Transitions

 Maggie started kindergarten two weeks ago and what a time it has been! Prior to this, I have been looking at all the different schools available in our area for two years, so about the time she turned 4. Doing tours, talking with other local moms about the options, and doing my research. What it came down to was Maggie getting chosen at some of the schools we applied to and deciding which route to take in the end.

She started at the California Montessori Project and we got the teacher we requested, having heard from multiple families that one in particular was wonderful. I'm really happy with our choice. I am getting used to the new schedule, new commute, and trying to support Maggie as best I can on this new adventure. Maggie is also adjusting. Such a big change for a little five year old but she is handling it well. There were tears the first week but no tears on the 6th day of school. It's a big change for her to go from 3 to 5 days a week and move from a really safe, comfortable environment of home preschool to public school. She is making new friends, one in particular that she eats lunch with every day. This is a little girl that I have seen since the early days when I first started taking Maggie to story time as a new parent at our library (she was 1!). I always took note of this family at story time and I know the girls had an interaction or two but that was about it and I don't think they remember it. It's pretty cute to hear her talk about her days. After the first day when she was shy and sitting alone in the cafeteria (I know, so sad to imagine!), she got a pep talk from dad that night in the dark about how to make friends. Little did I know, my little girl went to school the next day and made this new friend on her own. She asked her if she could eat lunch with her, and since then they have been a pair. Now they trade off picking where to sit in the lunch room and it seems a boy or two sits with the two of them every day. At back to school night, her friend's parents chased after us introducing themselves and telling us they had heard all about our family, even our old cat! Oh Maggie.

I am thankful for the community we have already become a part of since school started. Part of the reason I chose this school was because of the community but also because of the learning method which is different than a traditional public school classroom and smaller class size. I wasn't planning to tour this school but I did with the encouragement from a friend and when I went into the kindergarten classroom (Maggie's now!), I was amazed. I had already seen other public school classrooms but this one was peaceful, not crowded, organized, beautiful, and it smelled good! I remember telling people after that tour how the teacher must have had a candle burning somewhere! I also remember a little rabbit in a cage in the corner, it was so fluffy and healthy looking :-) It was just a world of difference from what I had seen up until that point and I never forgot that. That was the type of environment I wanted for Maggie and we lucked out on getting in, it felt like getting a golden ticket! I also liked how the before and after school program is on-site taught by teacher's aides who are in the classrooms during the day. I knew even though this would be a shock to Maggie at first, that it would be a good fit for her.

So now I am a mom to a school-age child. She is not with me in the mornings anymore and I feel like I am becoming a mom who is in the car a lot transporting kids and running errands like a crazy woman much of the time! I'm sure we'll just get into a new routine. Moms to kids under five, cherish those years! They go by really fast.

On the back to school note, this is beautiful. I follow a few blogs of woman who have gotten involved with Noonday Collection in the past year or two and it was inspiring me so I decided to host a trunk show for Noonday next month! We have a new patio being put in so I figured once that was done, it would be a great time to throw a party! The story is amazing as are the jewelry and accessories. I can't wait!

(Courtesy of Noonday's website, not a link)

Seen and Heard

Maggie: driving to our first camping trip this summer, we arrived and rolled the windows down and Maggie said "mmm, it smells like nature."

Maggie: "I'm not going to run, my feet are still tired."

Maggie: "I loved it when I was little, Max."

Maggie: rolling over from waking up a few days after kindergarten had started and saying "I don't want to go everyday. I'm getting tired of it."

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We did lots of travelling this summer, here is a quick smattering of some of the places we've been!

Packer Lake (fishing derby)

A yurt in Hiouchi (tip top of California)

Mom's club progressive dinner - Summer 2014 (we all rode bikes!)

Summertime

This morning after I dropped Maggie and Max off I thought to myself "parenting is not for the faint of heart." Sometimes I get stuck not knowing if what I'm doing is the right thing for myself or family. Life is full of these moments - feeling stuck, highs, lows, but most often, being grateful and happy.

My word for the year is expand. I have it written on a post it and every now and then I notice it and think about how it applies to my current situation or how the word can positively influence how I plan to do things.

Last night we had our end of the year banquet in our mom's group and it was heartwarming. We ate good food, played games, had a raffle, and read out loud our answers to some fun questions that helped us learn more about each other. I loved listening to the other women's answers. Some were similar, some were so different and it was a night where I really felt we connected, reminding me of how I'm not the only one experiencing the variety of life's emotions.

I would love to figure out how to blog from my phone. Does anyone know how to do that with blogger? I haven't found an app to do it and using the website from the phone doesn't work.

Seen and Heard

My mom and I went on a garden tour to celebrate Mother's Day and we took Max with. At the first garden, we walked into the backyard and the owner was sitting in a chair quietly. He asked Max to come shake his hand and he did it hesitantly, which I was surprised about! He then asked him his name, and in a little voice he said "Maxie". Such a cute moment, first time I'd heard him say his name.

We've been hearing about the BOB books for reading so I picked up a set for Maggie. She's been learning about sight words and reading small printout books that are similar at her daycare/preschool but I was still surprised when we sat down that afternoon while Max was napping and she started reading the BOB books to me, one by one. It's amazing when reading comes together, I had a moment where I could see all the storytimes and time spent with books paying off. She was so excited, with me complimenting her, and she kept wriggling around with a big smile on her face each time she read a book. It was such a proud mommy moment.

One of the stories from my childhood was me saying to my parents "Don't see me" at a young age because I didn't want attention drawn to me. This was probably early school age but it's always been an example that has been brought up to show how shy I was. Max seems to have more of my traits and although he isn't very outwardly shy, he reminds me of myself or my dad mostly. On a drive this week, hubby was saying "I see you" through the rear view mirror and Max had a grumpy face and was saying "No see me" back. Totally reminded me of myself and I love how he is putting sentences together and a lot of them start with "No" for "Don't".

Max sounding like a pirate. Almost every sentence starts with "Me" as in "Medicine. Me arm" (asked at bedtime in the dark - such a goof).

Maggie thinking the "Gruffalo" or "Gruffalo's Child" is scary and never wanting to watch it. Max, on the other hand, always pulling out the "Gruffalo's Child" asking to see it.

Catching Maggie say "This Maggie cat is pissed."

Max saying "dang it" in response to dropping something, etc. Maggie telling on him when she first heard it and me telling him that a better response is "oh no" or "uh oh". You kind of hate to correct them because it sounds so cute coming out!

Max and Maggie calling me "mama"

5 + 2 does not equal 7

Combo spring birthday party!

It's birthday season again. My little lady, who has gotten quite serious lately, turned 5 in March and my little man, who is goofier by the minute, turns 2 tomorrow. It's been quite fabulous really. They play so much together and I love hearing them giggle together while I do chores around the house. They are both taking gymnastics at the same time, separate classes, and it's so sweet when Max looks over the mini wall to watch his sister or escapes his lesson to join his sister's class. Max will ask me after crawling into bed with me in the morning: "Sissy wake?" When Maggie wakes up, Max crawls in with her and they hug.

Max loves his summer flip flops and doesn't want to wear shoes and socks anymore. He calls them "flop flops" or something similar. His vocabulary is exploding and he's saying 2 or 3 word sentences. He is now sleeping in his big boy bed and it took about a week to train him (although recent nights haven't been so easy and he's wanting out or waking up in the middle of the night). He calls out lawn mowers (his favorite), buses, and choo-choo's on the road. He has been telling us thank you for the funniest things, like changing his diaper. And speaking of, he's using his potty more and more!

Maggie is completely infatuated with the movie Frozen and Elsa, the magical sister. She belts out the songs constantly. For Maggie's birthday, I took the kids on a spur of the moment trip to the beach in San Francisco. We enjoyed beach time, the spa, and riding the train through the city. I've also started a special present theme for her that I will continue as she gets older. I gave her an antique tea cup that she can use with supervision but it's something I want to collect and save for her once she's older and on her own. We've christened it with hot cocoa :-) One day she'll have quite the eclectic collection of little tea cups and it's something we can share over the years.

I'm 5!

How old are you? Five (said perfectly)
Who do you like to play with most? Kellen and Kelsey and all my friends at daycare
What is your favorite toy? Ede (sea turtle named after her cousin) and Howie (her little dog that goes everywhere with her) and Snowball (little white rabbit)
Where is your favorite place to go? Lita's zoo (the Sacramento Zoo which her grandma takes her to often)
Why? Because I like the animal hospital and I see "Doc" there (she makes sure I know she means          pretend)
Are you happy to have a brother? Kind of
What is your favorite show? Octonauts and Stella & Sam (and then lists other shows like Caillou, Doc McStuffins, and Frozen)
What do you like to wear most? Dresses and flip-flops
What is your favorite color? Pink and purple and red and turquoise and light blue...
What is your favorite song? Taylor Swift songs, Frozen songs, Tangled songs...
What is your favorite food? Grains and star or princess soup
What is your favorite animal? Turtle
What is your favorite book? Frozen
What is your favorite craft? Coloring ("in the lines" she adds - first child syndrome :-)

I'm 2! (I hadn't really planned asking him questions but he saw Maggie being asked and was giving me his answers too)

How old are you? One (said in his learning-to-talk voice)
Who do you like to play with most? Me
What is your favorite toy? "raarh"
Are you happy to have a sissy? (nodded yes)
What is your favorite show? na-nauts (after Maggie said it)
What do you like to wear most? Flop flops
What is your favorite color? (sounded like "black")
What is your favorite song? "oo-oo-ah-ah" (Matilda the Gorilla)
What is your favorite food? milky

On the Muni in San Francisco on Maggie's birthday

Coming up for breath

My little Max, soon to be 2, has been taking it "to the Max" lately and mom and dad are trying to keep up. It feels like a different ball game with this boy and it's so interesting to compare the two in terms of personality, when milestones are reached, body size, and so on. This week I was asked by someone if Max was ethnic in so many words. First time I've been asked that but it was cool since he is 1/2 Mexican and that a stranger could see that. Turns out she was 1/2 Mexican too :-) Maggie seems to have more features in that department but to each their own.

This week we were also trying to get out the door one morning and while I was brushing my teeth knowing Max might get into trouble, he ended up with a bloody nose and gashed lip in a second. It was a sign to me in that moment that we needed to slow down and stop for a bit, so we did and it all worked out well.

Between figuring out the best route for Maggie with kindergarten and dotting the i's and crossing the t's for that and making transitions into the next stage with Max, I've had my hands full. In the last month with Max, we've discovered a 2 yr molar growing in which caused a few nights of waking, he's gotten a few bloody noses (climbing up on sketchy things and riding his strider downhill), climbed out of his crib over and over after seeing his cousin and sister do it a few times (which resulted in getting rid of the crib way earlier than I had hoped), refused to nap and go to bed some days (good times...I need those mental breaks!), and been pretty clingy with me overall. It's one of those times that you try to cherish the babyness that remains but it's also frustrating making the transition at the same time. I know on the other side of all this I'll have a 2 year old that has shed some of his last layers of baby skin. It's all good though. My little boy is becoming a big boy, learning to sleep in his little bed this week, weaning, starting to talk, and able to get into EVERYTHING.

Maggie has been saying some of the best things lately. My favorite from this week was Maggie climbing into bed with me before Max was up and snuggling up, whispering in my ear "Mom I love you just the way you are." How does she come up with this stuff?

Now that March is here, we're looking forward to birthdays and a road trip to the desert!

Seen and Heard

Seen and Heard: I cleaned house after Christmas and with a need to purge some things, we also went to our children's consignment store nearby to sell and buy. Maggie is really blossoming into such an independent little girl. It just keeps building upon itself and that is a really exciting thing to watch as a parent. She is an amazing helper, pretty well behaved, and she just loves all of us and shows it. When I told her we were going to this store, she asked if she could get a toy and I explained how she didn't need any toys since we just celebrated Christmas but we could make a deal: if she found something unique or that she needed, something from my "mental list" of things I was looking for, then we could talk about it. Right away, she asked if she could go to the back of the store to explore the toys. I started riffling through the shoes in the front with Max. Maggie brought back various purses that she wanted with stuffed animals sticking out of them and I said no (hard to do - they are cute, I agree!). Then she asked for me to come back with her. After scanning the toys, I suggested a backpack since we've had our eye out for one and they had some hanging there. She starts kindergarten this fall so the need for one is coming up and this is a good way to practice. I found a mini-backpack with Rapunzel on the front and it was pink. Maggie is petite and it fit her just right. She was so excited when I found it and for $2.50, we couldn't pass it up. At home that day, she grilled me on what you put in a backpack for school. She is really into learning to read and write and has started accumulating various notebooks and pens/pencils. She stuffed the backpack full with a favorite DocMcStuffins book, notebook, pen from her gymnastics class, comb, hair clips, chapstick, play phone, preschooler camera, and a new Hello Kitty hoodie. I really didn't think it would hold that much and she happily proved me wrong telling people "My mom didn't think it would fit all of this but it does!" beaming afterwards. Maggie and I have our quiet time together when Max naps in the afternoon. It was during this time that she was filling her backpack and she wanted me to come see the contents once she was done filling it. She quietly said to me after showing me everything with satisfaction "You know mom, a backpack is a sign of growing up." These moments kill me! Sigh. Raising my kids has been one of the best gifts I've ever been given. With Max, I know what is ahead for the most part and it's exciting.

Seen: Maggie getting her flu shot so bravely. I waited to tell her we were going until the night before or day of and when I did, she was so calm. The kids before her and after her were crying and nervous. That didn't affect her...she knew it was fine and was a model for all!

Seen and Heard: Max saying the cutest things, repeating all of us. We've made him repeat "Ewwww" a lot. I'm a happy mama watching him beginning to speak!

Life in Pictures

Thanksgiving day 5k-Maggie ran the whole thing!

 

 

Classic "I'm not sure about this" Max face

 

New Year's Day picnic