My Sunshine Girl

I know this one is blurry, but I still love it so much :)

Shelby's First Pony

Ponytail that is. I finally started sending Shelby to school with a ponytail. It was about time to do something with that wild fluffy chicken hair. One of the teachers at school pulled it back one day so when I picked her up, she looked darling and I decided that is she could do it, so could I.

No, it's not perfect. I never had little sisters around to practice on, so I have a long ways to go in the hair department. You have to start somewhere, right? If you ask me, it's still pretty darn cute.

She is such a little blondie now! I love it!

Toddler Daily Report

Before we even pull out of the parking lot, and often before I leave the 4-walls of the school - I pull out Shelby's "Toddler Daily Report." The nice lady who has been taking care of Shelby for the last several months has been very good about leaving sweet, informative little notes. For the longest time, I was throwing them away, but then I started to save some of my favorites. This is an example of a full report:

Of course I am interested in naps, diapers and snacks, but my favorite section is the "Teacher's Comments." Here are a few recent notes sent home...

*English is the teacher's second language, so these are direct transcripts :)

6.11.13
Shelby had a good time communicating with her friends. She knows how to say "no, sit, hi, yellow, amen and mine." She loved to listen to the story.

6.14.13
Shelby had a great time with the water. She loved to catch the water (sprinklers). She also loved to splash the water in the green round tub filled with water. She had an enjoyable day. Every Friday this summer is water day.

6.17.13
Shelby was having a great time sliding outside. She is such a good climber. She also loved to join the conversation between her friends and teachers. She is a smart girl.

6.18.13
Shelby is so curious today. She opened everything she sees. She loved to play with her blanket. She is the leader of the band.

I am pretty certain the notes get less and less specific as she advances to the other class/programs, so I really cherish these sweet notes from the day. I am proud my Shelby Pie is "the leader of the band!"

Catch Me If You Can

New Beginnings     

         

On Monday I start a new job with ITG (International Gaming Technologies). Located just one exit up the road from my current office, they are the world’s largest manufacturer of gaming technology. They are a public company, headquartered here in Las Vegas with 65 offices around the globe. It’s a big job.

I am both excited and anxious. - excited because it’s a golden opportunity and well, new is exciting. I’m anxious because I am not the only one to consider anymore. This is my first job change since Shelby, so the unknown is always a little un-nerving. 

This is a true story….when I was a kid my Dad used to tell us a lot of stories. One of the stories I vividly remember was of the “Fraidy Frogs,” who were so afraid of everything, they just did nothing and hung out on their lillipads and missed all the fun. Throughout my life I have had an internal mantra “Don’t be a fraidy frog.” Well, the night before I had to make my decision on my job I was up all night, all which was running through my mind was “Michelle, you can’t be a fraidy frog.” So thanks Dad – I start Monday!

The position is still in public relations, the same field I have been in for nearly a decade. I will have some domestic and International travel, but assuming it is limited to the 20% I was promised, I think the travel will be a nice change of pace. IGT has a sterling reputation for treating employees well and for a lot of “fringe benefits.”

With beginnings, comes an end. Tomorrow is my last day at SK+G Public Relations. I was here for almost exactly 2.5 years during which I worked with a diverse line up of clients. We have had a lot of fun here and I am forever grateful for my boss and her compassion for me transitioning into my roll as a working mom. She was more than fabulous since day 1.  This has been a nice departure from the casino world. And although my new job is gaming-focused, they afford much better life-balance than the casino world.

Here are some fun times/memories from SK+G.

On with the adventure!

Splash Pad Fun

When it gets sizzling hot here in Vegas, families do just about anything and everything to keep cool. A new water park, Wet & Wild, recently opened up across town, but A) I have heard it's crazy overcrowded  B) Shelby is far too tiny to have fun and would likely get run over C) $$$. So, a nice Las Vegas/Henderson alternative is the Splash Pad.

These free outdoor parks are open seasonally and offer the equivalent of an over-the-top "running through the sprinkler" experience. Since Shelby loves the water, I thought it was time to check one out. She was not enamored with the situation immediately. Despite it being 103 out, the water was pretty cold and with the right breeze, it actually got chilly. Once she warmed up to the whole situation, we had a good time though. Some of the water features were too intense for her, but there was plenty going on to have a great time!

The park we went to was close to our house, but WAY up on a hill in a residential area.  I had only driven by it before this weekend, but thought it was off the beaten path enough that it would not be packed and that was exactly the case. We had the place to ourselves. After we ran around the splash pad, we played in the covered play ground. Shelby is quite the monkey.

Little Miss Personality

Shelby's personality is really starting to shine. She is so much fun and always the life of the party. She is becoming very expressive, strong willed and entertaining. Her smile is very infectious because it's often coupled with a snort or her head thrown back in joy.

Here are a few fun things about Shelby's age and stage....

Her go-to words include: Mom, Dad, Duck, Bottle, Dog, No, Shoe, Nigh-Nigh, Hi, Bye, Milk, Foot, Ball, Book and Sit. She has said a bunch of other words though here and there.....tree, up, uh-oh, yellow, and many more words I am sure I am forgetting.

She loves to mimic sounds and facial expressions, especially when she plays with Jack

She has her special stuffed animal that she has grown rather attached to. It's the pink/white zebra that she has had since day one. She has to sleep with that each night; normally tucking it beneath her when she falls asleep on her tummy.

She understands far more than she can say. I can tell her to "go get old McDonald" or "go get mama the pig" and she can do it. I love it when she masters a new one. Her current favorite toy is a ball (ya!).

Loves the pool, spaghetti, bath time, sucking on a wet wash cloth, sharing her food, pulling her wipes out of the warmer (one by one!), drinking from cups that are not hers and the smell of Boogie Wipes.

Hates getting her nose wipes, nails trimmed, attention anywhere but on her, being left alone too long, anything that is too hot/cold, mushy things like bananas and avocados.

Here is a look at a typical Saturday afternoon in the Schenk house. Enjoy.