First day of first grade!

My cute girl is a first grader. We were in a rush to get out the door this morning. I told Lily to go stand by the front door while I ran to get the camera. When I popped around the corner, this is what I saw! Last minute adjustments to her adorable new shoes! They sparkle and have Hello Kitty on them. I am in love with them! I wish they had a pair in my size. I'd wear them too!

My girl is growing up!

The summer came and went so quickly! Although we started school weeks after the other local schools, it still feels like it snuck up on me and arrived way too quickly.

I used to worry that I'd get sick of my kids in the summer and try to hurry them back to school in the fall. I don't feel that way. I love having them home and miss them when they're gone. I'm excited for Lily's adventures in learning and fun, but I'm so bummed I don't get her home with me. After I dropped her off and drove away, I felt a little teary.

I had wonderful plans to have a special breakfast prepared and get Lily to school early so she'd have time to greet and play with friends. However, I'm not as on the ball as I wish I were. Those things didn't happen. I will follow my husband's good advice and focus on what I did do, rather than what I didn't get done. So, in an effort to focus on the good: I wrote Lily a "first day of first grade" letter, washed her hair all fresh and dried it, made her lunch, and got her off to school, with a baby sis and jammied brother in tow.

Now I'm going to continue unpacking and organizing...wish me luck!

Snuggles

I felt so blessed to have all of my kids snuggled on me while we watched General Conference. I enjoyed Conference. I love how I feel when I listen to the words of God. I want to be a diligent, dedicated mother and to follow Heavenly Father's commandments as perfectly as I can.

Lily's first day of kindergarten

Lily is a kindergartener! Getting ready this morning went smoothly. She got dressed in the outfit she had chosen and even made her own lunch. We visited her teacher before school started so she could be familiar with the school on her first day. Our visit had the desired effect. This morning she walked right in and sat down at her desk. She felt ownership to her classroom, desk, and teacher. She felt right at home.

I am so excited for her! I loved kindergarten and all my years of school. I'm excited for Lily to love learning. I know she will. I thought it would be a hard morning for me but it wasn't. I think I got most of my crying out in the previous weeks and months. This has been a big step for me as a mom. I have taken very seriously my responsibility to teach, nurture, and care for my children, rather than abdicate it to someone else. It's been difficult for me to realize that she will be leaving our safe little home and my direct care, and going out into a world that offers a lot of negative influences in addition to the good. I am going to miss my little girl so much! But I also know this is the right step in her development.

She knows a lot of the kids who are going to her school.

When Lily went in to meet her teacher she got to choose her desk. She loved that. Here are her fun supplies!

Post Sript: Lily had a great day at school. She said she loved it! It made me feel so good to see her run to me with a huge smile on her face. Her favorite part of the day was lunch because it was so tasty (Laughing Cow cheese on Ritz and an applesauce cup). She liked making a book all about her. She's a little artist. She didn't like the sandy playground at recess, hence the wadded up socks in her hand. Congratulations to my Lily!!

So sweet

This afternoon Lily said to me, "Mom, go lay on your bed. I'm going to make you a Mother's day surprise." She started digging in the pantry. I wasn't sure whether she was being sweet...or sneaky. I went into my room and a few minutes later Lily walked in wearing an apron and carrying a tray full of love. She brought me caramel pudding, a broken up graham cracker, and a glass of water. Breakfast in bed.

I appreciate her sweetness toward me. Sometimes it feels like I'm constantly instructing and correcting her and so perhaps she feels like I'm a foe rather than a friend. I've made a concerted effort lately to have more fun play time with her. I think it has sweetened our relationship a lot.

So lucky...

I feel so lucky to be the mother of this little boy. I enjoyed eating lunch with him today. I loved the delight in his eyes when he saw that I put his raisins in a halfed and hollowed apple. I loved seeing his little fingers pick the raisins off of his jam bread and pop them in his mouth. I loved hearing the silly sound of his mouth while he loudly chewed a huge mouthful of buttered bread with jam.

Carter is so sweet, easy going, and pleasant. My life is more beautiful because he is a part of it. I'm so lucky.

Lunch time frustrations

As a server of lunch to a pair of little folks, I often find myself frustrated trying to prepare a lunch that is acceptable to my eaters. They are very selective little eaters. (They inherited this wonderful trait from their dad who, as a little boy, wiped the sauce off his spaghetti noodles one-by-one. Fortunately he has very nearly outgrown this trait.)

Just about the only thing my little eaters will eat for lunch these days is a quesadilla. For a bit of variety today, I swung for peanut butter sandwiches. The oldest eater would not take one. The younger eater, I know from experience, would pull the sandwich apart and proably take a couple of bites. So after much "negotiation," I ate a peanut butter and jam sandwich, the older eater ate a buttered slice of bread, and the younger eater ate a butter and jam sandwich. Aagh! Lunch time drives me nuts! In addition to our delectable entree, we had carrots (I was the only taker on those ones), oranges (the older eater wouldn't touch those but the younger one inhaled them), and the older eater had canned pears. We all ate cheese puffs at the end. So exciting is my lunch time venture.