Last Day of School

Today marked the completion of Jillian's first year of school. Wow, that went fast for me! She enjoyed her class and lunch buddies to the fullest, and had a positive experience. Jillian was excited about school each day, and never once put up any resistance about going. I thought it would be fun to compare the photos I took of her this morning to those I took on that first day back in September.

First Day: September 7, 2011

Last Day: May 23, 2012

Besides the obvious physical growth and maturation, these photos reveal an increase in the desire to assert her independence. Jillian and I discussed (and laid out) a last day of school outfit at bedtime last night--a cute yellow flowered skirt with a flowy yellow shirt. You can imagine my chagrin when she presented herself at my bedside wearing the above outfit at 6 a.m., insisting this would be a much better outfit for the last day of school (nothing like a pair of leggings 2 sizes too small to serve as some cropped pants....my fault for not getting them out of her drawer!). I took a deep breath, withheld my comments, and let it go. I guess I should just be thankful she "allowed" me to semi-brush her hair and pull it back in a ponytail....I digress.

Jillian--Your passion for learning is awesome, your memory is amazing, and your curiosity is astounding. I'm so proud of you for having a great first year of school--for making friends, for (mostly) obeying your teachers, for trying new things, and for doing it all with heaps of enthusiasm.

Moving Along

Adrienne is becoming more confident on her own two feet. This week she finally figured out how to walk behind the walking toy independently. We took it outside on the lawn, and it provided just the right amount of resistance to prevent it from getting away from her. She was so determined and quite proud when she realized she could do it...we all were!

Swimming Progress

Jillian has been taking swimming lessons for six weeks now. She has made a big improvement in all of her skills, and her teacher comments on how determined she is. She does have a bit of trouble listening to the teacher, which (though not entirely surprising) I attribute partially to the time of day and huge amount of distractions present in the pool.
I was a bit worried about how the lesson would go this week, because as I went to get Jillian out of the car I found this.

It really stinks to have to wake up a kid who never naps. But I did, and was pleased that she had a great lesson. Here are a few clips of some of the things she's been working on.....pushing off the wall, back float, and diving to the bottom of the pool.

Let's Pray

Tonight I had one of those intensely sweet mothering moments that I wish I could remember to cling to during the hard days. I was tucking Jillian into bed, as per our usual routine (book, talking, singing "Jesus Loves Me"), when she said, "Mom, let's pray". I asked her what she wanted to pray about, and she said, "To be protected and not scared". That blew me away. So, I said a little prayer for her and then asked if she would like to say one, too. She promptly obliged with the following:

"Dear Jesus, Thank you for this world. Help me be not scared and protected. And keep Adrienne protected so she doesn't open the cabinets and get her fingers pinched. Ayyyyy--men!"

I had tears in my eyes when she finished and told her how proud of her I was that she thought to pray for her sister (who has recently become obsessed with standing and opening any cabinet in her reach). I think it is safe to say we've just added a new piece to the bedtime routine.

An Official Farewell

Though we moved in November, we didn't sell our old house right away. We had some friends live in it for a couple of months, then had some updating to do to ready it for the market. We put it on the market March 14th, took it off on the 15th (due to a crazy main water line leak that happened to suddenly begin the very day we put it on!), and put it back on the 16th after repairs. By noon on the 16th we had an offer. The next day, the buyers accepted our counter offer and we were on our way to a sale. Today it became official. As I stood in the kitchen leaving notes about the doorbell switch (something we didn't know about until 2 years after moving in) and dropping off the garage door openers/keys I was overcome with emotion thinking about the 5 1/2 years we enjoyed in this home. Yes, it was old and had its quirks. But, we grew from 2 to 4 there and enjoyed fun times with great neighbors and family and friends who visited over the years. I loved the location (1 mile from RAC and about 90 seconds from Target) and the park just one house away. It will always be special to us. Farewell, old house....may the new owners enjoy you as much as we did.

Warmth

It has been delightfully warm these last few days. Yesterday, I decided to buy a sprinkler and thought the girls and I could have some fun frolicking in the sun. I was right. Jillian had an absolute ball.

I thought Adrienne was having a good time. She sat next to me on a beach towel enjoying some ice water (and the sound it made when she shook her sippy cup) and roamed nearby on the grass. At some point she decided to head towards the playset and into the path of the sprinkler.

Don't think she's a fan. Oh well, we'll keep trying. Hooray for warmth!

Mom's The Word

After church on Mother's Day, we headed downtown to one of our favorite restaurants. Chester's was holding a special Mother's Day brunch, so I erroneously thought that would be fun. I think Bennie, Debbie, and Helen enjoyed the food, but Matt and I were run ragged by the girls. Jillian was upset they didn't have pancakes, and proceeded to eat 3 blueberry muffins (each requiring a separate trip to the buffet). Adrienne is less than pleasant to take out to eat at this stage--messy, squirmy, and after the busy morning we had, she was very tired. When we got home, I requested that Matt take the obligatory picture of me and my girls to mark the occasion. We tried a few takes in hopes we'd get one good one. Instead, we got three "almosts".

Soon after, our company began their long trip home. We all headed inside for a rest (which means movie for Jillian, the anti-nap queen), a short nap for Matt and I, and a nice long one for A. I was then sent to the nursery ALONE to pick out some flowers/bushes that I'd like to plant. I came home with my favorites: lilacs and peonies, a rose bush to replace a dead one, and a cool-looking ash spirea. Add these to the beautiful hydrangeas the Howes gave me for Mother's Day, and we had ourselves some work to do. We spent a fantastic lazy afternoon in the sun. It is on days like these that I am ever so grateful for our outdoor space. The girls have so much room to roam, and I love listening to them giggle as they do so. A few pics from the afternoon....

My peony bush. I'd like about ten more. Next to tulips, they are my favorite flower.

The lilac bush. I have high hopes for this baby.

Ash spirea

My hard working husband--did I mention I sipped a beer and lounged on the grass while I "directed" the planting?

1 of 2 beautiful hydrangea bushes

We ate leftovers for dinner (on paper plates) and ended the day with a long hot shower and some good TV. I remember asking my mom what she wanted for mother's day as a kid. Every year she would answer, "I just want everyone to get along". I always thought that was odd...didn't she want some perfume, or candy, or flowers, or jewelry? Now I get it. A day of smooth-sailing in the behavior department, contentment, and relaxed time together truly is the best Mother's Day gift. I am so blessed to have my mom, to be a mom, and am thankful for my crazy, silly, beautiful girls.