Our Kids

Well Landis is finally ready for some sort of preschool. We are doing playgroup once a week and a handwork group once a week but I really feel like she is bored at both. She isn’t too interested in other kids just like Lela. She is a doer, wants to be the helper, chop the fruit, set the table, clean up etc. Not really interested in playing except with Phoebe.

I have looked around and really there are only two options that I feel comfortable with. One has only a 5 day a week program to offer, no thank you, and the other has a wait list of 6 folks, sigh. C’est la vie. The zoo, botanical gardens and maybe some dance classes will have to suffice until something comes up.

Some days she is super bored with me too. It has been made easier by our neighbor. She is almost 4 and she and Landis really get on well. Today Landis told me that Jayda was her best friend and you can’t get mad at your best friend, even if she scratches your finger because it was an accident. Ha Ha! It is so nice to have neighbors with kids the same age, they also have a two year old girl that Phoebe likes to play with. If I had the energy I would just do a home preschool with the four of them but alas that ship has sailed, I can’t get my head around that!

Phoebe is a girl after my own heart. She likes it either black or white, black or white makes the most sense to her. She has no patience for gray.

So along those lines we are cold turkey weaning. We started with me sleeping with Landis so the nights would not be so terrible when I was away. She doesn’t want to nurse if I am not around, doesn’t even ask. So that is how it started. I was hoping when I got back we could fall in to some routine of nursing a few times in the day and then keep the nights nurse free. Unfortunately she wasn’t buying what I was selling. She likes to nurse all the time, up to 12 times a day! I began to cave in my sleep stupor and started nursing her again at night. When I came to my senses I realized that it wouldn’t work for me. After more than 4 years of straight nursing I am DONE, toast, finito.

So it seems that all or none is the road she is choosing when given the choice. Landis was similar and when I wanted to put boundaries on her nursing she boycotted. Phoebe is coming to think of it as a game where she asks to nurse and I say the milk is gone and she laughs and pinches me or tries to bite me. I know it doesn’t sound funny but it really kind of is.

Anyway, another few days and this door will close. Bittersweet but time to move forward:)

Today Piper was asking about my tattoos. Yes I have a couple, no I don’t really regret them but I don’t love them either. Anyway, she asked about the tattoo on my back. I said, ask me again when you are 18. She said okay. Then she said, that’s a long time. Then she said, you’ll be dead by then.

LOL! Ah, youth:)

Well I am back from San Fran. A little worse for wear from the marathon but rested and happy from my “laying in bed and watching movies” vacation. I know I am in San Fran and I lay in bed and watch movies, GAH! Don’t worry I did ride the cable car and hit Chinatown for some stuff for the girls and Dim Sum:)

The race was uneventful (which is a good thing) and I am so glad it is over. At about mile 22 I was thinking WTF am I doing out here:) I think I am going to stick to half marathons from now on, I still feel great at 13.1 miles with no soreness and a smile on my face so that is the new ticket.

We got right back in to life when I returned with ceramics, playgroup, a field trip to the ballet, Michaelmas field day, handwork group, a play date, music class, a sewing class for me and having a friend sleepover. Is that why I feel so tired? I dunno if that is it or the cold I seem to have picked up on my travels. So far I have only passed it to the littlest one:( Hopefully it will be quick and on its way out by Friday as cooler temperatures are in the forecast for us, yippee!

I missed the girls but they did so great with Jason. When they picked me up at the airport 3 were screaming with joy and one of them burst in to tears (maybe she thought I was never coming home). So we all know that they can survive without me, mixed emotions about that but in the end I know its all good.

Quick post about something that made me laugh and get a bit worried for the future

We had some questions about which tea cup belonged to Piper or Landis… I gave Piper hers (because I remember where she was sitting) but she insisted it wasn’t hers. I asked Landis to get get hers from outside even though they both claimed it wasn’t out there. It was, of course, and they realized that I was correct from the beginning.

I couldn’t just leave it with that, though… I just had to say, “Sometimes daddy knows what he’s doing,” and I turned around to head back to unload the dishwasher. That’s when I heard Piper sing-song voice say, “…and sometimes he doesn’t.”

Oh if she only knew how right she was

Well I am heading to San Francisco tomorrow to run in the Nike Women’s Marathon. (insert big sigh here)

This is the first time I have left Landis and Phoebe (having left Piper and Lela with Jason when my bf and granny was leaving this life for the next). I have to admit a lot of anxiety about it all. Not because I am leaving them with Jason, there is no one better to leave them with he is totally awesome, just because I don’t want to leave them. I know they will be fine, I know I need this trip but it doesn’t really make me feel any better.

Love to all my lovies, I miss you already.

It is so cool. We have done a bit of a redo in the house moving my desk. It has found its way to what was a bit of a formalish sitting area. Now it houses my desk, some chairs and the keyboard (which we are hoping to replace with an antique piano). The coolest thing about it is that while I am at my desk paying bills or what not, Lela comes in and knocks about on the piano. She is composing! It is really awesome because she sounds great and she just goes on making up songs. I see now why they have taught them all those chords because she uses those to set her melody and adds in other notes. I am pretty sure she doesn’t realize what she is doing but later this year they will compose their own music and she will be READY. I love that time with her too, sitting side by side doing our thing.

This week we had our PT conference with Piper and Lela’s teacher. Suffice to say they are a “joy to have” and doing great. They follow directions well and she said she always gets 110% from them at every task assigned.

We went through their lesson books and their paintings. Jason and I were pretty impressed with what we saw. The detail in Lela’s work was to be expected but I was still surprised at how quickly her drawing skills have changed, for example blobby hands, to mitten hands, to stick finger hands to complete hands with fingers. She is drawing kings with crowns with tiny jewels on them, castles with turrets etc. I feel very fortunate that she is at a place that will allow her to express herself artistically while learning.

As with each of our PT meetings since kindergarten there is always something surprising. In kindergarten we were surprised to hear how Piper and Lela switch roles from the ones they are in at home, flipping who was dominant etc. This year I was really surprised at Piper’s paintings. They were very precise and their teacher even said that one that she did was her absolute favorite and we should have it framed. Jason and I would have both pegged that for Lela but surprise! I think the logic behind blending the colors and getting it just right appeals to Piper’s more logical way of thinking. All of their work was beautiful but I was so happy to see Piper being able to apply her love of math, science and logic to art. It was indeed a beautiful thing.

Just another reason we are loving this style of education. It just seems to be so well rounded for them, playing on their strengths while allowing them to apply their strengths to their weaknesses to complete a whole picture. Very cool stuff. We are still over the moon impressed with the girls teacher and they adore her. Ms. F already has a box of stuff (drawings, books she has written, letters, etc.) that Lela has given her and it is only October, lol!