i know it's already fall

I'm still a little bit holding on to summer. This was a big one for us. It was lovely and hard and I think all of us grew by leaps and bounds.

Sometimes I think older siblings get a little eclipsed when there's a new little one. Maybe not eclipsed entirely, but a lot of their identity gets funneled into being an older brother or sister. There are so many "how do you like having a baby in the house?" "how do you like being an older brother" questions - which are good and important and necessary, but it doesn't leave a lot of room for everything else.

I want to always remember that this was the summer Guthrie taught herself to read and became comfortable reading aloud to other people - not just her brother, though that was such an important step. She slowly, sometimes painfully, makes her way through short chapter books these days and almost always happily reads Laithe whatever he brings her. Bedtime usually ends with me reading a chapter from a longer book to both kids and then spending a few minutes cuddling after lights out. These days though she waits until Laithe is asleep and then requests to read one or two more books to herself. I feel like Marnie in Little Women when I kiss her head and admonish that she not stay up too late.

This was also the summer she started to really think outside of herself. She's always been so sensitive and empathetic to others, but she has this new desire to help others and to see needs that could be met. Many evenings she will ask if she can do anything to help me. This has also been the summer of needing privacy, needing some time alone to recharge and be inside her own head. She's spent hours drawing in her notebooks and I watch how sometimes the transition away from whatever is going on in her mind is difficult. I'll admit it's a little frustrating sometimes, but oh I remember those days! When I was so involved in my play that I stepping out if it was just the worst! She spends time quietly on the porch with her pocket knife sharpening sticks and I want to guard that time and space for her.

For Laithe I will remember how much he changed physically. Gone is my tiny boy with baby chub still hanging around. He lengthened and stretched until it's easier to see a six pack than a belly. He's always been so intensely physical and this summer was all about football and dancing and rough and tumble. His first trip to the ER for staples in his head (just a few, after a tumble down our top flight of stairs) and I steel myself that it will likely be the first of a few if he's anything like his father. He's intentional with his movements, but I've noticed that in the right environment he'll perceive the risk and then run towards it with all his might. Last summer with his mop of blond hair he reminded me so much of Dennis the Menace, but this year he's full on Peter Pan with an impishness I'm discovering is a personality trait as much as it is his age. Oh he makes us laugh! He tells terrible jokes!

I always knew he loved music, but I guess I didn't realize that there is a constant stream of song in his head. This summer there was so much singing! I occasionally sneak videos of him singing while involved in another activity. I love it.

Though she needs a break from him, Laithe has such a strong desire to be with his sister. She's as much his sidekick as he is hers. I worry sometimes about him carving out an identity separate from her, but he's got years and years to do that. In the past couple months I have also watched him start to really play with other kids, not just next to them. He's beginning to engage with some of our homeschool friends instead of just sitting by them while everyone does their own thing. He comes home from park dates with stories of shenanigans I didn't even realize were happening which makes me very happy for him -- even when they do involve decaying animals!

Both kids have become so independent. I find myself doing the dance that all parents do - to not hover, to let them go out of my sight at the park (within family rules), to help me in the kitchen with real tools and dangerous objects. Some days it's tough, but honestly most days it's a relief and a joy to watch them move comfortably outside arms length.

I have amazing kids. They are such a gift. And I'm so honored to be their mother! For sure it was a summer to remember.

Variations on a Theme

I was picking up and packing up some of the kids' artwork to give us a nice empty space to fill up again with school starting this week. My friend Sierra is really good about taking pictures of her kids' art and posting it on her blog and I keep telling myself I should do that. Really, what I want to do is be good about scanning it in to the computer and eventually creating photo books of their art, but yeah.

I'm pretty proud of myself for remembering to snap a few pictures this time!
I could say I'm super thrilled with both kids' fine motor skills development this summer. With Laithe beginning to write--- again without encouragement because when mama encourages it's over --- but really I'm just interested in their art. I always ask them to tell me about their picture and try to refrain from just saying "what is that?" because that's always kind of crushing isn't it? So these are their descriptions.

girl in fancy dress on the grass. {guthrie}

camping with Tegra. {guthrie}

mom at the beach. {guthrie}

girl on a pier. {guthrie}

all of us at a hotel. we have a force field around us to protect us from the volcano (left background) {laithe}

my hotel and a volcano exploding. {laithe}

my hotel on the beach. by the volcano. it's exploding. {laithe}

"oh hey Laithe! Is that the 5 of us camping? Is that our tent?" "Uh no, it's a volcano. We're running." {laithe}

first day of school, 2011

And BAM! just like that summer vacation is over.


First day of school went off without a hitch.
It did take some effort to wake everyone up, but they're so very cute!

Everyone dressed by 7:45! Yay Mom!


And ready for pictures on the front porch by 8:15, properly accessorized. A substantial amount happened between 7:45 and 8:15, trust me. This year will be a test in efficiency.



What a difference another year makes. Guthrie started her third year at Quad City Montessori and the second year in the same classroom. She knows about half her class and obviously her beloved teachers. A big hug at the door and a wave to her friends and she was off. And I only teared up for like 5 seconds - ok maybe a couple of minutes, but whatever.

When I picked her up she was exhausted and happy. What more can you ask for?

fast forward

guthrie got a pre-first day of school haircut this afternoon.

as the stylist lopped off her summer/swimming/sun/sand filled hair i watched my little girl turn into a big girl.


without further ado:


she has been wanting this chin length cut for over a year and i finally relented. she literally clapped while Amanda cut - it was super sweet. and she for sure has inherited her parents' hair - quite a bit was thinned out from the back so it wouldn't be quite so big!

i will be interested to see how much it curls up when we let it air dry- she got her first experience with the straight iron - and of course loved it!

i just can't believe how old she looks.

first and last 2010-2011

I hope to keep this tradition going through the years.

Guthrie on her first day of school:

And Guthrie on her last day of school:these pants were not capris a month ago!

Our little girl is not so little anymore. This has been quite a year for her - I say that and immediately think well, which one hasn't been? But really, she had such a good year in school. We are looking forward to a lowkey summer of swimming lessons, some kindernature classes and camping. And she, strangely enough, is looking forward to a break from school. Which I think is really just kind of weird. All I know is that we're already on summer schedule. No one was in bed before 10 last night-- in fact no one had dinner until 9:30! Yay summer!



***
there are many things afoot at our house. painting! vegetable gardens! play kitchens!
so excuse my silence for a few more days as I try to find the advil and the stamina to finish things up!

self portrait

john got me an ipod touch for christmas. i completely love it. like it's the present i never knew i wanted.
he got it engraved on the back it has my full name and then says "please do not wash me"
for those of you who don't know, back in september i got this amazing phone that i researched etc etc and then within two weeks it got put through the laundry. it was not a good day at our house.

needless to say i have insurance both on the ipod and my crappy used purple blackberry that i mostly hate.

i let guthrie play on my ipod. i think this will probably not end well but as i said, it is insured and she has been, thus far, very good with it. she plays some mean Angry Birds and can find sesame street youtube videos. i don't know how she does that.

tonight i was uploading some of the photos i've taken on it- it has a pretty nice camera on it and some fun features - and putting them on the computer.

i discovered these little gems. see you can make it so that you're taking a picture of your reflection. like a mirror. when i found them i laughed so hard i woke her up in the other room.



there are about 40 of these.

she is going to be so pissed at me someday for this.

big news!

ok maybe just big news for us but for the 4th time in the past month:

Guthrie is wearing jeans!!!

at her request and with minimal complaints about crotch and waist issues!


maybe we are over the hump of non-jean wearing that has lasted for over a year.


and she looks about 7 years old in them. it's sweet and heartbreaking!

cleaning seashells

We've had friends and family close to the seashore these past weeks and they have sent us shells! They're beautiful and just what we need during this cold month where outside time is so limited.
A friend at work shared an activity she did with her boys when they were young and in Montessori school and I tucked it away for one of those bitter cold days.

One of the things that I love about Montessori is the philosophy of a prepared environment. I have to say I've totally lapsed on that since Laithe has been born, but winter is a good time to get back into it. We've got a book shelf in the dining room that is supposed to serve as our version of the prepared environment.

So, this activity is on her shelf right now.

I gathered a bar of soap and a toothbrush (a new one). A bowl of water, towel and basket of shells. And one of our trays. I could write a whole post about the benefit of trays! And I demonstrated the activity in about 5 steps. I used to have to demonstrate a few times, now just once or maybe twice does it.Guthrie went to work scrubbing the sea shells and didn't say a word for about 30 minutes. I eventually told her she needed to put it away and move on to something else as her hands were chapped to begin with. Today she asked to get it out again and I only had to remind her about one aspect of the activity- the rest she remembered on her own. I love how her independence is growing. Sometimes she's my little whirlwind, but it's fun to watch that intensity get focused on a project. Don't you love how she sticks out her tongue!

eccentric

Last night we're finishing up reading James and the Giant Peach and the author describes one of the characters as having eccentricities. Guthrie immediately asks what that is.

"Well, it's when one person likes to do things that everyone else thinks is a little strange. Like if you grew up and had 20 of the same kind of cat. Or small glass ponies all over your house. People would think that was kind of weird, but you would love it."

This is met with a look of uncertainty.

"Also one could say that if a small girl demanded to sleep with a brush and dryer sheet every night she might be considered eccentric."

Much giggling - as she clutched her brush and dryer sheet closer. She smiles at me and says, "I'm eccentric."

Yes dear, you certainly are.


*****
We're in for some crazy weather - some foot of snow and blizzardy wind and then -15 wind chill. And my favorite - THUNDER SNOW! It's not winter until we've had some thunder snow. I'm predicting a family snow day tomorrow, but we'll see. Wish us luck! We may be headed over to the neighbor's with their secondary heat source!

on my mind

This morning I was telling Guthrie, in an effort to wake her up, about the snow coming down outside and how some of it had landed in her window bird feeder and what in the world does she think the birds will do about that? I go for the monologue method of waking her up most days. It's better than the yelling method.

A few minutes later she's deciding if she wants to go to the bathroom before she gets dressed and says,

Mommy, I've got one thing on my mind this morning.


Oh really? What is it?

In my mind I'm thinking that birds don't really like bird food in the winter.

You think? We seem to refill your bird feeder a lot.

Well, it's just on my mind.



i heart her.

first snow fall of the winter

We had our first snow of the season this past weekend. I'm slow getting pictures posted- so much going on around here these days!

Of course Guthrie and I traipsed outside for a good while. The boys took a cozy nap.

This is the first winter Guthrie has actually really enjoyed the snow. Like really, really enjoyed it. So, I'm hoping for some serious snow because we've never even made a snowman with her.

Once we finished shoveling the sidewalk I suggested she just keep on shoveling herself down to the Coffee Hound.

She totally went for it.
It's totally only a block and a half. Don't get all child labor on me.

Hot chocolate and latte rewards ensued. It was sweet seeing her little shovel track on the way home.

A little less sweet, though no less humorous was the absolute fit she threw about her snow pants. More precisely the crotch of her snow pants. And I thought jean fits were bad! Girl hasn't worn jeans in at least a year. They, and I quote, are not working out for her. Needless to say amongst the kicking and screaming on the floor, the likes of which we haven't seen in awhile, the phrase "THIS IS NOT WORKING OUT FOR ME" was uttered at least 50 million times. Not even joking.

In fact I feel fairly comfortable saying that we hear that phrase on a daily basis.
Apparently a lot of things are not working out for Guthrie. Socks, zippers, bread folded crookedily (sic) vegetables, toothpaste tubes, challenging toys. We did teach her that what she is doing is called being shrill as things not working out for you demand a certain volume and tone. This has diffused the situation on many occasions. I mean how can you be irritated beyond belief when someone under 4 feet tall screams about mismatched buttons "THIS IS NOT WORKING OUT FOR ME" and then in a totally normal voice says, "that's called being shrill. I am being shrill right now. did you like it?"

I digress.

Shrilly and I had fun. We came in and stayed warm the rest of the day. Then we kind of had to stay in for several more days because of the wind chill. Tomorrow we have a blizzard watch.

We had a lovely autumn this year. Makes the sudden move into winter a little hard to stomach. It's like capital W winter around here. We usually don't do this until January.

Guthrie and I have a little getaway coming up this weekend -more about it after we get home probably. I am determined not to let -30 windchill impact our plans! It's our first mother-daughter pre-Christmas trip. I am very excited.

hope it's a little warmer where you are!

little convos

Guthrie: Here's a present for you!

Me: Oh thank you! Thank you for the baby oil wrapped in a scarf.

G: Mom. It's a diamond ring with powers. Real powers.

M: Like the power to get you to go to bed early?

G: Not that kind of power. I roll my eyes at you mom. (eye roll)

ahh four

We have no pictures. There are some on John's phone, but I don't know how to upload them, so I'm just warning you now - no super cute oh-my-gosh she's the cutest four year old ever.

We had the flu.

dang it.

What are the odds of both your parents getting the flu in the wee hours before your birthday?
And then your brother.

gross.

But I dragged myself out of the house to take her to Panera (i know. i promise i didn't breathe on anyone.) because she wanted the only baked good she will eat - a Cinnamon Sugar bagel with butter- before school.

She was allowed to open one present before school - a pair of sparkly shoes she's been asking for since at least August. Her little gasp of excitement when she took the lid off the box was so priceless.

Her present after school was a movie we all piled into bed to watch. By this time we were all mostly feeling better, though to be honest we did all pile into the sick bed to watch. We need a guest room I think. Hmm. John had picked out My Neighbor Totoro and she loved it.

Late in the evening we ventured out to meet the grandmas for fancy cake (she chose Oreo) and more presents. Magic wands, diamond rings with buttons for different powers - i'll explain later - this very cool set of pop beads from my aunt that was the first thing she asked for when we got home. I'll try to find a link.

Before bed we finished up the invitations to her birthday party on Saturday. The kind where you invite the whole class and hope only a few people rsvp! Saturday night is the big family shindig with Grandpas and Grandmas and the Big Present.

So, it was a good birthday I think. She asked all day if she is four now. She can't quite grasp why she was three on the 31st and 4 on the 1st. It's ok though, I can't grasp it too well either.

We have a four year old! And we love her so very very much.