Preschool Concert

Today was Zoey's first (of many, many) concert at school. In order to celebrate spring, she and her classmates sang songs and recited poems about frogs, flowers, bees, and the like.

We, as her parents, totally did not do the crazy-parent picture and video taking during the concert. We also totally did not arrive early for good seats or fight over said good seats. We are totally not those parents, okay?  Please stop looking at us that way! (Okay, okay... we totally are those parents. Sue us!)

to my littlest big girl

Dearest Little Kaia,

Today you turned 1 year old AND started walking. Two big milestones in one day - phew!  You walked from the kitchen into the living room and back, without stumbling once, and seemed SO pleased with yourself. You were smiling and gabbering the entire time, like you had been walking for weeks. What a fun little birthday present for yourself.

You love to be outside to look for birdies and doggies and squeal with delight if we happen upon either.  You point to the trees and say, "Whasa?" (what's that?) when you hear the birds chirping. Your reaction to dogs is the best, though. You screech and squirm until you're close enough to see and then you point and say, "Dowee" (doggie) and grunt three times for "ruff, ruff, ruff." It makes us laugh with pure delight.

Tonight we celebrated just with our little family and you devoured your Elmo cupcake for dessert. I don't think you could believe mommy was letting you get so messy and were very tentative initially, but after the first few bites of frosting there was no turning back.

I can hardly believe you are a whole year old, that we've known you and loved you for that long. We are grateful you came to join our family, and if you could start sleeping through the night regularly, we'd be that much more grateful.:-)

Happy First Birthday, Kaia Elizabeth.

One of the good guys...

I was sitting across the pew from this guy - see above picture - at church on Sunday, and had a startling realization: we had become one of those families.  You know the kind I am talking about. Snot-nosed kids (we literally went through three packages of tissues), "quiet activities" strewn across the bench and most of the floor, in and out of the service at least three times for the potty, drinking fountain, and simply so the poor (quiet) family in front of us could pay attention.  This guy and I were sitting so far apart, separated by so much.  Then another startling realization: this is totally our lives right now.  It is all about those snot-nosed beautiful, smart, healthy daughters of ours.  I felt the sadness creeping in.  I felt my eyes start to water. It made me miss him. I wanted to send the girls to another pew and scootch in right next to him and feel him right next to me.  But I didn't. Instead, I watched him in awe as he juggled both girls at the same time, helping the eldest draw a picture and the littlest eat some goldfish. Then the tears did come, but they were tears of gratitude. How did he learn to be such a good father? How did I get so lucky to have someone like him in my life as my partner and best friend?  Does he know how much I love him? Gosh, I hope so.

our (felt) family

Mommy: Zoey, what is this?
Zoey: It's our family.  In felt.
M: It's really clever, Zoey.
Z: Yes, it is. This is Daddy (pointing to the one on the far right), the tall one with the spiky hair on his chin.
M: I like how skinny my legs are.
Z: Yeah, and do you like the sky and the grass?
M: Yes, they are lovely. What are purple circles in the sky?
Z: Mommy, you know what they are!
M: I do?
Z: Yes, they are lots of O's for Olson Family!