Pizza dough and a progress report

Friday night is pizza night. Either Bob picks one up, or I make one. Actually, I make 3 - we each get our own. Normally Parker is occupied when I'm making pizza, but this time she helped. She rolled out her own dough....over and over and over again, and eventually cut out shapes using a cookie cutter. With some help, she also added the canadian bacon and "topping" (she won't eat cheese if she knows what it is). I guess the little shapes tasted the best because she ate those first.

Today was her last day of 3 year old preschool. I think the teacher was a little sad saying goodbye to everyone...she had a really nice group of kids this year, and Parker has loved every minute of school. I can recall only 1 time when I had to coax her to go....and I think she wound up throwing up in the car on the way there. Last week she got her final progress report - here are her latest skills:

MASTERED SKILLS:
1. Makes plans with three or more details
2. identifies the beginning letter or sound of a word
3. writes a string of letters and asks to have them read
4. arranges objects in a series
5. recognizes a written word

EMERGING SKILLS:
1. Offering a solution to a conflict
2. arranging objects in a graduated series
3. counting two groups of objects and saying which one has more

SUGGESTIONS FOR HOME:
Parker spends a lot of time role playing. Puppets would promote her imagination, creativity and language skills.

None of those were really ground breaking news to me. The other day she spelled 'job' aloud by sounding it out, so she's getting pretty reading ready. She likes to be read to, but isn't terribly interested in any of the early reading books (Bob Books) I have for her. She has to do it all on her own terms, I guess. As for the suggestions for home, I think I'll pass on doing any more puppeteering than I already do. I'm not sure I can handle her having any more imagination or language skills.

Fun full family weekend

We had a nice full weekend at home. Parker is detoxing from being the center of attention last week at her grandparents house, so we've endured a lot of whining and fits, but I think maybe she's past it.
We planted a TON of annuals in the front flower beds...the usual zinnias and some verbena. I got Parker some sidewalk paint, and she painted and experimented with mixing colors. It's pretty cool stuff, and it kept her amused for several minutes.

Throwing a fit in the yard.....isn't she pitiful?

After nap, she finally came around and was in a pretty pleasant mood.
This evening after all the work was done, Bob turned the sprinklers on for Parker to run through while I assembled dinner.

She was pretty cold afterward.....here she is all bundled up eating dinner. She's eating a ciabatta roll in this picture. She got a kick out of the name.

As part our quest for a pleasant dinner time, we've started taking turns talking about the favorite part of our day. Tonight Parker said her favorite thing of the whole day was,
"Right now, eating this nice dinner". I'd believe her had ~I~not said the exact same thing last night. She realized that was a nice thing to say, and so she's using it now because she knows we'll say "awww, how sweet". Prior to this, her favorite canned phrase was to say:
"....and I put a heart on it....because I love you"
- a line she stole from her aunt Paula, and has gotten a lot of mileage out of.

Our lovely dinner - bbq chicken sandwiches (mine w/ mustard too) and quinoa/cucumber/tomato/chickpea salad and a tasty chardonnay (the brown thing is a rock).
A nice end to a nice weekend. Awwww, how sweet!