Random Pics...

The above 2 pics are how we find Maya when she has something in her hand - she will make it either in to a brush or a phone. Yes, she is ALL girl!!







And if we take the gate off of the stairs and turn our backs for only a second, she is crawling up the stairs...And she is FAST!!



Here is a random pic of the girls playing together. The run around the living room, "spin" until they are dizzy, and giggle until their bellies hurt. Isn't that what it's all about? Hope they enjoy it now, because in 3 weeks (from TODAY!!)School starts for Norah! Wow!!
Kindergarten screening was last week, and she did very well. The teacher said that the only thing she needed to work on was writing her name with a capital N and the rest lower case letters, because now she writes all in caps. She named all of her letters & the sounds they make. She passed the hearing screen, and her vision was 20/30 so they recommended a visit to the eye Dr. ~ oh well, Scott and I are both blind, so she can blame us!! I asked the teacher if she read for her at all and she said, "No, all we test is if they know the letters." Norah is reading, though...we have purchased the BOB books set and she has made it through the first series of 12 books. It is so fun to watch her confidence grow ~ she is so proud of herself!! It is mostly sight words, but she is reading the books, not just memorizing the stories she reads to Maya every night. She is attempting to read road signs, signs at the store, and just about everything else she sees. It really is fun to watch her!
Norah's swimming lessons were a success. She passed into the next level, which was encouraging. I might try to squeeze her into 1 more session before school starts- it would be at the Y at Copper Basin, but they offer the classes at night which would be great! On Sunday, the 4 of us went to the Anthem Pool, and she swam, the width of the pool by herself. It was the doggie paddle, but she did it with no floaties or life vest. Again, with some confidence and some practice, I feel she will get a lot better!!
Off to read Norah a bedtime story ~ after listening to her read a little to me!! What a treat!!

Awwwee, Sisters!!!

I will post this now, so when they ar pulling each others hair out in a few years - or months, we will remember these times

Happy Father's Day, Daddy !! ( A little early!)

I know it's a little early, but we thought we would post it so everyone could see it right away!!!

SLIP N SLIDE!!!

What a fun way to cool off in the evening!! Norah and Maya LOVE This - we even got a few pics of Scott sliding, but I was NOT allowed to publish...

day 2 -swimming

Norah is doing fantastic with her swimming lessons. She is very proud that she isn't relying on her "swimmies" anymore...I am anxious to actually see her in action, although that means I'd have to sneak out of work for lunch some day...here are some pics...

day 1 - swimming

Norah did GREAT!! I had to work, but Scott met Shannen down at the pool in town (he was on-duty, too, but not much going on today in Flo-Town.) I guess she jumped right in, always wanted to be the first in the swimming class to try the new skills, and then Scott said that he heard her tell the instructor a few times, "I'm doing it! I'm such a big girl!" So glad she is self confident! Really, it is so exciting to know that she will be learning to swim WITHOUT relying on the swimmes/floatie things. I really need to find a way to sneak out of work for a few minutes to go watch her swim!

Life...

Well, to sum it about, life has been crazy at the Rose house...I haven't been great about blogging, lately (Wait, have I ever been even remotely good at keeping up with it?) - But, it really helps for our out of town family - that's pretty much ALL of the family - to keep in touch. So, I'll try to keep it to a minimum, and let you know what has been going on...

Maya - turned 1 on April 9th and took her first steps right around then. She really took off, and is now almost running. She loves to try to get up to the top of the steps before we even notice she is nowhere to be seen, and she really LOVES her big sisters toys, books, and sippy cups. Norah will be out of the room for about 5 seconds and Maya will have stopped what she was doing in order to get into Norah's stuff. Isn't that what sisters are for...??? Since the weather has warmed up down here, (around 100 degrees) we have started going to the pool again. Maya LOVES to swim. We will be holding her in the water and she will willingly stick her WHOLE face in or under the water. She tries to blow bubbles, but hasn't really gotten the concept, yet. So glad we have 2 kids that love the water!! Maya goes to Cindie's for daycare with Norah...I have the privilege of dropping her off in the mornings, and luckily, keeping my fingers crossed, she hasn't gone through that separation anxiety part yet. When we arrive, she literally squirms out of my arms to run and play with the other kids or with the toys Cindie has waiting for her. Such a huge relief to know she doesn't miss us all day!!

Norah - turned 5 on May 9. Amazing. That is one way I describe Norah - I love this age, though. She can be challenging- her sassiness might get her in trouble when she goes to school, but her desire to learn is wonderful. Every chance she gets, she is trying to sound out words to read or she is quizzing us on spelling. I hear both Scott and myself praising her for her efforts, and then when WE get a word spelled right, I hear us getting praised the exact same way. Oh, so much fun....School starts in Florence on July 20th. Yep, it is year round school, which is actually kind of nice. Seriously, what else are the kids going to do when it is 115 degrees for the 20th straight day?? The nice part is the 2 week break at the end of September, 3 week Christmas break, and 2 week spring break. Norah did kickball and T-Ball this spring, and tomorrow she starts swimming lessons! She has been relying heavily on her "swimmies"/floaties for swimming, & it's time to break away from them. I know she'll do fine, she will just have to gain some confidence. Shannen, one of our dear friends & babysitters, will be watching Norah and drving her to/from the lessons while Scott and I work.
Norah also goes to Cindie's on the days we both work. It is more like a preschool, as Norah is SOOO ready for Kindergarten. She brings home projects everyday - and talks about their letters of the day and reading/sight words. Lately, she has also been signing, because Cindie is also teaching them the signs for letters and some words. Young kids catch on so fast!! Not sure who is more excited for Norah to go to Kindergarten - me, or Norah!

I am still working full time (+) at the Detention Center. I am the Communicable and Infectious Disease Nurse - I'll just say it keeps me busy! Our place is full. We get around 100 new inmates every night, most coming in are from Mexico. They are coming from places where the health care system is lacking or even non-existent.
I am also going to school - I am in the LPN to RN program through Excelsior College, hoping to finish during the first part of 2011. It's hard with 2 small kids and a full time job, but will be worth it in the long run! Trying to also fit in some scrapbooking, quilting, and keeping up the blog....

Scott still works at the PD full time, too. He has talked about returning to school for his Bachelor's in some sort of criminal justice...not sure, there are so many options for him, though. Earlier this spring, he coached Norah's kickball team. He thoroughly loved it~ he was incredibly patient with all of the kids, some of whom this was their first time in any organized sports & had no knowledge of bases/kicking/running/etc... He also got his braces off in April, so his smiles are alot bigger and a lot more often!!

Hope this gives a quick overview of what we have been up to!!