Today began a transition for us, as Grace had her first day of VPK and Rachael and I spent some time together in the morning. Miss Rachael isn't taking morning naps anymore, so my challenge will be to keep her entertained. Thankfully she manages to entertain herself most of the time! Sometimes she uses my empty purses, hoisting them over her shoulder and saying, "Bye!" as she walks to the front door. She's started getting into playing with Grace's baby doll, and it might be time for her to have her own. (The dilemma: give her Grace's and get Grace a new one? Or get Rachael a new one? Or avoid all frustration and get them both new baby dolls??) And while Rachael and I get to know each other better (because this girl's personality is developing faster than I can keep up), Grace will be spending 5 days a week in Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten. 
Here's Rachael playing peek-a-boo with a basket that usually holds various little toys. She always enjoys being comic relief for us! If she gets a laugh or a cheer from people, she'll keep doing her "act" over and over!
It would be my pleasure to show you a picture of Miss Grace on her first day of school... But I don't have one. I must've turned off my alarm clock in my sleep (I do that), and I woke up at about the time we would've needed to leave in order to get there. I rushed to throw some clothes on, pull my hair into a ponytail and decided to wear my glasses since my contacts were giving me problems, and thankfully Grace was so excited that she was happy to get herself ready for her big day without any assistance! Rachael also was very helpful when I got her ready, and didn't squirm around and try to give herself big, sloppy kisses on the mirror the whole time I was putting her clothes on.
Can you believe she's going to be FIVE next month?!? FIVE! This girl!
So instead of showing up looking like a mommy who had her act together, instead of letting Grace get a feel for the room and possibly meeting some of the mommies and their kids, I fumbled in late, and made my dear, sweet Grace even later by parking on the wrong side of the building. When we finally got to her class, everyone was already in the middle of the room counting to 20. Grace loves counting to 20! The teacher's assistant came back and welcomed us, and I had to ask a few questions about where to pick her up, and I feared looking like I had no idea what I was doing, where I was going -- basically that I was a complete mess!
By the time Rachael and I returned to pick Grace up, though, it was a different story. I had a productive morning -- I managed to take some books and a DVD back to the library, pick up a trial pair of contacts until I could get in for an appointment, go home and get Rachael a snack, take a shower (with her awake, a feat in and of itself), and then make myself presentable.
I know I had to look much different than I did when I dropped Grace off, because the teacher's assistant brought her out and honestly did a double-take. Maybe I'll just tell her the girl who dropped Grace off the first day was the nanny, who I promptly fired. Anyway, Grace had a fun day and already told me about another little girl that she played with on the playground, so she managed to make a friend on her first day. :-) This month she gets to learn about what makes her special -- they're going to need more than a month!!
Here are some pictures from our trip to the zoo last Friday, our last hoorah before school got started!
I think the giraffes are the best part! At the bottom you can see the baby, Stephanie!
Grace always gets skittish around those big ol' nasty giraffe tongues! Can't say I blame her!
I don't have a picture because I was holding her, but Rachael fed the giraffe, showing no fear whatsoever!! Here she's just checking them out!
The girls were given some pellets to feed the deer in one part of the zoo, and Rachael was once again very brave. Somehow she kept being given more pellets, and she decided that she'd had enough so she kept giving hers to Grace. Awww, sharing!
Grace's turn! She had no problem feeding the deer!
This weekend we stopped for a bite to eat with the girls at a restaurant, and a mom who was there with her older daughters (both older elementary age, I would guess) said to me, "They only get more fun!" I thanked her for saying that! So often people tell you, "Oh, I miss that age," or "Just gets harder from here!" Obviously I love the girls through every age and stage, but I also love thinking about them as two little ladies! It's nice to think fondly on the times that have passed, but there's so much to look forward to also!!
No comments:
Post a Comment