Movin' On

Well, she's officially a school girl!  Abby started Kindergarten this week and, thankfully, is a fan.  Tuesday morning she woke up at 6:00 am, ready to pack her lunch box.  She informed me while hopping into the bathtub that since she's grown up now, she doesn't need to play with tub toys, so that was the quickest bath of her 5 years.  She might have been a tad excited.  We got her all spiffed up, packed her lunch (I think she had one of every lunch item we stocked up on - 7 kinds of fruit, yogurt, string cheese, water and juice etc. - most of which got put back) had a protein-packed egg and bacon breakfast and headed out to wait for the bus!              

After forgetting to review her teacher's name or her room number (which somehow she recalled when she got to school) or any other pertinent information that she might need, we all stood in nervous anticipation.  Once the first glimpse of that big yellow bus was had, both girls got very quiet.  A quiet I don't know that I've ever heard before.  While it pulled up, we had our last round of kisses and hugs and then, without a backward glance, Abby hopped on.  Of course I had instructed her to sit toward the front and of course all the other mothers had done the same, so I watched as my little blond girl walked further and further toward the back until another little girl invited her to sit down.  And like that, she was whisked down the street and I, choking back the tears, tried to fathom where the 5 preceding years had gone.

I think it will take a little bit for Abby to adjust to 6 consecutive hours of organized, scheduled activity, as I'm pretty sure we didn't have 2 hours of organized anything this summer.  And we had to have the "why do you still have an entire sandwich and all your carrots left?" talk while emptying out her lunch box the second day.  Turns out she shared a friend's chocolate bar for lunch instead.  Other than a girl "yelling" at Abby (after Abby admittedly accused her of not sharing), everything else is a go. 

Luckily for Ellie and Mommy, preschool starts this week!  About an hour after Abby left for school the second day, I found Ellie in the front yard perched on the rock next to the road.  She was waiting for Abby to come home.  On Friday, about an hour before Abby got home, I again found Ellie on the waiting rock.  I informed her she needed to come in so I could finish cooking and was responded to with hands on her hips and: "Mom. These are your two options: you can go in the house and clean and I can stay out here to wait for Abby. THOSE ARE YOUR OPTIONS!" I think it will take Ellie some time to adjust too, as she clearly misses her best play friend. 

Last, but certainly NOT least, as far as talk about moving on goes, we are celebrating Adam's recent job offer from M&T Bank!!!  And while he's excited to be working in their Mergers and Acquisitions dept., really what we're excited about is having our daddy at home 4-10 hours longer every day!!!  And real vacation time!  Hip Hip Hooray!  Hip Hip Hooray!  HIP HIP HOORAY!!!  This also infers that we'll be settling down here in the Buff (Williamsville) and really are quite thrilled at becoming true Western New Yorkers.

To be honest, I'm a little bit nervous that with having so much time on my hands, the chaos of my life will actually be wrangled and brought into order.  What does one do in/with a clean house?  How does one think in silence?  What if I have to change my blog name??  

(Then I remember who I am and who will be walking through those doors every day.  Never mind.)

QFTD

Me:  "Abby, I need you to focus on making your bed. Focusing will be very important in kindergarten."  Abby: "What does focus mean?" Me: "It means to think about what you've been asked to do and then do it."  A: "Ohh. What's that word again?"

Abby, taunting Adam and Ellie while they played a video game: "You guys have boring fun.  I'm going to go have fun fun.  I'm going to do a fun job."

I was scrolling through children's books on Amazon.  Ellie:  "No!  Go back! That title!  No, that title!"

Ellie stood by as I emptied the kitchen garbage.  E: "Ooh.  That stinks!  I'm going over here to get a better nose."

I hurried Abby to eat her breakfast, as she risked missing the school bus. Abby: "Mom, just calm down.  Stop worrying about me and let go of yourself.  I'll be fine.  Just let go of yourself."

Ellie, finding treasures under the couch: "I've never seen a pink remote in my whole life!"

Ellie walked in to the computer room, dripping with bath water: "Mom, Abby's ready to get washed because she's being contentious.  I am not.  I am the queen."

Abby's latest compliments at every meal (be it raisin bran or pasta al forno): "Oh Mom.  This is great.  This is JUST awesome.  Really, it is SO delicious."  (I just wish I could take her seriously.)


Ellie, to Adam: "Dad, I need Abby's violin! I need to take Abby's violin in the car so I can practice my songs on the way to church. I really need to practice."

Come and GONE

I really really really cannot believe summer has already come and blown by us.  So, to catch up before I blink and Christmas has come, I'll quickly capture the stand-out events and moments of our lazy days (that I just don't remember as being all that lazy).

One of our summer highlights was definitely the morning we spent blueberry picking together.  Of course, despite going over the "rules" that pretty much entailed not eating the blueberries until after we paid for them - and only picking blue berries (not green, not magenta, just deep blue) - one of us kept ending up berry-less every 10 minutes or so.  In fact, Ellie tried snitching on Adam after seeing him "sample" a few, however she had so many blueberries in her cheeks that all we heard was "THATHY'th EATHING BTHUEBETHIETH!"

Abby, of course, found the biggest, the best, the most hidden, the... and then requested we share our spoils so she ended up with the most.  But good times were had by all.  And boy are freshly picked blueberries (and blueberry pancakes and blueberry milkshakes and blueberry muffins...) GOOD!!!

(more pictures of our day can be seen by clicking here)

Our next fun times were had when Grammy came to visit!  Since we had so much fun blueberry picking the first time we had to take Grammy to pick too.  An then, we played and ate at Wegmans and went to the Strong museum and Palmyra and ate at Dinosaur BBQ and went to "the beach" and ate at Bill Grey's and visited Aunt Gina's cats (oh, and Gina and Tom) and ate scrumptious Paella and many antipasti and yep, pretty much just played and ate! 

Fun times in the backyard.

Thanks for coming Grammy!! WE MISS YOU!!!

For our last hoorah of summer, Daddy actually took a WEEK off of work (sort of, but hey - a valiant effort) and we hit the road to Bah-Jinya!!  Of course I forgot the camera, but Abby reassured me while on our way to catch a frog at the local park that it was okay - she would be bringing the frog home for a pet and I could take its picture then.  Sadly, the only thing she caught with her butterfly net was a dead fish - which she insisted that I carry in a bucket of water during our nature hike through the hills.  I thought I had distracted her by pointing out various fungi growing in and around decomposing logs, but she caught me as I (very discretely) sent that fish and its pond water sailing through the trees.  Not good.  Luckily the fish's soul in the form of a beautiful yellow butterfly (or, bat...?) flitted through the woods soon thereafter and - things were fine.  

So, good times playing Simon Says and Red Rover in the park with Nana and Granddad and Uncle Dave.  Good eats.  Really good relaxation.  Thanks to Nana and Granddad, as always, for their superb Southern hospitality.

As for Ellie updates as promised in the former post, first and foremost, Ellie suddenly started prrrronouncing her Rrrrrrs.  To the point that I really want to get the Italian and Spanish going with her while the girl can rrrrrrroll those Rrrrrrrs.  Sad, though, that my little guhl is gwoing up.

And, apparently at our house part of the gwoing up process involves exploring one's propensity to create.  Messes.  While Grammy was visiting, Ellie decided to paint her arms purple.  Apparently my reprimands (and confiscating the offending materials) are good for nothing these days since the following day, she did it again! (Only, just hands and a partial arm.)  When she did it AGAIN, the third day, I wasn't much feeling like a photo shoot.  Okay, so I asked for it.

 

But I did NOT ask for this (really):

Ironic that she's playing with a stuffed dog?  Oh this was ALL Ellie.  Don't ask me what came over the dear child. My mom asked how I reprimanded her, but I have to admit that after happening upon this scene, all I could do was think how grateful I was that she had gone and done what I have felt like doing for a good couple of years now.  Not good, I know.  This couch served us well.  But I think we're done.  (Sad that my Salvation Army $20 love seat is in better shape?)  So, yes, Ellie is alive.  Very alive.

                                                                                                              A quick update to my last post about Abby: tooth #2 quickly found it's way out of her mouth (like a couple days after the first one) and I suspect all those quarters had something to do with it.  It'thss kinda fun lissthening to her ssthpeak.  But hard to believe she can be this old.  Kindergarten here we come!!!

And so, we bid summer adieu and are grateful we can look back upon it with smiles.

QFTD

Consoling Abby over a couple of spider bites, I tried to explain how/why some spiders bite.  Abby: "I know what spiders don't hurt people!  Big Daddy Arm Legs!  They're friendly bugs!  And we can pick them up and play with them!"  Ellie: "Yes! Big Arm...Daddy Legs love us and we love them.  They love different people." 

I scrambled to get the girls in the car, get buckles on and make it to Ellie's 7:50 am derm appointment.  Abby: "Mom, why do we have to go to the doctor for Ellie?"  Me: "Because he needs to check her skin."  A: "But why?"  "Because he needs to make sure it's healing."  "But why?"  "So her nubbin doesn't grow back on her chin."  "Why?"  "Just because, Abby."  "Why because?" "Abby, that's just how it is and I don't have answers to all the 'why' questions - so don't ask me anymore."  "Why?"

Ellie, to Grammy:  "My daddy's at work making some new money to spend."

Grammy to Abby: "Can I come to Kindergarten with you?"  A: "No!  You're too big!"  G:  "I could just hide on the school bus...and walk on my knees so I'm short." A, thinking it over:  "Ok.  But you have to get those pimples off your face."

While the car was being serviced (at the QuickyLube while we stayed inside the car), a mechanic opened the glove box to get to the air filter.  Abby:  "Why's the garbage man getting in there?"

Abby to me, on a particularly difficult day: "I'm not listening to you.  No one is going to be your child."

Ellie, showing Adam a picture she'd drawn of him in church: "This is a picture of you, Dad. And you're not funny."