I went away for a few days, and – thinking they might get upset or need some time to process – I told the girls a week before my trip. I expected some sort of sniffle or whine; instead, Zoe had little reaction and Avery simply said, “Okay. Bye, Mama!” So much for being sad!
-M
Poor Avery: Despite her big personality, she’s sometimes overshadowed by her sister (something that, I suppose, may be inevitable for same-sex siblings less than three years apart). I was reminded of this the other morning, when our good friend’s kindergartener spotted Zoe at school, loudly yelled her name, and ran across the school parking lot to give her a big hug. Avery is friends with her, too, but the girl wasn’t as interested in her as she was in the “cool” first-grader.
As a little sib, Avery sometimes also finds herself left out of the fun – as was the case one day last week when Zoe had a classmate come over for a play date. The friend, a boy with two brothers (no sister), had little interest in playing with Avery, despite her attempts to get his attention. “Do you like my nails?” she asked him at one point, to which he responded, “No, they’re gross.” (“They’re not gross, they’re pretty!” she cried out.) And later she came to me from Zoe’s room, sniffling and telling me in a sad voice, “‘She’s like a baby-‘ he said that to Zoe! That hurt my feelings.” Somehow I don’t think this is the last time she’ll have her feelings hurt by one of Zoe’s friends!
-M
Yes, it’s fall now – but for us, that means the nicest weather of the year! The girls have had numerous days off of school lately, and we took advantage of one sunny day off by spending some pool time with friends.
-M
Each week Zoe’s teacher designates a word of the week; last week’s was hiatus, and I figured out this week’s during our drive home from school yesterday. After explaining to the girls about the Nobel Prizes*, Zoe asked what the winners get. “They get money, and a lot of recognition – it also makes them really happy,” I told her. “You mean jovial?” she asked.
-M
*Zoe later got sad when I told her I was unlikely to win a Nobel (“But you said there’s one for writers,” she cried out). I assured her I was okay about it.
…And a little (phone-captured) video of Avery and a new friend (i.e. a pipe-cleaner spider given to her that day).
-M
Fall is here, as was evident this weekend – when we stumbled upon a pumpkin patch during a morning over in Marin. My favorite season (i.e. Halloween) is about to begin!
-M
It’s been a few weeks since the girls started their new school year, and we’re all settling in… Just yesterday, I asked Avery’s teacher for an update; Avery is one of the oldest in her class, and I was curious how she was faring. “She’s doing great,” was the report, with her teacher telling me that Avery is contributing a lot in class, helping and explaining things to her younger classmates, and also doing well on her drawings. It sounds like being a “big kid” – a rarity for this little sibling – is serving her well.
Things for Zoe, too, are going well – she loves her new teachers and is excited about having homework (which, so far, has consisted of reading at least 10 minutes/night and maintaining a reading log). Her teacher sent us a note praising Zoe’s math skills (always nice to hear!), and Zoe has been having fun practicing her math (and Hebrew) at home. That’s the good stuff.
The not-so-good stuff is that she has been quite tired and emotional, and often very cranky, since starting school. (The other afternoon, she burst into angry tears when she heard we were out of a particular kind of yogurt. It’s unusual for her to get upset over something so small.) She’s clearly mentally and physically exhausted; her little body and mind are still getting used to the longer hours (class ends at 3:15 versus 2) and more challenging curriculum. I know this is normal – I’ve been told by countless people that first grade is a huge year of transition, much more so than kindergarten – and I’m sure she’ll adjust soon enough. But for now, I kinda miss the old Zoe!
-M
Today is Sukkot, and the girls have been getting ready for it at school all week. Avery was upset with me at pick-up yesterday (I told her she had to wait until we got home to have a snack), but I still snapped a few pictures of the sukkah she and her schoolmates had decorated. Her contribution was the small heart with the pink and blue bottom hanging in the second pic.
-M
…And our main area, not completely decorated/set up yet, but looking a lot better than it did five months ago!
-M
April 19:
Sept. 18:
Once just a damp, concrete storage space, the back of our garage has been transformed into a large usable area – one part living room and one part guest room/playroom. Below are a few pics of the playroom, which (to our delight) has become one of the girls’ favorite parts of the house.
-M
This morning, I was jolted out of a dream by the loud whispers of “Mama, mama.” After mumbling an “uh-huh” the raspy voice beside my bed asked, “Can I wear my Cinderella underwear today?” After another “uh-huh,” it continued, “Okay – and if the Cinderella ones are in the laundry, then I’ll choose another kind. Okay, mama?”
It wasn’t yet 7 AM. This is what life with a 4-year-old is like.
-M
Dressing up for the recent High Holidays gave us an excuse to take some family photos. Here are my faves.
-M
As previously mentioned, we’re still working on our new downstairs – which has meant a lot of shopping. Avery got worn out (again)Â during one of our recent trips…
…But she perked up while playing with our purchases the next day!
We were talking about last names last night when Avery asked about Grandma and Grandpa’s (“Brandt – which is why I’m a Brandt Browdy,” I explained.) She followed up by asking about Safta and Pop Pop and when I told her their last name was Browdy, her eyes got really big. “Like us?” she asked excitedly. “That’s so silly!”
-M
