Soccer Life

Lucy just finished her very first season of soccer. It was a rec league through our city, which teamed up girls from the same school together. Consequently, no other kindergarten girls from Lucy's school signed up, so she got to meet some new friends from other schools instead!

The season was only 6 weeks long, with a total of 8 games. There were only 3 teams of kindergarten girls, so we played the same 2 teams all season. Lucy had a lot of fun and made friends easily. She started of the season pretty tentatively, but definitely learned a few things along the way and had a little more contact with the ball as the season went on. It's so fun watching girls at this age, most just learning the game, and a few standouts with older siblings who know what they're doing. :) Most often they all cluster around the ball, too polite to really get in there and starting kicking. Towards the end of the season they were catching on a bit more to defense, and realizing it was OK to stand outside the cluster and wait for the ball to come out. Lucy scored her first goal this way, in the last game! The ball popped out and she was on the outside, and took it in for a goal! She loves to do goal kicks and has a wicked little leg on her. The coach made a few comments about it throughout the season. She liked it and says she'd like to play again, so we'll sign her up for spring league.

As a new "soccer mom," I enjoyed myself immensely. I really loved seeing how the girls grew throughout the season, and liked spending time outside and seeing the same faces week to week. We were lucky to have a very mild fall weather-wise...only one week did I need to bring a blanket to keep me warm!

Turns out we picked up some soccer skills and a new friend...Lucy and the coach's daughter got along great and we've already lined up a play date. I'm loving feeling part of this community!

"The Cluster"

Like a boss.

We had out-of-state spectators!

Keepin' it casual.

Run, Forest, run!

"Go, Grasshoppers!"

"What, are we playing?"

Kickin' machine.

The team, minus one.

Soccer Sweetie!

Kindergarten Check-In

We are about 3 weeks in to kindergarten, and Lucy is doing great! But let's hear about it in her words:

What is your favorite thing about school? Playing on the playground

What's your favorite thing inside the school? Doing artwork

What new friends have you made? Skylar, Ari, Rowan, Hassem, Annabelle

Who do you like to sit by at lunch? Ady and Nathan

What's your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Chips

What's your least favorite thing to eat for lunch? Hamburger, because it had spice in it

Why do you like your teacher? Because she helps me do stuff, like art projects

Why is your mascot a tiger? Because tigers want to be nice to people

Do you like school? Why? Because it's friendly with other people, and I love other people that I meet

'Twas the Night Before Kindergarten...

The backpack is packed, the outfit is laid out, and the child is asleep. Tomorrow is the big day, and I've had bits and pieces of this blog roaming around in my head for a few weeks, and now I've finally reached the point (and summoned the courage) to write them down.

The past couple of weeks I've been off. Stressed, tired, cranky, emotional. As the end of the month loomed nearer, I grew more anxious. Kindergarten was coming.

All summer long I think I was in some sort of denial. It was still far away. I did all of the required things - filled out the forms, bought the school supplies. But it still wasn't here - just one of those things in the far-off distance.

Don't get me wrong, I want Lucy to go. She needs to go - she's beyond ready. I'm so very excited for her to experience new people, a new place, new things, new ways of learning. She's going to grow and learn so much socially and intellectually in this year.

Yes, my little girl is growing up, and there's nothing I can do about it. Time has gone by so, so fast...I mean, how the hell did we get from this:

to this:

to THIS, in such a short time?

Sigh. Heavy sigh, heavy heart. It's this weight I've been feeling. This is my baby. We're not having anymore kids, this is my only shot. They say the first five years of a child's life are the most impressionable. Did we do it right? This step into kindergarten is a big leap away from us. This is the point at which outside influences become much stronger, and from now on it will stay that way. Does she know what she needs to know? She doesn't know how to read, should I have pushed that more? Am I a bad mom because I didn't spend the summer practicing writing her name in lower case letters?  As if that isn't enough to worry about, my email inbox and Facebook feed has been full of back-to-school parenting articles like "10 Signs Your Kid is the Class Bully," and "Your 5-year-old: Brave New World," and "Keeping Your Young Daughter Body-Positive." Too. much. information. Then I got a reality check.

The other day in the car, out of the blue Lucy told me she was worried if the teacher gave her a paper with a line on it to cut, that she couldn't cut straight. "Mama, what happens if I can't cut straight?" Bless her little heart, this is the biggest thing she's worrying about, that she might get kicked out of kindergarten or get in trouble if she can't cut straight. So we talked about three important things to remember for kindergarten:

1) Try your best.
2) Be kind.
3) Be respectful.

That's all I can ask of her, and that's all I can ask of myself. I took last Friday off, and we had orientation today so it was a nice 5-day hiatus. I had some time to think. I also had some time to be fully immersed in my daughter's imagination, creativity, sass, and overall awesomeness.

You guys, she's going to be fine. We did fine (and it's not like we're done!) And you know what? Things are going to happen. Life happens. She's going to cry, she's going to be made fun of, she's going to get hurt. I can only hope we've given her the tools to dust herself off and try again. As if I needed some extra reassurance, today at orientation when it was time for the kids to separate from the parents and go outside with the paraprofessional, she charged forward with an eager smile and never looked back. I thought maybe something like that might make me feel sad, but it didn't. I felt proud. I felt reassured.

I love this child to the moon and back, and it's time to let her go just a little bit. I'm not saying I won't shed a tear tomorrow, I might. But I know she's going to rock it. As of tonight, Lucy is pretty confident she will, too. Check out her thoughts on kindergarten here.

Knock 'em dead, kid.

Goodbye, Sunshine Valley

We seriously found the BEST daycare and preschool over 3 years ago. We're going to miss these folks!

5-Year Checkup

Today was Lucy's 5-year checkup...the big pre-kindergarten physical.

How do you prepare a kid for shots? Some people say to talk to them about it days in advance, have them practice on stuffed animals...I told my kid as we were pulling into the parking lot at the doctor's office. I knew she would fret about it otherwise. I just said doctors have to do what they need to do so we stay healthy and feel good, and sometimes that means we have to get shots. She got a little anxious after the routine exam was done and we were waiting for the nurse to come in to do it (and of course as I had to hold her down on the table), but overall it wasn't bad. The promise of ice cream afterwards helped. I was prepared for four shots; it was actually only two because they were able to combine some of the vaccines. One stick in each thigh. So it wasn't bad for Mom, either!

Our Lucy is in great health. She weighs 48.75 pounds and is 44.5 inches tall. She has definitely thinned out a bit and her BMI is the best it has ever been. She has always been in the high 90th percentile, but has now come down to 70s and 80s. She told the doctor all about her vegetable garden and how she always wears a helmet when she rides her bike.

Growing up fast!

Ridin' the Green Line

This past Saturday (my birthday!) the Green Line, a new light rail transit line, opened between Minneapolis and St. Paul. All day rides were free, and there were parties/activities at several of the stations.

As part of my job, I worked a little bit on the planning of this line, but other people in my office were very involved in the design and construction over the past several years. It also runs right outside our office, so it's very exciting to finally see it up and running!

Although the day was pretty gloomy and rainy, Lucy and I decided to go "ride the line" anyway. We boarded at the station nearest my office and rode to the Stadium Village station at the University of Minnesota. This station party was sponsored by my company and was supposed to be kid-friendly with activities from the Minnesota Gophers and Vikings. Unfortunately, the rain and especially the high winds were causing a lot of problems for the tents, and soon after we arrived, they were issued instructions to pack it up because stronger winds were on the way. We hopped back on the train and rode to the Raymond and Snelling stations in St. Paul, which had similarly lackluster appeal due to the increasingly miserable weather. 

It was kind of a bummer that the weather wasn't cooperating with this grand opening, but it was pretty amazing riding the train anyway, and it was packed with plenty of people. We got wet, but we had fun!  Best of all, Lucy still talks about it. Well worth it to share this experience with my girl.

Big Birthday Weekend

Wow, are we exhausted! We now have an appropriately celebrated five-year-old. Parties and house guests and sweets, oh my!

FRIDAY - Our gift to Lucy was a redecorate of her room. She was surprised!

By Birthday Girl request, dinner at Red Lobster. With cake as big as her head!

Then Grandma and Grandpa arrived, and we stayed up too late.
Couldn't even make it to the bed...

SATURDAY morning - Show Week at Little Gym! Videos here.

Showing off in the gym.

Cousins arrived! Playtime ensued.

Then, party time! Lego cake as requested.
(Target cake with addition of candy Lego bricks and figures made from a mold purchase on Amazon - way cool!)

All four cousins!

Uncle Jason is a jungle gym.

Another late bedtime. Guess which one is sleeping?

SUNDAY - church, then saying goodbye to our cousins.

Then off to a "friends" party at the nature center.

Lucy surprised us by choosing a snake to take out,
and absolutely zero reservations about holding it!

The whole gang. 

And then...home at around 5:00pm, where we all took naps.

The End.

Happy Birthday, Lucy!

Dear Lucy,

Today you are FIVE years old.

 

Holy cow. Where did this time go? You have grown up so much this year. For starters, you look like a kid, and not a toddler or even a preschooler. A full-blown kid. You've sprouted up a bit, lost some of your belly, and wear your glasses with ease (which make you look even smarter than you already are, if that's possible). I look at you sometimes and wonder if you've grown since the last time I saw you. Our joke when you wake up in the morning is for me to say, "Lucy, did you grow in the night?" You usually proudly stand up to show me how tall you are. I can't help but think one day I'll be looking UP into your big brown eyes, instead of down.

There has been a contentment settled in you this year, if that's the right word...you are calmer, more even-keeled. Don't get me wrong, you certainly still have your tantrums and drama-filled teary jags, and you certainly like your way (who doesn't). But you are a little more happy-go-lucky. Most of the time, you are proud to be a helper and behave yourself quite nicely. You are able to keep yourself content for longer periods of time, but you also like to talk to me and Dad (and anyone else who will listen, once you're over feeling shy). You amaze me with your stories and observations - I just love the way your mind works! You surprise us sometimes with your very astute observations about people or feelings, or your proclamations about your Grandma Betty that come out of nowhere. Yes, you still have something special going on with your personal angel. I hope you never lose it.

When you're not in school, you can most often be found drawing or coloring, and now that the weather is nice, you like to be outside and ride your bike or check on  your garden. You also like to watch TV, and we probably let you watch too much. One of the things I appreciate most about you is that you haven't made us watch the same movie over and over again - you've never been like that. Although this year I have to say we've seen "Frozen" quite a few time since we got it on DVD, but I'm not sick of it yet! Even when it's not on you're usually singing the songs or acting out scenes with your dolls. I love it!

The thing that has made me most proud this year is seeing how your confidence has grown. We've seen this particularly in your swimming lessons. After taking Level 2 twice, they said you probably should take it again. We believed in you and moved you up anyway. Level 3 was harder, but we knew you needed a push. Many told us to expect taking it three times or more, because it was the class where you needed to float and swim completely independently to pass. Lots of kids have trouble with it. You had a wonderful teacher in that class who brought you a long way, but you still needed to re-take it. Not because you couldn't do the strokes, but because you just weren't believing you could do it yourself. You always wanted to hang on to something (or someone). When we were in Phoenix a few weeks ago, you broke down in the pool. You wanted to float by yourself but you "couldn't do it." After some tears and arguing with me, something clicked. You decided you were going to do it, and you kept trying until you did! You were backfloating in that pool all by yourself! I was so proud of you, and you were very proud of yourself. You brought that confidence to your swimming class and the past few weeks you have been a superstar! What amazing progress! And the teachers see it too - you don't have to take this class again, you are on to Level 4! I love seeing that determination and pride in you, and it's a good feeling to know that you can take care of yourself in the water if needed.



This year, I have been soaking you in. You're free with the "I love yous" and hugs and kisses. You like to be around me. I like to be around you. I can take you places, like on your first plane ride, and know that you will do well and be good. You're so smart and funny; perceptive and caring. The world could learn a lot looking through your eyes. I know I certainly have.

Happy Birthday, Bug!

Love you,
Mama

PS - You're going to ROCK kindergarten in the fall. Can't wait to watch you grow!

Kindergarten Roundup

Yeah, you read that right.

I can hardly believe it either!

But this girl is ready. Preschool has been great, but it's time to move on. She'll be a young kinderbean, but I have no idea what we'd do with her for another year.

Her elementary school is wonderful, and not too far from home. It will be a big change I'm sure, for all of us - but I'm so excited for her! What struck me the most was what a wonderful community we have built around us over the past few years. There will be three kindergarten classes, but in those classes Lucy will already know a girl from dance class, two kids from church, and her best friend N. And likewise, I saw their parents and could immediately strike up a conversation based on our mutual activities. It was a good feeling to know that although we live in a large suburb of a major metro area, it still feels like a community.

It feels like home.

New Specs

About a month ago, Lucy had her eyes checked at preschool and the results came back very inconsistent. They recommended she see an eye doctor.

Lo and behold, we went in on Valentine's Day, and our girl needed glasses. Turns out she's far-sighted, which means she can see things better farther away than she can up close. I guess her eyes were working pretty hard to focus on letters. I felt so bad! I suspected maybe a slight vision problem due to some occasional squinting, but had no idea it was that difficult for her. 

We picked out frames immediately after the appointment, so there was no time to really let it sink in. Lucy was actually very excited about it, and didn't understand why we had to wait a week and couldn't take the glasses home right then and there! We picked them up the other day, and she has had absolutely no issues with wearing them, for which I am so thankful. I'm not sure what we would do if she didn't like them!

I was really a little bit sad at first to find out she had to get glasses...her sweet little face would be changed forever! But of course she picked purple frames, and I think they suit her quite well, don't you? And the best part is, we can already tell a difference. If this is what it takes, so be it!

This Girl...

...is 4 1/2 years old.
...takes showers instead of baths.
...puts her own waffle in the toaster.
...feeds the dog and lets him out.
...is going to kindergarten next year.

Wait, what?!

Yes, it has already begun. We had a parent's meeting last week, and did her mandatory pre-K testing a few weeks ago.

Can somebody tell me when this girl got so big?

Yeah, and don't think seeing that year in print doesn't make me feel old!

Past and Present Collide (en Espanol)

In May of 1996 while attending Simpson College, I went on a Mayterm trip to Spain. It was the first (and only time since) that I have been overseas, and it was a great time. Ten college-age girls and one short male Puerto Rican professor of Spanish...we most certainly gave Rueben a run for his money. For three weeks we toured around Spain - Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Granada, Costa del Sol...and a day trip to Morocco. An unbelievable experience for which I am incredibly grateful.

One of the days spent in Madrid, we happened upon a little drugstore type establishment with a variety of miscellaneous goods (for those of you who grew up in Storm Lake, IA - think of a slightly larger Ressler's Drug. Remember Ressler's?) At this establishment, I happened to buy a book of fairytales, in Spanish of course. It is a book that has been through many moves and today, resides on a bookshelf in our house, though until recently I hadn't opened it for years.

Lately Lucy has been expressing wonderment at words in different languages. A couple of weeks ago I started throwing some words around in Spanish, and she thought I was about the coolest person on Earth. I remembered this book, and offered to read her a bedroom story all in Spanish. Although my Spanish is rusty, I knew I could at least get the gist of the story since I knew the plot, no matter the language. So we grabbed it off the shelf and snuggled up in Lucy's bed for storytime.

I read in Spanish, and stopped every so often to explain in English. After giving me her undivided, completely enraptured attention through Caperucita Roja (Little Red Riding Hood) and Los Tres Cerditos (Three Little Pigs), midway through Cenicienta (Cinderella) she finally stopped me and in a very quiet voice said, "Mama...I don't understand what you're saying." "Do you want me to stop?" I asked. "NO," she assured, and listened to the rest of the story with wide, amazed eyes.

I put the book away after she fell asleep, but the next morning she pulled it out again. She carried it into my bedroom and climbed up on the bed to read. While I was getting ready in the bathroom, I caught a glimpse of her in the mirror, laying tummy-down on the bed with the book open before her, tracing words left to right with her finger, and saying, "uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco..." Because those are the only Spanish words she knows...for now, at least!

I'm pretty sure the 19-year-old me did not fathom when I bought that book, that it would be in the hands of a child of mine one day. That friends, is a near perfect collision of past and present.

Summer Weekend Warriors 8/24: Beating the Heat

After all of the garage sale luck last weekend, Lucy and I got the bug. We decided to have one of our own! I had been thinking about this for awhile and decided to bite the bullet and just do it. When I told Husband what I was thinking, he was all for it. Our spare bedroom has long been absorbed in boxes and bins of baby equipment, toys, and little girl clothes that this family is not going to be needing anymore. It was time for it to go.

Mind you, this was my official admission that our family is just fine the way it is. I have known this for awhile, but it has been hard letting go of those little girl things, that symbolize my little girl is growing up and there will be no more babies in the house. Over the past couple of years I have slowly been giving away or selling baby items to friends, but this was the proverbial final nail in the coffin.

I was motivated, and I got all of those little girl clothes tagged. They were already pretty sorted by size, so that helped...but holy cow, was there a lot of stuff in that room! I knew Lucy had a lot of clothes, but didn't realize it was that much. Wow. Also all those baby toys that have been packed away for awhile...it was a lot of work! But we got it all out to the garage and after Lucy's dentist appointment early Saturday morning, we opened for business.

It went well, and I had a great little helper and saleslady. :) There was only one instance of wanting to keep something of hers that was up for sale, which happened to be a large pink stuffed Pegasus given to her by her cousin H. I couldn't complain. It was a hot day, and she was outside with me for most of it. When we didn't have customers she played with her stuffed animals and created artwork like this:

We got rid of a lot of clothes at the sale, but it was still only about half of it. A friend of Husband's came over later in the evening and collected much of the rest, which was fantastic. She brought over her 4-month-old daughter, who I got to hold while her mom shopped. She also brought over her bulldog Tater Tot, and he and Buddy completely wore each other out wrestling and chasing.

This morning, I went through what was left and pulled out a few items for other little girls I know (so look out, some of you have some things coming!), and bagged the rest for Goodwill. We dropped off a car full, including some household and other items we had leftover, and then went to Target to buy Lucy a new booster seat, since we sold both of her convertible carseats at the sale. It felt so good to purge a lot of this stuff, and gain some storage space back! Not to mention, Mom and Dad, you won't be surrounded by diaper boxes and plastic bins when you stay over next time!

Today was so stinking hot and humid with a heat advisory, so after our errands we didn't do much but watch movies in the air conditioning. This evening, however, we did get outside for a little bit to let Lucy run in the sprinkler. Tell me these images don't say "SUMMER!"

Happy Birthday, Lucy!

Dear Lucy,

Today you are FOUR YEARS OLD! You have been waiting for this day for a long time, asking “how many days until my birthday?” and saying, “maybe I can do that when I’m four years old.” You get an extended birthday celebration – with your friends at school today, a special day with Mom and Dad tomorrow, and a family party on Saturday. Special times for a special girl!

You have grown up so much this past year. You’re just finishing up your first full year of preschool, and we have really enjoyed seeing your development both socially and academically. You’re getting really good at recognizing all your letters and we’re working on sounding out words. You still love to have books read to you, and will often take the book from me and re-tell the story as you flip through the pages. You’re crazy about coloring and anything art-related, and can often be found with markers and paper strewn around you. Many evenings you are pretending to be “the mom” and taking good care of your animals and babies, or dropping them off with “Grandma” (we have to talk about that) while you go to work. You like movies and TV, but you won’t pass up a chance to walk the dog or ride your bike, or just walk around the yard and pick flowers or check the strawberries in your garden, or the peas you and Daddy planted. Singing is also high on your list of priorities, and in addition to standards you have many unique songs “in your head” which are hilarious and creative.

You tried lots of new things this year, too. Dance class, soccer, swimming, and ice skating, to name a few. You like dance, which is half dance/half tumbling, but are usually more interested in what everyone else is doing, vs. what you're supposed to be doing. You really come alive when it's time to go into the gym, and I'm thinking you're just more of a "free play" kind of girl, and feel more comfortable when you can move about the way you want to. :) Swimming was a hit until you suddenly became scared and clingy to your teacher towards the end, but we'll try again in the fall. You liked soccer and will do that again this summer, too. Ice skating was special Daddy/Lucy time, and I know that's something you'll probably do more of next winter.

We are not without challenging times…getting you out the door in the morning (or anytime) can be a chore. You’re quite a putzer and can find a million other things you “have to do” besides get your shoes on or brush your teeth. It drives your mama crazy! You’re generally a pretty happy kid, but you can turn on the drama at the drop of a hat when you’re tired, hungry, or just feeling sassy. I never thought you’d be slamming doors already, but it has happened. Listening is something you certainly exercise selectively. We talk A LOT about listening. There are times you also give up too easily and revert to those two words your Daddy hates to hear, “I can’t.” We are trying to be better about pushing you to at least try.

You are a brilliant negotiator. You don’t often take “no” at face value and you ask a MILLION questions. You’re in full “why” mode which I don’t mind, but it gets frustrating when you don’t find my answers acceptable. J Many times I can’t argue with your reasoning! You’re a talker and a leader. You love your friends and after several minutes of being shy and quiet, you fall in easily with kids you just met. One of your teachers just commented to me last week how well you also communicate and interact with adults, which I see through the special relationships you have with your grandparents and your aunts and uncles.

 Over the past couple of months I do sense a change in you; you seem more calm and frankly, are simply delightful most of the time. Every day I look forward to coming home to talk to you. You are discovering new things every minute and I love answering your questions and asking what you think. You’re so funny and insightful in the things you come up with! Daddy and I are constantly cracking up at your proclamations or facial expressions (most of the time, the two go together).

Overall, I feel as though we have really settled into a groove as a family. You are a smart, funny, caring little girl (I know, I know…you’re not LITTLE!) and we are just so blessed and lucky to have you.

Love,
Mama