Fall-tastic

Fall always makes me want to slow down, reconnect, and declutter (mind, soul, and home). The slowing down is often done for me since schools and activities make for busy weeks and by the time the weekend rolls around, we're ready to for slow mornings and fewer adventures. It's a nice juxtaposition -- busy on the micro level means calmer on the macro level. The reconnecting has felt good this year -- both with local friends who we missed over the summer and with far away friends who I've been bad about writing to as regularly as I think about them. And I do think about all you all and appreciate those who've reached out with emails or cute pictures as well; friendships and family are the best way to ward off the autumn morning chill. And the decluttering? Well, two carload trips to Goodwill later, that mission was accomplished. Holy clean (for me) basement. While spring is about rebirth and renewal, fall feels like appreciation and being deliberate. It feels like one really cozy sweater rather than fourteen new sun dresses. It feels like sitting and making stuff rather than not letting our feet hit the floor before we're out the door. Sure, the days are shorter and there isn't time to go to the playground after school now but that's okay. We're in that sweet spot of soaking up the lasts of summer, enjoying our at-home time, but still pre-cabin-fever and not sick of our teensy house. It's a good spot, a quintessentially autumn spot. I think some of this is rubbing off on my eldest child, too. The other night she couldn't sleep so she cleaned up her entire room. It was literally the most organized I'd ever seen it (if you know me well, you know that I do not like to clean per se, but I sure do like to organize/rearrange. My girl clearly takes after me on that front -- she loves her bins and bags.). We also finally did some crafts that have been percolating but not getting done. She made monsters for her friend who is a monster aficionado because she hadn't played with him in awhile and wanted to make something for him. It was sweet (though somehow the actual monster handover hasn't happened... we keep talking about it but I think the younger little guy really likes these little monsters and keeps absconding with them, thus we forget to take them with us). So, short days be damned, I'm happy to embrace the current mood before being cooped up doesn't sound so pleasant anymore.

 The artistes

Maybe I shouldn't push arts and crafts with this dude too much yet. The paint goes in the strangest places...

Unlike first-child-perfectionism over in this corner...

with a side of sheer joy. 

Wha?

No, Ma, the tablecloth is for the paintings. 

Let's just return to what we're supposed to be doing...

Compliance... four fourteen seconds, anyway.

Jack To School

To be honest, before I had preschool-aged kids, I didn't really get the school class nomenclature. It seemed a little silly, and probably still is, to be a hawk or a brown bear or a minnow instead something more descriptive. Naturally, however, anything that you once rolled your eyes at before you had kids becomes SO cute and SO exciting once you've got your own little shark or polywog or blue footed booby starting the school year. And so it went as Jack moved from Bumblebees to Crickets this year (SO cute, right?). We had been pumping up the change because we all rather adored his teacher last year (most of all, me, probably, although Molly latched on to Teacher Katie's daughters this summer and when they gave her some hand-me-downs, well, the world may have stopped spinning for that moment), and we wanted him to be excited to meet his new teacher, Teacher Miriam (by the way, I don't know if it's a Seattle thing or a west coast thing but preschool teachers all seem to be Teacher XYZ and not Miss Honeybucket or Miss Coco or whatever honorific I was used to in preschools back east. Anyhoo...).We shouldn't have worried because Jack has embraced being a Cricket like a train loves a train track. He l-o-v-e-s Teacher Miriam (though, to be honest, his biggest crushes are still on two of the dads in the class. I can't hold his hand to the park if either of those dads are around. Or today, he DID ART BY HIS OWN FREE WILL once Dad Crush #1 asked if he wanted to come into the art room). Teacher Miriam knows the way to a preschooler's heart -- she sings songs about race cars, does a mad freeze dance, does not jump out of her skin when a not-so-small, tow-headed little boy runs up behind her and yells "BOO!" at 9am... she's great. And so, we get all excited about our little Cricket and we talk to our friends about how Dragonflies is going and what the new Bumblebees are up to and these silly names don't seem so silly anymore. They seem perfect, actually, because they embody, in their own entomological way, our kids' developmental stages. It's a common language within our community and it denotes growth as they move from one class to another, as they gain more freedom, explore bigger things and relate to one another. It also gives these little people their own sense of belonging and community. It's exciting, when you're two and a half to do a cheer or a song about your class at the end of the school day. It's cool when you're off somewhere else, and you spot a schoolmate, to be able to say that so-and-so is a Cricket friend. It fills them with so much pride and there is so much engagement and rallying around a common theme. So, yes, it's sort of nutty to talk in these random kid codes but it's meaningful nonetheless. I should also learn to not roll my eyes at these conventions since I will inevitably embrace them once I reach that milestone. See, we're never too old to learn...

My Girl

Sometimes, lots of times, this girl makes me smile until my side hurts. She's still my funny mix of sensitive, saucy, shrieky, and sweet. We are more alike than I'd care to admit sometimes, but I'm always, ALWAYS proud that she's my daughter. 

Dear Old Golden Rule Days

Like every other small person on the planet (it seems), last week began our back to school fun. Molly got to jump off a plane after midnight on Wednesday morning and head to school that afternoon (so far, one point in favor of afternoon pre-K). Oops -- nice timing, mama. She's a happy little clam, though, and is getting to know the new kids and enjoying being with her good buddies again. Side note: I do love how quickly kids become friends -- Molly suddenly has three new best friends that she plays with all the time. Naturally. Eight hours over two days is the new "all the time". I'm still trying to decide how the morning school for Jack/afternoon school for Molly will work out. Without a doubt, it provides for some interesting scheduling tricks but I think we'll sort it out soon enough. What I do know I will like is having one on one time with each of them, and will consciously soak up my last year of Molly being home. Witnessing the range of emotions that friends experienced as their babies went off to kindergarten this year gave me a little sneak peak of that time for us next year and, well, let's just reiterate that I cry easily. I know it will be all good and I also know that tissues are widely available. And in the meantime, I'll just soak up my little superhero-loving, upside-down-hanging crazy woman.

Jack starts his school later this week, though the majority of my friends come from his school so it's sort of like he's been back already as we've caught up with folks since getting home. Still, it'll be good to get in the classroom and get to know his new teacher more. He can proudly show her how he's not going to hit anyone at school this year. RIGHT? Please, no more hitting this year, puh-lease. So, it's been busy for all of us readjusting to fall habits but we're pretty happy (and tired) and looking forward to new adventures that await us. Today ushered in cooler temperatures (for the record, it's been 49 days with no rain here so all you anti-rain people, come visit in the summer!) and it felt like the switch had been flipped as we celebrated the ceremonial end of summer and welcomed autumn. Every year, I look forward to the freedom of summer and  then the routines of fall and I felt no different this time around.

First day

And, it wouldn't be Crazytown here unless Super Molly and Underwear Boy came to mete out their brand of justice (which apparently involves all sorts of requests for special treats) .

Clearly, true superheros are strong under all sorts of pressure

but it can be downright exhausting for side-kicks.