Friday, September 3, 2010

A-B-see what i got!

was that too cheesy? sorry, i couldn't think of anything funny, so i resorted to something punny. bahahaha! okay, i'll stop.

four years ago, i went through reading recovery training...it was a great year of growing as a teacher. i was challenged in my thinking and loved all the new learning. but what was even greater was that i got to make some friendships that have continued throughout these last four years.

alexa, elizabeth, haemin and i have tried to meet up at least twice a year to catch up. it's been so fun to see all the life changes we've been through. alexa got married after our first year, haemin and elizabeth BOTH had twins, then 11 months later, haemin welcomed her third little one! phew!

these ladies were so sweet and threw a mini shower for me to help prepare for choi boy's arrival. we met up for some yummy dinner and pretty much closed the restaurant down as we talked and talked and talked. love catch up dinners!

i also got some awesome presents! haemin and elizabeth have a combined total of 5 kids under 3, so they are very well versed on what toddlers need. check out some of the essentials they gave me:

i'm pretty certain this will be one of my bibles during the next few years.
of course, eating accessories ;) i love this sippy cup strap -- ingenious!

and my favorite gifts:
how cute is this set?! LOVE the old school handwriting print. i would expect nothing less from a group of reading teachers! (now do you see why the title of this post makes sense? kinda?)
and look at these awesome books that alexa chose! if you haven't discovered him already, RUN to the library or bookstore and pick up every single mo willems book you find -- he is a genius and sure to be the most acclaimed children's writer of this generation. mark my words. my kindergartners LOVE his books and they are hilarious for adults, too! and of course, sandra boynton is amazing as well. but not the hippopotamus? a work of genius, i tell you.

love, love, LOVE all this loot and LOVE my RR ladies!

21 comments:

  1. Awesome loot! We love Sandra Boynton, but have not yet enjoyed Mo Willems. Those are up next!

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  2. Yay for good friends and your mini shower! I love Toddler 411 and look something up in there at least once a week. :) Totally agree on the Sandra Boynton too. I used to read her books to my nieces so I had to have them for Noah. My new faves are the Pookie books. Gotta love that little pig. :) I've never heard of Mo Willems. I am headed on over to Amazon right now to add them to Noah's wish list. :)

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  3. i was listening to this the other day and thought of you... if you ever have time to listen or read the book by Scott Simon! :) http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2010/08/30/in-praise-of-adoption/

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  4. Way fun stuff and what great friends!! Briar loved those flip-straw sippy cups for a long time, but then she discovered one day that the plastic of the straws is nice and squishy and the perfect texture to GNAW on whilst teething!!! I gotta check out those books for B!

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  5. I have that toddler 411 book, and it is AWESOME! I even carry it in my purse!

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  6. Such cute things - I love the alphabet print gifts! Sandra Boyton is one of my favorite authors - and "But Not the Hippopotamus" is my favorite book of hers! :) I haven't read the toddler 411 book, might need to check it out. ;)

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  7. So nice to have such wonderful friends like these!!! What sweet gifts you got! I'm going to have to add the Toddler 411 book for our book collection.

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  8. Such great things! What a great group of friends. We use those snack traps daily (always at least one with us all the time...with some toddler-friendly snack inside). We also have lots of Sandra Boynton books, but I'll have to look into the books by the other author. Thanks for the tips.

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  9. What great gifts! Will have to look into Mo Willems!

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  10. You have a great group of friends and I love all the gifts!

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  11. So awesome! I have not heard about Toddler 411 but now I think I need to go investigate it. We LOVE Sandra Boynton over here - have almost all her books and Max LOVES them. Also, we have Mo Willem's Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late, and Don't Let the Pigeon Eat a Hot Dog. Jon's colleague gave them to us as a gift and they are a HOOT. As a bonus, Max likes them too but Jon and I are seriously in love with the pigeon books :)

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  12. OK - I *need* that Toddler 411 book. NEED. IT. Now I feel like I need to video Spencer reading Boynton, just for you. ;-) (I love Willem as well, but S, ahem, does not. Yet. Although he may like that sheep book...hmmm...)

    What a great group of friends you have! It's amazing the outpouring of love and support bestowed upon you during this very special time in your life... no?!

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  13. Loved your post Grace!!! Especially the title. :) What a fun night--I am so grateful for your friendship and can't wait for Carson to arrive!

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  14. what great friends you have. i will have to check out those books. i checked out some children's adoption books, i really liked "The Red Thread" It was so cute.

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  15. Oooh. Those books look awesome and love love love the ABC dishes!

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  16. I love the pic of you and your friends :)
    I think I have to get that toddler 411 book! We love the Pigeon books around here. It's funny, cuz it's jut a pigeon talking, but kids love it. Ok, maybe it is funny.

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  17. What a great group of friends! I LOVE the abc plate and silverware. We love Sandra Boynton, too, but haven't read any of Willems. We'll have to now! And I definitely need that Toddler 411 book--desperately! ;)

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  18. You will also LOVE that snack cup! We use our daily - fabulous. I also just saw that snack bag in a magazine and thought this is so cool - lucky lucky girl!
    What great friends :)

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  19. Oh yeah - and I LOVE Mo Willems! I am such a HUGE fan of the pigeon books - I'm always laughing out loud when I read them. Alex doesn't seem to get them yet - nor does my hubby - but I don't care. LOVE them. You should also try Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt - fabulous.

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  20. What a great group of friends! I L-O-V-E Mo Willems!!! I agree that parents should have every book that he has published:-) I just brought the exact same sippy with straw and snack catcher at T*rget yesterday:-) The snack catcher is an amazing invention - it keeps a toddler entertained for a great length of time! Where did your friends find the old school plate and utensils? I really want a set!

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  21. What sweet friends/colleagues! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the lunch set. So cute!

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