An Ode To The 1st Week Of School.....

The first week of school

Is officially done.

In spite of the fears

It turned out pretty fun.

Bonus bucks stacking up

No homework to date.

Ella's so busy telling stories

Her lunch has to wait.

We get up so early

It's like waking at night.

Riding to school with cute boys

Makes it seem quite alright.

A star necklace like Mom's

Hangs from my neck.

So I know that she's with me

In case I get scared "half to deck".

With Grace and her friends

Four square is their game.

Ella's monkeybarring with a friend

But can't remember her name.

Poor Lily's at home

Feeling lonely and blue.

While she misses her girls

She loves Mama too.

After school playing nicely

Bedtime's super fast.

A clean house, peace and quiet

Let's hope these perks last.

Besides being tired.

And away all the day.

We love old John Harris

But still can't wait for May!

The proof is in the pudding.....

They made it home, safe and sound. As if I had any doubts! :) Grace's day went well and earning her first "bonus buck" was her highlight, I think. "Bonus bucks" are her teacher's positive reinforcement strategy and it is 150% up Grace's alley. She is already toiling with the all important decision of turning the 1st 20 in for a pop or a juice at the classroom store or squirreling them away until she gets 100. She would then be rewarded with lunch out with her teacher to the establishment of her choice with the meal being paid for by her teacher. Of course that would then mean another decision which is definitely not being Grace's forte (like her mama). I am sure many hours will be spent on this very major issue and Grace will come up with just the perfect compromise.

Ella also had a great day and never once indicated that she was not interested in returning today. I truly thought the possibility existed that she would hate it and refuse to ever go back. In fact, the phone rang twice yesterday and I literally ran to it, thinking it was the school asking me to come and pick her up. She made some new friends (although she couldn't remember any of their names), did not love the burger they served her, took a nap "that was only about 3 minutes long" (but long enough for her to actually fall asleep) and began her campaign to be the class clown. When I asked her if she talked to the people she ate lunch with, she told me that she had and had shared with her teacher and one other friend who was eating with her about the time when she was little and pulled her pants down at the Timberlodge. As thrilled as I was that she was conversing with others, I did explain that this maybe wasn't the most appropriate story to start off with. Her response was, "I know, but they laughed." and to Ella, that is of utmost importance.

Lily managed alright without her sisters. As you can see in the picture, she said her "Dear God" at lunch time for her girls to come home and play with her. At nap time, she laid in her crib talking for approximately an hour about Grace and Ella and other friends before finally falling asleep. It is my prediction that she creates an imaginary friend to cope with the void left by her big sisters.

Things were going just splendidly this morning until Ella looked in the mirror and decided that she looked ugly. The waterworks turned on until we located just the right outfit. Crisis averted just in time for us to get a few minutes of relaxing on the front stoop before the car pool arrived and off they went!

It's the final countdown.

Here it is, the official last day of summer vacation. Now, I know there are still two days before school starts but in my mind, today is the last day. Saturdays and Sundays are given as they are free days all year long. So, for me, today marks the last day of vacation and we are going out with a bang! We started the day with the girls' most favorite summer pasttime, a visit to a garage sale. The girls scored big time and I broke my two cardinal rules of garage sale-ing. The first and most important rule of garage sale-ing is "Avoid garage sales at all costs". However, when the sale is just across the street and is being hosted by the mother of one of Grace's best friends, I really don't feel I had much of a choice. And the second rule of garage sale-ing, "Under no circumstances is it permissible to purchase a swimsuit". Yes folks, I am ashamed to admit did I not only allow Grace to buy a swimsuit but I bought one for Lily with my very own money. My only defense at this point is sentimentality and sadness over the summer ending. I know, I know. pretty weak but it's all I got!

In addition to the garage sale, Grace and Ella get to go to the dentist this afternoon. Another one of their favorite activities-yes, I am aware they are a little on the strange side. While they both agree the bite wing x-rays are the worst, they really enjoy the rest of their visit. Ella was slightly worried about a small amount of plaque she felt she had on her tooth this morning so hopefully the visit turns out OK.

And finally, I think we will close the day out with one more of their favorites, a sleepover in the basement. I have not informed them of this yet but I imagine the news will be met with pure delight.

You all may be thinking that I am being just slightly overdramatic about the beginning of school and I will be the first to admit that I am. It's not as if I am never going to see Grace and Ella again. They are not going to boarding school even where I would only see them on weekends or holidays. On a normal person, practical level, I get this. It's just that more so than any other event during the year, the first day of school marks a measurable progression of time. Days, weeks and months pass without anyone stopping to think what that actually means. My favorite children's book is called 'Let Me Hold You Longer' written by Karen Kingsbury. It is about how we all anticipate and celebrate the first moments of our children but oftentimes overlook the lasts (the last time you color a picture with them, the last time they need your help tying shoes, the last time they will allow you to hug or kiss them in public). These lasts are just as important as the firsts and this book encourages parents to recognize the lasts and embrace them. As much as the first day of school is a first of many things, it is also a last of many things. And that makes me just a little bit sad. I asked Ella this morning what she thought about school starting on Monday and her response was "I am trying not to think about it.". I asked her why and she said she is scared and nervous so she is trying to forget all about it. Bless her heart. I so badly wanted to tell her I felt the same way but I just gave her a hug. But, in typical Ella fashion, less than an hour later she was talking about how awesome it will be to learn how to read and spell. Ultimately I need to take a lesson from Ella, while I am a little bit scared and nervous, there are so many great things that are about to happen and I need to look forward to them. But just for today, I think I would like them to "let me hold them longer".

Over the river, part deux......

The girls and I just returned from a five day end of the summer hiatus at Grandma and Papa's. As you can see from the pictures, the ever indulgent Papa purchased another new toy for the kids. Sometimes I wonder who enjoys these trinkets, toys and contraptions more. This particular vehicle is a little small for Papa but he sure gets a huge "Peanut Smile" watching the kids cruise on it. Grace loved it and grew more and more adventurous with each pass around the track. Speaking of the track, it never ceases to amaze me the things that Papa and Grandma will give up for their grandchildren. "Yard of the Week" has been their dream and life's passion for years now and their yard is without a doubt no longer in contention for that particular honor. Ella's feelings towards the four wheeler were best expressed by her as she and I were zipping down the hill in the backyard. I believe her exact words were, "This Four Wheeler is AWESOME!". Lily had a great time on it as well. She kept asking me if I could take her for a ride and then she would yell, "Whee......" every time we went down the hill and urged me to go faster. It has been said that I drive it like an old lady. Whatever, sometimes it pays to be cautious.

Other than four wheeling, we went to the pool again and Grace went off the diving board about 5,000 times again getting progressively more brave and ending the trip with her grand finale straddle jump off the board. We headed over to the world famous Kaiserhoff in New Ulm for a celebration of Kim and Randy's 25 years of wedded bliss. A good time was had by all, as expected and the food was great. Kim had an America's Next Top Model moment when she pulled out her wedding dress and strutted around in it. Other highlights of the trip were a bike ride, a visit with Grandma and Grandpa Jack, Grace and Austin playing as husband and wife owner's of a taxi company and three, yes, you read that correctly, three meals of Jake's Pizza! Oh and my personal highlight was when Grace and I made chocolate pudding. I suggested putting the pudding into sundae cups and Grace said, "Mom, you have the best ideas.". Those types of comments (and ideas, if I am being completely honest) are generally reserved for Jason so I was extremely happy to have earned such a kudo.

We had to leave our poor, hardworking Jason at home this trip. He has ridiculous amounts of work to get done and we missed him terribly. Unfortunately as we were whoopin' it up in STJ, Jason was logging way too many hours on the job site. As much as the girls love going to Grandma and Papa's, they had a countdown going of how many days it would be until they got to see Daddy again.

I do believe, for myself, I finally achieved the level of calm and tranquility that I have been searching for all summer. There is something about being in St. James that allows me to just relax. Although I bring my responsibilities with me, I am able to not worry about the housework, the grocery shopping and all the other necessary evils. That coupled with the knowledge that this would be our last summer hurrah made it a very nice trip. I thank Mom and Dad for providing us with such a great place to spend our time. It is truly my home away from home!

Get ready, get set, don't go....

OK, so maybe I stole that from my boy, Billy Ray but who knew he could be so profound. I have been preparing myself for this day all summer but I just wasn't ready to leave my baby at Room 203. The morning started off on a great note. When I woke Ella up she said, "Why do we have to go to school at nighttime?". Then she laughed and said, "Oh my gosh, look at my hair!". Gracie gave her a great pep talk about how at the end of today Ella is going to be so glad she went to school because she will have a bunch of new friends. Grace also told Ella that she never has to be scared at school because she is always safe there, which I thought was very sweet. We then discussed the episode of Full House when Stephanie gets scared at school and crawls into DJ's classroom. I regretted planting the seed immediately after talking about this because I seriously wouldn't put it past Miss Ella. Anyway, we got to school and she was super excited. The excitement started to dwindle as more and more kids arrived until finally she cracked. She turned to me crying and asked if she could just go home. She asked, "Can't I just go back to preschool?". It just about broke my heart and my steely resolve began to crumble. Daddy took her to the flag ceremony and I went with Grace which was a good match up. I teared up during the Pledge of Allegiance and also the school song so I knew this rodeo needed to come to a quick end or I was going to be a blubbering mess. Lily and I walked Gracie Lou to her classroom and she sent us off with a hug and a kiss. As we got to Ella's room, things were looking up. She had dropped off her backpack and was happily playing in the "house". Mrs. Costello then settled them all into the circle spots and read 'The Night Before Kindergarten'. When she finished the story she told the kids to turn and wave at the special people who dropped them off. Suddenly I came to the realization that I wasn't going to get to give my baby a hug before leaving but decided that was probably for the best. My brave Ella turned and waved with that great big Ella smile. But then right before my eyes, the realization hit her also and her face just fell into a panicked, frightened expression. She desperately fought crowd and grabbed me and was holding on for dear life crying. All I can say is Thank God for Jason! As I was about to completely lose it, he took her from me, dried her tears and got her settled back into her circle spot. He was then faced with the job that my father so readily handed off to Jason over nine years ago, to come and try to settle me down. It was just so much harder than I even anticipated. I know she will be safe and sound with Mrs. Costello and will do just great. I eagerly look forward to the trees made out of construction paper, A/R quizzes and stories about what happened at lunch but the truth of the matter is, I want her here with me. I keep thinking maybe we should have kept her home one more year but that would have been for my benefit, not hers. Ella is most definitely ready for Kindergarten. I just wonder, how can someone look so big and so little at the same time?

And then there is my big baby. Grace grew up so much right before my eyes this summer. I can recall many conversations we had in the past few months that were remarkably grown up. (Remarkably even for me as I can have some pretty juvenile conversations!) 3rd grade seems unimaginable to me. I close my eyes and can see her at one year old packing and unpacking the cooler for her 1st birthday party. I can see her and Daddy going up and down the sidewalk learning how to ride her bike. I can see her nervously walking across our backyard, looking back over her shoulder every few steps, on her way to ask a neighbor girl to play for the very first time. Today, she marched right in like she owned John Harris Elementary. Well, maybe not quite but I am just so proud to watch her transform from my meek, timid little Grace to a much more confident, self assured Grace. Although, I have to admit, I do like to know that she still needs me from time to time.

All summer long, I wished and hoped for just a few minutes of peace and quiet. A little bit of time to myself. Now things are too peaceful, too quiet. I guess I need to be careful what I wish for. And so, here Lily and I sit. Me with tears in my eyes and Lily looking for her buddies, her pals, her sisters. Lily cried as we left the school and said, "I want my Grace and Ella." and all I could tell her was, "I do too". As we were driving to Perkins to pick up our celebratory French Silk Pie she asked me, "Mommy, are you a cry baby?" and when I responded that yes I was, she asked why. I told her it was because I missed Gracie and Ella. She said, "I miss Gracie and Ella too, Mama". We will get to log many hours of our own time together which is important and together we will wait for 2:45PM to come, when the girls are all together again, just like we are supposed to be.

Mirror, mirror on the wall......

Grace and Ella are the fairest of all. Well, and Lily too but Grace and Ella got new haircuts to look fresh for school. They have been begging me for quite a while to take them to get their hair cut. I promised them we would do it sometime before school started but didn't know exactly when. Last Tuesday Grace had a friend over. We had to bring her home and they asked me if we were going to get their hair cut after we dropped her off. I told them no to throw them off the trail but was planning on it. When we pulled into the Great Clips parking lot they started screaming and just as I looked in my rear view mirror, I caught a glimpse of them hugging each other with looks of pure joy on their faces. Ella hollered, "It's my dream come true!". You would have thought I had just informed them that Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers were moving in with us. Anyway, I think they turned out pretty cute! And I threw in a picture of Lily just because she is fun to look at, new haircut or not.

What I Did During Summer Vacation.........

Is it my imagination or does time go faster during the summer? It seems like just yesterday Grace had her last day of 2nd grade and now in just two weeks and two days, she will be starting 3rd grade and my little Ella Bella will be starting Kindergarten. Where did the summer go? Looking back I feel like most of the summer escaped us by being taken up with cleaning the house, running errands and baths. Late last week this all hit me and I was filled with panic and a sense of urgency to fill the last weeks of summer with fun and memories. This week I decided to keep the house work and errands to a bare minimum and just enjoy my girls. What I found was that I have actually been doing this all summer. While we had the girls' birthday party at All American Gymnastics, our wonderful vacation to Alexandria and a few days with Grandma and Papa, the rest of the summer was spent just living our lives and that is what is really important. I realized that I don't need to be constantly creating elaborate events to have a good time. It is my sincere hope that the moments that will really stand out to the girls are the more mundane activities that filled our summer; their 1st lemonade stand, making tie dyed tshirts, dancing in the kitchen to Taylor Swift, eating chocolate chip pancakes, trips to B&G for "cream cones", tennis shoe shopping, playing in the pool, catching lightning bugs and hours and hours of playing house. It is unreasonable to think our lives can be filled with the next big event so what I did this summer was learn to appreciate the little things that my life is comprised of. Maybe it took me all summer but I finally got there!

I am lucky to have Jason who loves his girls with all his being. He gives us all his unconditional and uncompromising love and for that I am grateful.

I am lucky to have Grace whose practical nature and dry sense of humor grounds me. I am proud every time I look at her and see what a wonderful big girl she has become. She is my helper, my memory and my little radar.

I am lucky to have Ella who makes me laugh every day and fills my heart with love. I am inspired by her passionate approach to life, her intense focus and determination and her ability to give 110% to everything she does whether it is laughing, crying or figuring something out.

I am lucky to have Lily who just loves life. She is sweet, loving and pleasant. It is refreshing to be around her and know that because of her innocence and trust, all she needs and all she wants is my love and my word to feel happy.

I am lucky that the girls are perfect sisters for each other and couldn't complement each other more perfectly than they do.

I am lucky.

So, what did I do during my summer vacation? I listened to my girls playing house, school, movie theater, library and any other make believe game they could think of. I watched Lily make inanimate objects real before my very eyes (a hamburger became a dog, a pretzel was transformed into a phone). I laughed as Grace hid and scared her sisters. I enjoyed Ella's constant stream of stories and hilarious one liners. I refereed arguments. I applied bandaids. I supervised many hours of bike and scooter riding. I encouraged Lily to show anyone and everyone her "fat lips" every chance I had. I read a few books. I played Cash Cow 2. I got frustrated at messy rooms and toys left out. I got to hear "Good Morning, Mama" and "I love you, Mom" more times than I can count. And looking back, I realize, I wouldn't have changed a moment. I hope you all had a good summer. I know I did.