Around the House

Rose #2 wants her own digital camera. I haven't actually priced digital cameras in awhile, but I think they are outside our child gift budget. So I haven't yet purchased one for her. Every now and then I let her use my camera, and tonight I sat down to delete the 91 photos she shot. I couldn't stand to let them all go, though...

My mother made a chair for each one of her grandchildren for their first birthday. Here are two of ours, carefully lined up by Rose #1 and Rose #2 in front of their messy closet. After someone close to you dies, one of the hardest things is all the "firsts" that you experience without them. My sister Heidi is expecting a baby in the next few weeks. I have been focused on how excited I am to welcome a new niece or nephew, and just in the past few days started thinking about how sad it is that my mom will never know this grandbaby. (She did know that this grandbaby was coming though, thankfully. Heidi knew in time to tell her before she died.)

But this grandbaby won't ever get a first birthday chair from Guppy. Maybe we should add that to our list of things we take over. Anyway, here are ours:

Rose #1 and #2 on the night of the photos were playing an elaborate game with their stuffed animals. Now, maybe all of you have kids who engage in spontaneous creative play all the time. You just can't turn around without bumping into a new world they created, or sometimes you can't find them because they are so engaged in their imagination-fueled world. Well, that ain't us. It is a rare night that the kids are engaged in almost anything besides 1) squabbling; 2) begging for snacks; 3) following me from room to room (yes, including the bathroom) or 4) doing anything they can to get out of a) showering, b) brushing their teeth or c) laying out tomorrow's clothes. When I get creative play, you're darn right I want to remember it! In that vein, here is Mr. Lion in his school portrait. The school being the Roses' School for Stuffed Animals.

The Roses enjoy photographing each other as well. Here's Rose #1 looking very chipper. She's only sans one tooth at this time, and I dare say that the front top two more than make up for the one that's missing. Holy rabbit teeth, Bat Man!

Rose #2's photographic interests extend to self-portraiture as well. I love her smiley eyes and her almost-grown-in front teeth:

And if this shot doesn't totally portray Rose #3, I don't know what does. The item she's holding? A MASCARA WAND, people. She's wearing her new dress and holding her mascara wand. (It's clear mascara, though.)

I do not know why my children found it necessary to take a photo of a basket of dirty laundry (and the wadded up kleenex on the floor behind it), but they did. Really, it sums everything up, doesn't it?

Note to self: Self, don't give camera to unattended children for extended periods.

Self: Even if it keeps them occupied for 30-45 minutes?

Note to self: Well, if it keeps them occupied for THAT long, I guess it's OK.

Summer, Sweet Summer

Ah, summer. It seems so long ago. The Roses went to one week of day camp with their cousins. They LOVED it. Here are Rose #1 and her cousin with their counselor, "Ninja." (Aside - what a a COOL job for a college student. Being outdoors all summer with kids, goofing around, taking them swimming, etc.)

And Rose #2 and #3 with their cousin and counselor "Lucky." Who wouldn't consider themselves lucky to get bunny ears from Rose #2?

And all the cousins together. They are grubby and dingy and looking pretty happy.

Thanks Aunt Tonya for the pictures!

We Have Liftoff!

Four years ago just about now we started with a nanny. It felt so much gentler to have our childcare come to us - we didn't have to get a tiny baby and her 2- and 4-year old sisters bundled up and out to daycare every day. I worried myself sick about how we would pay for it all and whether we picked the right person to watch a 12-week old infant in our house. (Turns out we did - Hi Jill, if you're reading!)

How fast time flies! Now we have all three Roses in public school! Hooray!

Rose #3 started her school this week. Classes don't start until next week, but her extended day program took the 4-year-old kindergarteners this week (thankfully). You can't tell from this picture, but she was feeling nervous this morning! Don't worry - when I got back, she was walking around like she owned the place! She did very well today. She was very, very tired at bedtime - fell asleep in about 30 seconds.

Rose #2 and #1 are going to the same school this year - happy day. Here they are at the bus stop this morning:

And getting on the bus together. I LOVE it that they ride together; they can keep each other company, or help each other if another kid is bugging them.

Here are all three Roses together:

The only thing that marred this day is that my mom isn't alive to get the full report. She would have loved to hear about Rose #1 being so responsible and mature, waiting for me at Discovery Club like the big girl that she is. Rose #2 was so enthusiastic and excited to see her new school and do her first homework - she read out loud from Trumpet of the Swan for 15 minutes today. Guppy, there are some really hard words in Trumpet of the Swan. Celebrity! Squealing! Chambermaid! And Rose #3 made new friends at school, and she spotted her 4-year-old kindergarten teacher in the lunchroom and went up and gave her a big hug.

We miss you, Guppy.

So...We Went to a Cabin

And only managed to take pictures at Arby's on the way...


And of Rose #1 NOT kissing the first fish she ever caught:
That's Uncle Candle holding the fish, Niece Beatrice looking on and Aunt Tonya in the background.

Resolving to be better about pictures and posting.

Back to school night...

Tonight was back to school night, at two different schools. Rose #1 and #2 are together finally at a grade 1-8 school. We are happy that they are together this year, and their classrooms are on the same hallway. Rose #2's first grade teacher is the same one Rose #1 had two years ago. (She told me that she picked Rose #2 on purpose!!!)

Rose #3 is going to 4-year-old kindergarten at our neighborhood school. The St. Paul schools offer 4-year-old K, which is half days (bummer) but it is free (yay!). Rose #3 will go to before and after school care for the rest of the day. Her school is very nice and cosy. Very elementary school-ish.

I love the beginning of the school year. Everyone is excited to get back; the year feels rich with new possibilities. This is the year that I will be really organized about homework. This is the year that we will actually keep our reading calendars and write in our journals every night before bed. This is the year that we will go to the library every Saturday and be good active readers, we'll do everyday mathematics as a matter of course, we'll work on geography and spelling and history.

This is going to be a tough year, though, logistically. We won't have a nanhy anymore (I know - poor us) so the business of running our household will get more complicated. Hopefully I can get some help from the kids - no, really - and we can manage it.

Lots of stuff starting in the next few weeks! School! Church and Sunday School!