In progress...

Go Daddy Go!

We're having a fun weekend and although we all need some rest and a do nothing weekend that will have to wait!  So far El's finally lost her front tooth...the one that was resulting in our nicknaming her "Nanny McPhee", the girls have planned, prepped, and survived a sister's sleepover, and Kevin finished the Lake St. Louis Sprint Triathlon with an awesome time! Right now El's at a soccer clinic, Lu is napping and then we're off to Loufest.  Super fun but I'm already looking forward to resting next weekend! 

First and Third

School is back in session.  Emma and Eleanor were so excited this morning, they have amazing teachers and fun groups of kids in their classes.   All the same, I had a lump in my throat and worked hard not to cry on the playground.  Why the heavy heart, we go to the most amazing school and the kids love it?    Unknowingly, Emma answered my question this morning.  She told me it was ok if I went to wait with the first graders, because "you can't be in two places at once, mom".  And I can't, not just physically but emotionally either.  The beginning of the school year, like a birthday, is a marker of time and instinctively, these big change days make me want to stop the clock, back it up, not face the new beginning.  This is the place my heartache grows from, that wish to go back, that fear to go forward because it's all just going by too fast.  But today Emma's words ring in my ears, you can't be in two places at once.   I can't simultaneously wish to go back in time and fully live today.  I see my girls, 8 and 6, so beautiful and brilliant and fun and while I loved the babies and toddlers they once were I truly don't want to go back in time, I'm having too much fun with these people. Forever more, on the first day of school I give myself permission to be a bit blue on the playground (someday the sidewalk, the parking lot, the driver's seat, the front porch, the dorm room) just as long as long as I don't ever try to trick myself into believing I can be in two places at once.

Summer 2012

We have had the best summer!  I think the kids' ages had a lot to do with it.  Nearly 2, 6 and 8 are such sweet, sweet ages.  We've had a great balance of activity and down time.  We've been lax on schedules but not without.  I've heard far more laughter and singing than anything else.  It's been almost blissful.  However, in full disclosure, because the whole point of this blog is to remember my life in everyday snippets, the last week has been a bit rough, not terrible, just enough bickering and whining for me to be sad that summer is over but not bawling my eyes out.  Summer is great but so is school and the routine and structure it brings.  So we say good-bye summer and hello new adventures!

Tonight we had a good-bye summer dinner.  We made a chart with all of the things we liked about summer.  Here are a few of my favorites....child spelling included-

*Staying up a little later- Emma

*Cooken- Eleanor

*Fort of Jali -Eleanor

*Having more time to read- Emma

*Getting ears pierced- Emma

*Haven more time with famliy- Eleanor

*Seeing all of the plants-Eleanor

*The fairy house class- Emma

-Horseback riding- SURPRISE--Mom!

*Vacation in Colorado-Dad

2!

This girl loves pajamas and was delighted to receive two new sets of pjs this evening!  Now to get them off of her tomorrow morning.  

 Happy Birthday to you Lucy Adelaide Baum, the skip in our step and the song in our day!   I am thankful every single day for the delight of being given this beautiful, spunky, loving child to raise.  She rounds out our family and makes us complete.  She came like a flash two years ago today, I was admitted to the hospital a little after 7pm and she arrived at 10:13pm and ever since she's been just like that, quick, quick, quick and on the run.  We love you Lulu!

Happy girls!

  A couple of years ago, when asked, I told the girls they could have their ears pierced when they turned 10....totally arbitrary age, honestly I just didn't really want to mess with it.  Several of Emma's friends had their ears pierced this year.  So when Emma said she'd like her ears pierced I said we could talk.  She was shocked and dropped the subject entirely...for a few months.  Then at the beginning of summer the discussion came up again, and Eleanor wanted in on it.  I agreed to getting their ears pierced at the end of summer if they were responsible and earned responsibility points for things like taking care of their teeth and hair.  They absolutely were responsible girls this summer and so today they got their ears pierced.  None of us cried, not even me!  

Our harvest

We've never had any luck with tomatoes.  Usually our garden will produce a few...and by few I mean maybe 4.  We've had squirrel problems, bug problems, and just plain problems.   The tide has turned, this year at least and we've hit the tomato jackpot.  For five tomato lovers things just can't get much better.  Our lycopene levels have to be sky high!  I did actually look up the effects of too much lycopene...really, we're eating that many tomatoes!  Seems your skin may turn orange...hmmm, that may not really be considered a problem around here.  In other garden news our basil, something we've always had loads of, is pitiful and everything else is less than stellar...but who cares, those lovely tomatoes, they make up for everything else!

Today's harvest!  

She loves the cherry tomatoes, picks them herself and eats them like candy.

August?

She leaves me speechless...a lot.  I've never been around someone who works so fast.  She is amazing.

Today is the second of August which means summer vacation is just about over.  We have a check list made of back to school must do's and we're slowly trying to get a couple of little bodies around here reprogramed for an earlier bed time ( boy the Olympics make that hard!) and earlier wake up time.  We're in no rush though.  July was packed for sure and it feels great to have some lazy days around home, picking pounds of tomatoes, playing in the water hose, making forts and fairies, writing plays and songs and putting on lots of performances.   I'll take as many days of this as I can get.