My nephews Chris and Alex came out of the womb knowing how to use utensils. With scientific precision they can guide a spoon to their mouths shortly after their first birthday.
My kids? Not so much.
We're doing great at self-feeding with all the finger foods, but I've been dragging my feet on that whole spoon and fork thing.
Today was trucking along kind of miserably anyway, so I figured it couldn't get any messier.
A bath followed shortly thereafter.
Back in the days when I had no children, every now and then we would have a Sex and the City marathon. A bunch of girls would come over to our house in pajamas on a weekend morning, and we would watch episode after episode until it was ridiculously late. Tom would make us breakfast, and then coffee drinks, and then a late lunch. He was pretty much our man-servant, which was nothing less than spectacular. In between we'd snack on foods high in trans fats and salt. Gluttony and laziness ruled the day. It was fabulous.
But now we all have children and responsibilities and the whole idea of having a Sunday full of sloth is, well, inconceivable. But when the movie came out, Libby organized a night out. The movie was exactly what it should of been—ridiculously unreal moments, gratuitous sex, and happy endings.
And after? Indian fusion and mixed drinks. It was almost like we were in Manhattan.
Shep took about 45 minutes to finish his popsicle tonight, so while he munched and watched Charlie and Lola, Neko and Ellery got to have bathtime together.
After yesterday's adventures, we were surprised to find that we barely lost a single tree branch. I found it strange that it appeared as if nothing had happened, despite all the fuss.
But tonight, we felt some aftershocks. A sudden rain and wind storm came tearing through. I didn't think it really seemed that bad, so I was a bit floored by the results. Huge trees had fallen everywhere. Our power was out due to a utility pole that snapped in the middle, leaving the top half leaning at a 45 degree angle.
Much of the city still as no power, and there's going to be a huge amount of clean-up. Even as I drove around, I could hear the buzzing of chainsaws as people began to clean up the mess before darkness fell.
It's been a brutal week. Between the last week of school and graduation and the progressive dinner, omigosh, we're just exhausted. Then Ellery is clearly dropping her morning nap, since we let her take one Sunday morning and promptly got paid back by her being awake from 2am to 4am, which Tom graciously supervised.
Blahblahblah. We're tired.
So tonight we got the kids to bed by 7:30pm, and sat down on the couch to wind down and head to bed early. This was a great idea on theory, but then Mother Nature laughed heartily and threw us a curveball.
The weather guy started getting all excited around 8:15pm, and by 8:30pm the sirens were wailing and we realized there was no choice. We had to wake up the kids and head for the basement. Did I mention our basement is under construction? Tom managed to find the couch, and pulled out an old television while I ran around frantically trying to find the hard drive where all our photos are stored.
When we roused the kids they were cranky. Out of sorts. And then it just got worse. As the forecasters were saying the words "The storm should be overhead in just minutes!" our fire alarm started going off. But it's not just a loud beep, it's integrated into our security system, so this voice comes on saying "Alert! Alert! There is a fire! Evacuate immediately! Alert! Alert!"
And then there are kids crying and hysterics and I grant Tom 43 seconds to run upstairs and see if there really is a fire and hope he doesn't get whipped away into the eye of the storm.
End result? No fire. No tornado. Many brownies consumed and World Worlds watched. And everyone stayed up until 11:30pm, so we're still tired.
…and the Amazon boxes cometh.
How did anyone do gift shopping before the internet? I mean, how was that possible? With children?
All of a sudden this morning Neko put together an impromptu picnic in the play kitchen. We all joined her for breakfast, and then afterwards they actually let me take their picture. Hallelujah!
The progressive dinner made its way to our house today.
Our neighbor is a member of the Trust and the Audubon society, so he was natural choice to lead a guided tour of the property. Sometimes in the middle of the chaos of everyday life, I forget to look around and appreciate where we live.
When someone new comes over, and stands in the middle of the field on a perfect summer evening, it’s a great reminder.
(Photos by Chris)
When we started pre-school this fall, I was anxious. I kept Neko out of school when she was three. I hadn't really found a program I felt good about and she was far from ready. I could barely keep her focused enough to take her dishes to the sink, much less be part of a classroom environment.
By the time she turned four she seemed ready, but I still worried. She was keeping herself under control more and more, but there were the inevitable meltdowns, and when they occurred, they were a full-on disaster. I had a conference before the year began, prepping the staff and discussing methodology and how best to deal with her personality.
But the meltdown never happened. She blossomed. She talked about what she'd learned and things she'd seen and friends she'd made. That last one, being especially important. She made friends who were GIRLS, something she'd had little experience with up until this point in her life.
I scoffed a bit at this whole idea of a ceremony for graduation. I mean, really, it's just preschool, right? But smack in the middle of it all, I found myself getting a bit teary-eyed. And not that she was wearing this miniature cap with a tassel, but like all graduations, it really was a reminder of how far we'd come. My crazy, untamed wild child was there in line with everyone else, smiling and singing and giggling with friends.
I give a great deal of the credit to the extraordinary Ms. Julie. I am hesitant when it comes to handing my children over to educators. Perhaps it's because I'm the daughter of teachers, but I am so painfully aware of how much your child is shaped by the people who teach them that it's not a decision I make lightly. She has been amazing from the first day to the last.
From here we head to kindergarten. I feel as though we're blazing new territory there as well. Her friends are scattering to different schools and grades, so it'll be like wearing a new pair of shoes—unfamiliar, yet exciting.
But after this year? I think we're up for the challenge.
It's the last day of school. The kids are done with the letters and the numbers and today they hunkered down for a day of play. Despite the not-quite-summer weather, they splashed in the pool and dug into the dirt.
Siblings were invited, so it was fun to watch Shep throw his hat into the ring. He starts the three-year-old class next fall, so this was his entry into the world of school. At the end of summer he'll go to a week of camp with Neko, and then I suspect he'll start in the fall like a seasoned veteran. I'm betting it will be a far different first day than we had with Neko.
Graduation pix and schmaltzy sentiment forthcoming…