First Day of Kindergarten

Silvia started Kindergarten this morning. The girls woke up at 5:30 all in a huff to get going right away. After breakfast (I made french toast in honor of the occasion. Cheerios from now on!), they put on their backpacks and danced around for the 40 minutes before it was time to leave for the bus. I had planned to drive them to school this morning so I could walk with Silvia to her class but she decided she wanted to just ride the bus with Anna instead. Rejection! It's probably for the best, though, in order to avoid having me wander the halls in tears as my baby girl leaves me behind. I tell you, these first days never get easier.

In order to avoid confusion for him, I woke up Jack to send the girls off on the bus. When he gets up and they're not around, he really worries. This way at least he got to wave bye and hand out kisses like free candy. From the pictures you can see that his major concern was having a backpack of his own. I grabbed an old bag off the close shelf and voila... big boy!

Happy first day to my 2nd grader and kindergartener (wow, that's a long word). Now off to try and fill Jack's time without his favorite playmates to distract him. I won't be the only one who finds it hard to let go.  

 

 

Flashback, Easter 2012

(I'm still trying to get caught up with everything that's happened this year. After some intense photo-induced-memory-therapy, I've recovered a lot of little things to hold on to. Out of order, but it still counts)

For Easter this year we had the wonderful surprise of a visit from Grandma. Since this also happened to coincide with my birthday, it was an extra special treat. Kurt and I were able to go out for a few date nights without going broke paying a babysitter and the kids got plenty of uninterrupted family time. The kids sparkled in their new Easter outfits from Grandma and spent the morning finding eggs in the front yard and the afternoon gorging on jelly beans. Jack made a fashion statement by wearing his Easter basket on his head for the next week or so.

For my birthday, Kurt got me a new bike, something I haven't had in more years than I care to count. It's purple (guess who helped pick it out!). I'm still hesitant riding after being so long with my feet planted firmly on the ground, but I love the thrill and speed-- makes me feel like a kid again.

Jack also got in on the thrill ride, literally. Kurt got him a baby seat that attaches to his bike so he can sit up in front of Kurt out on the road. To say he loves it doesn't come CLOSE to capturing the real emotion. He also got his own little bike helmet, which caused a bit of a kerfuffle later on in the day when he wanted to wear it everywhere and then NOT wear it and then have it and couldn't get it on and wanted it off, etc, etc, etc. A nice long nap (and then hiding the helmet) solved the problem.

Mom was only here for a few days but it was honestly one of the nicest visits we've had. The kids were calm and excited to have her to themselves with no distractions. They read lots of books together and told her very Long and Important Stories about their lives. Mom had brought along a little craft to make their own calendars, an activity that happily lasted long after her visit.