End of an Era

Friday was Sophie's last day of preschool, which required photo documentation:

And a comparison to her first day; look at that baby I sent out into the big, wide world!! I remember she walked right into the classroom, and never looked back.

With her best buddy at the class picnic:


There are 5 of us who started at Mt Zion back in the Fall of 2003, when our kids were all about to turn 2. Through the past 4 years, we have been through a lot together....a lot of playdates, sleepovers, strawberry picking, potty training, dance recitals, birth of siblings, job changes, croup, ear infections, bedrest, marital unrest, girls nights out...you name it, we have shared it. Our children have grown up together, and learned how to share, how to be and have a friend, with each other. And we mothers gained the support and friendship of each other, someone who really KNEW what you were going through, because they were in the same place. None of our children will be at the same school for Kindergarten. All of our younger ones will be at Mt Zion for a few more years, but their ages vary, so we won't have the same schedules like we have in the past. Goodness, who will I call when I am running late, and I need someone to pick up Michael and Emily from their classroom and keep them on the playground for 15 minutes until I arrive? It's that sort of thing that we have grown to count on each other for.

We know our friendships will endure, we just may have to work a bit harder to stay connected. KK, Rebekah, Holly and Paula, We may have to listen a bit harder for the tribal drums, but don't worry, they WILL sound, and we WILL hear them!

Please don't report us to DFACS

I just have to warn you that the following pictures are of a graphic nature, and only appropriate for mature audiences. And please keep in mind the injuries look worse than they actually are.

So, having said all that....it has been a rough week for our little ones. On Wednesday night, Emily took a dive in the bathtub, and got a lovely shiner. We had all three in together, Terry had just taken Michael out, and I was telling Emily for the 100th time to sit down. I was even holding her by the arm but she managed to fall forward. She hit the side of tub, and it swelled instantly. Here she is yesterday in all her glory, at the park with Aunt Peg.

While at the park yesterday, Michael took a tumble of his own. He and my friend Alice were exploring, and he was having fun scrambling up and down a small mound of wood chips. She said when he fell, he got right back up and didn't even make a peep. It didn't look bad at the park, but when he woke up from his nap later that afternoon, he looked like he had been in the boxing ring.

He looks much better today, and it hasn't slowed him down at all. We did put them in the nursery at Church this morning, and I felt compelled to tell the ladies there what had happened to each of them. Just in case they were wondering......

Visitors

We have been fortunate in the past few weeks to have family visiting. My brother Larry and his wife Cynthia were here 2 weeks ago. One might think that the main reason for their visit was the fishing, and one wouldn't be far off the mark with that! Larry and Dad did have a few days on the lake, and I think they were pretty successful at it. We had them over for dinner one night, a good time was had by all.

Here's Sophie and Uncle Larry relaxing before dinner.

Cynthia was posing with Dad in this one, but it was very unflattering of him, so I cropped him out. Better luck next time, Dad!

Two other brothers, Jim and Bill, were both in Atlanta on business the same week that Larry and Cynthia were visiting. Bill's schedule was hectic, and although he didn't have a chance to visit with us in person, we did help him with restaurant selections while he was in town. Terry wanted to start charging him after about the 4th phone call. Jim was able to make it to our house for dinner. We had a nice visit; he was able to meet Michael and Emily, and see how much Sophie had grown. And Sophie enjoyed his stories of what Jack and Leslie have been up to.

Here he is blowing some bubbles for Emily:

And last, but certainly not least, the Odenthals were in town this past week. But that is another post, as those pics are still on my camera. Stay tuned.....

Goings On

When Sophie was an infant/toddler, I was one of those smug mothers whose child was never sick. We rarely saw the pediatrician unless it was a well visit. Between her 2 and 3 year checkups, we didn't see him at all. Ha! So much for my self righteousness......now I feel like I live there. Last week was Michael and Emily's 18 month, and this week was yet another sick visit. A sinus infection for Michael and conjunctivitis for Emily. I did tell him not to give me anything penicillin based for either one of them, don't want a repeat of Sophie's experience with that.

In other news the neighbors across the street are having trees removed. This has it's good and bad points. Bad because yesterday the kiddos went down for their nap while the guys were at lunch break. When they returned and revved up the chipper 40 minutes later, that was it for naptime. A fun afternoon with two cranky, not feeling well toddlers was had by all. Good because after we got home from Target this morning, the crane truck was parked outside and was removing logs. This was fascinating for them, they darted between the front windows to see who could get the better view. The truck left for good right before naptime, which I really appreciated.

Also this week Terry is re-staining our deck. One of those projects that seems like a good idea in theory. And it is a good idea, and will be great when it is finished, but it is a lot of work. Today he finished the cleaning and rinsing. Tomorrow he will take a break, then start the actual staining on Saturday. Sophie had to get in on the action when she got home from school this afternoon.

And speaking of school, next week is it for preschool. Tomorrow is Sophie's last turn as line leader so we made cupcakes, which are usually reserved for birthdays. We even colored our icing 3 different colors, which was a big hit. She wanted to bring Wheat Thins (not Triscuts, Mommy!) and blueberries as well. I subbed strawberries for blueberries as they were on sale. Line leader has become a more important job over her 4 years at Mt Zion. This year it included holding the flag for the Pledge of Allegiance, bringing in something for show and tell, putting the number on the calendar, dressing the weather bear and of course being first in line all day, and bringing snack. I wonder if there is such a thing as line leader in Kindergarten? Sophie was a big help with the cupcakes, especially when it came time to clean up.......

Big Day for Sophie

Today was Kindergarten Orientation. It was quite a scene in the cafeteria as the parents and children gathered. We were pleasantly surprised to know more families than we had originally thought. There are two girls Sophie will know from our neighborhood, two from dance class, and one from swim lessons. Also, one of her current classmates. Sophie doesn't play a lot with this girl at school, but today they held hands the entire time. I heard Sophie say to her, "We need to stick together Madeline, because we know each other." I usually don't sense reluctance in her, but today I did. She started out sitting on Terry's lap, then mine. At the beginning of the tour, she held tightly to my hand. However, by the end, she and Madeline had found each other, and were following our student guide (a third grader, giving a guided tour to a group of 20 parents and kids!) very closely, not wanting to miss a thing.

We were impressed with the school, a far cry from what schools were like when I was in Kindergarten!! We saw the Art room, the Music room, the Gym, the Media Center (library for those of you over 40) and got to eat breakfast in the cafeteria. The favorite part for all the kids was getting to sit on the school bus while the driver explained the rules. Several of them asked him if he could take them for a ride. (he couldn't) I had thought she might be intimidated by the bus, but her excitement was visible. Seeing the school up close like that, and getting to meet some teachers and staff really helped alleviate my concerns as well.

After that was over, we rushed over to dance class to pick up her recital costume. We got there in time for her to make the last 10 minutes of gymnastics. And more importantly, to hear the explanation about how to tie the bow on the costume, what tights to wear, etc. The costumes are cute, I will have to post pics after recital day. So, a busy day for us. And another milestone for our Sophie.......