My (Dusty) Camera

Since the girls started school and I started back to work, I realized I haven't had my camera out nearly as often as I always have.  It isn't literally dusty (the horror!!!), but my September14 picture file was sadly thin.

I packed my camera this past Saturday morning, as the girls and I went to our beloved Jackson's Orchard for their annual Orchestra in the Orchard event.  [I have pictures from our visit each year that I could pull out...but I'm not quite that organized these days.]

Here are a few of my faves...

We started out, listening to the orchestra, under the shade of an apple tree.

Since we didn't get there as early as we'd planned, our spot wasn't very good, and we decided to find a snack.  In line, we ran into none other than "Grandma" June!!!  It had been waaaay too long since we saw her...what a fantastic treat!!!

The girls enjoyed playing...

...and Grandma June insisted she take a picture of the three of us.  What a rare treat!

And last, but certainly not least, we scoped out the pumpkins.

After a super-fun morning, the girls and I headed downtown for lunch.  We opted for Tea Bayou, one of my frequent haunts from the girls' preschool days.  How I'd missed that little place, too!

Here are the girlies, waiting on our food, near-tuckered out from a full morning of sun and fun...

And I had to snap a picture of A, trying to eat a big muffaletta.  It's hard to eat when you're short on teeth!!!

Before we wrapped up our sweet time together, we made a pit stop by the downtown fountain.  This picture opp never gets old.

I've been missing time with my precious babies...and with my camera!  So glad I got a good dose of both this Saturday.

{heart}

READING!!!

The girls have had what I would consider really solid pre-reading skills for more than two years now…at least.  They’ve known all their letters since they were around two, and they’ve known all their letter sounds since they were in the neighborhood of three.

They’ve been able to sound out words, letter by letter, but they rarely put those sounds together to make words.

As much as I wanted them to start reading, I *tried* not to sweat it.  I purposefully didn’t push them on the topic, and we learned a million other things before they started school.  I figured that a light bulb would flash on one day for them, things would click, and they’d be reading up a storm.

A month into kindergarten, and I feel like I was pretty right!  The girls are reading!!!  While I wish I could have been the one to introduce the magic, I think it helped having encouragement from their teachers – someone other than Mommy – to get them over the hump.

Baby A, in particular, has been so fun to watch.  She wants to read EVERYTHING!  Two weeks ago, she ran an errand with me on Saturday afternoon.  I had the Kohl’s sale paper with me, and she asked if she could hold it in the car.  She tried so hard to read every single word!  And she was so proud of herself for being such a big kid!!!

Although we have a blue million books at our house, some of them being early reader books, I felt like the girls would get a big thrill from going to the bookstore and buying a new book they could read.  Last weekend I let the girls each pick out a new book.  I suggested they each choose a Pete the Cat book (having an affinity for the little guy myself), and they were tickled!!!

It was such a sweet occasion, made even a little sweeter by the lady who checked us out at the bookstore.  She oohed and ahhed over the girlies getting books THEY could read.  She’s been checking us out since I used to bring the girls in their stroller, and I know she delighted in sharing this milestone.

The girls worked so hard to read every word in their books…over and over.

This may not be a work of great literature, but it will always have a special place in my heart!

Kindergarten, To Date

The girls have been in school a full month now, and they are having a great time.  I’m disappointed with myself for not having written down the details sooner, but I am going to try to hit the highlights…

The first day of school, the girls came barreling towards me in the pick-up line, Baby A, in particular.  We got home and had a smoothie, and they couldn’t wait to snuggle with their babies.  Those first few days, in particular, I got lots and lots of snuggle time.  The girls just wanted to cuddle with me and read…and that was fine by me!

The second day of school, Baby A came home with their class “pet”, Thomas the Tiger.  We took him out for ice cream after school, and the girls were excited to read to him at home.  In addition to that big treat, Baby A was ecstatic to bring home a “Reading Award” plaque.  She got it for knowing all her letters.

A few days later, Baby B brought home her own “Reading Award” plaque, so now we have a matching set on the bookcase.  She also got to bring home her class “pet”, Rowdy the Dog.

I love hearing the girls talk about these class “pets” like they have real personalities.  It’s a different approach they take than with their own stuffed babies, pretending Thomas and Rowdy do all sorts of things by themselves.

The girls each made friends right away.  Baby A talks most often about her friend M, and Baby B, about her friend L.  The first full week of school, Baby B brought home a “bracelet” that L made her…a scribbly piece of paper she wrapped around her arm.  A brought home artwork at some point, and they’ve each made artwork in return.

We had major excitement when the classes read The Gingerbread Man.  The girls were thrilled to talk about the gingerbread man they made that RAN AWAY!!!  Fortunately, the principal found him and brought him back to their class…and then they got to enjoy gingerbread cookies.

We had the girls’ first school program last week.  We were due at the school at 6:00 for the students to present the “Seven Habits” of their school culture.  They were SUPER excited for us all to be there.  They were such big kids, sitting with their class on the floor of the gym, facing a huge audience of parents.  They did a great job singing their songs when it was their time, and sitting still while the other classes performed.

The girls are learning new songs and having new adventures.  They love to tell us about the happenings at school over supper every night.  We know all about the safety drills they’ve done…about how to walk down the hall without making a sound…about the dances they do in PE…about the artwork they do in art…and about the instruments they see in music.

It’s doubly neat that the girls are experiencing some different things in their homeroom classes.  They listen intently to each other’s descriptions, too.

I miss spending time with my baby girls during the week so much it hurts…but it does make it a tiny bit easier to know they’re having a great time…that they’re in great hands…at school.