first day of SCHOOL!!

It's been a crazy past couple of days!

Kindergarten screening went well. It was funny to hear the girls answer some questions to things with their spin on them ie "have you ever been to the zoo?" "No!" or "what animals do you see on a farm?""baby piggies...I want a baby piggie...a real one" lol!

Both girls passed with flying colors (even Adia who got bored and refused to continue on with half of the test!). Rasa's chart says she's developing wonderfully and was enthusiastic. Adia's said she seems to be developing normally (stubborn little turkey!).After talking to the screener we decided putting the girls in school right away would help them feel more independent and brave when it comes to interacting with new people and playing with other kids comfortably. We start PreK next year so we agreed getting them used to a school setting would only help to ease them into PreK. So.....

TODAY we started school! The girls preschool teacher Anne is wonderful and sweet. The teachers aid was warm and loving (she's older so the girls call her Gramma teacher). There are 13 kids in their class, mostly boys but two other girls. They were happy to have more girls in the class! The really nice thing is all of the other kids seem to be respectful of each others space and right in the middle of the energy spectrum which works well for my quiet kids.


It was all a little overwhelming to ME. We walk in, found the classroom, took coats off and washed hands and then I had to leave. Kids are expected to find their names on the desk place mats and sit and wait for instruction. Anne greats each child individually and children are expected to greet her.

We read Llama Llama Misses Momma before we went so we could talk about how I would be leaving them in class without me. Both girls did really well with me leaving. Rasa apparently got sad after I left but recovered quickly according to her teacher. I left them sitting at their desk with playdoh and walked away. I teared up but held it together. I was worried my babies would cry for me and that I wouldn't be there for them as I always had to hug them and tell them everything would be ok. They've grown and they did just fine.

When I came back to their class Rasa was bouncing on the floor with her hand on the teachers shoulder laughing at a book the teacher was reading her. Adia sat in between two other kids reading a book. They looked so happy, so big! My heart smiled. They're so ready for this. Good for them.

time playing tricks.....

Three years ago I was pulling coats and hats off of my 12 month olds at ECFE playtime and a lady sat in the lobby with her four year old daughter. She smiled and said to me, "pretty soon you're going to be sitting where I am waiting for their kindergarten screening" I balked and said "not for a while!"....all of the sudden I'm the lady sitting with her almost four year olds for kindergarten screening. How did this happen so fast?!

Everyday Things......

thankful.....

This month has flown by so quickly!! I can't believe we're already coming up on the end of November. I've been out of commission for a few weeks with a kidney infection but feeling better everyday and almost normal again. The girls had lots of adventures with their Nana while I was sick. Having her come down a few days to take them outside, play, lunch dates and shopping trips gave them a nice break from being trapped in the house all day. They loved every minute of it.

The girls are changing so much and so quickly. They are children now, all of the sudden. Filled with so many ideas, so much imagination and so opinionated (yep that would be a trait they inherited from me!).

It's funny to see them have their own styles. Rasa likes to pick her clothes but will allow me to choose for her, as long as she can accessorize. She likes her shirts tucked in (oh my), her pant legs rolled up and her sleeves too. She's always got a hat on and lucky for us Nana makes the cutest hats. Rasa doesn't want things. She could care less about presents, toys and stuff. She just wants to be close. She is still a meltdown queen but seems to be able to reel herself in and calm down if given a quiet space to get things together in.

Adia likes pink (STILL!). She only wears something if it has pink in it and she will NOT allow me to help her pick out anything. She has to do it herself. She's a ball of energy, wants to visit Santa to tell him her lengthy list of "I wants" for Christmas, and still controls the entire household. One of the days I was sick in bed I heard Adia teasing Rasa. I shouted from my bed, "Adia!!!". She stormed down the hallway to me and said, "MOMMA! I told you yesterday, stop yelling at me!!!" and stormed away.

I'm always Thankful, thankful for the good days, thankful for the bad days and thankful that we are all so lucky to be together.

everyday things....

voting day.....

Election time! Tomorrow is the big election day and while I don't like to publish political propaganda I want you girls to know how important it is for you to get out and vote when you turn 18. Change isn't instant, it never will be, but we vote to move things in the right direction.

There are many things that we're voting on this election and one is to vote YES or NO to ban the possibility of same sex marriage in the future. Your Dad and I are adamantly against the proposal to eliminate any further debate to happen regarding same sex marriage. We believe anyone in a committed relationship has a right to marriage and the benefits attached to that status. You will be in school with other kids from families that are made up of parents who are biological, adoptive, single parents, two dads, two Mom's and lots of other combinations. All families are just as important as yours is. A family is a family no matter how it came to be. Your moral responsibility is to accept people for the good they do, for the way they make you feel, for the friendship they bring to you and know that we are all equals. We are happy to be in a community that's filled with a lot of different kinds of people. That's what makes everyone so fun and unique (like you!)! We will always stand up for equality and promise, for your sake, to always vote against anything that is not conducive to that.

You both will walk with me down the street to the school tomorrow to stand in line and vote with me. I'm voting for you.

***updated****
we did it! Adia cried all the way home because she wanted to be able to vote herself. I promised we could make ballots at home to practice with so in the 2028 election she would know exactly what to do!

everyday things.....colder weather can't stop us from having fun