process all over the floor. It was adorable. Johnny's skating is improving and he only had 1 wipe out!

I suspect in the next few days Johnny is going to be a little sad when the impact of no more school hits him. It has been a much loved activity this year.

Look how much Johnny and Maisy have grown this year.

This picture was taken on the 1st day of school

And this picture was taken, 9 months later, on the last day of school.

Here is a video of his "kindergarten speech". In case you can't understand him, he says "I like kindergarten because I made really good friends".

Tomorrow we are off to watch cousin Bailey perform in her very first ballet recital. She is going to be a bear. When I told Johnny he said "will she growl and eat the other dancers?". I guess my idea of a 3 year old bear ballet recital is much different than a 7 year old boys idea of a 3 year old bear ballet recital. Either way, he's very excited to see Bailey and if the weather is nice he wants to swim in her pool.

Kindergarten Performance

Johnny's class performed at the school assembly today. They sang a song about appreciation to the 5th graders.

As we near the end of the school year, Johnny has told me that he will be a car kid on the last day of school, have alot of home days, and then return to the same school where he will be in 1st grade with a different teacher. He said that Mrs. M. will have new students too, but if she misses her old class too much she can just get a different job.

When I mentioned to Johnny that he's almost done with school he said "I know! I only have 17 more years!". (I took that as a good sign that he's counting on going to college too!)

Here is the Kindergarten, 1st and 3rd graders singing "We Appreciate You".

Johnny Is 7!

We've been building up to it for 11 months!

Johnny is officially 7 years old!

He's been planning his party, making invitations, planning decorations, fine tuning the guest list...SINCE LAST JUNE!

He woke up today at 7:27 am today and yelled "Is it morning? Am I 7?". He got out of bed, and instantly began dressing, by himself, for school. (Johnny still needs help dressing and it is actually quite hard and frustrating for him to dress, so he avoids it whenever possible!) He was so excited to begin his 7th birthday! Once at school he told everyone he saw that it was his birthday. He was also "Person of the Day" today, a complete coincidence. He got to wear a birthday crown, have the birthday bear sit at his table and Mrs. M. gave him a birthday pencil, he chose green - of course! The kids sang happy birthday to him and they wished him a happy birthday over the loud speaker during morning announcements. He requested Daddy come and have lunch with him and bring McDonald's for lunch. We were also in charge of snack today so we brought cupcakes. He then got to be a car kid and the whole family came to pick him up. We returned home where he opened presents. He then watched some TV and then we went to Red Robin for dinner and singing!Johnny has listed this schedule over and over during the last few weeks. By 9:00 am I was pretty certain that he might explode and birthday candles and confetti might shoot out of him! Johnny LOVED having them sing to him at Red Robin. He stood up on his chair and held his ice cream and spoon high up in the air. He looked SO PROUD. It actually brought tears to my eyes. Johnny has been quite shy in the past and never wanted them to sing to him. It was another marker of how much he's grown this year. All in all it's been an amazing year. In all honestly, I think this has been the year I've enjoyed Johnny the most. He's grown so much this year it's unbelievable. He LOVES school. He LOVES his friends, especially Teddy and Grant. He LOVES his sister and is the best big brother ever. He honestly wants to spend time with her and misses her when they are apart. He has a very sweet nature about him and it's so fun to watch.

Johnny will be having a party with his friends on Saturday. In years past we have requested our guests not to bring presents in hopes of teaching Johnny that everyone is here to celebrate him. This year he's on to us and realized that most kids get presents at their parties. He spent a good portion of the year wanting us to write "PLEASE BRING PRESENTS" on his invitations, but we decided to leave that off.

Gabe and I both feel like today was a little kick off party for the rest of the week! It could be an exhausting few days!

Happy Birthday Johnny!

1 year and a few months...

Maisy is 16 months.

Johnny is almost 7.

And Kristi has been horrible at updating her blog!

The winter was filled with illness and ebay sales and it took up much of my extra time. Maisy and Johnny are both so much fun right now, to be honest, I've been enjoying them and haven't felt like writing about it!

Maisy is silly, cranky, fussy, naughty, happy, spunky and just plain adorable. She's a little bit of a monster too! She bites, she hits, she kicks, she steals toys, she hits with the toys she steals, if you try and steal her toys she'll screech like a howler monkey. She's starting to talk and says Mama and Mommy, Daddy (day-yee), Johnny (Nonny), Don, Cat, Dog and all those other words kids start talking with. She also says Thank you, which is shocking and I'm never sure if I heard her right. She babbles alot and talks alot of trash as Papa would say. She walks around saying "dobby, dobby dobby dobby" all the time. We aren't entirely sure what it means. It has different inflections, different tones and different exclamations each time! (we equate this to Cassidy's saying "oh-ba-dah" as a toddler). Maisy loves to go outside and climbs everything. She's really strong and coordinated and fearless. We were spoiled with Johnny. He was far more interested in digging in the dirt then climbing to the sky.

Johnny is doing great in Kindergarten. He's made some very good friends and is learning to read and write. He LOVES to draw and will take any opportunity, and blank piece of paper, to draw an alien he's created. He's got his entire life planned. At 13 he'll be able to make youtube videos; 16 he can drive a car and begin learning animation; at 19 he can begin making his own toys and tv shows which he will make in his toy warehouse. He's going to sell some of the toys, but keep most for himself to play with. Alex just turned 13 and Johnny is very excited that he will now be able to create youtube videos on his own. Johnny started karate at Premier Martial Arts and LOVES it. He'd like to get a black belt someday, but REALLY wants a green belt. (it's his favorite color). His favorite part of karate is a game called dodge pad that they play at the end of each class. Johnny has decided when he gets older he wants to be in a band. He's going to pay the microphone.

I have sat down to write this post for months and months and get distracted and never finish. Most of these pictures are old, but if I don't post it now I never will.A year of Maisy in a stocking!

Maisy got this ladybug for christmas. She can barely touch the ground, but she loves it. Watch out when she drives by - she might run you over!Maisy's new carseat...the girliest print ever! Daisy Head Maisy It was time for a haircut! Her first!
Momo cut her hair

Maisy decided to do a taste test on the hairNot exactly a taste she enjoys!Finished product!If Johnny is sitting on the floor, Maisy will back herself up to him and sit on him. It's the cutest thing. Sometimes I find them sitting like this and can't resist a picture. If you leave the bathroom door open, Maisy will TP the house in seconds. She loves to wear her earmuffs around her neck while she works!


Here is Maisy's 1 year video that I never posted! It's long, get some popcorn, put your feet up and enjoy!

9 months

Maisy is 9 months!
(ok...she's almost 10 months but her mother isn't getting much sleep, so she hasn't updated the blog!)

Maisy is doing great. She's starting to walk, despite our best efforts to keep her immobile until she's 2! She loves to harass Don the cat and has been known to try and "taste" his ears. Shockingly he's been very patient with her. (he seems to be taking his aggression out on birds as he's become a bit of a serial bird killer. We have feathers all over our carport!)

Maisy LOVES Playing with Johnny. His blanket, his cars, him....she can't get enough. She's kind of a monster crawling over and attacking whatever he's playing with. He's very patient with her and good about making sure small toys aren't near her. He completely exceeds my expectations of how patient he is with her. Johnny can't get enough of Maisy and is always wondering how she is and what she's doing. It's very heart warming.

Maisy is not sleeping very well and we are in the midst of "Jay Gordonizing" her, as I like to call it! (Dr. Jay Gordon has written what I feel to be a fairly humane approach to getting her to sleep for longer periods of time)

Maisy "visiting" Don while he is snuggling up with his favorite sleep friend

Maisy is not a big fan of being used as a doll!
We began baby gym at the Olympia Center this month. She LOVES it. She dances and plays and enjoys diving head first into the ball pit. She gets to see her buddy, Murphy also. Seeing all the babies playing is just about the cutest thing ever.

Maisy enjoyed playing with cousin Bailey's dress up clothes! (maybe her mother enjoyed it more!)

Johnny is playing Soccer with the "Fire Dragon's". This is a picture of him going after the ball for the first time. It was an exciting moment!Maisy in a Halloween outfit at 9 months

Johnny in the same Halloween outfit at 5 monthsJohnny is still enjoying kindergarten. He enjoys learning about all the rules and workings of the school system. He also enjoys coming home and telling us which kids get in trouble and who has to go to Principal Woods' Office.

Halloween preparations are underway. Johnny is going to be a bat, and mommy is "building" his costume. Maisy is going to be Tinkerbell. Next year Johnny is going to be a spider. (Maisy's mother hasn't decided what she will be next year, but she has her eye on a Dorothy pattern that she thinks Maisy might enjoy!)

Gabe visited during lunch recently. Principal Woods was reminding the kids that sometimes people are allergic to things and they can't eat certain foods so we need to be extra careful to not share lunches. Johnny leaned over to Gabe and "whispered" (as all 6 year olds whisper in a very LOUD voice) and said "I'M ALLERGIC TO POISON". (it's a good thing we know. We wouldn't want to accidentally give him some and have a reaction!!!)
The following is a real conversation between Johnny and I. It was adorable and funny and a wonderful moment!

Johnny: Look! Someone littered and they put all the icky cigarettes on the ground. Don't touch them mama! They might kill you. Cigarettes are very bad for you. They have stuff in them that will kill you and it's really hard to get them out of you and it makes you want to keep using them.

Mama: I know Johnny. Mommy used to smoke a long time ago and it was very hard to stop. They are very bad for you and they DO make you very sick.

Johnny: (in awe) Mama! YOU defeated cigarettes! CONGRATULATIONS! I'M SO PROUD OF YOU.

Mama: Thank you Johnny. I am really proud of me too. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done and I'm really glad I stopped smoking. my body feels alot better since I stopped.

Johnny: Good Job Mama!

First Assembly Performance

Johnny's kindergarten class sang a song at the school assembly today.

It was very cute and we were surprised to see that Johnny actually sang along.

(when his preschool class preformed for us he just smiled while everyone sang)

This is his first school performance. I'm guessing there will be many many more! Maisy got in on the action towards the end of the singing.

First Tooth!

This little girl spent the night working on her first tooth. As you can see, she's feeling self conscious and doesn't want everyone looking at it!

Johnny started soccer this week. It's his first sports team since the disastrous basketball experience of 2006. He's playing on a YMCA team with a few of his friends. The first practice was on Wednesday and he seemed to enjoy himself.

While I was unloading the dishes Maisy decided she needed to help...

I had a flashback to another little person that wanted to help.... (this i s Johnny at 18 months)

Recently Gabe helped Johnny select an outfit to wear; look familiar?!?! I'm pretty certain Gabe has the same outfit, minus the Transformers underwear!

Maisy is enjoying daddy playing guitar for her. She gets up on her knees and rocks back and forth and dances.

Yesterday Maisy tried apples for the first time. Her face sums up her feelings on the experience.

Johnny had his first full week of school and LOVES it. He was especially excited to realize that the Curious George blanket he took for rest time "works". It didn't used to work when he sucked his finger with it but now it does. You'll be pleased to know that it's flavored banana.

Maisy is crawling all over and standing and walking along stuff like spiderman. She looks pretty ridiculous as she's very short. It's funny to glance over and see something the size of a doll standing and walking around. She's BUSY and into everything!