End of an era

How time flies.

Here is our little man (with a tiny Ivy girl!) almost two years ago... getting ready to head off for his first day at St. Paul's preschool.

One year later we sent him off to pre-K (in the same shirt, apparently).

And here is our (strangely dressed) 4 year old last week, heading home at the end of his preschool career...

Unbelievable.

This boy, this big boy who loves his sister and ninjas and pirates, Max and Ruby and chocolate and lemonade, who is so enthusiastic and free and careful...

I love him.

I'd like for him to stop growing so fast.

Yet I am so excited to see what he will become. 

May days

May has flown.


The past two weeks have been marked by sunshine and trips to the beach; by birthday parties and picnics in the backyard.  I've been busy with work-- both the usual insanity that is May, and a detour from the norm in the form of 3 days away from home at 6th grade camp. It was my first time away from Ivy overnight, and we all survived.  It also served to reinforce the fact that time away from my kids helps me to appreciate them all the more.  It's been a lovely weekend, and lovely to be back with my little family.

I should tell you just how much Ivy is talking these days -- she's such a parrot!  She uses 4-6 word sentences regularly, and comes out with such phrases as "That's surprising!" and "me sit on mommy's lap a time".  I love everything about her but in particular the way she still breaks her speech up into carefully articulated 1 and 2 word phrases, strung together with precision and the most lovely, sing song expression.  You should hear her ask a question, her little voice soaring into the upper reaches of her range...She sings, too, such classics as "The Ivy on the bus goes round and round.... (repeat 450 times)"  She is too funny for words and oh can she scream at her brother when she wants him to stop something.

For his part, Jack continues to be an attentive brother.  I love the way he wants Ivy to share in experiences, coming to get her to show her something, telling her about the way things are.  Today he talked confidently about Stonehenge and asteroids.  I love him, and I love that he loves documentaries.  My little scientists.  He's so gorgeous and so ornery and he is learning how to wheedle and negotiate to get what he wants.  Like more cookies. He's growing up so fast.


Here are some glimpses into our lives over these past few weeks...

I have no idea where these "mug shots" were taken.  What Nat does with these two all day is a mystery to me.  But they sure are cute.

 Note Jack's new favorite shirt.  I really regret buying him this shirt.  Because he loves it, too much...  I think it will grace most of our pictures this summer.  Sigh.

One place they go a lot-- the Science Center.  They love the ball crawl most of all

                                               It's a pretty city we live in.


There has been a lot of sand in our lives recently.  The children have been known to play happily in the sandbox for extended periods of time, by themselves or together, independently...  So this makes it OK that there is a lot of sand in our house recently, too.

Most of our backyard time has centered around our little stump table and chairs.  Its the "kids' table" but generally we all end up eating at it.  Who needs those 3 other tables we have in our yard?  Who needs comfortable seating?  Not us!

I challenge you to name something cuter than this little girl in a bubble bath.  Just try it.

Her hair.  Humidity is Ivy's friend.

Last week's party, baby Jeff's first-- held at a lovely little beach in Aurora.  I was under the weather and missed this perfection.  Luckily, my husband takes pictures.

 

Birthday party du jour, Ruthie's fourth, a fun event held right at our local playground.  Both kids had a great time making foam visors.  Ivy made two.  They also got their faces painted for the first time-- Ivy a butterfly and Jack, Spiderman. Very exciting.  Very smeary.

This morning's jaunt to Rocky River ( a weekly event, as of late...)  My mom brought little Pip who added an element of fun and sharp-little-puppy-teeth to the outing.  Everyone loves a puppy-- my mom could hardly get across the beach for everyone wanting to see the little boy.  We made friends with a 5 year old girl who played with Pip for a long while and then with Jack for even longer.  I love watching him interact with other kids; he is confident, a little bossy, and sure that the world is good and all people are friends.  I want him to never, never lose that.

Picnic time, this evening.  And big bubbles.    I am loving this three day weekend, the sunshine and the time stretching out before us.  I am loving the warmth and the smell of sunscreen on my children.  I am loving their "nakey feet" that are getting summer-tough, more every day.  I am loving the green grass and sidewalk chalk and grilled meat for dinner.  And to think it's only May!  Its going to be a good summer, indeed.

Beauty

Here are some pictures from our Mother's Day trip to Edgewater.  A splendid, windy morning, perfect for digging in the sand and flying a rainbow kite (reinforced with a little duct tape, they fly remarkably well...)

It's been a splendid weather week, all told.  We've eaten dinner outside as often as in, the lawn is lush and green, and the children are exhausted every night from their extended time on the playground at the preschool. 

Thinking of preschool-- next week is Jack's last week of pre-K.  Its stunning, really.  How this year has just slipped by and all of a sudden my boy isn't a preschooler any more.  

He's such a good boy.  He's had a good time at St. Paul's; he's grown up there, turned into this boy who is learning how to play  well with others and exploring the way the world works-- and learning to write and count and sing, too.  I hope he is ready for Kindergarten.  It is terrifying, you know, thinking about how we are sending him out into this big, wide world.  Preschool was safe, controlled, a small, manageable selection of like-minded people, all cooperatively helping to raise our children together.  The teaching is child-led, the curriculum, flexible.  Now he will head out on his own, into an unknown mix of kids; his learning will be held to the unyielding standards of the state.  We'll have to worry about how he measures up instead of appreciating him for where he is right now.  I feel like I've only just begun to be able to do the latter! 

On that note-- I think we need some more pictures.  It's hard to worry in the face of all this beauty.