Lily's Six

Our darling Lillian turned 6 yesterday.  As many of you know, she is an aspiring chef, and takes every possible opportunity to get to work in the kitchen.  When she asked for a cooking themed birthday, we knew it was the perfect thing!  She invited the girls from her class over to decorate pizzas and cupcakes.  As with all good gatherings of six year old girls, it devolved into playing dressup and running around outside.  It was just the perfect day, and right before we tucked her into bed, we took turns telling her things that make her special. She is brave.  She is generous.  She is thankful.  She is really fun to be around.  Having her in our family feels like the biggest gift, and I will forever remain grateful for that beautiful spring day that she joined our family.

Happy Birthday, darling!  We just adore you.

Lily's Birthday Story

"I turned five yesterday!  And I got to have whatever I wanted for dinner.  I had macaroni and cheese, fruit, and I had chocolate cupcakes, and that's all I had.  I got a new bike that was pink with princesses on it and also I got two cards.  I got one from Aunt Elisabeth, and I got one from Omi.  I learned really quickly in one day how to ride my bike.  I was a very fast learner and I had lots of things to say about my princess bike.  Mine sister Zosia really liked my princess bike.  She wanted to get a double bike and she wanted it to be pink for her birthday.  And also I loved my princess bike and Daddy taught me how to learn riding on my princess bike.  I played with Addison, mine friend, and I had lots of fun, and I goed to my friend Emma's house, and also I had lots of fun playing with my two sister babies, Dorothy and Clara.  There was lots to say about mine birthday.  The end."

There you have it!  Lily's birthday, in her own words.  She is strong, confident, sweet, and the most generous soul you will ever meet.  And a bit of a daddy's girl.  Ben, who usually leaves birthday stuff to me, had strong feelings: Lily needed a new bike.  When I suggested she might like something girly, he found the girliest bike you could imagine, which of course, Lily *loves.*  This weekend we're going bowling with friends, Lily's special birthday wish.  Happy birthday, my sweet girl!  May five be as joyous and wonderful as four.

The First Day of Preschool

 

We now officially have one girl in kindergarten, another in preschool.  We have been whittling things down to their most essential state around here to smooth the transition.  Laid back afternoons without any scheduled activities, a nice and open weekend with plenty of family time.  Day one of kindergarten was wonderful, but, apparently, totally exhausting.  I, who was super mellow in the weeks leading up to that first day, laid awake at night asking a million questions.  Is she ready?  Is kindergarten too long? Too much?

All of those questions seemed to answer themselves over the coming days.  Zosia loves school.  I get glowing reports from her teachers.  It has been a very good thing for her and she is excited and happy and surrounded by wonderful teachers and good friends.

Today, Lily bounded out the door to her big milestone.  She put her chosen "first day of school clothes" on the moment she got out of bed and spent the morning waiting by the front door asking, "Is it time for schoo yet?"  She ran into the classroom, not even looking back at me and Hugo as she dived into a bin of toys with a classmate.  Hm... I'm thinking she is sort of ready for this.

I think one pleasant surprise to me, as a very attached mother with very attached children has been that attached babies (and I'm talking super-attached-won't-let-anyone-but-mama-hold-them babies) often make for very independent children.  There's something about nurturing that special mother-baby bond that makes them confident, assured, and ready to go out into the world when they're ready.  Of course now, the challenge becomes letting them go forth.  Hrmph.

Turning Two, A Dollhouse, Strawberry Cookies

Our little Lily is two. My, how the time flies! It seems just yesterday she was turning one, spending the day in the dentist's office getting a badly chipped tooth pulled (ouch!). And could it really be two years since that morning that she entered the world so peacefully?


I am quite happy to report (as those of you who love Lily know) that this girl has quite the spunk to complement her more introspective side. And you really need that around here, you know?


(Lily thinks it's so funny that the mommy is sitting on the toilet. Isn't two a little young for the potty humor to start? Here we go!)


When I asked Lily what she wanted for her birthday, she made two things perfectly clear: strawberry cookies and toys (who's ever heard of strawberry cookies?). And after many a playdate of watching her delicately and thoughtfully play with another child's dollhouse, we decided this just might be the year for a dollhouse for the family. After quite a bit of deliberation (does such a simple decision really need to be so hard? I suppose in a family where new toys are very rarely purchased, it does), we decided on a nice neutral dollhouse that leaves plenty of room for the imagination.


She really does love it, and does the silliest things like putting the Daddy in the refrigerator or turning the bookshelf into an exam table (all the while with an orderly sister reminding her of each item's "proper use," of course). I love our sweet Lily's imagination.

And for the cookies we settled on a gluten free strawberry linzer cookie. I am generally a woman who believes that dessert is meant to be indulgent, but with Ben's little gluten free trial underway, I knew I had to accommodate "the boss" as he's affectionately called. I felt like I was betraying myself while I was adding things like garbanzo flour and agave nectar to a dessert, but you know what? In the end, they taste delicious.

Happy Birthday, Lily! You're just a doll, and we absolutely adore you.

Looking Out

My energies seem to concentrate into clusters. Spending time in nature. Cooking. Perhaps reading or working on a project. And, I'm sure you have noticed, these past few weeks have been ones of pure delight in the little ones at my feet. Children must be the single most joy-inspiring thing upon this earth (and I'm sure you'll forgive me for filling this space with them, too. :-)

Did I mention the mischief?

This little child of mine is 26 pounds of it. She will do something naughty, and then upon receiving a reaction, will spring this little mischievous smile. And of course none of us can resist her: we inevitably break into a smile, too. Ah, the laughter this creates.

Thursday mornings have become our little haven for Lily's mischief. Just mama and Lily at home, so all the rules become a little relaxed and she can do all those things she has dreamed of doing like playing with water all over the kitchen and smearing her whole naked self in blueberries. I wish I could be Lily for a morning, just to see how much fun it is.