Wednesday, August 28, 2013

.....Kindergarten......

.....you hear that Kindergarten is a big deal as you watch your friends go through the first day of school with their children......you see cameras and posts on facebook and happy children (and not so happy children) beaming or balling as their picture is posted all over the social media networks......but, like anything in parenting, you really just don't get it until you go through it yourself......and in the case of Kindergarten, there are so many emotions that accompany this milestone that I find it hard to articulate when also battling my pregnancy hormones as well......


DISCLAIMER: for the record, the bulge coming out of my left breast is actually the bouncy ball that Brody kept throwing around at the breakfast table. I snatched it up and stuck it there after two requests for him to put it in his lap and walked around with it like that until I showered that evening. I won't even type here what it looks like, but I had to point out that it isn't what it really looks like. 
Moving on.....

....our girl had nerves kicking, of course, but she was thrilled and giddy and full of enthusiasm......especially after Monday when we met her teacher, her classmates and toured her classroom......even through pictures, it is apparent to see that she became calmer and more self assured as she learned more about what this next monumental year would hold in store for her.....






....since siblings were not allowed on Monday, Elsie and I took advantage of our sitter and spent a few hours at the mall after Stefan caught the train to Manhattan.....she needed shoes, so we spent many moments trying on different styles and trends.......we went to the coffee shop, we picked out scented hand sanitizers to hang from her backpack and snagged a few sequined tank tops since she is enamored with bling these days.....

.....we shopped, we talked, and she asked a lot of questions.....it was a perfect way for us to spend our last afternoon together before she headed to her first day of real school and it was an emotional afternoon for me......


.....so many thoughts filtered in and out of my mind as I kept acknowledging that this would be our last afternoon together for a long time; outside of holidays, snow days, week vacations off school or summer.......this was it......our time together would soon be making a big adjustment......and with that thought, the stream of consciousness changed to, did I do enough?.....were our days at home together spent so that we savored all of the good times we had to be lazy and leisurely?......did I make the most of it?.....would I have changed anything knowing this day would come so quickly?......flashes of her precious baby face flashed at me all afternoon.......those moments that I captured between the pages of my mental memory book back when Kindergarten felt like light years away......

.....and suddenly, here we were.....

......she ran to school ahead of us on Tuesday......I struggled to keep up with her pace, but she was practically sprinting.......


.....and my momma instincts took over when sweet Callie sobbed at the thought of her sister being gone all day.....no longer was it my own tears to hold back, but it was giving Callie and Elsie the encouraging smile, telling them both how much I love their sisterhood and that there are times when sisters need to fly on their own......



.....after the first day of being walked by her family to and from school, she assertively suggested that it was time to take the bus......and so it was excitement for her and nerves for me......


.....call me a helicopter momma, but as soon as that bus took off from our corner, I had Brody and Callie strapped in the car so fast and we followed that bus.....and we were there to greet her at school and take pictures and ask her all kinds of questions about what took place during the 6 minutes that she was away from us......




.....our fifth grade neighbors have been such a blessing and they made sure that Elsie had a great first ride.....their mommas are doing something right because these sweet 11 year olds have showered my oldest with more love and attention than I could have ever hoped for......


.....and that, my friends, is how half of our first week has panned out......better than expected and more emotional that I could have ever imagined......

....the days are long, but the years are short.....

.....I am lovin' on my babies a little harder this week, even when they are making my day extremely long......


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....back to school also gives me the opportunity to welcome back a sponsor of this blog, Stuck on You......they feature a wide variety of personalized products; but this week, Elsie has been loving her new lunch box......





....Brody and Callie will be starting their routine again soon, so we have some great Stuck on You products to help us prepare for nursery school, too......


.....Brody will be venturing off, just as his sisters did a few years ago and again, I am reminded at how the clock ticks faster as each year passes......

.....stay tuned for a giveaway from Stuck on You....you won't want to miss out on a chance to try some of their amazing back to school products......

.....in the meantime, I have school lunches to pack.....

.....happy back to school.....


Saturday, August 24, 2013

.....18 day hiatus.....

....well I certainly did not mean to be away from this blog for so long, but after two weeks of a full house, we moved right into Stefan's staycation......every night, we would enjoy dinner together if we had not eaten with the kids and would cozy up on the couch for a movie or sit together in our newly furnished three season room and devour our books......other nights we watched the sun set from our cozy backyard and made more plans for future house projects or simply enjoyed easy conversation that comes with almost nine years of marriage......


.....and his beard makes him look so yummy that I have begged him to keep it one more day before shaving and heading back to corporate America on Monday......

......I could not.....did not want to pull myself away from him at night time after the kids were asleep......so, blog, you took a back seat......

.....it has been so good to have him around the house and I fought the urge to give him too many honey dos, but I could not resist completely.......


.....agh....the wallpaper project......

....more on that to come......

.....we took a week at home and then we drove out to Long Island and rented a beach house for the second week.....it was our first family only vacation since Elsie was 9 months old.....our trips during the year are usually full of planes, rental cars and lots of family........and although we missed making trips to our home states this summer, we also learned the value of spending time with our children on our own turf......





.....I also learned that as a momma running the household along with carpooling the kids, making meals, cleaning up the house, folding laundry and all of the other minor tasks that end up to being a full days' work of being a stay at home mom, I needed the off time with my children too......sure there were still diapers to change and messes to wipe up, but we had no schedule......we were all together......and there was a relaxed vibe that isn't present in normal day life........it isn't present during trips to faraway places, either.....it is just the ability to be still, to watch a little more closely, listen a bit more intently......






......we were able to share moments with one another as an intimate little family of five and I truly cherished and savored the time we had to close out our summer......I feel like in between my moments of reading a book, rocking in a hammock or swimming with the kids in the middle of the day; I could really watch and observe them.....meals were easy, bedtimes were not set and we let the day's activities lead us instead of letting a routine take charge......

.......I saw many sweet moments of how they interact with each other and with us.......I took the time to examine every detail about what makes them unique.......I watched them sleep, noticed more of life's moments that make them laugh and stretched out every conversation with each of them......







.....we enjoyed the beauty of our surroundings whether it was the Long Island sound, Yankee stadium, our own backyard, the view from the moon roof on the water ferry or an island we hadn't explored......









....we ate lobster rolls, seafood chowders, crab cakes, scallop salads, steamed mussels, tuna steaks and fish sticks.....and if it hadn't been for me growing a baby, I would have added raw oysters to the list too.....



....we found old friends that retreated to the same place as us to break away from the city's concrete, the craziness of life and to slow down their pace too.....




.....we inhaled our 14 days of togetherness, let it absorb throughout every cell of our body and as we exhale on our last weekend of relaxed unity; we are a refreshed, bonded family ready to capture the excitement that lies ahead this fall......

.....not to cut you short, blog.....but I have one more Saturday night of Stefan's two week staycation and  our sitter arrives at 5pm.....we are capping off our time the way our family began.....just the two of us......

.....we need to get an early start so that tomorrow can focus on our soon to be Kindergartener who starts on Monday......gulp.....cheer......joy.......gulp.......


.....happy Saturday.....

.....more posts to come on all of the fun times we have had with summer visitors and a returning sponsor......

.....hope you find a moment of true peace....