I like to move it, move it!

I'm my last blog post from 9 months ago I said maybe we won't do anything crazy like move and that we need to "nip the girls getting in our beds ASAP". Well, I'm 0 for 2.

 

So here we are now in a new house with a fresh 6 yr old and 3 and 1/2 yr old that STILL sneak into our bed often. God totally has a sense of humor.

 

I feel like I blinked and Addie is now a real live big girl. People say it goes by fast and you don't realize how true it is until you live it. GRANTED, some days and YEARS I will admit have gone by really REALLY slow. It hasn't all been rainbows and unicorns, which are EVERYWHERE right now. So naturally that's what Addie's birthday/last few months have been all about. It's so much easier to buy her things and decorate for her now that she has VERY clear ideas and opinions about what she likes. Currently she’s into her new “American Girl” doll, Addie (of course). Sometimes I think she’s still more into the little puppy dog that came with the doll though. That gal loves her some stuffed animals. I deep down love that and wish she could play make-believe with all her animals friends forever. That probably wouldn't look too cute when she's in college though. She and Emme play together now really well for the most part. Sometimes there have been stretches where they can play for hours with zero supervision. BLISS. This part of my kids growing up I can really get used to. It feels so strange when I do not have to do very much for them. Unfortunately it does not take long before one of them has flushed something down the toilet or whacked the other one with a broom and I’m quickly reminded that they still need me.

So back to the move. We have moved AGAIN to a new (to us) house in Meridianville. It’s  surreal being back in my hometown. Ryan/Lindsey are practically across the street from us and Laura/Luke are just a short bike ride down the neighborhood. We went from not really having connections in our town to now having best friends in our back yard. The kids are in major culture shock and want to play with their neighbor friends constantly. We go on bike rides/walks a lot together. I am sure the newness of them being so close will wear off eventually. It is sweet though. Addie tends to get VERY energized by her friends yet needs her alone time to mellow out. She doesn’t understand that yet and wants to hang out with buddies way past her limit. I totally get that. I think has that weird extroverted/introverted thing going on like me. Having friends close has been the good part of the move, but leaving her comfortable house and yard she loved so much has been really hard on her. We’ve been at our new house almost 3 mths now and she’s getting a lot more comfortable. Her room is mostly finished and the rest of the house is coming along. Emme has had a hard time adjusting to her room and her bed at night so the girls tend to sleep together more often than not in Addie’s room. IF it doesn’t take 2 hours for them to settle down, I really don’t mind them sleeping together. It’s actually just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen and I’d love to freeze that picture in mind. 

Back to Addie! She started Kindergarten at Lynn Fanning. Yes, it’s her 2^nd year of Kindergarten and I DON’T CARE. Last year was good practice. I don’t think she needs this year to repeat the academics but for getting used to going somewhere SEVEN hours a day, five days a week. That’s a lot on a little kid…or a grown adult. I’m on team “Let’s keep them young as long as possible”. Anyways, she likes her class and teacher now that she’s about 6 weeks into school. The first few weeks were a STRUGGLE. She did fine once there but at drop-off time she had to be pried out of the car crying. Not a fun scene to witness. Lord bless those big, big 6 year old feelings. She has made a sweet new best friend, Sophie, which has helped her out dramatically! A close friend can make all the difference. Her teacher is Ms. Williams. I don’t know a ton about her. We are definitely not in mother’s morning out anymore where you know ALL the things about their teacher, class, potty breaks, etc. It’s taking some adjusting but I totally remember my teacher days and parent-communication was unfortunately not on my survival list. Note to self:  Do that better if I ever teach again. Teachers now are just insanely busy which is so sad. Welcome to the real world. It’s a hard-knock life in K these days. However, Addie also tells me fun stories about going to the treasure chest, having dance parties, picking fun stations to go to, music class, and mostly recess time. Lord, thank you that our babies still get time to just be a kid and play on the playground with their buddy. Sometimes, I worry if Addie is learning enough since she already learned so much last year. Honestly though, at this age, I’m pleased if she learns how to swing high, be kind to others, make it all the way across the monkey bars, share, accept others, obey the teacher, and develop friendships that she’ll carry with her for the next 12 years of school. Of course I want to see her become more comfortable reading and all those other academic type things but I really want her to work hard and be proud of her growth no matter how fast or slow her peers are moving along with her. Bless her perfectionist heart. I’m thankful she cares but I also want her to know she’s important even when she’s not meeting perfect marks. At least home is her safe place where she definitely doesn’t worry about being perfect. Ha. Lucky us! (but for real though, lucky us)

She’s started acro this year instead of dance. She’s in class with Sadie and Emma Jane and seems to really love it. She gets so excited about doing her back bend or walkover (with help). I think she likes gymnastics more than dance at this point. Working slowly on specific skills is much more her rhythm.

This was Addie’s first year to also go to church camp. I went with her and stayed in her cabin. It was a lot for a 5 year old to engage with K-5^th graders and stay up until 10-11 at night. She had fun though. She was pretty shy and wanted me a lot but if I were not in sight she’d be so brave and have a great time. The cabin girls were all very sweet and exceeded my expectations especially at bedtime. Few fits were thrown which majorly surprised me. I think all the sugar they were fed helped.

It's been a tough year of changes for her but also a HUGE year for growth! Some nights she’ll give herself a bath, brush her teeth, clean her room, and help Emme get dressed. Moments like those make me a believer in prayer. J I am so, so proud of her doing so many new things like reading by herself and riding her bike without training wheels, but mostly I am so happy that she is finding her strengths, passions, and friends. Thank you God.