We are [almost] two weeks into this new gig of two school-agers. And, since you are never too old to learn new things (mom and dad, I'm looking at you and a smartphone!), here are a few things we've learned since the blondes headed to the classroom.
It's hard to be the little bro. Declan asks almost daily when he will get a "pack-pack" and go to school too. So we've started calling our cars the "mommy bus" and the "daddy bus" and the little dude sorta thinks that maybe he's not completely getting the short stick. But he's definitely not completely convinced!
When a stack of papers comes home in the backpack, you look through them before the kids go to bed. Or you may find yourselves going through magazines and cutting out red objects for the class poster while the Kindergartner snoozes away.
Quinn takes about two weeks to get fully used to a new environment. We have successfully transitioned from sobbing/screaming/clinging to death stare at anyone who dares speak to her to smiles at drop off. Thank goodness!
School stamina takes a while to build up. Bugs started soccer on Tuesday evenings. It's incredible to watch our baby (whom they told us may never walk) run around the soccer field. However, school - plus the hour that she has to get up before the sibs to do her flush - wear on a girl. She's wiped out at the end of the day. It's hard to run around a field for an hour when you are exhausted.
Quinn now thinks her name is officially "Quinn V." The blondes were working on thank you notes from their birthday party tonight and whenever I asked her to sign her name, she wrote Quinn V. She also really enjoys the free range on art supplies in the classroom!
Overall, everyone loves their new (or old) landing spots and we are adjusting to the new routine. But we are not going to complain about the long weekend ahead!
We had a super busy weekend - with a fun birthday party for the girls, lots of time with family and friends, and an attempt at recovery from the first week of school (the exhaustion is no joke!). More on that to come.
In addition to all the busy, Declan has decided that the ABCs are his favorite. He can't help but to sing them! And we all think he does a pretty great job at his rendition.
We headed north a couple weekends ago to celebrate Q's birthday - and for one more summer weekend at the lake. Instead of our usual get-up-early, spend-half-a-day-on-the-road routine, we got organized, met a home a few minutes early to load up, picked up the kids from day care, and headed north. The kids did awesome in the car. The only bump was that my bright idea of a "healthy dinner" stop at Subway took an hour. For sandwiches. And the restroom didn't have a changing table. So ... Fiona and I trotted over to the Tae Kwon Do studio next door, looked pathetic, and got permission to cath her in their back room. Mama has no shame when it comes to not cathing the girl on a public restroom floor!
We were hoping to go to the cabin on Friday, but the day turned out to be pretty overcast and not terribly hot. Not a bad day to be outside - just not a super day to be in the lake. We had heard a rumor that cousin Otto was going to be at a local county fair with his grandma and grandpa. So I called my cousin and invited us to their fair outing. It was about an hour ride to Chisholm and we wish that anyone (hint: D and/or Q) would have fallen asleep on the drive. Everyone was feeling the late arrival from the night before. We connected with Otto and he and Fiona shared their mutual love of farm animals while wandering around the barns. Then we found an ATV show for Dec and Otto. Those little boys were awe-struck by the flying four-wheelers!
At the midway, we discovered that the kids needed to be 36" to go on any ride (except the carousel). Poor Declan is not 36" tall. And was super bummed that he wasn't. It was no fun watching his sisters go on the little train, the little cars, and the little four-wheelers. He did like riding the carousel with Otto - and Daddy broke balloons with darts and won him a stuffed alligator. Fiona enjoyed the roller coaster and the funhouse. Quinn was super brave and had quite an independent streak as she went on the rides.
Saturday still wasn't the warmest August day, but it was a little better. And we were pretty much going to the cabin rain or shine! My sister and parents came out with us and then Mike's sister and family met us out there as well. We played in the sand for a while, watched Dec catch a fish, ate lunch, and then swim-suited up.
"Kissing" Auntie
The afternoon was perfect as we spent it splashing in the lake, taking the kayaks out, hanging with the cousins, and going on a pontoon ride. Q got to drive the boat and loved it. She was such a good driver that little brother completely zonked out on the boat! We had dilly bars for the group and sang Happy Birthday to Quinn. Nobody was particularly pleased when I announced that it was time to go. Including Quinn. It may be the first time she was totally bummed to leave the lake! But - birthday pizza dinner was calling!
We headed out early on Sunday and were home in time to spend most of the afternoon on the trampoline. We were gone for a couple days ... they clearly missed it! Best of all, Q thought it was a great way to spend her birthday weekend.
It feels like parenting rookie league around here. It is not easy to launch a person into the public school system. It took me two evenings to figure out how to put money in her lunch account (the activation key I was missing came home in her folder today .. sigh). Apparently you are just supposed to magically know the website where you register people for after care. And don't try to make plans for before care too early - because you don't get the bus schedule until three weeks before school starts. By the time Declan goes, we'll be pros. This year is not pro status!
I'm also officially not genetically wired to start school before Labor Day. My Type A personality and my summer-loving psyche were at war as I tried to organize the mountains of papers and supplies and pack the backpacks. But we made it, everyone got where they were supposed to go this morning, and we had two blondes talking over each other in excitement this evening [plus a very loud and excited little bro].
While Mike finished helping Bugs get ready this morning, I took Q and D to do their drop off. We dropped Dec off for his first day of solo day care. He was rather unhappy since I wouldn't give him a bowl this morning for the 10 Cheerios he had in his hand. Mom is soooooo unreasonable! Ms. A offered him a bowl and additional breakfast and he decided it was okay to stay there.
Quinn and I headed to preschool and she proudly marched in and right up to the before/after care room that Buggy had last year. Which is not where the before/after care room is this year. By the time we finally found the room, I was stressed (because Mike needed to leave for work and I had promised Fiona that I would be there when she got on the bus) and Quinn was stressed because of change and me being stressed. The end results was me prying her off my leg and leaving a screaming, sobbing Quinn. She got over it quickly. I had mom guilt all day. But she was SUPER happy when I picked her up and she was glowing with pride that she navigated her first day. I asked her if we should do it again tomorrow and she said "yep." I asked her how her day was and she said "pretty great." She told me that she didn't have enough time to eat lunch and that she sat next to Quinn G at lunch. She likes Ms. Vanessa and they went outside two times. (notice the wealth of details I got this year compared to Fiona's first day last year!)
I made it home in time to snag Bugs, comment on her two headbands (I raise fashionistas ...), walk over to the neighbors (where she will normally hang out for 20 minutes before the bus) to meet her friend Ev, and walk with Ev and her mom over to the bus stop. There were three bigger kids, Ev (1st grade), and four Kindergartners at the bus stop. I was glad the bus got there when it did because I could tell she was starting to get nervous. When the bus door opened, she turned like she was going to ask me to walk her to the door. Instead, she took a deep breath, set her shoulders, and into the bus she went. I was so proud of her! It sounds like she really enjoyed her first day. There were reports of recess, lunch, and snack. Oh - and she got to go to the gym.
It's official. The Year of Three Drop Offs/Pick Ups has begun!
School starts on Monday, you guys. Monday. That's like practically early August in our "school doesn't start until after Labor Day" world of the Midwest. We don't like it. It's cutting into our summer fun. So we'll do silly things like go have a sleepover with friends this weekend and then kick off the school year a little extra tired. But it's okay ... we'll use the long Labor Day weekend to rest up and be responsible...
We did our first (of many) double (someday triple ... shudder) Open House evenings on Wednesday. Both girls got to see their classrooms, meet their teachers, and generally check out their schools. We had actually gone to Bugs' school on Tuesday as well to bring our bag of medical supplies and meet the nurse. Mike and I felt strongly that our petite Kindergartner didn't need to wrestle a box of catheters on the bus with her for the first day of school. We like the school nurse very much and even found out that there is another girl at Sun Path who also gets cathed during the day. Why? Because she has spina bifida too! Bugs was thrilled and Nurse Emily is going to ask the other little girl, once school starts, if she would be open to meeting Fiona. Yay for not feeling like the only one.
The "Quinn V" locker
Quinn has a different teacher at the full-day fours preschool than Fiona did. As we walked to her classroom, we looked for her locker and saw that there is also a "Quinn G" in her class. Ms. Vanessa told Q that "Quinn G" is a boy. Mind blown. Ms. Vanessa laughed and said the other Quinn had a similar reaction to learning "Quinn V" was a girl. That will be a fun one for the class to wrap their heads around!
They are both getting excited and nervous in their own ways. Fiona is extra weepy and keeps telling me that she's "not used to Kindergarten yet." And I keep telling her that the funny thing is, she won't get used to it until she does it! The super bubbly college student who works at the After Care program made her feel better because they have some serious art project plans in the works already. Quinn won't admit she's nervous, but if you question her too long - or talk too long about school - she bursts into tears because she's "tired."
It will be an adjustment for all of us. Each of them will be on their own, in their own place. And we will enter The Year of Three Drop Offs and Pick Ups. But we also know it is going to be a great year. We are going to be a little extra patient with each other as we adjust. And when dinner is late. Because three pick ups simply don't happen quickly.
