Wow. Summer is just really flying by. How does life move so fast?
First of all – Bella is FIVE. 5. Five, five, five. I just can’t believe I have a five year old. We had our first big birthday party (at Playwerx – Strawberry Shortcake theme). Mi Mi came – it was a big to-do and a great time! Bella really enjoyed it! YEA!
Here is what she said in her Birthday interview:
Favorite…
Breakfast: Pancakes
Vegetable: I don’t like any vegetables.
Toy: Meredith (Journey Doll)
TV Show: Magic School Bus
Game: Playing with Meredith
Book: Scary Stories
Restaurant: Chilli’s
Holiday: Christmas and My Birthday
Animal: Rabbit
Ice Cream Flavor: Vanilla
Color: Rainbow – or Gold
Cake Flavor: all
Song: Suit & Tie by JT (I have edited the first part of the song out on my iPhone)
If you could change your name, what would you choose: As long as I got my Suit & Tie
What do you love about Mommy? That I buy Pirate’s Booty
Daddy? That he makes good pancakes
Audrey? I don’t know
Hazel? I don’t know
MiMi? Everything
Where would you like your next vacation to be? Mountains
What do you wish for this year? To get a kitty someday
What do you want to be when you grow up? A unicorn or a princess
Waht are you really good at? Jumping far
Who is your best friend? Owen, MiMi, Sadie or Eli
Then the Kennedy’s came, and we had a great time catching up with Aunt Christi and Uncle Jason – and of course, playing with Caitlin, too! Unfortunately, Bella got Croup toward the end of their trip here – and then we all got the bug, so we are all still just recovering from that sickness around here now. It seems impossible for our family to avoid germs. I hate germs. Croup and the throw ups are by far my least favorite of them all.
Bella starts Kindergarten next week. She is growing so much, I can barely believe it. She is going through a bit of a negative “phase” right now. She is convinced that she dislikes school right now (and she hasn’t even been yet), so I am hoping she gets an amazing teacher that she can bond with and finds a friend in her class. Despite her saying repeatedly how much she dislikes school, I actually think she is secretly excited about SOME of the new things Kindergarten has to offer her. She is really into practicing her “letters” right now – and actually is enjoying the worksheets that were sent home with her from Kinderboost at St. Andrews. (We’ve been doing them together – and it is fun to bond over the “homework”.) I think she will like the structured learning part. She also likes the idea of being at the neighborhood school with Owen and Jack – and the idea that she is 5 now and bigger (the other day, she told me that she really feels five). I’m hopeful we can get into a positive “phase” once the school year starts. I really think when she learns to read – she will really enjoy school. She loves a good story, and I think reading books will really captivate her. I’m so hopeful. I really want her to be happy.
We planted a garden outside the kitchen last week. Mostly just greens/herbs – but I am so excited about it! Last year, I tried to cut a lot of processed stuff out of our diets, and this year I read a few books that really inspired me to work on my health even more (Disease-proof your child / Engine2Diet), and I’ve been eating mostly Vegan. (I know…I’m from TX, it shocks me still sometimes…) Bella has not been super excited about the change in menu around our house. I’m trying to be patient I’m hoping that it will encourage Bella to eat more veggies. While I really do believe food is a major issue in our health today, I also realize that having a major battle with my kid at every meal is not good for our mental health, so I am trying to be patient and take it super slow. Little things like having a garden are my creative way of trying to push her in a healthier direction when eating. I am trying to figure out a healthy balanced way of explaining to a 5 year old that many of the “normal” things she eats (or sees being eaten) are “bad” for you (artificial colors, high sugar content, chemical preservatives), without freaking her out about food. I’m really having a hard time with it. If I ever figure it out, I promise to write it down. Fortunately, Audrey is not picky at all right now (Bella wasn’t at 1 1/2 either!) So at least she will eat almost anything I put in front of her.
Speaking of Audrey…she grows so fast. She is not going to be a baby anymore. I’m still nursing her, but I will probably stop next week when B starts school. She is starting to talk in SENTENCES. Small ones (I’m hungry, mommy. or Okay, I will…) She is a sweet hearted little angel who has me totally wrapped around her little finger. I’m enjoying her age a lot. I love the discovery – and the sweetness. I love the snuggles. She wants to do everything herself – and gets very mad if she doesn’t get to do it, but I am enjoying her fight for independence.
I have so much more I would love to write – but we have been putting the kids to bed early to try to get into the routine of it for school, so I will be woken at the crack of dawn and need to get some sleep! I am certain I will have a big update next week after the start of school though – just wanted to write this stuff down before the craziness begins.