New Friend Prize Bags

So, you may remember two weeks ago, when Brady and Brynne had their first day of school at a new daycare. We've bounced around to a lot of daycares over the past four years, and after being on the wait list for two years, we finally got accepted to our #1 choice in the area. Unfortunately, while it has been going well for us as parents and for Brynne in her new class, my sweet, shy little Brady has been having some trouble making new friends. Apparently all of the kids in his new class have been together since they were infants, and they all know each other like siblings. Poor Brady has been the "new kid," and it has been tough for him.

Who knew 3 and 4 year-olds could be so cliquey?

After meeting with his teacher and doing everything we could think of to try to help him integrate into the class and make friends without much success, we decided to step out of the box and try something different. We wanted Brady to bring something to school to share with his new peers, so he could meet and interact with each child individually while introducing himself at the same time. We thought about sending in a favorite book he could "read" to the class, but he did not get excited about that idea. For this to work, we knew we had to do something that would really excite him as well as his class.

It must be the toddler's idea.
Always, the toddler's idea.

Next, we thought about sending treats, like a cupcake or a muffin (both Brady-approved faves). But this new school has a tough "outside foods" policy that we didn't want to challenge, so that idea was scrapped as well.

Then, my ever-so-brilliant paralegal had an idea.

"What about sending a "party favor bag" for each child? Wouldn't Brady enjoy picking out the prizes and handing them out?" she said.

I thought about it for a moment.

It was PERFECT. Brady LOVES prizes. He loves to buy prizes, he loves to get prizes, he loves to give prizes. He is always anxious and excited to discover new things and see how they work. He responds so well to the thought of finding a new prize, that he was potty-trained in what seemed like a single moment using simply a bag of tiny prizes purchased at the dollar store as the incentive.

No one loves tiny plastic toys more than this kid.
We keep local junk stores in business.

So yesterday evening after dinner, off to the Party City party favor aisle we ventured.

Brady ran around Party City like it was the single most exciting place he had ever been. He only picked one tiny prize for himself, but for his "new friends" he selected Mickey Mouse stampers, Bubble Guppies stickers, a rainbow slinky, and PAW Patrol tattoos. As soon as we got home from the store, he and his sister had a ton of fun filling up 20 small orange bags, one for each new friend in his class.

Nobody makes friends like The Mouse.
Nobody.

The bag-filling begins!

The focus was intense.
Such rarity can only indicate success.

Sister climbed up to help.
My little crazy-haired lady.
Mommy is sorry for passing down the frizz!

Careful examination of a PAW Patrol tattoo, while Big Bro explains they are "just for friends, not for us."
At this point she is evaluating whether or not SHE wants to keep it.
AKA, whether it's worth a tantrum over.
Mercifully, she decided in the negative.
(Our ears were particularly grateful.)

We also included in each bag a little paper "card" introducing Brady, so all the new friends would remember him.

High-fives for a job well done!
I see you back there, Brad.
The Always Lurking Dog.

To our amazement and elation, this little experiment WORKED! Brady was so proud when all the prize bags were filled, that instead of crying himself to sleep last night because he didn't want to go to school anymore (a frequency of late), he actually went to bed not only happy, but excited for school today!

Fellow toddler parents understand the enormity of this improvement.

Although he did have a moment of panic when we walked into his class this morning (the noise level always makes him anxious), the rest of the morning went extremely well for him. From the moment he woke up, Brady could not wait to hand out his prize bags to his "friends." He babbled happily the whole way there in the car about which friends would like which prizes. He was so excited to hand them out, that he started tearing them out of the bag as soon as he got to the breakfast table in his classroom!

Although I can't really know for sure at this point, I am optimistic that he will have a great day. There were no tears after he gave me a second kiss when I walked out the door this morning, which is an excellent sign and totally makes the money spent on this little experiment worth every cent already.

All the mommies and the daddies out there who have experienced the "sad daycare drop-off" say "hey!"

This is definitely something worth trying out if you find yourself in a similar parenting situation. Nothing breaks the ice anywhere like gift-giving!

Don't forget to PIN it!

The Frozen Party

As you know from earlier this week, my Little Lady Love turned 2 this past "Twos-day" (sorry, couldn't help it), and so we celebrated! Her party was originally supposed on to be on Sunday, but alas, Mommy came down with a (what could only be described as violent) stomach flu last weekend, and so some rescheduling was necessary. Since Twos-day was her real birthday anyway, no matter, no mind!

When sitting down to plan this party, there was only one option, and that was FROZEN. At the time, we were singing the songs, watching the movie, and playing with the toys CONSTANTLY (that obsession has since turned to Tangled, but Frozen colors matched my dining room better I digress). Hence, we went Frozen-crazy this week for our sweet Brynnie-doll (she would have it no other way!)...

Cake pops for "friends at school" courtesy of Jenny's Cakes and Baked Goods.
They tasted even better than they looked (or so I found out when I stole a piece from Brynne heard).


 

Baby's First Egg Paint

Since I was off on Good Friday, I thought it would be the perfect time to introduce "the tods" (as I call them) to the good old fashioned art of Easter egg painting. I had especially been looking forward to it this year, as Brady is finally old enough to understand it (to an extent), and he LOVES art projects. As I was boiling the eggs and preparing the paint cups, the anticipation was growing! I squared him away in a makeshift smock (a garbage bag with arm and head holes), and so it began...


"Ok Mom, what's the deal here?"

Day Out With Thomas

Another week, another exhausted Mommy, another lack of blog posts. Brady is sick again, it's been a rough two months for him. Unsurprisingly, another ear infection hit his already-sore ears at the end of last week and brought with it yet another high fever, so our planned excursion to Day Out With Thomas with "Gah" and "Puh-Puh" Lewis didn't go as well as we'd hoped. We pumped him full of antibiotics and baby advil, but he was still tired and grouchy. He really enjoyed being on the train though, and the stop in the Thomas toy shop at the end was a hit too. Since I was a busy Mommy managing two babies in a crowded public setting, I didn't get a chance to take too many pictures. I only have two hands, after all, and Miss Brynne likes to take control of those. However, here's a photo dump of the ones I got....

Walking in. "Where's Thomas???"

We found Percy, but my poor guy was a little scared.

Waiting in line to ride Thomas!

"Look at all those trains!"

Made it on board...

Anyone that knows Brady knows this is not a normal occurrence. Darned ears!

Once the train started to move he started to have fun!

Baby sister loved it too. She hung her head out the window like a puppy-dog in a car!



Side view of Thomas. Front shots were nearly impossible to get without waiting in the long line (long story...).

Waiting to get a picture with Thomas that never happened. He pulled away before we got up to the front!

"Wanna ride this little orange train?"

Not so sure about it.

Having fun walking to the toy shop.

The ride home, hugging Percy and Diesel. We finally found them!

Later that night after more baby advil. Feeling good enough to try on his very adorable Thomas hat!

 

 It was a fun experience, but my poor little guy would've had more fun if it weren't for his pesky ears. Oh well, there's always next year! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Lewis for a fun day and ALL the Thomas toys! He's been loving them all week!