Sometimes I...

...forget about the blog. There. I said it. Did it hurt? I hope not. Since you never comment, I assume that I am, in fact, writing this for myself. That sounded bitchy, but it wasn't meant that way. It actually has nothing at all to do with the fact that you don't comment. I write this for myself regardless. Anyway, nine days has passed since the last post. We are in full swing Kindergarten mode. It is pretty awesome. As every parent has promised, Sophia has been very tired. It's amazing just how tired. So, Erick and I have been battling that by being completely present with her while she's present with us. That seems to work like a charm while we can focus. As soon as we get distracted or give in to the tiredness ourselves, it all goes south in a handbasket. Sophia loves school. No surprise there. She eats up the direction and the structure, which she has never had the privilege of experiencing at home. And that, above all other reasons, is why I would never home school. Oh, today was supposed to be a school day? Oops. So, that leads to a post that I will write at some point that describes my days at home by myself. I'm trying to artificially place structure in my daily life, and it has met with a moderate success. My goal has been structure by September, but that's next week. All right. So next week, I'll let you know what my structure looks like. Or I won't. That's the joy of being me.

The Muny

I uploaded the pictures from my phone this morning, and came across a few from the weekend after my birthday. Erick, Sophia and I made another trip to The Muny to see The King and I. She hadn't been too sure about going to see this show, as it's not specifically written for kids. I had to show her a couple of youtube clips of some of the songs in order to let her know that it was entertaining. Per usual, she got dressed appropriately for the theater.

This time, we brought along some binoculars. We always sit in the $10 seats, so the faces are anything but clear. The binoculars did help a little. In this picture, however, the show had not yet started. She was just doing a bang-up job of people watching.

She loved the show, although she was not convinced that she should be watching a show so violent in nature. At the end, when the king had died, among other characters, she said, "So what's with all the death in The King and I." I had to concede that point. But she did really enjoy the dancing and such. She may not trust my judgment for a while, though. Her souvenir for the night was a little notepad and pen. She loves taking notes. While we were at the zoo the next day, she would stop, sit and write for a while before we could move on to the next exhibit.

August 15, 2012

Sophia is a Kindergartner. It's official. She was so excited to get started this morning that she was actually willing to smile nicely in front of her school so we could get moving. Above she's in front of her school; below she's on the Kindergarten playground. Happy as a clam.

Once on the playground, the kids line up, sing a song, say the Pledge of Allegiance and wave goodbye to their parents. Yes, they really did that. Can you see how happy this face is? So happy.

I miss her already, but she is probably having the time of her life!

There she goes

 

 I remember the first time I saw this picture of Sophia in her yellow dress dragging Lulu along. Walking away as all girls must. With three days till Kindergarten, I'm familiar with the feeling this picture brings. When I think about Sophia going to school, I can't say that I'm sad, but I could say that I am definitely sentimental. According to Webster, sentimental is "marked or governed by feeling, sensibility, or emotional idealism." Accurate in my case. I've been reflecting on the nearly six years that I've had with Sophia mostly to myself. Right now, I'm just focusing on how fantastic it's been. We've had some crazy good times during our days together. I am confident that her ability to entertain will come in

 handy in school... 

   

 Of course, she's been to school before, mind you. Every experience that she has had with school, or organized learning of any sort, has been a highlight for her. Of course, first day of school pictures may not be easy.

   

 One thing I know for sure is that Sophia is ready for this step. She's everything that a teacher could hope for. Eager to please and ready to be instructed. She's everything a classmate will need. Kind and interested, helpful when needed. Most of all, she's everything that we could wish for. Excited to move on to the next thing but insistent that we enjoy it with her. I cannot wait to see where this girl is headed.

 

The Tour

The apartment is pretty well the way that we want it now. There are a couple of final touches that we need to decide on, but it's finished for the most part. And we love it. The whole place is just cozy and comfortable. Quiet and refreshing. All around awesome. For these pictures, I didn't get everything just perfect, but I figured it was good enough for a start. If you want to see it perfect, you'll have to come for a visit. The room that we spend the most time in is the third bedroom/office/family room. It's in the back of the condo and shares a bathroom with our bedroom. We took our old guest bed and turned it into a huge day bed. Since taking this picture, I have covered the whole mattress set with a canvas painter's dropcloth. Now it looks must better. Really just like a huge day bed. But you get the idea here.

There are two areas that I am most excited about in this place. If you have known me in the last two years, you have known how little I enjoyed our kitchen in the old place. This kitchen is like a little slice of heaven. Plenty of storage, new and functioning appliances, great countertops and lots of light. I love it. I might actually do some cooking in here. That has yet to be seen.

The other area that I'm excited about is our deck. It's not huge, but it's dedicated outdoor space. It's nicely kept and very usable, so we are looking forward to some cooler temperatures so we can give it a try.

Our dining room and living room are orange. And I really love it. The walls are warm and inviting and very fun. Here is our dining room.

And the living room. No TV. Just great windows and a fireplace. I think I'll make do with those.

Sophia's room is just the right size to fit all her books, toys and huge bed. We have already had a lot of fun playing in here.

Our room is nothing special. Kind of small and minimal, but we like it. The bathrooms are nice. Showers are awesome. All in all, this place is just right for our family. The longest we will live here is three years because the owners move back at that point. For now, we will definitely be enjoying this space.

Kindergarten Blues

There are less than two weeks until Sophia starts Kindergarten. She is pumped. I am nervous. Well, not nervous exactly. Sophia will do great. She was made for school. Every time we've been into the school, she has made at least one new friend and has made efforts to talk to the teachers. It's not quite that simple for me. This is the beginning of the next thirteen years of our lives. Crazy really. I just added the Kindergarten calendar - PTO meetings, school events and classroom parties. This is going to be crazy. Not to mention the fact that my baby is headed off to spend the bulk of her days with other people. I'm not quite ready for that, but I'm excited for her. I can't wait to see what kind of big kid she turns into in this first year of school. I also can't wait to find out what it's like to be a grade school parent. Well, I'll be glad to have a year under my belt anyway... Wish me luck.