Oh-Bla-Di

So, sometimes, I’m just going through life thinking that the kids understand the words that we use around them or that they overhear and I’ll get reminded in a very funny way that they still sort of have no clue.  For example, on Wednesday, while waiting to drop Ava off at school, a car passed by us on the road. It was a yellow sporty car with a rear spoiler.  It looked sort of like this:

It wasn’t that nice, but you get the idea. Ava shouts out, “Mom, that car has a nodder!” I asked her to clarify and she said, “You know, like in Cars! ‘We’ve got ourselves a nod-der!'” (If you’re not fluent in Pixar, here’s the applicable movie clip.)

For Ava, spoiler = nodder.  Classic.

I am never, ever, ever going to correct this. Feel free to giggle at her until she’s 18 and figures it out for herself.

Today was the first day of school for our household (beware: lots of pictures ahead!) and to say we were all excited would be an understatement. We’ve had a great summer, our first without any type of school schedule. But, our kiddos are their parents’ children, so more routine is always better than less.  By the first of August, we were kind of ready for our new normal, even if it does come with more driving and homework.

I spent last night worrying over the drop-off schedule so that Ava wouldn’t be late for the 0810 bell and how best to juggle Noah into the mix so that no one ate breakfast too early or showed up too late. In the end, I decided to drop Ava off first and have Noah tag along for that. We could leave the house later that way and it worked out great. We dragged our feet as long as we could before we left, but still arrived to school before they’d opened the doors. At least this time we weren’t alone! A big crowd was gathered when we showed up, so we had plenty of company. Noah and I walked Ava to her classroom and she got settled in. She was happily coloring a “welcome to school” worksheet when I left a minute later.

In her report at the end of the day, I learned that she had not eaten her sandwich at lunch because it was too cold (a big deal for PBJ, apparently), had eaten half her yogurt cup (and left the rest of the open yogurt cup in her lunch box), had PE and recess, read a “mind story” about a monster going to school, does not remember any of her fellow classmates’ names yet, and she kept her behavior clip on the green plate all day. So far, so good, I think. Tomorrow brings more firsts, as she’ll be riding the bus on Tuesdays and Thursdays and will have Music class.  By the end of the week, I think we’ll all be old pros at this school thing.

Noah returned to Mini U for Pre-K this year and we are all thrilled that his teacher from last year, Ms. Donna, has moved up with him. They were only together for about 8 weeks last school year, but were fast friends. Their mutual love of baseball might have something to do with their instant connection. (wink, wink) She and I had a good chat this morning and I left feeling confident that many of our challenges from last year were going to be resolved in this new academic year. Everything about school was familiar and that got Noah’s day off to a great start. Drop off was a breeze. When I picked him up, he had had a GREAT day and was sweaty and exhausted from playing on the playground. He has grown up so much over the summer and is going to make huge gains this year. I can’t wait to watch him grow and learn!

We’re off and running! Here’s to a great 2014-2015 school year!

If you’ll remember, we spent all winter (and this one was a loooong one) talking about when baseball season would be here.  Well, it arrived six weeks ago and ended this morning.  We signed the kids up to play their first-ever season of T-ball through our local YMCA and they’ve had a pretty great time.  Ava’s got a golden glove, whether she wants to admit it or not, and Noah really likes to bat and play first base.

Things I want to remember about this season when we get ready for next season and forever:

– Sign the kids up only if they really want to. If they get signed up, they will play the whole season. Period.

Ava was all for signing up when the signing up happened, but decided she wasn’t really in love with playing t-ball. In spite of this, she was actually pretty good and always played hard during her games. Have to remember to let it be her call when it’s time to sign up next year.  Noah LOVES baseball but, at three, loses patience with the pack-ball nature of the game and with the rigid structure of non-backyard imaginary play. Also, he’s really good at following a coach’s direction – a very pleasant surprise. Another year of maturity will probably serve him well next season.

– If you don’t volunteer to coach, only coach when asked.  Also, an organized volunteer coach is earning his sainthood every practice and game. Say thank you…often.

We did a lot of sideline coaching during the first couple weeks of the season. Then, we started sitting in the outfield (the safest place to be since the ball is NEVER out there) after that. The kids did a lot better when there were fewer competing voices and we learned a valuable lesson about the real reason for their participation. Six words only: “We love to watch you play.”

– Six weeks is a long enough season for kids this age. Don’t get overzealous and try to let it take the whole summer.

So glad we tried tball this summer because I think we all learned a lot. It’s good to get fresh air on Saturday mornings and I’m sure this is only the beginning of our organized sporting activities.  We’ve gotten a taste of what’s in the future, but, for now, we’re glad to be done with the season. We were so happy to watch them play.

A snippet of life after dinner in our house. Two thumbs up for turn taking, right? The rest is, well, just creativity run amok.

A little over four years ago, Ava went to her first day of daycare in Las Vegas. I noted then that it seemed like one of those days. One of the ones you want to make sure you pay attention to.

Today feels like one of those days also. It’s her last day of Pre-K. She’s missing it because she’s got a stomach bug, but it still feels big. We’ll drop her off at school on Monday and,even though it’s just a different room down the hall, it will be real school. (More on that later.)

We’ve been so lucky to have wonderful teachers and caregivers during these critical growth years. Ava has flourished in their care and with their patient teaching, and we are so grateful.

Ava, were so proud of you, big girl. Can’t wait to see what you’ll do in the next five years.