Sarah will have the same bus driver she had last year! This gives me such peace of mind as we approach the start of her fifth grade year a week from tomorrow. Bus drivers are a really crucial and important part of so many people’s lives. Having someone who is prompt and reliable is so impactful. I am relieved, especially because Sarah will be in a new Resource Room with a new lead teacher, so it is nice to keep the bus situation constant. Her new teacher already knows her because it is a small school and everyone knows everyone. It will still be a big transition. I emailed Sarah’s lead teacher from her past three years to get the email for her new teacher. Her past teacher wrote back saying, “Oh I will miss Sarah so much!” I felt teary reading it. I know that Sarah was comfortable enough to push boundaries with her teacher, so it is extra meaningful to see such an expression of love. She said that Sarah was such a joy to have in class.
Amy starts school this Wednesday and will be in a new building with a new teacher. This is a big transition. She is eager and nervous, as am I. We can still walk, which is lovely.
Last weekend through the beginning of this week, we took a mini-vacation. It was wonderful, even if my shoes broke. I only had them for 20 years!! I think they are fixable with the right glue. We went to the beach and a small zoo where the girls rode ponies. We watched movies and ate ice cream. We went to Idlewild and the girls loved the ball pit and the wave pool. Turns in the ball pit are timed, and this year Sarah hardly needed any nudging to get out and get in line at the end of a turn. Sarah was heartbroken when the wave pool closed, but after twenty minutes of upset she was ready to get dressed.
Friday was a lovely open day with not much scheduled. Sometimes this is a great situation and other times it spells doom. This time was good. They got back-to-school hair trims. We went out for lunch and had Rita’s custard for dessert. At home, I brought up many toys from the basement so they could refresh what was in the SR room and family room and possibly get rid of some things. The miracle was that they agreed on several items to give away. They played with lots of the games. They fought some. Sarah was grabby and then I tried to grab the thing she had snatched from Amy, and then the thing broke. Sigh. I would like to say our lesson was learned, but this was the second time we have had that happen. Some days Sarah and I have yelly-screamy moments and the day is overshadowed by them. Friday had several rough moments but they passed as moments and the feel of the day was still good.
Yesterday the girls had an all-day playdate with a neighborhood friend. Sometimes they were all at her house, sometimes at our house. That sort of easy situation still feels magical. Carl and I got lots of cleaning done and lots of relocating of messes into the basement. So the house looks beautiful but the basement is scary! I often deal with the overwhelm of piles of tiny toys/game pieces/miscellaneous crap by just shoving it in a bag and putting the bag in the basement. There are many such bags in the basement.
Sarah rekindled her love of a board book called Clifford’s Peek-a-Boo. We gave away our copy years ago so I ordered a new one, but didn’t tell her it was coming. She was so joyful when it arrived. She reads it many times a day and wants a Clifford birthday cake when we reach the end of January.
Sarah’s favorite music lately is a compilation of Christmas carols sung by kids. The girls have been drawing pictures of Christmas trees. It’s never to early to get prepared.
Amy wanted me to make pancakes yesterday, but instead of asking with words she drew a picture of me as a mama cat making pancakes with a daughter cat jumping for joy.
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