More Firsts!!

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Packing the essentials for school-- a tea set!!






Today was Emma's first day of preschool. I guess at this age it's really more of a Mom's Morning Out, but to make it sound smarter- we're calling it preschool :) To be honest, it didn't seem to phase her too much. My mom came over before I took her to school and we tried our best to get some good pics. But I guess without Chloe standing at the door with her, it just wasn't that exciting for her. None the less, we still got some cute pics (of course they're cute, they're Emma!)


A little bored with this :)








Now she's feeling it!











Emma just loves playing with other kids. She does great in the church nursery. But she did cry when I left her today- and it pulled at my heart for the few minutes it took her to stop. As soon as her cousin got there she was good to go! Except for the fact that she then saw me (through the window) standing outside talking to Carla and Rebekah. Note to self-- do not stand in front of 1 year old's classroom window when said 1 year old is crying over your departure. She could totally see me, and I'm sure was thinking, "Are you just trying to torture me with the wondering if you're coming back now or later?!?" So sorry Emma! I promise to take my conversation down the sidewalk well out of your view :) She had a great time, and the leader of the program called me around 10 to assure me that she was doing great and had stopped crying- as soon as she couldn't see me! That is one of the reasons I love this school-- she knew I needed that call. It brought me great comfort! Apparently Emma has a knack for painting with apples. They said she dove right in-- I think they meant that literally!-- I told the teacher to be careful, and she said, "oh we had her paint shirt on." I told her I wasn't worried about Emma. I'm more worried about anyone standing within a 10 foot radius. Have you seen this kids arm? As light as paint is, I'm sure she could sling it pretty far!!

5 yr worries

Chloe's school year has started off great! She's doing a great job with her work, and doesn't complain too much about getting up early! She's made some new friends, and is very excited whenever she sees someone she knows in the halls. (several older kids from our church go to her school) On the way to school one morning (I think it was her third or fourth day) she asked about Nina. I was waiting for Nina to come up in conversation. Chloe and Nina have been best friends since they were like 2. One of my favorite pictures is of the two of them at Chloe's second birthday party sitting on a Nemo lounge chair Chloe got as a gift and laughing hysterically. I have no idea what they were laughing at, but they both look amazingly cute. Anyway, Chloe asked me (for probably the 6th time) what school Nina was going to. I told her and she asked why Nina couldn't come to her school. I told her. Then she said this:
C: "Mom, do you think she'll find a new best friend?"

I was a bit taken aback by that question. It seemed entirely too grown up for a 5 year old to be asking. But I thought about it for a few seconds and replied,
S: "Don't you want Nina to make new friends?"

C: "Well, yeah. She can make new friends just like I am. I just don't want her to make a new BEST friend."

We pulled up to school at that point so I ended the conversation with something like, oh you don't need to worry about that now. You guys will always be friends.

I thought this was too cute! I didn't have the heart to tell her that Nina (& she) would probably find some new best friends. I think it's inevitable being at different schools. But they can always be great friends. I told her they were going to get to see each other quite a bit in Girl Scouts (Daisies to be precise!), and that it would be cool to have a friend at another school. When she's older she can meet Nina's new friends too. I'm 32 and I don't have just 1 best friend. I'm lucky enough to have several. Hopefully she will be too :)

Cookies n Milk

I made cookies today for Chloe's after school snack. Emma watched Chloe dunking hers in milk and was trying to reach mine & Chloe's cup. So, her Grammy-- who always gives her what she wants :)-- got her her own milk. She didn't waste a crumb!

Chloe's first day of Kindergarten!!

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Chloe on orientation day!


















Chloe's first day in K-5!

















Emma wanted to get in on the picture taking too! She was so excited watching Chloe be so excited! Love the bedhead!

Making Memories

I got to put both of my babies to bed tonight... and I cried. The tears were not tears of sadness, despair, fear, or even joy. To be honest, I'm not sure how to categorize these tears-- I guess maybe just love.
Emma has- for quite some time now- been extremely easy to put to bed. We walk in her room and she lunges for her crib with her blanket and Kitty Kitty and snuggles in to her crib as if to say, "Ok, you can go now. I'm good here." Micky and I were so pleasantly surprised when this started a few months ago. And I'm not saying that we don't still enjoy it. But sometimes I just want to hold her, sing to her, rock her-- just feel her warmth against me and breathe her in. Hopefully that doesn't sound too crazy, but the thing I miss most when we leave the girls (for a weekend or just a night with grandparents) is their smell. Just breathing them in calms me and brings an amazing peaceful feeling over me that I can't describe or do justice with words. When you feel it, you just know it. It's love! So tonight I did hold Emma, I did rock her and sing to her and I breathed in her goodness with an even deeper thankfulness in my heart. Because in the room across the hall, my other baby--is no longer a baby. She's grown in to an amazing young lady. And she is who I credit for first teaching me how to love like this. Chloe will always be our drawing board. We learn with her and we try it on Emma. Trust me, we learn plenty from Emma too-- they are by no means one in the same-- what worked for Chloe may not work for Emma, but Chloe will always bear the brunt of being the first. So that means we get to make our "first" mistakes with her!
Chloe was already in bed when I went to kiss her goodnight. With this being such a big night (Kindergarten starts tomorrow), I asked if she'd like me to lay with her and rub her back. She of course said yes, and was asleep in minutes. I stayed there for many more. At first I just stared at her beautiful, sleeping face-- having little trouble recalling what it looked like as a baby-- and I just watched her. Then I started looking around her room. It still has the same blue paint and flower border trim that was on it the day she first came home from the hospital. But it is no longer a baby's room. The crib has long since been replaced by a big girl bed. The knick knacks around the room are no longer things I picked out, but have been replaced by her favorites. Hello Kitty dolls, snow globes, Mickey Mouse ears from her first trip to Disney, tea cups from her first tea party, etc. Not to mention the numerous pictures that she has chosen to have in her room-- pictures with family, Christy, Tyler, Jenn, Jess and at least three with her and "her Nina," a picture of her, me, and Micky the day she was baptized, and Emma's picture from the hospital. And as I lay there looking at all of her treasures, I realized she's already doing what so many of us sometimes forget we're supposed to be doing-- Making Memories.
Micky and I were fortunate enough to get to go for a short weekend trip recently with our great friends Misty & Lee. And in the car on the way to Litchfield Misty and I were laughing about something silly and Lee asked what we were doing and Misty replied, "Oh, just making memories!" I actually paused for a minute when she said that, and I know it's a moment I will never forget!
I hope Chloe and Emma's lives are full of memories made and treasured. I know they're too young now to remember this night when they get older. I don't remember my night before Kindergarten started. But I do remember feeling loved, and feeling secure. I pray that they will too.

Big Night!!

We had a big night Monday here at our house-- we celebrated my mom's 29th birthday :) , Chloe welcomed her new pet guinea pig into the family-- Ol' MacDonalds, Mac for short, and Emma had her first bathtub pony! The first two things were celebrated and fun, the last made me a little sad. I can't believe how fast my baby is growing up! The fact that her cute "baby mullet" can now go in a ponytail makes me smile and at the same time makes my heart a little sad. Micky & I are about 99% sure that we are not going to have anymore babies-- and I'm ok with that, I think. It's just hard to think that the first time I see Emma do new things will be the last time I'm watching one of mine do something for the first time. Is that confusing?
So, as much as it is cool watching and learning with Chloe as she still masters new skills, it's just as cool watching Emma because I know I better savor these moments. If I blink too fast, they'll be gone.
I love my babies and I love my life!

Caterpillar spring... Nature Scene style

We were invaded about a month ago. By caterpillars! We were all playing in the backyard one day when Chloe shouted, "Mom, this tree is growing baby sticks!" Well, as you can see in the picture, the baby sticks are indeed caterpillars. Tons of caterpillars. They had nests on both of our crab apple trees and there were about 20 other nests on the trees at the back of our yard and in some of the limbs that hang over our fence from the woods behind us. It was amazing! I couldn't stop taking pictures of them, and watching them grow was pretty cool too. (Did you have to watch "Nature Scene" in elementary school science? I did. And at the time I really didn't appreciate it, but now I love that kind of stuff.) All I could think was, this would make an awesome "Nature Scene" episode! Chloe really got into it too. She learned how to very carefully pick them up-- so she wouldn't get their "guts" on her- they actually excrete something (guess what) if you startle them too much. She counted and guesses we had at least a gazillion caterpillars in our backyard. We've been waiting patiently (somewhat) for the gazillion butterflies that should follow, but so far have only seen two. Needless to say, Chloe hasn't been too pleased with that ratio!
Here are a few pics of our little friends (notice they've sucked the crab apple trees dry!) and also Chloe's own "Nature Scene" video is at the bottom. We'll let you know if we see anymore butterflies!
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