school and soccer...success

We are two weeks into the school year.  And just as I predicted, I miss the girls.  But I am so happy for them to be going, too!  They just LOVE school!

Going to school for Ruby is the most natural thing in the world for her.  She is excited everyday but she just walks in those doors and hardly ever looks back at us.  On the bus ride home, she doesn't need Natalie to sit with her, she sits with her friends.  She rolls her eyes at me every afternoon when my enthusiasm suffocates her.  She's a lot more chill than I thought she would be about this school stuff.  She's even letting me dress her!  She hasn't let me pick out her outfits since she was in diapers (and I wish I were joking!). She. is. wearing. pants.  We haven't seen her in pants, well, since she was in diapers!  She still insists on accessorizing all on her own, though, with the occasional barrette in the smack-dab-middle-of-her-head, two headbands at once, or the fake glasses that she sneaks into school (that required the teacher to call me about since Ruby told her, 'yes they're real, they help my eyes to see better', which she cried about when she came home that day!)  And as if she needed any kind of boost to her confidence... Ruby's teacher shared with me that when her students were settled down, a little boy held up his hand and announced to the class that he had told Ruby that he thinks 'she's the most beautiful girl he's ever seen'!  No joke!  When I asked Ruby about this later, she smiled and then teased that after he told her that, she kissed him on the mouth!  Oh boy, we thought we had our hands full before she went to school....

Natalie is loving first grade!  She's an old pro at school now, of course!  Whereas last year we learned that she would 'stand in line' during recess (a line consisting of only herself to which I bribed her with $2 to make a new friend on the playground - and she did!), this year I can spy on her when I'm dropping Ruby off.  And guess what?!  She plays!  Today she told us that she gets chased by boys.  And she also shared who her secret crush is and that she chases him and pulls his shirt (which is a big deal... it's common ground with holding hands when you're 6!)  Natalie is also playing soccer, her very first go at a sport.  It's been going well... it had been going well.  She's been improving at practices but then we had her first game.  We were encouraging her to warm up before the game but she wouldn't have anything to do with it.  And then it was time for the game to start and she started crying.  I ended up carrying her across the field to her team so the game could start.  I didn't know what to do!!  Jordan was telling me to just pack up the fam and go home.  But I really felt like she had to do this.  I don't want to live vicariously through my kids but I never did sports when I was young because I was too insecure.  This is a commitment and she's going to follow through with it.  But I was fighting tears myself.  There she stood not knowing what to do and what made matters much worse is that all the other kids have been playing for a year or two already. I'm already absolutely dreading the next game.  So for the first quarter, she stood in one place, sometimes surrounded by kids kicking the ball around her, sometimes completely alone.  Sad, sad, sad!  The second quarter, she sat out by us.  I was gentle with her and reassuring.  She said she'd get out there again if we'd buy her a horse!  Once again, I walked with her to the coach and she finished out the game.  (So happy the coach didn't make her sit out the game even though at the time I was wondering if that would be best.) Her tears were gone by the end of the game and she began to turn her body toward the direction of the ball but without leaving her exact place.  Success anyway!  It was so hard for me to let her be out there so vulnerable :(  But I was more proud that she stayed out there when that was the hardest thing for her to do than if she would have been the most aggressive player on the team.  Courageous, she was!  And I was so proud!!  And I know that she was too because she wasn't bothered by her 'performance' but happy to be done and was actually looking forward to the next game!  Wha...?

Charlie has been enjoying some more one-on-one time with me in the afternoons.  He doesn't miss his sisters at all.  He is such a momma's boy lately.  He helps me in the garden, keeps me company wherever I am, we read books, and yesterday we napped together while Emmy slept.  Then the girls come home and he has to compete for my attention again.  Emmy requires extra attention these days, too.  She is fast and into everything!  She loves music and loves to dance.  She throws her head back to laugh, fake cry, or to initiate 'hit the ditch'. She gets me up once a night for an unnecessary feeding but then we cuddle til the alarm goes off.

These last couple of weeks have flown by!  But such FUN times again.  I love to hear about the girls' days and to have some structure and routine again.  I just absolutely love everything about this time of year!