My Baby is Growing UP!

I was not planning on putting Jane in preschool because I absolutely love teaching her at home, and she loves it too! She soaks it alllll up, and so I was content to keep her home with me as long as possible. Then I started to think of the benefits of putting her into german school, and thought that it might be good for her. I hadn't uttered the words allowed more than twice before a spot in a german school nearby literally fell into my lap with zero effort of my own. (thanks to one of my friends here.) It's usually quite hard to get american kids into german pre-school but since it happened so seemlessly, I had to take that as a sign that it was what was best for her. And we both felt really good about it after visiting. Jane was so thrilled, telling me that she would teach me german! Ha...sad but true.

Her first day came and went. I teared up a bit and felt super uneasy and nervous. I couldn't sleep the night before. Similar anxiety and worry that I had as a child before embarking on something new and scary. Part of me wanted to just wake up that morning and say "jane, nevermind about this school thing. Don't you just want to stay home with mommy?" I truly did, but I also don't want to hold her back the way I sometimes let fear hold me back when I was younger. I think it will be great for her to learn how to thrive in a new, completely unfamiliar environment. And although she will likely forget german after we move, I think learning a language early on does something special to a person's brain that will help them throughout their education.

Dropping her off and driving away, I had the same feeling I get right after I have a baby and the nurses take my baby away to give them shots, bath, etc. It's like a limb is missing, and it feels completely unnatural and wrong and sad. But this is part of motherhood, letting them go to spread their wings. She was beaming when I picked her up and talked a million miles a minute on the way home, and it's been like that everyday since :) Her first words to me the first day were "Mom! I ACTUALLY didn't learn ANY German!" Haha, I think she was expecting to become fluent in a day. It will also be a good lesson in patience ;)

^^ Can't leave out these pictures because they are her go-to camera faces. maybe one day she will learn....haha

I've been so proud of her bravery and resilience. For her, these types of things aren't easy. She isn't naturally outgoing, but she pushes herself. She would come home and tell me the ways she figured out to be kind and friendly to her classmates, even though she can't talk to them. Talking to them, sharing her snacks, and giving the sad boy "the good scissors" because he had "the bad scissors". Haha! I really am proud of my girl, and also soooo glad that she will still let me cuddle her like a baby.

^^ And she lets my mom too ;)

Conquering Fears

This time, last year Jane was learning to ride her bike. (still just the training wheels) And BOY, was that an EVENT. One of the first times she was riding, she crashed and was scarred physically and mentally. Ok the physical scar was just a small scrape, but to her it was a big deal. It happened while she was riding down hill, and she quickly recognized that she has less control when riding downhill. That resulted in a scared little jane, inching along on her bike. Ride a few inches, break, ride a few inches, break, ride a few inches, break. It took her 15 minutes to ride down the street because she was breaking every 2 seconds, no exaggeration. Well, one day I talked to her about conquering fears. Helped her to understand what it means to conquer a fear, and told her it would make her feel awesome. Slowly, but surely, she let go and gave her bike those wheels the chance to really roll. Her smile, her eyes widened and lit up as she shouted "MOM! I conquered a fear!" I was so proud, so relieved- because bike rides had become an endless outdoor test of patience. 

So, the other day as she was zooming on past me, having to stop and wait for me and lyla to catch up; I couldn't help but smile. It feels good to conquer fears; to recognize that you can choose to push past any anxiety or hesitancy you may have. Take a few steps out of your comfort zone, and a whole new world is opened for you. Grateful to be able to watch Jane learn this lesson through experience. 

Savoring the Sunshine

I am livid right now because I just wrote an entire blog post and published it. And then I go to find it and it didn't publish. Then to my even deeper pleasure, I found that it hadn't even SAVED. So. Annoyed. 

But here we go again anyways. This month has been so wonderful. I've felt the summer slipping away through the cracks of my fingers, despite my firm death grip. I've found myself desperate to squeeze every last drop of summer and sunshine out of the bottle. And savor every last drop as well. We have been trying to be outside as much as possible because we have learned that, in Germany, with winter comes an utter lack of sunshine. 

So let's start with a photo of us indoors first to kick off the last few days of warmth and happiness. Because if I didn't post a picture of Jane and one of her many, many magnet creations, then I'd hardly be depicting our true and genuine life. Those things are the best toys to ever grace our household.

First off, Jeff conducted an army ceremony- his first time. He also sang the national anthem for it and I was so proud. Another one of his hidden talents is that he is an awesome singer! Ever since, Jane can be heard belting "Ohhhh Say Can yYou SEEEEEE?" throughout our house :)

This was a delicious and crisp evening that had to be documented. Because can't you just tell it's one of those perfect late summer nights? We were waiting to go eat at one of our favorite restaurants and so these smiles were very much coerced, due to the hanger that was growling in the pit of their bellies. Particularly in Jeff's case; so he was being the ultimate sport :)

Matching them brings me more of a thrill than it should ;)

One sock, as always. Putting 2 socks on her is about as pointless as sweeping right before meal time. But for some reason, I do both things multiple times a day.

She is really into jumping lately! Sometimes she will pin both arms behind her back, jump, and try her very best to "stick it" like the olympian gymnasts.

We went to a farmers market one morning with some friends, and it was just lovely. I was a little saddened by the absence of my beloved plump and juicy utah peaches. Definitely gave me withdrawals. But what they lacked in peaches, they made up for in marbled hard boiled eggs. Jane was ecstatic when I told her she could pick one out, and for a few minutes handled it as if it were her first born child. The egg euphoria came to a literal crash when she dropped it and cracked the egg all over. Luckily, she had no issue gobbling it right up and cutting her losses.

She was a grump, but I managed to make her laugh for the second picture. Winning.

We were back to the same town square a few day laters with our long awaited guests: Laura, Tom, Ian, and Macy! This was their first out of the house experience, and considering they were all still jet lagged, they were excited little troopers :)

Jane has been LOVING all the cousin time!

Come visit us, and we will show you around too!

******

This is a random picture of a night when we went upstairs to check on the rather obnoxious ruckus coming from upstairs. Only to find that she had relocated her entire bed. Do not know how she managed.

Now these next pictures are from one of my very favorite days of my life thus far! It was a completely spontaneous decision to pack the girls up to take them to the most little kid-friendly amusement park I've ever been to! I was checking, like I do religiously, the weather app on my phone and realized this day would probably be the last nice, sunshiney day for a long while, and I was determined to put it to the best use as possible.

This picture was a risky snap. And in hindsight I shouldn't have let my hands off of that Lyla girl for even a second. Mom fail, but also...cute picture right?

It was completely blissful in every sense of the word. Pic-nic lunch, a little ice cream treat, some impromptu dance parties, and fun surprises around every corner!

So glad I happened to capture the quick glance that says "just looking back to make sure you are still there and watching me". I love being their safe place, their anchor that encourages them to explore the world a little more all on their own. 

It was one of those days that, even as you are experiencing it, you are nostalgic for. A day you will look back and yearn for, no doubt. I soaked up those precious girls of mine in this ridiculously fun stage, and we made a solid and enduring childhood memory. I didn't want the day to end, but alas, it needed to so we could get home in time to have dinner on the table for the man who makes all these fun excursions possible.

Jane didn't want to leave either; as evidenced by her whining and complaining on the way back from the car. She cried out in agony "Mom! I can't walk to the car! My bones are dead!"

Sweet Sister Moments

 Jeff has been gone the past week, and isn't back until friday. I have been trying to keep us all as busy as possible! It's surprisingly easy. I remember when I was pregnant with Lyla, I thought it would be better, and in some ways easier, having 2 kids instead of one. I think that is definitely the case for me. Having 2 kids is a blast, it's NEVER boring, and they are learning to entertain each other. So far, this has been my greatest joy in motherhood- watching my girls become friends. Okay, maybe second favorite, because seeing them with their daddy trumps all.

This was a normal afternoon. They were playing with blocks and I was a casual, and fortunate, observer as Jane started to panic when Lyla was encroaching upon her block masterpiece. I watched her anxiety melt into empathy as she made a very deliberate decision to share with her sister, rather than push her away and yell. She took some blocks and put them in a pile: "here lyla, you can play with these ones!" It's a really awesome thing to watch your children make good decisions out of their own desire to do so. Jane gets true and genuine satisfaction out it too, when she realizes she made a good choice. "Look momma! I made her happy!"

I'm OBSESSED with this girls' little flippy curls!

^^ a few minutes later, Lyla had caught on with this sharing business and wanted in on the action. This is her, proving herself to jane that she can share too. And she was quite proud of that fact.

One of Jane's favorite things is to feed Lyla snacks. I think it is mostly because it's easier to sneak some for herself that way, but either way it's cute!

Lyla is quite delighted by it as well :)

 I just love what a good big sister Jane is. She treats Lyla SO well. For example, above is a picture of us walking around in Prague. She insisted we stop so she could give Lyla a kiss on the forehead. :)

 Lyla is already learning from her example....I only hope Lyla pays zero attention to Jane's play-doh mess making skills. ( I HATE PLAY DOH. but I guess I love Jane more than I hate play doh.)

 Laughing at their daddy :)

These sisters love each other with a sweet, special, tender love. I hope it only continues to grow stronger as they grow up side by side.