The Kindergarten Blues

So I have to come to terms with the fact that my daughter is starting kindergarten in T-minus 5 months. I have put it in the back of my mind for a long time. I'm not worried. Even with common core looming and the realization that I'm going go be put on the parent side of the controversy, I know she will be fine...but it's still scary. We haven't pushed her to read. We learned early on with G that if we try to make her do something, she is totally resistant...wonder where she gets that from...so we have tried to instill a love of imaginative play, dress up, drawing and coloring, and many books into her. In the last year she has become curious about reading, so I have started with some reading activities- sight words, word families, rhyming, and sound placement.

She is starting to take off and it's pretty interesting seeing it from a parent's perspective. There is no urgency to make a test score in time, no data tracking, no one down my neck to teach text strategies...just me and my girl learning to read...old school...and it's pretty awesome! 

Batman

Meet Batman the lizard. A couple of weeks ago the kids came downstairs and told us they had a pet lizard living in Jackson's bedroom...we laughed it off..how cute we said...what imaginations they have...fast forward to mommy picking up the Batcave inhabitants off the bedroom floor after a very long day.

I pick up something resembling a sticky, squishy throw against the wall toy...only it jumped out of my hand and ran away...it was pretty close to what I imagine finding E.T. would be...so now we have Batman sightings...only we can't ever find him long enough to capture and remove... thinking he would probably like a snack by now but he seems content chillin' in Gotham City...

Opening up, Dusting off...and Birthdays!!

 Wow! I opened this thing up, dusted it off, and realized it's been over 2 years since I posted. I started this blog to document my pregnancy with Gracie and her first year...that, I did well. Then, came the Jack-Jack Attack! This boy of mine is such a boy that I can barely find time for anything but making sure he's not destroying the parts of the house that are still recognizable. 
 He is incredible. His imagination, stubborn ways, and determination are going to take him far...but molding him into what I envision for him is not always easy, especially with a 4.9 year old sister leading the way to chaos. 
 Yep! She will be 5 this month...pretty hard...hard to swallow, hard to believe, and hard for my heart to realize that 5 years have come and gone. She is everything I knew she would be when I first saw her. She is sassy, smart, sweet, a pure joy...she's my friend. She's my little lady and she's still simply lovely. 
 Deciding to reopen up this live journal of our lives couldn't have come on a better day. It is this day, 13 years ago, I became an aunt for the second time. At the sweet, young age of 19 (yep, it's been a while) I was blessed with my second baby girl love-Abigail Marie. She is in my top 4 every morning and night as I ask for God's blessings. He has answered those prayers over and above anything I deserve. She is a kindred spirit with a pure heart. Happy Birthday Abbey! We love you! 
 

Abbey

                                                                 

Abbey holding Gracie