Leotards and Parachutes

One day they will learn that not every activity in life ends with a song and a parachute.

Until then, I will just be happy they are not getting trophies for U6 baseball or weekly Tumble Bees. However, I will finally break down and buy Avery a leotard for fall gymnastics. I was hesitant in this purchase as I wanted to first make sure she liked falling of the balance beam into a giant pit of foam (why wouldn't she?) and didn’t want to have any unused pink spandex and lace around the house.

But hands down this has become her new favorite activity. She likes it better than soccer AND better than twirling around in the toy room in her Tangled dress and Cinderella crown singing “Be our Guest” and “A Whole New World.” It’s a Disney inspired mash-up for all you Gleeks out there, and another trademark behavior of my girly girl who may already be the exact same size that Mary Lou Retten was when she first appeared on a Wheatie’s box. We’ll keep an eye on how the floor routine is progressing before I change my mental image of Avery holding a gold medal while wearing a red, white and blue soccer jersey to holding a silver medal (just being more realistic) while wearing a stars and stripped leotard.

What Should Be

Quick follow up. Yesterday was the first official day of summer in my book. Kids slept in. Kids went to the same place at same time. Kids did not whine about school. I did not have to read a newsletter on Sunday night. Instead, I was able to read more of Bossypants on my deck with a glass of wine. I could already feel the stress leaving my body. Add the fact that Cold Play just released a new single (heard it on the radio this morning) and that my kids still let me dress them alike, it should be a great summer.

Should be. The key word is “should.” Because on day two, the babysitter has called in sick. Already scrambling. Already feeling the stress again. I guess I should change my prediction to ... it should be an interesting summer.

First Grade Here We Come!

I am not skipping over summer. Mentally cannot afford to do that and do not want to. And although I will still be working 40+ hours a week and will not be spending my days by the pool or at the park, I am so glad to have a three month hiatus from being a parent of a school age child. I’ll be the first to admit it – kindergarten kicked my butt.

School officially ended last week and concluded with kindergarten graduation (no formal event, just a stock certificate) and one final ride home on the Green Frog (yes, the bus has a name). I did feel a little sad because the year flew by and it is another sign that Alex is getting older (quickly getting older), but I spent more time rejoicing in the fact that I no longer have the unexpected and unproportional amount of stress that came with a child being in a classroom for only two hours a day and given what should be simple assignments, like bring in bubbles on bubble day or wear a green shirt on green shirt day. So why was this too much for me to handle?

I know much of my frustration and missteps were related to the teacher’s weekly newsletter – she had a writing style that required a secret decoder ring to uncover any items of importance – but in the end I can only blame myself. In my hopes that one day I would log into Edline to discover a well crafted document, with a defined content structure, bulleted points and a clear call to action, I never did. And I never adjusted my reading style either. Lesson learned. Next year I will be printing out each newsletter on Sunday night and both Andy and I will read (and re-read). I am guessing highlighters will be involved.

But newsletter challenges aside, if you throw in work, travel, Avery’s pres-school, Avery in general, afternoon kindergarten (green shirt day was also at Prodigy, but on a different day than LECC), varying bus schedules, always missing the bus (thanks to Avery) and after school activities, then there were more obstacles on the course than ever anticipated. Just could not get in a good routine. Just could not find my groove – even after 9 months. However, Alex came out like a champ and I guess that is what is important. He is ready for summer. He is ready for one school. He is more than ready for the first grade. And I am ready for second chance next fall.

Deep Creek: By the Numbers

We knew we had to go back. This time, we rented Bear Hallow (sister cabin to Raccoon Lagoon) and invited the Muses to join us for a long weekend at Deep Creek Lake. Once again, we were nothing but impressed with everything this little town (and our lakeside luxurycabin) had to offer. Here is a quick summary of the trip:

- 3 predicted days of rainy and 65
- 3 actual days of sunny and 85
- 2 morning runs
- 1 new raft
- 4 hour pontoon boat rental
- 1 ½ hours at the Honi Honi bar (which means we only used our boat for 2½ hours)
- 85 pages of Bossypants read
- 85 times I picked up Bossypants, but had to put it down to get a kid a snack, find a toy, attend to a fight or injury, etc.
- 0 fish caught the entire weekend
- 8 steaks consumed in one night
- 0 strollers, pack-n-plays, baby monitors and swim diapers packed (YAY!)
- Countless beverages, snacks and smores
- 6 hours spent driving (one way) to the best kept secret in the mountains of Maryland

Click here for more photos from Deep Creek Lake 2011.

Birthday Week: By the Numbers

I know. I am cheating. As usual, no time to write, so I am giving you the CliffsNotes on May. More cheating to follow. But we finally wrapped up birthday week, which was also peppered with baseball games, a first communion and kindergarten awards. I am still having trouble saying I have a 6 and 4 year old (just does not seem possible), but here are some other key numbers from the festivities:

- 1 very close-to-buzz cut (I no longer control those curly locks)
- 36 cookies delivered to Prodigy
- 1 favorite book, Star Wars Villains, read at LECC
- 1 ice cream social at Dani’s house
- 1 bounce house
- 10 pizzas
- 5 cousins (when you count Ben and Drew)
- 0 trips to Great American Ballpark (due to crappy weather)
- 3 cakes
- 1 trip to church
- 1 confirmation card (which meant 1 very confused niece)
- 3 new Wii games
- 1 Baby All Gone
- 2 very happy kids

So much for trying to keep birthdays low key. Click here for more pictures from birthday week 2011.