Days of our Laives

Its been so long since the last post its embarrassing . This will be a general post about the new things Kira and Renee are doing, and if I can find it in me, maybe there will be some follow up posts with more specifics. Kira School - Kira continues to go to her montessori preschool 5 days a week from 8:30 until 11:30am. She dropped her afternoon naps sometime late last year and so we've started letting her stay for extended days which run until 2:30pm. Sometimes she will bring a lunch, except for Wednesdays when they will order pizzas for all the kids. Kira loves going to school, and she loves staying for lunch. Vickie does a great job packing a variety of things for Kira like carrots, apples, juice boxes, jelly sandwiches, and boiled eggs. Kira had never had one before and she saw a classmate eating one for lunch, so she came home one day and asked to bring one for lunch the next time she stays for an extended day. At home - Kira has become less confrontational at home and in a l...

Kira's school has a new headmaster.  She started making changes in the last few months of the previous school year, and this September marked the beginning of her first full year.  The changes have been a little unnerving (change is hard for everyone), but overall, I really like her ideas and passion.  One of the many new things she created is monthly meetings.  All parents are invited and we talk about her ideas and progress on important changes/projects.  We had a meeting today, and she invited a speaker to talk about preschooler behavior and healthy ways of dealing with family conflict.  The speaker is actually an RN, and her experience in child behavior comes from raising her own three children and working with clients for whatever whatever years (I don't remember).  At first, I was skeptical of her expertise and found her examples very anecdotal.  But after some reflection, I have to admit she made some good points. First, she had us talk a...

They just recovered, and now they're sick again.  At least this time it doesn't involve fever (KNOCK ON WOOD).  Both are congested and coughing in their sleep.  The poor things.  I hate winter.  I can't wait until we grow out of this weak-immune-system phase.  So many people say to me, "cherish these moments because it goes by so quickly."  Honestly, I can't wait to get past this stage.  Not only do both kids constantly fall sick, but they are prone to temper tantrums and sibling rivalry.  They also are keen on making huge messes which eventually leads to lots of dirty laundry.  I'm buried in laundry.  It gets dirty and clean and dirty again before I even get a chance to get it out of sight. I know a few families who are in the same boat as we are, and I can honestly say, we all struggle and none of us are completely happy and content.  I know that might sound selfish to some people who are not in the thick of it, and even wh...

Taking a sick day and waiting for Vickie to come back after dropping off Kira at school... 3 weeks ago Kira was sick, 2 Renee, last week Vickie, and now me And another one...

Janey and I caught up last night on the phone, and I was telling her about some of the interesting conversations Kira and I have had lately.  She reminded me that I should document them on the blog!  She's right because these conversations are pretty funny.  It's surprising to find out how a 3-year-old mind works  =) Setting: we're reading the story of Cinderella and Kira is admiring the illustrations. K: Cinderella looks like a bride.  Can I have a dress like hers? V: When you are a bride, yes, you can have a dress like hers. K: But, when can I be a bride? V: When you are a big girl, like Nat-Nat. K: Who will I marry? V: You will meet a boy and if he's good to you, you can marry him. K: (after some thought) Can I marry Daddy? V: No, Daddy is married to me, you can't marry him. K: I need a boy. V: Yes, don't worry, you'll meet him someday when you're a big girl. K: When I was in Dai Bak's wedding I walked with a boy.  But...did I marry ...

Two:

I think Renee is slowly coming out of her shell.  She has always been more clingy to me than Kira ever was.  Kira had stranger anxiety at age 4 months, but that eventually went away, at the very latest by 9 months (probably as early at 6 months)!  Renee is now 18 months and she still clamors up my leg in the presence of other people. Renee is taking two classes this fall.  The first is a music class in Wellesley.  Wellesley is a bit far from where we live, but the reason why we go there is because it's more or less halfway between my house and my mom's house.  We meet there at the start of class.  I hand over Renee, and go home.  After class, my mom takes Renee back to her house for the afternoon.  In the evening, we meet for dinner somewhere, and I take Renee back home.  I attended the first class with Renee and my mom.  Renee was super shy and her expression was clear: she didn't want to participate.  By the second class, m...