Friday's Children

Athena comes home from school on Fridays bursting with energy "Mommy, I just don't know what to do!" she says as she looks around the room at her usual toys. She is stimulated all day long at school, learning and playing, and seems slightly bored at home. Its worse on Fridays, the rest of the week there are afternoon activities or homework (yes, she has homework) but Fridays are suppose to be fun days, and coming home to a quiet house is definitely not fun.

Zoe just wants some "quiet time" on the couch - the comforts of home, her wubbie, chocolate milk and a favorite program. She's happy to stretch out and chill. "Mommy, snuggle with me!" is her only demand.

John Patrick, having just woken up from a three-hour nap, is game for anything, unfortunately that usually means submitting to Athena's will and being her dress-up plaything. Wearing tutus, they tear apart Mimi's empty room, pillows on the floor, jumping off the bed onto them (yes, Jack, too). Zoe joins in, because why wouldn't she?

An evening trip to the park to get out some of the crazy energy is just the thing for these three, and then maybe pizza with good friends. Ah, Fridays.

Boys in Glass Houses

...shouldn't throw stones (no matter how cute he is doing it).

Yiayia's Uniform Cam

Yiayia has requested a photo of all variations of Athena's uniform. So here she is on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings, Wednesday we were running late and no time for pictures. You can tell the difference between my cameras, the first picture is taken with my old camera and the second and third are with my new one.

Since the uniforms are so not girly or pink, Athena likes to accessorize with bright hair bands.

Athena's Freckles

Athena has a precious smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. When they first started appearing I would count them (11...17...27) and always make a big deal when I found a new one. We would look at it in the mirror and sometimes name it. Now they are innumerable, like stars, and I'm in love with each and every one of them.

Apertures, ISOs and WBs, oh my!

I'm attempting to learn more about my new camera so that I can veer off the AUTO setting into more challenging territory. I've spent some time researching on this fun website. As a member of the "point and click" world, I had no idea there would be so much to learn. I like it though. In fact, I love it.

It even made our accidental trip to John's 'Awful' Pizza* bearable as I played with some settings to see what kind of images I could get. Most didn't work, but I kind of liked the movement of this one.

* We didn't mean to go there tonight, we meant to go bowling but the awesome bowling lane was closed for a private party and the other nearby one smelled like beer and cigarettes, so in order to stop a 'mini meltdown' (get it?) we subdued with a trip to this wretched place. Chris thought the shared food buffet was a petri dish of other peoples germs, it was terribly expensive, loud, disconcerting and full of so many examples of negligent parents. The kids loved it, of course.

Separation Anxiety

In all the hustle and bustle of the first week, the worry about Athena's adaptability and my heartbreak, there was one person's feelings that were overlooked. Sure Zoe is doing fine at preschool but Athena grew up alot this week and left her sister in the dust.

Zoe is a little lost without her best friend. When she goes to preschool, Athena isn't there during outside time to run around with, on "stay at home days" there's no big sister to direct their play and, on top of all that, now Athena is defining herself as a big girl - she doesn't want to take baths with Zoe anymore and sometimes she prefers to play by herself.

It all became too much for Zoe and last night and she collapsed into my arms, real tears not tears for attention, sobbing dramatically "Athena never wants to play with me anymore."

Before Monday, these two were inseparable, but going to Kindergarten isn't something you can share with your little sister. I couldn't make it immediately better, sometimes you have to just let your little ones feel, although I did insist that Zoe join Athena in the last five minutes of her solitary bath that night (and guess who didn't want to come out once Zoe got in).

I know this new separation is just something we'll adjust to, what's new now will be normal in two weeks. Until then, I predict I'm going to be playing alot of "tea party" and "puppy" and indulging my Zoe a little bit more than usual.

Day Two

Am I ever going to get over how completely adorable these uniforms are?
I'm sure by December, we'll be sick to death of them.

Athena's first day went well. We had a priceless four and a half minute walk to the car, her hand in mine, where she downloaded her day. Story on top of story she told me:

"I learned a new Spanish today. I'm a niña."
"We did a play about manners. I was a girl who was shy and Michael was a boy at the water fountain."
"They took out the snake. He was red and green and black, but not poisonous. If you didn't want to hold him you had to keep your hands in your lap. I kept my hands in my lap."
"The snake looses his skin and there was skin and poop in his cage. " (giggle)
"I made a fish, it's in my folder.
"Amelia's not in my class. She's in Addyson's class."
"They have quiet time. You can put your head down on the desk like this or you can read books. Ella put her head on the desk. I didn't do that, I read two books.
"Gracee told me that peanut butter is made of peanuts and honey. I still don't like it. Yuck!"

Then we picked up Zoe, who also had a great day ("I played with Caitlyn all day") and came home and made brownies.

And my minis were allowed to lick the spoon.

First Day of School

So they are off and I'm surprizingly not crying into my coffee. The drop off was more chaotic than poignant. Parents were everywhere chatting with each other, taking pictures and asking the poor teacher a zillion questions. Athena took everything in stride. Waltzed right in, hung her backpack, found her star and put it up on the board, placed her snack in the basket and tolerated my hugs and kisses and silly nervousness.

Chris waited outside Athena's classroom with the Dude and Zoe while I fussed (tucking in her shirt, adjusting her headband) and fretted (Gah! I forgot to buy milk tickets!) She found her place and it was time for me to go. Walking across the room I felt the tears coming and caught the eye of a Mom friend. "Don't come near me with that!" she warned, making me laugh.

Then it was Zoe's turn. My Zoe who would cling to me and say "Holdmeholdmeholdmeholdme!" when I dropped her off at preschool last year, also just walked right in, found her cubby and put her backpack away. When she saw her friend Caitlyn, she went right over, tapped her on the shoulder and gave her such an excited, happy smile. Just a kiss and a hug for me and she was fine.

"Time for you to go, Mom!"

I would like to think that its all the preparation we did last week (meeting the teachers, visiting their rooms) and the anticipation we built up that led to this easy transition. They were so totally adjusted and fine with everything it left me feeling slightly abandoned.

Even though Athena has been enrolled at some preschool or another since she was six months old, the significance of today has absolutely nothing to do with her being out of the house. Kindergarten is the beginning of her own journey and separate from me she's starting to make her way. It's a new beginning but also the absolute end of her babyhood and I think I'm already nostalgic for yesterday.

At least I have the Dude to baby for a few more years.

Goodbye Summer

Gone are the lazy days of staying up late, sleeping in and basking in the sun, school starts tomorrow.

The clothes are purchased, the supplies bought, the paperwork is in, the teachers are met with, the classes have been toured, the days have been counted down and I have a massive knot in my throat because I am so not ready.

My baby starts Kindergarten tomorrow.

Raised by Savages

Here's a thing about having three kids: the voices of influence are equally strong.

What I mean is this: with one child you have two parents teaching and guiding the little one, with two you have the same two parents with the added bonus of a sibling to look up to and follow around. Now as the baby in a three child family you have four teachers, equal parts adult and kid.

So Jack is being raised half by reasonable adults and half by savages. And as a result he's learning that it really is quite funny to scream as loud as you can for no reason and throw your food at the dinner table and do a baby tap dance in a puddle again and again until you are covered from head to toe in mud. The reaction you get is priceless. You are the funniest baby in the world and, of course, you aren't going to listen when the Mom tries to stop you.

Today, the girls were trying to teach him how to say the word "poop." I fear the kid 'voice of influence' is winning.

P.S. What do you think about the new larger picture size? Too big?

Travel Day

After 17 hours, three time zones, two planes and a car ride over the mountains (without vomit incident, thankfully), we are home.
Ahhhh.

NeverLand

I've been reading the J.M. Barrie Young Readers chapter book of Peter Pan to Athena every night on this trip (Zoe thinks its boring). The story is oddly reflective of our time here. We've been on adventures almost every day and when they're aren't any adventures we make them up, just like in Peter Pan. But like Wendy, we are growing rather homesick and instead of Mother, we miss this guy an awful lot and it feels like we've been gone for years. We certainly hope he's left the window open, because we're ready to fly home.

"You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by; but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by."

"All children, except one, grow up."

"She was one of the kind that likes to grow up. In the end she grew up of her own free will a day quicker than the other girls."


"Young boys should never be sent to bed. They always wake up a day older, and then before you know it, they're grown."


"Let no one who loves be unhappy, even love unreturned has its rainbow. "

"Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting."

A Beautiful Day

The plan was to meet Mary and Willa for a day at "The Beach" - a soft sand shore of Lake Taghkanic - but just as we arrived the lingering grey clouds darkened and it started to pour and thunder. So instead we had our picnic lunch on Mary's kitchen table. Then the rain stopped. Blue skies peered out beneath the clouds and it turned into a beautiful day.

I tried to make these pictures look like the funky muddy ones you would get from your Instamatic circa 1979. That's what a day at the lake feels like, some vague and blurry remembrance of childhood.

Park Pics

Getting sick of all these pictures?

Because I am just getting started. O how I love taking pictures of my minis.

Afternoon Tea

When a little friend comes to call

its nice to offer cookies

and tea

even if the "tea" is actually chocolate milk.

The Grand Hostess.

The Guest.

The Uninvited Guest.

Even univited guests are made to feel welcome (or smothered until they leave on their own accord).

Quite a fun time was had in Yiayia's Garden (and closet) today.

Dollhouse

Still in NY, we dug out and dusted off my 30-year old dollhouse for the girls to enjoy this week. It's amazing for me to be reunited with all the little furniture that I collected for years. Each piece has a story and represents saved allowances and travels through Europe. It took all my maturity not to elbow the girls out of the way and tell them exactly where everything is suppose to go.

Ciao!

Tempted to photoshop an Italian cigar and Martini into this picture...

but that would so wrong.

(Oh dear! Oh dear!)