Ashleigh and Bekah were lucky enough to be the recipients of a very cute Princess Playhouse. They are very happy that Aunt Beth & Uncle Roy love them so. Ashleigh wanted to give a tour of the playhouse, so I handed her the video camera and sent her to it. Be warned, it is a 5.5 yr old at the camera. If you get sea sick, you may want to look away.
When I was pregnant with Ashleigh, I had one irrational fear. Looking back, it was a pretty superficial fear, but it was my biggest concern. I was terrified that our kids wouldn’t be smart. I just didn’t know how I would cope with (and not frustrate) a child who just didn’t grasp things. I didn’t know how I would handle someone who brought home C’s on their report card, and how I could encourage and be a good mom to someone who needed something from me that I just didn’t think I posessed.
I recall praying that our kids would be smart. I didn’t need Isaac Newton or Albert Einstein, but someone who loved to learn and was good at it.
Well, my prayers were answered…..and then some.
Ashleigh LOVES school. She comes home telling us all about the life cycles of Monach Butterflies, which is what they are currently studying. She has gone from starting to think about reading, and being able to spell simple words to reading street signs and causing me to do a double take when she writes someone a card. She also has re-discovered her love of the monkey bars and can now cross them all by herself. She is so proud, and can’t wait to show us this weekend at her school’s Chili Jamboree. She is also taking an art class on Monday afternoons at a local art school. This class is focused on crafts and multiple mediums. I thought it would be a good starting place for her. She is the youngest kid in the class (it’s for kids ages 5 – 10) and seems to be enjoying it and keeping up reasonably well. Obviously the older kids painted picture frames look a lot different than hers, but she is able to keep up. I’m so glad that she is excited by so many different things and I’m happy to see her growing and learning.
Bekah has hit a vocal explosion. People have told me how much more talkative she is (vs Ashleigh at the same age) and I have to agree. I thought Ashleigh was verbal, but Bekah is trying to keep up with her big sister now. She repeats EVERYTHING and has very little tolerance for things like quiet and stillness. There are certainly times when this can set me over the edge, but I really love seeing her learn. She constantly asks, “What’s that?” and when you tell her, she responds with, “Oh. [whatever you just told her].”
I love that she has learned to say ‘excuse me’. It is the cutest thing to hear her little burp followed by an ‘excuse me, mommy!’. I’mconstantly amazed by the things she comes up with and the words she says. I feel like I should compile a list, but I can’t imagine trying to write down her words.
The better news is that she is such a loving and nurturing girl. She sees lots of babies every week at church, and she is very interested in them. She also LOVES caring for her babies. She will wear them in her sling or her sister’s mei tai. She also rocks them and pats them on the back, whispering ‘ Ssshhh, shhhh, shhh. I know, I know. Sssshhhh, ssshhhh, sshhh. I know, I know….’ Last week she was running around naked (her favorite) and she held her baby up to nurse. After a few seconds she yelled, “Ow!!” and pulled the baby off. I about fell over, I was laughing so hard. Apparently her baby is just like her!
I’m constantly amazed by these two girls, and they certainly keep me on my toes. I am glad I have a smart phone, with Ashleigh around I probably should just bookmark dictionary.com and wikipedia. I’m always trying to find a definition for a word that she can grasp, and we’re always looking up strange things like what ducks eat. It should be fun in 2 years when Bekah joins in the wanting to know things Mommy has no clue about camp!
When I prayed for smart kids, I didn’t know much about being a mom. Now I know that every child presents unique challenges to their parents no matter what, and while I love seeing the world through my daughters’ eyes, and I’m thankful that I’m learning new things along with them, I know that I’d love them no matter what.
Ashleigh had her first day of Kindergarten. She LOVED it. Bekah was not impressed.
We took her to school at 8:45, and at 9:00 they had a ‘parent pep-talk’ with some repeats of the important info they shared at orientation and a few new tidbits. This was our first time meeting Ashleigh’s teacher, Ms. Buckley. They did parent conferences last week while we were away basking in the sun and sea air.
Ashleigh’s school requires uniforms, she decided on a skirt and her pink shirt. She was adorable as she headed out to the car for school.
We all made it through the day with no tears. Well, all of us, minus Bekah. Bekah was lost without her big sister and walked around the house asking for Ashleigh and Daddy. When I told her it was time to go to the food store, and then get Ashleigh, and then get Daddy, I thought she was going to jump for joy. She was SO excited.
We arrived to get Ashleigh a little early, so we hung out on the sidewalk and chatted with a few other moms. When Ashleigh’s class came out, she wasn’t with them. I eventually made my way over and asked if the rest of them were coming out. Ms. Buckley told me that the math teacher, Ms. Prada, was finishing up their math assessments and Ashleigh and one other child were inside with her, and I should go ahead inside to get her. I walked inside as they were getting ready to walk out. Ashleigh was thrilled to see us, and I got to meet Ms. Prada.
Ms. Prada and Ms. Buckley both had wonderful things to say about Ashleigh and her first day. Of course, I know what a wonderful kid she is, but it was nice to hear it from someone else too.
I had every intention of being a good mom and baking cookies for Ashleigh today. I went to the kitchen, defrosted the butter, and realized we had no chocolate chip cookies. So, I decided on Rice Krispy Treats. Only to find out we were out of Rice Krispies. I seriously would have been a lousy mom in the 50′s! So, I gave her a choice. Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or 7-11. She decided that she must have a slurpee, so we had a family outing to 7-11.
I made her a special dinner too. We had steamed shrimp, some yummy scallops, london broil and her favorite oven roasted potatoes. I was going to make a salad, then realized that she wouldn’t eat the lettuce or the carrots, so I saved myself some effort and just tossed a few tomatoes on her plate. She thoroughly enjoyed dinner, or so I gathered when she asked for her fourth helping of shrimp.
Ashleigh was SO excited to tell everyone who would listen about her day, so I’ll let her tell you all about it….
Ashleigh’s First Day of School from Wes Linda on Vimeo.
This is our wonderful Ashleigh telling everyone about her school day!
Dear Ashleigh,
I can hardly believe that tomorrow morning your Daddy and I will be taking you to KINDERGARTEN! How in the world did you get to be a Kindergartener already? I remember vividly the morning I learned you would be joining our family. I remember the first time I felt you move. I’ll never forget seeing your sweet little face, right after the doctor announced, ‘it’s a girl’. Your first 5 years has been full and exciting. We’ve been to beaches and weddings, aquariums and children’s museums. You’re learning to read, and you have a new found love for math.
I’m so excited for the new things you will learn and the new experiences you will have. I’m sad that we won’t have our lazy mornings and fun days whenever we feel like it, but I’m excited for you and the next chapter of our life. I hope you make some wonderful friends and have a great time at school. I can’t wait to see you grow and learn this year.
I’m SO proud of you kiddo. You’re going to have an amazing year with your cute uniforms and new hair cut. I can’t wait to see who you become by June!
Love you,
Mommy