Azure corrects her Teacher

On the first day of school, I noticed when I picked Azure up from class that her teacher called her Ay-zure. She used a long "A" instead of a short one, like the A in Apple. On the way home, I asked her if her teacher had gotten her name wrong. She said "Yes, but my name isn't Ay-zure."
I told her, " Well you need to tell your teacher that your name is Azure. But say it nicely." I didn't think about it again until I dropped her off. I reminded her that it was okay to tell the teacher how to say her name in case the teacher got it wrong. She nodded, but didn't say anything.
When I picked her up from class today, I hear the teacher say, "Your mom is here, Azure. Have a good day!" As soon as we got to the car, I asked her what she had told her teacher. She said, " She said Ay-zure and I said, no that's not my name. My name is Azure."
I asked her if her teacher said anything else and she said, "No, but my name is Azure now."
I am so proud of her to have the courage to step up and say something to her teacher. Usually, I am the one who does the talking for her and telling people how her name is pronounced, but this time I wanted her to do it herself. I don't want her to be afraid to speak up or to always depend on me to do things for her. So far, school has been a learning experience for both of us, and I'm really noticing how grown up she really is!

Azure's first day of Pre-school

Today Azure went to her first day of preschool. I had gone to the store the night before to buy her a fisrt day of school outfit. It was something my parents had always done and I wanted her to feel special with a new outfit. Tania met me at Target and we settled on a cute dress.Azure was awake at 5 am. She couldn't sleep so I let her lay with me in bed and hoped that she would fall asleep. She tossed and turned for about an hour before falling asleep. I had to go and wake her at 8 am so she wouldn't be late for school. She was so excited to see her pretty new dress and only ate about half of her breakfast before she wanted to put it on and get ready. She told me she wanted her hair pulled back and wear a pink hair clip.When we got to the school, I let her out of her seat and she immediately said "Bye Mom!" and started to walk away. I had to tell her that I needed to walk her to the door. She was a big help and held Claire's hand and her emergency kit. We were a little early and we were able to watch other kids come around. On the table next to her class there were name tag necklaces with all the kids names on it. We found hers, and she was happy to wear it.





The teacher, Miss Jackey, came to open the door and smiled really big. Azure was the first to walk right in without hesitating. She handed over her emergency kit and I gave the snack and picture to her teacher and followed her straight to a little play castle. She had seen it at orientation the week before and wanted to play with it so badly. It was on a table so she went straight to play with it. She saw me still standing there and she said, " Bye Mom, get out!" I was so surprised that she just wanted me to leave her so quickly. I told her to give me and Claire a kiss which she did. And then she said "You have to leave now." And she went back to playing. A little saddened by her actions, I turned and walked out. The teacher told me it was a good thing, that at least she wasn't crying. I had to agree.
As I drove home, I shed a few tears, not because my child was in school, but because I was a little sad that she dismissed me so quickly. But I was over it when I got home and noticed how quiet it was.

Claire had a hard morning. She walked from room to room looking for Azure and sometimes crying. She didn't have anyone to play with and she missed her sister. She was really happy when it was time to pick her up. We had gotten there a few minutes early and she cried because they wouldn't open the door fast enough for her to get to her sister.

Azure made a new friend named Sophia. Miss Jackey said that they became friends fast and played with each other all morning. They were even able to sit next to each other at the table when it was time to be picked up. She was excited to show me her calendar and can't wait until she goes back on Thursday.

I'm so proud of her. She really was ready for school and I'm glad that she is able to go. She has looked forward to this day for a long time. It saddens me that she is even old enough for this. It seems like it passed too quickly for me. I can't wait to see what she learns this year at school!

Skype

I am having a lot of fun with Skype. It's is the best invention ever for keeping in touch with those of my friends across the universe. I'm really excited that I'll be able to keep in touch with Katie and MAry since I'm stuck here in Cali without them. Miss you already.

4th of July

I was looking back at my blog and realized that I never shared about our 4th of July. Even though we did the same old thing, we had a lot of fun doing it. It was Allison's first 4th of July so it was special.
We went to the Dye's house for breakfast before the parade started. They live right on the parade route and were kind to invite us to their home to watch the parade after breakfast. Azure and Claire were really excited because they got the chance to ride on Papa and Mamie's wagon to the house. They love to sit in it and many people we passed thought they were so cute in their matching red white and blue outfits. They looked so patriotic! After a nice quiche breakfast we waited and listened for the sirens that start the parade. They were soft at first, but they got louder. When they got close to us, the fire trucks let off a big sound and it made Allison cry and Claire started to cry. They had such sad little faces!
After all the loud trucks and cars and motorcycles went by, we were able to settle down and watch the rest of the parade. We were waiting for Mamie to walk by so we could cheer her on. She was in the parade representing her work- The University of La Verne. She held on to some special candy for the girls. Azure was able to get some candy and she was happy. Azure's favorite was the horses. She always loves the horses. I'm pretty sure Claire didn't care about anything. She was pretty tired and close to her nap time by the end. After the parade, we pulled the girls back on the wagon.
Later that night, we took Azure and Claire to the local park and watched the fireworks. Fernando and I each took a child and covered her ears. Claire loved the bright lights and clapped. Azure wouldn't even open her eyes to look, she was so scared. I was disappointed because she loved them the year before. But she has a fear of loud sounds.
The 4th of July is one of my favorite Holidays. It is a special day to recognize the freedom in this country and the people who are fighting for it. I have many friends who are in the Military Service and I tear up knowing that they are putting their lives on the line for me and my kids. Just because of them I know that my kids will have a better life in a free country that they will be able to voice their opinions and not be punished, that they can take a stand in their beliefs and morals, that they can get an education wherever they want and whatever they want. I am proud to be an American. And from the bottom of my heart I thank all those who dedicate their lives to this country so that I can have that freedom.

My Girls

Today I set up the backdrop and took pictures of the girls in their tutu's. At first they weren't interested in taking pictures, they just wanted to play. After a while I was able to get a few good pictures of them being happy together. It is a rare moment to see them loving each other and it always melts my heart when I get the chance to see them as friends.

Cranky Pants

I've learned that three year olds are good at not listening and talking back... a lot. But sometimes, they say something that is a bit humorous and you just have to laugh. And that is why Azureisms were created. Here is Azure's latest one.

Today Claire was being super whiny. I said to her " Claire are you being a cranky pants?" And after a moment, Azure said, " No she's being a cranky in your pants!"

Things that happened at comic-con I've learned from

I had a great time at Comic-con. It was a last minute trip since we had to buy tickets off Ebay the day before and it turned into an expensive event. But I'm very glad that mom and I went. We took Azure and Claire also which was a pain, but we survived. here are some of the hi lights.

My Dad is a saint. He drove out with us wednesday night so that we could register in the morning. He had to register for my mom because the badge was in his name because it was his pay pal account that paid for the ticket and it was too late to make the change to my mom's name. No exceptions. So he drove with us two hours, stood in the line, registered, gave mom the badge, and drove back two hours to go to work. I love you dad. seriously. best dad ever.

Comic-con is all about lines. You wait in a line to register. You wait in a line to get into the panels. You wait in lines to get to participate in certain exhibits. You wait in lines to win a chance to get autographs. And if you win that chance, you wait in a line to get that autograph. It's all about the lines.

If there is a panel that involves the cast of Twilight, be prepared to not get a seat unless you are there two panels before hand. And if you are wearing anything twilight you will get nasty comments by geeks who think you don't belong there and neither does twilight. Also, if you are a woman, forget about making a trip to the bathroom inside Hall H because the line is just as long to get in it as it was outside to get in the hall.
And if you are a in the New Moon panel be forewarned that you will be deaf and hoarse the rest of the day from all the screaming you will do as well as the other 6,000 people in there.

The panels in the order we saw them.
Disney 3-d showcase: A Christmas Carol, Alice in Wonderland, Tron ( all in 3-d)
We were shown clips of each and the directors and some of the cast from each were there. Yes, Johnny Depp was there. Unfortunately, I stepped out with the girls for two minutes in which he appeared and left.
Another 3-d showcase: Cloudy with a chance of meatballs, The Hole, Final Destination. Let me just say that the last two were spent covering the ears and eyes of my kids as they were freaky and scary and I didn't like them. Also, cast and directors were present for a brief introduction.
Summit Panel: Astro Boy, Sorority Row, New Moon. Astro Boy looks really cool. I will NOT see Sorority Row.
If anyone questions whether New Moon is going to be better that Twilight, it will be. Hands down, a bajillion times better. I'm serious. And I LIKED the first one. If the clips are still out, find them on youtube. There are two. The first scene is of Bella and Jacob and the motorcycles and the second scene is Alice and Bella in Italy. In this movie Jacob and Edward both take of their shirts and they have both been working out. OMG.
The director Chris Weitz is a goofball. He is just like a kid. And he enjoyed giving us one extra scene. It was like watching a kids open a present on Christmas morning. His face was lit up and he relished the screaming. I heard he walked around the con unprotected too. The cast, Rob, Taylor, Kristen, and Ashley. AWESOME!

Geeks are apparently not cool enough to wear deodorant. I'm serious. A lot of them smell. And the ones in costumes( the geeky kids that dress up, not the professional ones- there is a difference) smell and sweat even worse. And in crowds like that- whoa.

I-honest to goodness- saw a guy that was probably mid thirties, total geek, dragging his mom around and having an argument with her. Okay, I realize that I was with my mom at Comic-con so I was probably just as bad, but he was seriously arguing with her about the lines. And she was just letting him talk to her like that. weird. Some people just have no life. He looked like he didn't have one either.

If Batman were real I think he'd be just like the one we met at Comic-con. We met him the first day and I took a picture with him while holding Claire. He asked me what her name was and said that she had such a pretty smile and that she must be a good baby. Thinking it was kinda weird coming from a man in a bat suit, I didn't think anything of it. Day two we ran into him again only this time it was mom and Azure who needed a picture. And while the crowd was pushing to get into a picture with him, he put his hands up and stopped them all, walked over and picked up Azure and gave her a hug. Catwoman( who was posing with him) got a kick out of it. He just held onto her and Azure( surprisingly) held on real tight and didn't let go. Just put her head on his shoulder and held on tight. It was really sweet. Batman asked mom if Azure was hers and mom pointed me out. He came and told me that my daughter was precious and that she had a good heart. He really liked her. Azure loves Batman. She is still saying it. Then he asked if he had to give her back. Azure was kinda sad about it, but we left him to greet the crowds. I think maybe 100 people have a picture of Azure hugging Batman.

Food at Comic-con is expensive and crap. It was $2.75 for a can of soda. I'm not kidding you. A small pizza was 8.50. And it was terrible and lukewarm and tasteless. Bring your own food and water. the fountains aren't any better.

We met Charlaine Harris. She is the author of the True Blood Series. She is nice and has a southern accent. She said that we were brave for bringing kids with us. Maybe we are just crazy. We had to win a drawing to see her, but mom had to go through the line 3 times before drawing a winning ticket. I got it the first time because Azure picked for me and she looked in the bag. It was cheating, but I took it anyway.

If you want to see a lifesize lego version of Spongebob or Buzz lightyear go to comic con.

If you want to get vouchers for the Summit Booth without standing in line, make the guy thats holding the "Line is closed" sign feel really stupid and have your mom give him a sob story about how frustrating it is to always be told that they don't know anything and to come back later and while we are dragging around two small children. You'll get passes real quick. I probably should have apologized after that but he was kinda ignorant and stupid until I made him feel stupid and mom saved the day.

Know that your kids will not get naps and will get cranky after snacking on goldfish crackers all day.

People who ride bikes with trailers on the back will escort you to and from your car- for a fee. And the later in the day, the more it will cost. It beats walking like ten blocks. But if you don't get to Comic-con early enough for decent parking, you will pay 25 dollars to park half a mile away. And don't trust anyone to know directions to where you want to go. You will get lost.

Anyway, that was Comic-con for me. I'll post pics soon!

resting after the New Moon Panel( apples were $2.50)