Graduation

On Thursday, Ava graduated from preschool. She started in the Mother’s Morning Out program just after she turned 1, so we’ve enjoyed five wonderful years in this sweet school. I knew the day would be a little emotional for me, and I was right. Dropping her off that morning got the tears started. Luckily, that was probably the most emotional I got.

For the actual ceremony, the Kindergarten classes sang songs for us, and then they were called by their full names to receive their “diplomas.” Now, I’ll say that as sweet as that was, I do find the new trend of having a graduation ceremony for every single milestone a little unnerving. These days, it seems that kids graduate from preschool, elementary school, middle school, etc. By the time they get to high school, it isn’t even a  big deal anymore!

I digress. I had a few emotional moments during the songs, but I held it together. I had to keep my goodbyes to Ava’s teachers to a minimum, because I knew if I started trying to thank them for all they’ve done for us this year, it would be waterworks. (Earlier in the day, I ran into Ava’s 4-year-old teacher and nearly burst into tears).

Here’s my sweet girl with her fabulous teachers:

And her she is getting her “diploma”, although I really couldn’t get a good shot.

After the ceremony, there was lemonade and cookies in the courtyard. Davis joined us then.

And we tried to get a good family photo, but that is easier said than done. Here, we’re all looking at my mom’s camera, while my dad was taking the picture with my camera.

Shortly after this was taken, Ava had an enormous outpouring of emotion and cried for about 30 minutes. My girl really loves school.

I had one more small crying session that night. I was recapping the day with the husband, and commented that it’s really going to kill me when we drop her off at her dorm room at UNC in 13 years. That got me talking about how the end of her preschool years is really like closing a chapter in her life. The time has flown by, and I know it will only go faster from here.

For now, I can rest happy knowing that she is well-equipped to go into the real world of big school.

It’s MINE!

The title of this post is a phrase I hear all too often. But now it’s my turn to say it. We have a little issue with boundaries in this house. And it’s between Ava and me. It seems that what’s mine is hers. Apparently, we are equals in her eyes. I’m sure this has to do with me often acting her age, but still. I really am much older. And I have cooler toys.

The biggest problem of late is my iPhone. I just switched over a month or so ago. I had a Droid, I never liked it. I was already using an iPod touch and an iPad, so I knew the iPhone would be great. And, it is. Except for one thing: I  can get Ava to keep her paws off it.

If she’s not playing Angry Birds, she’s taking pictures. Or movies. Did I mention that she has her own camera? And I’ve pretty much told her she can have the iPod Touch whenever she wants it. But no. It’s the phone she wants. To the point that she says things like, “I wish I had an iPhone of my own.”

Dream on, girlie.

The ironic thing about this is that she is the world’s worst sharer. Davis can’t even step across the threshold of her room without being screamed at to GET OUT! If he so much as touches something in her room, we are all assaulted with cries of, "THAT’S MINE AND IT IS SUPER-SPECIAL SO YOU CAN NOT TOUCH IT! GET OUT OF MY ROOM RIGHT NOW! MOMMEEEEEEE! GET HIM OUT OF MY ROOM!!!! EMERGENCY!!!!”

(Note: apparently “super-special” means “toy I never play with or show any interest in, except now that my brother is touching it, it is the most amazing thing I have ever possessed.)

And even today, she had a pack of Sugar Babies that she got at school (remember Sugar Babies? And how they stick to your teeth like glue?). I asked if I could have one. She initially responded no. Then she reconsidered and said I could have one, but ONLY one.

Generous.

She ate a few more, then handed me two. I said, “Oh, Ava! How sweet of you to share with me.” You know what she said? “Well, I just don’t really like them that much, so you can have them.”

Altruism runs deep here.

Backflips

On Saturday, I received some news in the mail that practically had me doing flips. My rising Kindergartener can now say where she’s going to school in the fall….yay! We were able to get a transfer to another public school, and we could not be happier. I’m sure that down the road, I’ll reconsider private school (like middle school….scary). For now, though, I really feel like I’m in an area with great public schools, and I don’t see any reason to spend big money on the elementary years.

(That’s not meant to berate anyone who chooses private. For some kids, I think that probably is the way to go. And, in a lot of instances, I think you probably do  get a better education, or at least more opportunities for different ways of learning. I went to private and public, so obviously, I am an expert. Or not.)

At any rate, this whole school thing has been making me crazy for the better part of a year, so to be able to say, “Ava, you are going to this school!” is a huge relief.

Of course, I completely dread having to call the private school where we had accepted and have to say we aren’t coming. I don’t know why. I really don’t think it’s going to hurt their feelings. It’s not like we were going to be huge Annual Fund contributors.

Speaking of school, this is the last week of preschool for my kids. Ava has a little graduation ceremony, which is sure to make me cry. She is so infatuated wtih her teacher, and watching them say goodbye to each other may actually put me over the edge.

Of course, I have our outfits planned out. Priorities, you know.

Interestingly, I am not all that emotional about sending her off to big school next year. Maybe it’s because she’ll be 6, and I know she’s ready. And maybe I’m kind of a little bit (or a lot) looking forward to her being in a full day of school. Also, I may be a little more sad come August. For now, I’m stressing about how to keep my two kids entertained all summer.

Three months until school starts….

Refreshed and Rejuvenated

Greetings from Tuesday!

I’m still feeling pretty refreshed after my girls’ weekend. We had such a good time doing absolutely nothing. On Saturday, I slept all the way until 8:30. Late! After that, I stayed in my PJs until about 1:30. Good times, I tell you. I should do that more often. Like, every weekend? I will mention that in order to combat our complete lack of activity on Saturday, we were good little girls on Sunday, and went for a run first thing in the morning. If you can call 9am first thing.

Speaking of running, I have been struggling to get back into normal shape after that little bout of pneumonia. My last run before the forced sabbatical was 10 miles. That’s pretty far, right? Now 3 is struggle. So frustrating. I’m hoping, though, that taking time off and then starting back will do some kind of crazing revving up of my metabolism, and all fat will instantly transform into muscle, revealing a perfect me just in time for the pool to open.

I know, I know. Not likely. Especially with my love of dessert. And food, in general.

Speaking of the pool, ours opens this weekend. Having a 2 year old means time in the water for me. Frankly, it’s been a little cool here the last week or so. I fear the temperature of the water. How are kids so oblivious to their body parts freezing off?

Last summer, Davis was obsessed with trying to put the pool toys into the bee-infested trash cans there. In fact, as I recall, he had an unhealthy obsession with all trash cans last summer. We really thought he was aspiring to a career in sanitation. I think that phase has passed. I’m hoping this year he’ll just want to play quietly on the steps of the pool while he sister frolicks about, and I lounge in a chaise with my Kindle and a drink.

Not likely.

No, not this summer. Or next. I think I’ll get plenty of time in the water. And I would be wise to leave the Kindle safely at home.

--Carter

PS – I took this morning off from working out, but still got up at 5:45 just to have some time to myself. It’s now 6:45, and I hear Davis talking in his crib. I just have to say that this has been the fastest hour of my life.

Are you there Friday? It’s me, Carter.

Hi there, everyone. Welcome to Thursday. I’m especially happy to see the end of this week on the horizon, because I have a girls’ weekend starting around 4:30 tomorrow. Yay! It’s much-needed, and frankly, much-deserved. (If I do say so myself.)

It’s been a long week around here. Mother’s Day was great. We hosted both grandmothers (and my dad) for lunch, which was fun. Afterwards, Ava and I went out for pedicures:

It was her first. The place we went had kids’ pedicure chairs, which was really cute. At first, she just wanted to sit and watch me get mine done. But after about 10 minutes, she said, “I don’t know if I want to get a pedicure. I might want to get one. I’m just not sure.” So, we did a little compromise. She soaked her feet, picked a color, and got a polish. She loved it. I’ve probably created a monster. It was only $5, though, and it really was fun to go and have girl time with her.

The rest of the week has been fine, but Davis has been such a two-year old all week. Wild, ornery, persnickety. Not to mention funny, except for yesterday when he didn’t take a nap and basically screamed for an hour. After that, I decided we would not be staying at home, so I started getting ready to venture out to the mall. I changed my shirt, which really enraged Davis for some reason. He went into the laundry room, got out the shirt, and started following me around the house, saying, “That one!! That one!!” Maybe he thought I was going out without him in my change of clothes? No clue.

At the mall I bought a bathing suit. Sometimes, when you have a bad afternoon with your 2-year-old, you just need retail therapy. And when you find a bathing suit that works, you really have to get it. Such finds are rare.

Speaking of good finds, this was in a package in my mailbox yesterday. It’s a Mother’s Day present from my sister. I love it.

xoxo,

Carter

Happy Mother’s Day

I might be a little biased, but I’m pretty sure I have the best mom in the world. I really love talking to her (just about every day), shopping with her, eating with her, gossiping with her, and generally, just being with her. I know we’re lucky that we  get along so well. We’ve always been that way, though. I can remember back when I was in college, and I’d come home for breaks, I would be so torn between going out with my friends, and staying in with my parents. I think I actually thought they’d be heartbroken if I chose not to stay with them. Of course, now that I have my own kids, I know they would have been just fine. Happy, even.

Anyway, here’s a photo of my mom and me at a wedding a couple of years ago. Sorry for the blurriness.

Seeing my mom with my kids over the last (almost) 6 years has made me love her all the more. And seeing the way the kids love her just warms my heart. It’s so much fun to hear them get excited about her coming for a visit, and to watch their faces light up when they see her.

I hope that when my kids are grown, they love me even half as much as I love my own mother. I hope they want to call me to fill me on the little things going on in their lives. I hope they want me around for holidays, special occassions, or just a weekday lunch.

Thanks for everything you have done and continue to do for me, Mom.

I love you.

Re-Entry

Hello friends. My apologies for the lack of blogging lately. The whole pneumonia thing made my life extremely uninteresting for a while, and I didn’t want to bore any of you with complaints of chest pain, coughing, fever, etc.

I’m much better now, although I’d say still not 100%. According to my doctor and his fancy x-ray machine, I still have a bit of pneumonia. So, another 10 days of 2 antibiotics for me. And, every now and then, this stupid cough flares back up. This stuff is hard to kick, I tell you. Saturday will mark 4 weeks of no exercise for me. Ugh. Must. Start. Back. Tomorrow. Or the next day.

I was super-lucky to have my mom come in and help with the kids during my time of duress. In a way, it was like a little mini-vacation, except that I could still hear the yelling and screaming of the kids. (Speaking of which, Davis turned 2 and instantly became saucy. Tempers flare in these parts, let me tell you. But so do snuggles and belly laughs, so it’s okay, for now).

Really, though. Having someone cook, clean, and take care of my kids made me realize my need for a live-in nanny, chef, and maid. Is that really so much to ask for? Of course it’s not. Why should the rich have all the fun? Life just isn’t fair. When my mom was here, she really enforced my doctor’s orders to rest. I even watched a Lifetime movie or two. And, in a classic case of #ParentFail, I might have let Ava watch one of those movies with me. Not surprisingly, it ended with some lady who was being stalked in a showdown with her stalker. She won. Because it’s Lifetime, and the women ALWAYS win. (Sadly, though, none of the Lifetime movies I watched involved any former 90201 or Melrose Place cast members. Those are truly the best. My favorite is one where Shannen Doherty is pledging a sorority and gets all investigative-reporter about some hazing. She also sings in it. It’s great.)

Other than that, I have managed to put samples of paint in my bedroom and kitchen. What started out as a little bedroom redecoration has turned into painting the bedroom, kitchen, den, hallway, and Ava’s room. And while I’m at it, I’d like to get rid of these stupid popcorn ceilings in my house, and swap out all appliances for stainless. Unfortunately, my lottery tickets have all been losers, so we’ll just stick to the painting for now. The most important thing I can tell you is that finding the right grey might be the hardest decorating task one can tackle.

Suggestions are welcome.

Oh, and Ava claims to have a loose tooth. I can’t quite tell. It’s causing a tremendous amount of excitement, though. We’re just going with it.

On that note, I bid you all good night.