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20 months

running...jumping...swinging...smiling...

climbing...hiding...seeking...finding...

wrestling...stumbling...giggling...cuddling

our sweet, sweet 20 month old boy

shin guards

Hey Anna, what time is soccer?

6pm

Only 11 hours to go! But I just HAD to try out my new shin guards!

royal rukus

Ever since early August, when Anna attended a birthday party for one of her preschool friends, she has been excited about having a "princess party" of her very own. She wanted a party filled with friends, dress-up, games and of course...princess cake.

Each week Anna would give me the run down of who she wanted to invite. Over the past several weeks she has named the children of our friends, her neighbor friends, her preschool friends and even one of our babysitters (never mind that she's 14). Finally we decided that she should focus on small group of friends and probably girls since it was indeed a "princess" party.

Anna named 4 of the girls in her preschool class that she has made friends with over the past year or so. She also really wanted to invite her friend that lives behind us, so we said perfect!

But, the night before the invitations went out she came to me practically in tears and told me that she had to invite Ben. "But I really really want to invite Ben mommy. He could be the prince you know?"

So, 5 little girls and Ben (what a good sport!) came for a princess party this afternoon. Dressed in their finest princess garb (or for Ben, a puppy costume) they came to play. They decorated jewelry boxes/treasure chests, and had a treasure hunt in the back yard. I hid a number of chocolate gold coins around the yard and they had a great time hunting for them. Both the craft and the hunt were BIG hits!

It was a fun afternoon, and Anna certainly enjoyed being a princess for the day!

A big, BIG, thank you to Grandma Mary for coming over to take care of the kids, help set up, clean up, and play with Emmett and Ben's little sister during the party. THANK YOU!

winds of change

Just like the season is quickly changing around here, so are the seasons in our home.

Preschool is in full-swing and Anna is busy in her classroom 3 days per week for the bulk of the morning and early afternoon. While she managed this same schedule last year, this year is proving to be quite different already. As a big 4 year old, with many of the students in Anna's class preparing for Kindergarten next Fall, there is a little more structure to her preschool day. There is also a lot more social interaction. I hear many things about the other kids in Anna's class - what they are doing, who their friends are, who is going where, who plays with who, who has "Twinkle Toe shoes" (what?!) and so much more. Suddenly Anna's world expanded and in a big way.

This week Anna will go on her first playdate solo. Oh, she has played at a neighbor's house without me and certainly has been separated from me many times, but this will be her first playdate on her own at a preschool friend's house. This is a big deal (for her and for me)!

Slowly we transition from the stage where I facilitated our social interactions by planning playdates and outings with my friends and their children, to the stage where Anna makes her own friends and sets up interactions of her own. This is certainly a transition for both of us!

Anna also had her 4 year check-up this week and has shot up to the 50th percentile for height and the 25th for weight. Gone are the days when she was barely on the charts...she is a growing girl! Anna braved her chicken pox and MMR shots early (so we won't have to deal with them next year) and while it was a very scary experience for her at least it's now behind us (phew!! my ears are finally recovering 2 days later). Anna's doctor gave me several strategies and suggestions on how to navigate preschool behaviors and challenges which are already proving to be helpful.

And while Anna has been transitioning to school days, Emmett has been learning what it's like to have several hours to himself each week. Every morning after we drop Anna at preschool, Emmett sits down at a table and starts to play himself. He files in line behind the kids as if he too is going to school. Not so fast there little one...don't grow up so fast! We head back to the car and he forlornly calls "Anna? Anna?" But quickly enough he realizes he has me to himself and we play and run errands and enjoy our alone time before it's time to pick his big sis back up. I know already that I will treasure this time.

One day per week while Anna is at school Emmett is also embarking on a separation adventure. He heads to the same Mom's Day Away program that Anna attended at his age and plays with other 1-2 yr old children for the morning and early afternoon. This separation is difficult as Emmett isn't quite as keen on being away from his family. I am reassured that he has a great time only a few minutes after I step out the door. And while it's hard, I do know it's good for both of us too.

So one day per week I have a few hours to myself! Starting in October I will be teaching a Pilates class during that time each week and will still have enough time left over to run a few errands or enjoy a little time alone. This is a treat!

As for other transitions - Emmett is showing us his ability to climb (everything!) and we thought it might be a good time to transition to his toddler bed. Down came the crib and up went the toddler bed. And bye bye to sleep for all. After two days of pure torture the crib was reassembled, the toddler bed back to storage and....sleep and peace are restored. Maybe next year!

So things are changing quickly around here. Sometimes they change and we never look back, other times we change back as quickly as we started. Either way, there is never a dull moment!

my buddy and me

My buddy, my buddy

Where ever I go, he goes

My buddy, my buddy

My buddy and me!

1st day of preschool - age 4

Age 4 is nothing if not exciting! On her very first full day being 4, Anna had another adventure - her very first day of preschool in her 4 year old classroom! Anna attended preschool last year at this same school and loved it. She and her teacher, Miss Debbie, had a very special bond and Anna was literally bursting at the seams with excitement this morning ready to start another adventure.

Steve and I were able to meet Anna's teachers, Mrs. Rose and Ms. Ann, one week ago when we visited the school to see her classroom and learn about the year ahead. Immediately we knew she would fall in love with what she would see and do.

While Anna's excitement was not containable before we left, the moment we walked through the doors she turned into a child I very rarely see. Quiet and relatively shy, Anna walked through her classroom looking, turning, touching, and more. She would pause every now and then to quietly greet a friend, listened patiently to her teachers and soaked up every moment. I think the stimulation and excitement were so great she was rendered speechless!

As a participant in her day I had the honor and privilege of sitting through circle time where the teachers described pictures of their family that they had drawn in order to tell the children about themselves. I nearly fell out of my chair at the silly commentary from the kids.

Ms. Anne: "This is my husband Steve, he works in Baldwin"

Kid in class: "Hey! My daddy is bald too!"

Another child: "Mine too!"

Anna: "I have a husband Steve too!"

Mrs. Rose: "I have 4 people in my family...."

From the crowd: "I'm 4!"

Another: "I'm 4 too!"

Mrs. Rose: "I'm 4 too...with some other number after that"

Mrs. Rose reading the book "The Kissing Hand" - "Do you think you would like to go to school in a tree?"

Crowd: "YES! Cool!"

Ben: "No way! I would be afraid of carpenter ants!"

If I were the teacher of that class I would be laughing the whole time.

The remainder of our time was spent visiting the various areas of the room, making a reusable cloth napkin for lunchtime, and visiting with friends. One of the highlights of Anna's year will be the worm bucket...an in-room compost bin where the children will put all of their fruit and vegetable scraps to be devoured by literally thousands of worms. The resulting soil will then be used in their classroom to plant flowers and other things...and the worms will be used for "science". Isn't that every 4 yr old's dream?? What kid doesn't want to measure worms? The worm-bucket is part of Mrs. Rose's "Go Green" curriculum in which the kids will learn about reduce, reuse & recycle, and many other things to help preserve our environment.

After our day we re-united with a friend from last year - "the other Anna" - and went for a quick lunch. While I caught up with the other mother, the 2 Anna's couldn't stop giggling or yelling "GIRL POWER" long enough to eat much of their lunch. I have a feeling we are in for a fun (and loud) ride ahead!

guess who's 4!?

It seems like only yesterday we were holding our little princess in our arms, feeding her bottles, playing with her on her playmat on the floor, helping her up stairs, on the playground and more. These days we hear "I can do it myself! Watch me!" and "Can I go play at Maya's house?" and "Watch me do a cartwheel! Watch, I can do a handstand!". Bouncy chairs and baby swings have been replaced by Barbies, dolls, Ziu Ziu Pets, and princess figurines. Onesies and footie pajamas have turned into 4T jeans and dresses with leggings, hair bows, bracelets, nail polish and "lip gloss" (chapstick). All of a sudden our baby girl is a no longer a baby, no longer a toddler - she's a full-blown preschooler.

Anna has anticipated being 4 since the day she turned 3 and a half. This birthday has been much anticipated. She has told anyone who will listen that she wanted "a million 769 Barbies" for her birthday. She has explained her "princess birthday party" to me several times (this will take place in a few weeks), and for the celebration with family she requested a "surprise party". Fortunately celebrations come early and often for this little princess.

This whole weekend we celebrated with Nana and Papa in town - they showered her with love and attention (and of course gifts) and we had a our first piece of 4 yr old birthday cake - cupcakes. It was a special weekend for her and for all of us.

Yesterday my family came over for another celebration, complete with a special surprise cake made by her Uncle Patrick. A creative genius, Patrick turned a sheetcake into this creation! What a perfect treat for a Barbie princess.

Anna was showered with love and attention and more gifts - our floor is littered with barbies, dolls, Ziu Ziu pets, princess figurines, dress up dresses, jump ropes and so much more. I don't think the words "I'm bored mommy, what can I do?" will be uttered for at least a few weeks anyway!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for showering our daughter with your love, your attention, your wisdom, your patience, your TIME, and so very much more. Anna is growing up with a childhood rich in family and friends...and for that we are so very thankful. Happy Birthday to our BIG 4 YEAR OLD!! We love you sweet Anna.

summer's end

A windy and chilly day marks the end of summer and the start of a new school year. While we have been looking forward to fall and all the fun activities that accompany it, we are a little sad to say goodbye to what was a very warm and fun summer. Our summer was filled with playdates, trips to beaches, waterparks, zoos, museums, parks and so much more. We finished up the summer with one more trip to visit Nana and Papa. The kids and I piled in the car and headed out for what used to be a 4 hour drive. A little longer with little ones who need to go potty, need a snack, or need their movie changed, we made it to Nana and Papa's and were greeted with beautiful weather. Our trip was action-packed, with one last ride on the boat (and tubing!), a trip to the local park and zoo, and a visit to the HUGE airplane museum. Of course mixed in there were lots of delicious meals and treats, play time outside and with Uncle Nate, visits with the Johnsons, and more! We had a lovely time and it was a great way to bid farewell to a wonderful summer.

In the midst of packing, while I did remember everything for the kids, I did manage to forget my camera! Aaaaargh! Fortunately Nana & Papa and Uncle Nate were ready with theirs and passed along their 177 pictures (!!!). THANK YOU!