so, the first week has gone by in a blur. i keep thinking, will i get used to this waking up so early in the morning business? every morning this week, i rolled out of bed feeling exhausted after wakeful nights with Claire. and while Claire napped during the day, i'd sit down to write and fall asleep. only today, did i have a good writing session during Claire's nap. so maybe i am getting used to the new early schedule. :)
Phil and i are just really grateful Skye and Claire have adjusted so well to the changes this week. Skye has been busy making new friends - she jumped off the bus today and gave me a piece of paper her friend from the bus had just given her. it was a list of the girl's phone number, street number, and a list of everyone in the girl's family. i was asked to please call the mother to set up a play date. and then, after a quick snack at home, Skye ran off to our neighbour's house to play with their daughter who rides the bus to school with Skye. i really couldn't ask for a better situation. Skye loves school, loves her teacher, and she has many friends down the street that she sees every day.
after several difficult mornings, Claire and i finally had a great morning today. Claire has been having a hard time playing by herself all of a sudden. but today, i finally found activities she enjoyed, that kept her attention for a long enough time to allow me to prep dinner and get things done around the house. we also enjoyed a nice walk around the block, with Claire pushing her duck in the stroller (no baby, just a rubber duck). frankly, i'm enjoying this one-on-one time with her. i can focus on her and get to know her better. today, she was trying so hard to talk and was just babbling, but it was so so sweet. i can't believe she already wants to go to school!
all in all, it's been a busy week of changes, but it's gone smoother than i hoped.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Kindergarten begins!
Phil woke all of us up this morning at 6 AM. we had put down a rather excited Skye last night, but this morning at 6 AM, she didn't seem too excited about going to school. i was afraid we would be running to catch the bus, but she managed to get dressed and down to breakfast. she seemed too nervous to eat much, so i didn't push it, but i did worry about how she would get through the day. she would have only 20 minutes to scarf down her lunch and she eats oh-so-very slowly.
the four of us got to the bus stop long before the bus arrived, along with 8 other kids and their families. we were all armed with cameras and excitement. when the bus arrived, Skye had a moment of hesitation. i had to hold back the tears as i watched her get on the bus and waved to her as the bus pulled away. then we all piled into our car and followed the bus to the school. we watched Skye get off the bus and walked her over to her teacher who was standing in the middle of a very crowded playground. i couldn't believe the number of people there! it was all very exciting, especially since Skye got off the bus at the school beaming. a friend had gotten on the bus and sat with her and they had chatted all the way to school. :) when we arrived at the school, a policeman greeted us with, "welcome to first day of school!" we obviously looked like first-timers.
after we watched Skye go into school, all the parents were like, now what? it was truly an odd feeling. Phil and some of the other dads were talking about how they never had parents take them to the bus stop, let alone meet them at the school. no, they all had house keys and had to let themselves into the house when they got home, so this was all new experiences for them.
and Claire, well, she will enjoy some one-on-one time with me, but she too seemed in a daze that Skye wasn't here. fortunately, i had signed up for a toddler story time at the library, so we went there and she had a great time. then she took a good long nap after all the excitement of the morning before Skye returned home from school.
the neighbourhood gang, all waiting for the bus
and here is Skye getting on the bus for the very first time! you can sort of hear Claire upset that she's not getting on the bus!
First day of Kindergarten from slkim on Vimeo.
the four of us got to the bus stop long before the bus arrived, along with 8 other kids and their families. we were all armed with cameras and excitement. when the bus arrived, Skye had a moment of hesitation. i had to hold back the tears as i watched her get on the bus and waved to her as the bus pulled away. then we all piled into our car and followed the bus to the school. we watched Skye get off the bus and walked her over to her teacher who was standing in the middle of a very crowded playground. i couldn't believe the number of people there! it was all very exciting, especially since Skye got off the bus at the school beaming. a friend had gotten on the bus and sat with her and they had chatted all the way to school. :) when we arrived at the school, a policeman greeted us with, "welcome to first day of school!" we obviously looked like first-timers.
after we watched Skye go into school, all the parents were like, now what? it was truly an odd feeling. Phil and some of the other dads were talking about how they never had parents take them to the bus stop, let alone meet them at the school. no, they all had house keys and had to let themselves into the house when they got home, so this was all new experiences for them.
and Claire, well, she will enjoy some one-on-one time with me, but she too seemed in a daze that Skye wasn't here. fortunately, i had signed up for a toddler story time at the library, so we went there and she had a great time. then she took a good long nap after all the excitement of the morning before Skye returned home from school.
the neighbourhood gang, all waiting for the bus
and here is Skye getting on the bus for the very first time! you can sort of hear Claire upset that she's not getting on the bus!
First day of Kindergarten from slkim on Vimeo.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Getting ready for Kindergarten
on thursday, we went to Skye's kindergarten open house. we got to see her new classroom, meet her new teacher, find her locker, and meet some of the kids who will be her new friends. it was very exciting! we will have alot to learn in the first few weeks. my head is sort of swimming with all the new rules and routines i'll have to remember. and i'll have to make an effort to stay involved by volunteering in the classroom. but i'm most happy that Skye seems very very comfortable in her new classroom and her teacher seems to have a temperament that will be compatible with Skye's temperament.
and Claire also seems very comfortable with Skye's new school! i could easily have left her there to play - she was wandering around as if she knew exactly where to go! but her favourite part of the open house? the bright yellow school bus that was parked outside for the kids to climb up and get used to for their first day of school. Claire refused to get off the bus - i almost carried her off screaming!
i'm not nervous about the first day of kindergarten - i think Skye and Claire will adjust just fine to all the new changes, but i do feel overwhelmed with just how fast our girls are growing up! and this is also the end of summer...this summer, as last summer, was full and fun and oh so busy. the pool closes this weekend and we're sad about that, but we sure put in A LOT of swimming this summer.
and Claire also seems very comfortable with Skye's new school! i could easily have left her there to play - she was wandering around as if she knew exactly where to go! but her favourite part of the open house? the bright yellow school bus that was parked outside for the kids to climb up and get used to for their first day of school. Claire refused to get off the bus - i almost carried her off screaming!
i'm not nervous about the first day of kindergarten - i think Skye and Claire will adjust just fine to all the new changes, but i do feel overwhelmed with just how fast our girls are growing up! and this is also the end of summer...this summer, as last summer, was full and fun and oh so busy. the pool closes this weekend and we're sad about that, but we sure put in A LOT of swimming this summer.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Busy month of August
phew! it's hard to believe that August is almost over. and what a full month it has been. i will try to catch up as best as i can, but most likely, it's going to be more like a list of things we did and photos of our various trips and activities.
first of all, we had many celebrations in August. Phil and i celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. we celebrated my father's birthday, my nephew Amoz's birthday and my birthday.
we went on a trip to southern California. we drove to Zeeland, Michigan--it was our girls' first long road trip. we had a great time in both places. in CA, we met up with our friends Mary, Martin and their baby Camille. we visited the beautiful aquarium at Long Beach and played on the beaches. we ate lots of delicious Korean food.
the drive to Zeeland was hard for the girls, but they survived. we broke up the ride a little for them by stopping in Chicago for lunch with Phil's parents on the way to and then for lunch with friends on the way back. Zeeland is close to Lake Michigan and so we were able to visit the beach there and it was beautiful. it was great to visit my parents' new home in the States. it was great to see them settled and to see the community they live in.
and on top of all the travelling, we have been busy getting ready for the school year. we registered Skye for kindergarten and learned who her teacher would be for the year. we have visited her school several times to get her used to the environment, and we go back to the school tomorrow for open house where Skye will be able to play in her new classroom and meet some of her classmates. it'll be quite exciting! i've been busy getting ready for Claire too. i've signed up for a music class with her and will be busy setting up playdates for Claire so that we can keep busy while Skye is away all day!
here we are at Griffith Park in LA. Skye enjoyed a pony ride and Claire and Skye loved the great carousel!
the girls enjoy some down time...
beach time!
enjoying the beautiful jelly fish at the aquarium
with our friends, Mary, Martin and baby Camille!
in between our trip to LA and our trip to Zeeland, we had a few days back in Madison for some down time. our neighbour stopped by one day and asked us if we would have any use for some very large furniture boxes. i spent one morning working on the boxes and voila! except now i'm not sure where i'll put it when we have guests over...
in Zeeland, MI.
Skye goes fishing! but those sneaky little fish...they gobbled up the bait and refused to get caught! but we did end up enjoying feeding the ducks and the geese who also occupied the pond.
the beach at Holland, MI
the girls had a fantastic time with grandparents. they even endeared themselves to my parents' neighbour who gave the girls each a piggy bank from her rather large collection of piggy banks. here are the girls each holding their pigs.
first of all, we had many celebrations in August. Phil and i celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. we celebrated my father's birthday, my nephew Amoz's birthday and my birthday.
we went on a trip to southern California. we drove to Zeeland, Michigan--it was our girls' first long road trip. we had a great time in both places. in CA, we met up with our friends Mary, Martin and their baby Camille. we visited the beautiful aquarium at Long Beach and played on the beaches. we ate lots of delicious Korean food.
the drive to Zeeland was hard for the girls, but they survived. we broke up the ride a little for them by stopping in Chicago for lunch with Phil's parents on the way to and then for lunch with friends on the way back. Zeeland is close to Lake Michigan and so we were able to visit the beach there and it was beautiful. it was great to visit my parents' new home in the States. it was great to see them settled and to see the community they live in.
and on top of all the travelling, we have been busy getting ready for the school year. we registered Skye for kindergarten and learned who her teacher would be for the year. we have visited her school several times to get her used to the environment, and we go back to the school tomorrow for open house where Skye will be able to play in her new classroom and meet some of her classmates. it'll be quite exciting! i've been busy getting ready for Claire too. i've signed up for a music class with her and will be busy setting up playdates for Claire so that we can keep busy while Skye is away all day!
here we are at Griffith Park in LA. Skye enjoyed a pony ride and Claire and Skye loved the great carousel!
the girls enjoy some down time...
beach time!
enjoying the beautiful jelly fish at the aquarium
with our friends, Mary, Martin and baby Camille!
in between our trip to LA and our trip to Zeeland, we had a few days back in Madison for some down time. our neighbour stopped by one day and asked us if we would have any use for some very large furniture boxes. i spent one morning working on the boxes and voila! except now i'm not sure where i'll put it when we have guests over...
in Zeeland, MI.
Skye goes fishing! but those sneaky little fish...they gobbled up the bait and refused to get caught! but we did end up enjoying feeding the ducks and the geese who also occupied the pond.
the beach at Holland, MI
the girls had a fantastic time with grandparents. they even endeared themselves to my parents' neighbour who gave the girls each a piggy bank from her rather large collection of piggy banks. here are the girls each holding their pigs.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Another Trip to LA
we'll leave for LA tomorrow morning, super early, and will be there until the 16th. i'll try to keep blogging while i'm away, but that depends entirely on what kind of wireless access i'll have. but keep checking back!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Summer days
one thing we love about summer days is getting to eat popsicles. i try to avoid the ones they sell at the pool concession stand, at the zoo, and wherever kids go in the summer time. not the best things to eat, but kids just love them. instead, i am giving my kids popsicles at home that i've made, in the hopes that they will prefer mine over the other kind. :) so far, we've enjoyed popsicles made with lemonade with fresh raspberries floating throughout, and i've even mashed up watermelon and frozen those. the mashed up watermelon was quite a hit! it's a great way to enjoy fruit in the hot weather.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Lemonade Stand
yesterday, Skye had her first lemonade stand. it was lots of fun! we made fresh squeezed lemonade and set up a table right in front of our house. we had told all our neighbours ahead of time, so they all came out and we had a kind of mini block party. Skye loved it! she has been really eager about making some money because she's seen other kids using their own money to buy snacks at the pool concession stand and buying "stuff" at stores. we need to start giving her an allowance soon, but she hasn't asked for an allowance yet, so we're sort of waiting until she actually asks! Skye made a total of $9! she was just thrilled to have so much cash in her little wallet at the end of her sale! :) it's really sweet--she's spent her first $2 on little knick-knacks that she likes and i'm trying to encourage her not to spend all her money too soon! she wants to have another lemonade stand soon, but i'm pooped from squeezing all those lemons!
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