Our Little Guy

He’s here! He’s finally here!

(Actually, he’s been here for a while, but we’ve been settling in and trying to adjust to having a newborn around.)

Curtis Elliot

Weight: 7lbs 5oz

Height: 20in

Newborn smell: absolutely intoxicating

Parents: infatuated

Sisters: excited and proud

First Day of School

Eleanor had her first day of kindergarten last week. She was so excited to start school, and it has been such a smooth transition. She even agreed to let me take her picture before we drove her to school –and she looked at the camera! –and she smiled! I almost had to pinch myself! We bought her a new skirt and sweater to wear the first day, and she wore a pink (her favorite) shirt. She is now enthralled with that sweater, wearing it every day and calling it her “lucky sweater” or her “special sweater.” She requested a ponytail with two clips in her hair, so that’s what we did.

Saying goodbye to Daddy. Cool as a cucumber. I love that he was able to be there to drop her off for the first time – not that she needed any extra support. We probably could have dropped her off at the curb and she would have strode right in.

“What do you think about going to kindergarten?”

Her routine is to go in, hang up her backpack on the hook by her name, and then go find her nametag. She takes her nametag to the table and writes her name on a piece of paper, and then she puts her nametag back with her written name in front of it. I told her goodbye while she was writing her name. She has no problem at all with parting. She’s excited to be there and learn, and she doesn’t have any trouble with the separation.

Lined up and waiting for parents at the end of the day. And still happy.

She ran to me and gave me a huge hug. What an exciting day!

When I imagined this day in the past, I always thought I would have to pull over to cry on the way home from dropping her off, such a big day for my little girl, growing up so fast. The real experience was actually quite different. No tears were shed. I love that she is going to be one of the oldest in the class. I think that extra time really helped her and me to be prepared. She was SO ready for this, and I was excited for her. I love her confidence. I love her enthusiasm.

She enjoyed school through the rest of the week, giving me a big, excited hug at the end of the day each day (which doesn’t hurt my feelings one bit). On Friday, she wanted me to take her picture with a sign saying “fourth day of kindergarten,” but we didn’t really have time. I asked her last night if she knew what today was, and she hollered, “my fifth day of school!”

Phaedra has also enjoyed the change. At first, she would ask if we would drop her off at school, but she hasn’t minded when I’ve explained to her that she just comes with me to drop off Eleanor. She loves Eleanor’s classroom, and she tries to hurry and find something to play with before we have to leave. We have enjoyed our quiet time at home together. Sometimes she helps me with things around the house, and sometimes she just enjoys playing without competition for the toys she loves most. Now, when Eleanor gets excited about going to school the next day, Phaedra gets excited about taking Eleanor to school the next day.

Flirty Skirts

My Aunt Kathleen sent these darling skirts for the girls a while back, so I had to take some pictures of them wearing them for her to see. I wish I had my aunt’s talent—and access to such beautiful fabrics! I ambushed the girls as we were leaving my nephew’s blessing, so I didn’t get the highest level of cooperation. Eleanor was coming down with a cold, so she was especially whiny and grouchy. Phaedra liked showing off her skirt, but she’s still a challenge when it comes to actually getting her to look at the camera. I might have to take some more pictures next time they wear the skirts if they are in a better mood. At least the skirts look cute!

It’s a bird, it’s a . . .

A friend of ours offered us some tickets to the VIP section at the air show today. Last year, we went and set up chairs on the sidewalk across from the airport to watch it, so we jumped at the chance to actually go inside this year. Here’s a small sample of what we saw.

the F-14 taking off

We came prepared for our girls and all their squeamishness. They each had their own set of hearing protection. Even with that, whenever one of the really loud planes passed by, they had to sit on my lap. Eleanor would say, “Hold me tight!” whenever one came back toward us.

It was a HOT day today. The kids and I stayed in the shade of the tent or the umbrella tables for as much of the time as possible. One time, looking rather overheated, Phaedra and I passed by the drink table. One of the men in charge grabbed us some chairs and let Phaedra play in the ice surrounding the drinks until we had cooled off a bit.

(getting rather sleepy)

Toward the end, we went back and both girls played in the ice, switching the drinks from one container to another until all the drinks were taken and they just played in the ice water. I can’t imagine how many drinks they went through. I saw them restock the drinks at least 3 times. It was so good to have plenty of liquids to keep hydrated and to be able to keep the kids cool and entertained while Grant could go to the very front and watch the planes.

I didn’t get a ton of pictures of the planes this year. I was busy trying to keep cool and keep kids happy, but here are a few. It was amazing to watch the planes pass each other so closely.

(one upside down, one right side up)

After a camping trip this weekend and a day at the air show, I think I am officially worn out. It has been a fun weekend, but I sure don’t mind if the next few days are just quiet, at-home days for us.

In Her Element

This girl loves to be outside. She asks to go out all the time, and whenever the door to the garage is open, she goes out and gets her boots on. When Daddy comes home from work, she goes to greet him and then has to be coaxed in from the front yard (or the next door neighbor’s yard). She collects “flowers” (weeds), she finds sticks and bugs, and she doesn’t care about getting dirty. This was Friday morning. She played outside by herself for about an hour and didn’t mind being alone at all.

Eleanor was not as interested in going outside because she had a stack of books she was “reading.” She likes to go outside, but she could sit and read for hours.