Resuming Life

Nope.  This is not what I should be doing right now.  This is what I want to be doing right now.  Ruby turned one month old a couple days ago (I'll get to writing about her birth at some point).  I'm finally getting back to regular life and I don't really know where to begin.  

Will has been leaving for work around 10:00 everyday since Ruby came.  He left at 8:15 today.  Ruby had a doctor's appointment.  Amazingly, we all made it to where we needed to be, on time, and with real clothes on.

I'm at the point where I have so much to do that I don't know where to begin.  Laundry.  Cleaning.  Bills.  School responsibilities.  Boxes of clothes to be sorted and organized.  Items to be returned.  You get the picture.  Life.

Emma and Taylor have been very helpful.  Their helpfulness started before Ruby even arrived. Here are some pictures of them raking the leaves in August.

They needed a break.  It was hard work cleaning up that small pile of leaves.

 

Will has been incredibly helpful, too.  I don't have any pictures of  him doing the dishes or washing mountains of laundry.

So, I guess I just need to start.  I'll start with the bills.  It will be hard to do the other things if the electricity gets shut off.

First Day of First Grade

This was taken a year ago.

This one is for this year.  I'm not sure they look more grown-up, just different.

These girls are very similar, but yet, very different.  Taylor was just as practical as last year, and wore tennis shoes the first day, just in case she had P.E..  They both love being "fancy", but Emma really does prefer comfort.  Cotton shorts and a t-shirts have been her go-to outfit these first two weeks.  Taylor has only worn shorts to school once - the other days have been skirts or dresses.

They chose different backpacks this year, but both still followed the same theme: My Little Ponies.

 Emma was super excited about her teacher and the kids in  her class.  Her teacher is very structured, but I think that structure has already been good for Emma.  I have already seen a lot of growth in her.

Taylor was disappointed because most of her friends were in the "other" first grade class, but this has forced her to make some new friends, which is never a bad thing.  She likes her teacher and says that she is always smiling.  That sweetness is a good fit for Taylor.

Summer Wrap Up

Here are a few pictures that didn't make it in to any of my summer blogging stories.  I miss the carefree days of summer already.  I had big plans for summer - I wanted it to be super special since it won't be just the four of us for much longer.  It didn't go exactly as I had hoped.  I was really tired and we ended up doing a lot of things out of town.  It was nice just being home with them, though.

My mom's siblings do a family reunion every summer.  Although not all the cousins could be there, it was great seeing everyone.  I always enjoy family get-togethers.

Taylor Swift

Taylor asked for a Taylor Swift CD for Christmas and was so excited because she got it!  Her cousin got a ticket to her concert.  She was okay with that.  Until the concert got closer and she started hearing about it non-stop on the radio and TV.  Even then, she didn't really complain, she just said things like, "I wish we could go." 

I explained that the tickets were sold out.  She said she heard on the radio that people could win them.  I told her that all contests were only giving away two tickets and we needed at least three so both girls could go.  Emma said she would be fine if just Taylor went.  It was a very sweet comment, but in reality I don't think it would have gone over so well.

I looked on Craigslist at ones that people were selling and they ranged from $300 - $400.  That was impossible for our budget.  I gave up looking.  Then, a week before the concert a deal popped up on my facebook page that I couldn't pass up.  There was great deal on a name your own price website.  I bought three tickets.  This would be a great before-the-baby-arrives date for Will and the girls. 

We kept it a secret until the day before the concert.  They were so excited!  We explained to them how big the arena would be and how crowed it would be.  We told them about being wanded to make sure know one was bringing a gun in their pockets.  Taylor said, "I probably won't even have pockets!"  Then Emma said,"...And, we don't even have any guns!"

I asked them to show me their "excited" faces.

Now, remember, I got these tickets for a super great price - that doesn't mean they were close seats.

They were up so high that Emma and Taylor were a bit overwhelmed and Emma was afraid she might fall.

They were better after the opening act.  Taylor Swift puts on quite a show.  She even did a portion of the concert on a stage that was closer to the cheap seats.

They got home around 10:45 and were filled with excitement.  After telling me about every detail of what she wore and the songs that she sang their heads hit the pillow and they went right to sleep.

These were some of the highlights:
Taylor Swift gave her black hat to someone in the audience.
Taylor's favorite part was everything.
She wore beautiful dresses.
Daddy got them popcorn and pretzels.
Taylor Swift was wearing red sparkly shoes, just like Emma.  Notice the picture below and compare with Emma above.

Some low points:
She didn't sing Taylor's favorite song.
They never found their cousin, Peyton, in the audience.

Kindergarten Growth

Well, kindergarten has come and gone.  I can't believe how fast the year flew by.  I can't believe how much the girls have grown.  Of course, they both learned all sorts of new things academically, but they both learned a lot socially and emotionally, as well.

They started the year as a "team".  They shared all the same friends, interests, and activities.  We put them in different classes hoping to change that.  We wanted them to find out who they were apart from one another.  It worked!  They signed up for different activities at VBS this summer and are taking different classes this summer.  Taylor is doing gymnastics and Emma is taking an art class.

Each of their teachers were absolutely perfect for them.

The last day of school they had a promotion ceremony.  It was the perfect little celebration.  It wasn't sappy or over-the-top mushy.  It was just fun!  I was only able to catch a picture of Emma as they came in.  They were both embarrassed by the hats, but they still had a good time.

Oh....and now we prepare for first grade.

Kindergarten Music Program

Since summer is finally here,  I decided it was time to document the end of kindergarten.  I'm starting with a post about their end of the year music program.  It was a big deal for several reasons.  First, the performance was at a nearby middle school that had a real stage!  Unfortunately, the kindergartners were on risers on the floor.  They were sad because this meant that the stage lights didn't shine on them.  Second, they got to ride a bus to the school for a practice.  This was their first ride on a school bus.  They were really looking forward to it, and thankfully, the ride didn't disappoint.  I think they'd rather ride the bus to school than me take them.

The concert was a big deal to me for different reasons.  Emma and Taylor love to sing, dance, and put on performances, but they tend to have a severe case of stage fright when other people are around.  I was pretty nervous about how they would handle the crowd.  I had nothing to be afraid of.

 Look at the joy on Emma's face.  This was a far different child than the preschooler who refused to sing last year.  You can read more about that here.

I was so proud of my little girls who didn't seem so little anymore.

Easter 2013

A few months back we celebrated Easter.  Yes, I realize its almost June.  In case you didn't know, I took a three week subbing job at the end of school.  I have a new-found admiration of you full-time working moms.  Now that summer is here, I have a little time to catch up on everything else in life.  And because Easter happened over two months ago, that's all I can tell you.  Easter happened.  Here's proof.

A Night at the Circus

We get a lot of free entertainment around here.  Music concerts, dance performances, fashion shows, etc.  On this particular night we were given front row seats to the circus.  The girls practiced all afternoon.  The show didn't disappoint.  The movement was so quick that I missed pictures of the juggling, gymnastics and the fire breathing.  I did get these amazing moments.

Here is the ring-master making the introductions.

In this photo Taylor is not only balancing on the bucket, she's balancing something on her head!  Oh, the skill!

The show ended with an original song from Emma Mae.

It was definitely a night to remember.