School is cool

We are really liking school. Don’t get me wrong. I miss our little girl. I can hardly wait to walk down to the bus stop and get her. Eva asks several times a day where she is at and even said once, “I wish Ella was here now.”

However, we are having fun too! This was really my first week experiencing it because last week I worked 4 days (which just happens every other month). So, Miss Eva and I attended a meet the teacher event (she’s going to attend once-a-week daycare starting next week.) We went to the library storytime — she danced to the very same song Ella did a couple of years ago. It made me simultaneously so happy and sad all at once. We went to the craft store and bought an E that we will paint for her room. Then Wednesday we did a lot of playing, reading and laundry. Spent all day at home.We also squeezed in a gymnastics class and grocery shopping this week.

Whew. Can’t believe the week is over already! I think school is making time fly too …

Ella starts school

Our baby girl headed off to school this week.

They eased us in on Wednesday by having parents drive all kindergartners and stay for the first hour.

Ella dove right into all the learning centers, even asked the teacher a question during circle time. She asked when they can get up into the reading nook. There’s a little loft high up in the corner of the room for reading and she can not wait to get up there. The morning seemed natural and easy and kinda like no big deal, but then my big girl gave me the tightest hug before I left and I about lost it.

Today she says she’s excited to try the cheese pizza. Lunch may be her favorite part.

She got on the bus for the first time this morning. It was exciting to wait with the two other sweet girls, and my husband, mom and sister too. But now I’ll be so nervous waiting for the bus to bring her home! I wonder if I’ll be nervous every day.

The last couple of years have sure flown by.

This was Ella’s first day of preschool in 2010. She was 3. I was so nervous then too!

And her first day of preschool in 2011.

And here she is this year, 2012. Now very into her clothes, shoes and backpack she is showing off!

Almost school time

School is nearly here. Less than a week ago. It really is an exciting time.

My sister and I went to registration last week. How cool that we can do that together. And the cousins were put in the same class, just as we (well OK, we made Steve write the request letter) asked.

So we met the school nurse and a lunch lady (and I was impressed at the school lunches) and the new principal. Everyone was very nice. I saw my neighbor there and realize another neighbor we see at the community pool will have a kindergartner in Ella’s class. I think on top of everything it will be nice getting to know all these people that live around us.

And I’ve talked to the bus driver on the phone – very nice – and Ella will be picked up shortly before school and will ride with her cousins. All very reassuring.

And I paid for school lunches online – how convenient is that?

So, it’s all going very well, but wow,  Ella’s not going to be home anymore.

Lately as summer nights get later and the girls more tired and for whatever other reasons, they fight a lot. They purposely irritate each other and then scream about it. It goes on all day. Oy. And I think there is such a thing as too much time with someone, so maybe it will be good for Ella and Eva not to be together every waking moment.

I also thought maybe it’s because I’ve been too lenient all summer … on bedtime, on chores, on everything. Besides taking their plate to the kitchen, they haven’t really been helping much. So, I started brainstorming a “chore chart” plan when it then occurred to me that Ella won’t even be home for a lot of the day.

And I took a Friday off for a wedding, but realized, duh, Ella has school and we will need to wait for her.

And all those mornings of not even using an alarm clock to get up … they are almost over.

Next week when I work my two days in the office, I will only have one child in the car with me.

Eva may get mad at Ella but now she’ll go to being with her everyday to not seeing her from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. And I won’t either. Not to mention her daddy too, who she routinely bugs visits in his home office.

Whew, this is big, people. How are we here already? About to send our child off on a school bus into the world?

So I’ve got mixed feeling about the whole thing, but mostly excited. I think we’re all going to love school. But it’s a big change. If I’m overwhelmed that day, someone please just remind me to snap that first day of school picture in front of the house.

Random funny moments

I’m in the process again of moving photos off of my computer and I came upon some funny ones from the past several months. They are not the best photos and they’re not really the biggest moments, but they’re kinda those everyday moments that are a little bit more accurate at portraying our everyday life.

OK, while I’m not proud of this necessarily, I will share it with you all, because I’m being honest. Ella and I have worked in the really fun work book with all kinds of word exercises. This one asked her to list really “important” words. I’m glad that her dad and I are on there, but really, Netflix? And what about Eva?

What do you do when you’re bored with the pool at the bottom of the slide? You put the slip n slide there!

Garage sale find of 2012: An Alice in Wonderland costume.

This is the ultimate payback. We put these two little sideways-sleeping lay-on-top-of-you-all-night restless sleepers in the same bed for a bed hogging showdown!

Eva, let’s get this straight. Deodorant is not for eating. It’s not for kids to put on and it’s certainly not for rubbing all over daddy’s office chair.

This is how I feel a lot of times. Notice I’ve got coffee, a full load of things and a purse in my arms all while Eva runs in between my legs. Moments later I’ll realize my preschool graduate forgot to put on underwear for her big day.

Eva shares a quiet moment with her friend Maddie. She even shared her sucker.

Awkward family photo: Because Ella was scared at the Sears tower and also loves taking photos, she insisted on taking our photo as we stepped in the terrifying glass overhang at the Sears Tower. It was a little scary, and we bent our knees a little to help out the photographer. Ah well, at least the lighting was good.

We’ve seen them dance in leotards before, but adding their pink umbrellas really spiced up this dance routine. I think I may ask for an encore tonight!