Mini Reunion

We made a last-minute trip to Holbrook (the second time this month!) so that we could spend visit Jake’s family.  Both of his sisters from out of town were there with their kids, meaning that four of five of the Taylor siblings were under the same roof for the first time since Thanksgiving or before.  We drove up on Saturday and back down on Sunday, because schedules didn’t allow for more time up there, but it was worth the drive and the every last bit of chaos that went into planning it. 

The kids loved seeing their cousins, and I can’t say this enough but, they truly know who is family.  Even if we only see them maybe a couple days total out of the year, they just warm up so quickly to their aunts, uncles, and cousins.  I feel so blessed to have them growing up as a part of a big family.  I’ve never felt more appreciative than I do now to have so many sisters, brothers-in-laws, and sisters-in-laws, not to mention two sets of living grandparents for my kids.  It’s really a good feeling to be surrounded by people you love and who love you (and your kids) right back.

I didn’t take nearly enough pictures, and the ones I did take are so random.  I completely missed a shot of Jake’s sister, Emily.  Next time, I’ll plan better.

  

We ran around and played outside, baked brownies, ate huge family-style meals (for 9 adults and 11 kids), watched movies, and read stories together.  The girls had a tea party with an excess of chocolate soy milk, the boys ran around shouting around with pillows and little bugs and imaginary magic wands, and every kid chased/caught a horny toad or a puppy at some point in the weekend.

    

The boys will be boys.

Aunt Chantelle is the best at reading stories.  She kept a captive audience of preschoolers for a half hour.

    

Until next time.

Tiny Dancer

Bella wants to be a ballerina.  She has loved to dance for as long as I can remember.  She would bounce up and down in her baby Bumbo seat at four months old whenever there was a song on the radio.  Daddy has long since been having “dance parties'” with the kids, and they’ve invented moves I thought could only be acquired after many months of training… or at least MTV watching (this was not the case for us).  So, I don’t know why I was so surprised when she announced to me that she wanted to learn how to be a ballerina after watching “Barbie Nutcracker” one morning on vacation.  And as the days went by, her little wish didn’t fizzle out like most two-year old wishes tend to do either.  Instead, she began to hone her spinning and leaping skills with practice around the house and a mini lesson from my friend’s dancer daughter.

With so much going on in our world of therapies and preschools and internship, I never thought that I would squeeze in swim lessons for all three kids (more on that to come) and a sports class for Gabe (that too), and dance class for Bella, but I did it.  And I’ll keep doing it too, even if it drains me completely :).  Because I love them.  And because the looks of sheer joy on Ari’s face when she realizes that, yes, she is included in the group lesson at swim without mom or dad, or when Bella looked at herself in the mirror for the first time in her dancewear, or when Gabe leveled up in swim lessons and got to ring the bell (twice) make it all SO worth it.  So SO worth it.

 

This was Bella’s first time in tap shoes ever.  And she joined the class three weeks after the other girls did.  It didn’t slow her down. 

 

Trust me, I tried so hard to get her to wear her helper hand to dance class, but she told me it was sweaty and that it hurt.  She pitched in the car. I begged and pleaded, but I would not force her on this one. Dance class is her special time, and I didn’t want to ruin it.  On that subject, Bella has been doing this a lot lately.  She’ll pretty much only wear it if we’re playing at home, which is why there are hardly any pictures of her in it.  I’m hoping she’ll get more comfortable with it as she gets older and stronger.

 

Gabe and Ari adored watching Bella.  It was as if they thought it was her final recital!  Ari was grinning, waving, and clapping for Bella from behind our one-way mirror, and when Bella came out on break to change into her ballet shoes, Gabe was just so proud that he gave her a full-on spontaneous bear hug in front of everyone.  It was so endearing and tender.

 

I’m no prima ballerina, but I thought she looked pretty darn good to me!  I, for one, have no clue where she got her grace from.

Second position Plie.  Retire.

 

Little sweet danced.  Her classmates watched at first.

  

Then they joined in.

     

I can’t wait till next Thursday!

School is Back

At the beginning of this week, Gabe and Ari began their final years of preschool, and Bella began her first (of two) years of preschool.  I can’t even believe how much they’ve all grown since last year!  All three are attending different preschools this year, which makes for busy mornings three days out of the week, but it’s been working so far!

All three of my kiddos have been excited to return to school, but ever since the last few months of school last year, Bella had been begging me to take her to “[her] school”.  This year, even though she’s not quite three yet, I decided would be her time to shine.  She had begun asking me every day in July when school was going to start, and if she was tired or hungry, she’d throw an outright fit if that day wasn’t the day… and it never was.  So, I started a calendar for her, and she crossed helped me cross of each day as we approached the first day of school.  That quelled the impatience until we got closer.  The kids each got to pick out their own big kid backpacks this year.  Gabe picked the camo print, Ari the pink sparkles, and Bella the blue sparkles.  I was shocked when Bella didn’t pick pink, but it was probably time to pause the pink for once in her case.

Gabe felt confident and ready to take school head on.  He didn’t have any worries or anxieties, just a calm, very cool, grown-up air about him.  He loves school so far, and I had no doubt that he would.  He has matured so much lately, and I am just so so SO proud of my little man.

Ari has been going through a rough patch lately.  We don’t know why, but her anxiety around new (and some familiar) faces has been heightened dramatically.  Although she has been telling me that she was excited for school, she broke down at the open house and nearly every morning that I’ve dropped her off so far.  It just breaks my heart.  I keep telling myself (and everyone else) that it will pass, but I don’t really know what I’m talking about.  I know that I can’t reinforce her fears with the removal of the feared stimulus (in this case, new faces), and I know she always does eventually calm down once she rides it out, but it just makes me sad to see the change in her from the past year and the year before that, and what makes it worse is not ever truly understanding what she’s bothered by.  Anyway, she does seem to have improved from the first day.  Familiarity helps a lot, so I keep encouraging the teachers and aides to just treat her as they would a favorite niece, and they’ll get along just fine.  Time will tell how it goes, but I have high hopes, because she is just so loveable and adorable once she feels bonded to someone.  She is my little sweet.

 

Bella was SO enthused about being at school.  She puts on her shy face, but it won’t last long.  She has been ready for this for quite some time, and I am just tickled to death about over how much she’s enjoying it.  She comes home with stories every day, and eagerly plans her outfits with me each night.  It’s a milestone that I can’t believe has snuck up on me so soon, and yet I’m thrilled it’s here!

  

My group shot was a flop, but we were on a tight schedule, and there was no time (or soft lighting) for a redo.  At least it was real.  This is about all I can ask for in the mornings from my crew, and I was pushing the envelope big time.