We got some new chairs for our big girls. The are designed to look like dinning room chairs, but have the seat heights adjusted so that a child can sit at the table like the adults. Emily is so fidgety in her chair at the table. Some of that stems from sitting on a chair that is bigger than she is. Emily has loved her new chair. She gets to sit up high at the table without having to sit in a booster seat. Julia was very pleased with her new chair, but she struggled with getting in and out of it. Even with the stepstool she didn’t want to get down safely. After she slid off it it twice trying to get off, we let her choose if she wanted to keep practicing with it or if she wanted to go back to the booster seat. She chose the booster seat. We will try it again later. 

Some things just seem so ordinary in life, but too quickly the ordinary changes to something different and what is ordinary is forgotten. These are just a few things and thoughts about our current age of 4 years and 5 months.

Emily is my social kid. She is shy in new situations, but also very likely to pick up a new friend and talk his or her ear off. She learned introductions a while ago and most of the time she introduces herself as “my name is Emily and I am four years old”. She gets a variety of responses from people. Most of the time it breaks the ice and the kids play with her or the adult talks to her.

Emily likes to hear stories. She will ask us to tell her about when she was born, about when we were married, when we lost our power, or when Mommy lost her keys down a storm drain. Remembering events through story telling is fun, at least the first few times we tell the story. She is more reluctant to tell us stories in return, but with coaxing she will sometimes tell us about Cinderella.

The funniest thing she has said lately was at a baseball game we attended with her grandparents. Grammy told Emily that the Tennessee Smokeys were playing the Mississippi Braves. She replied with “why is Miss Sippy playing with the boys”. It took a few seconds for us to figure that one out and then we had a good chuckle as we explained about the state of Mississippi.

Emily is planning her next birthday party. Mama’s favorite part of the party so far is that she wants it to be a surprise party at the bounce house with her friends. I guess she doesn’t grasp the concept of a “surprise party” yet. If you talk with her for a while and she relates her age, she will then tell you of her party, and most likely invite you to it. If she does this, please don’t be offended when you don’t actually get an invitation. She is not keeping a good record of the people she invites to her party.

Emily is learning to plan things out. She informed me this week that she wants Julia to have surgery again. When I asked her why, she informed me of her plan. She wants to go to Elena’s house by herself and play with Ashley, Chris, Elena, and Maeve. I told Emily that if she wants to play with her friends, I would prefer working it out without her sister needing surgery.

Emily’s artistry is improving a lot these days. Whether she turns into an artist or not isn’t important to me. I just love being able to look at the picture and know what it is that she has drawn. She is intentional with the colors she chooses when drawing or coloring. Her favorite canvases right now are greeting cards. Maybe you will get an original piece of art in the mail one day.

Most important to her father and I is the person she is becoming. Lately, she has been talking about Jesus and his life. Yesterday, she told me she wanted her “heart to be good”. While our conversation was brief concerning this topic, what a joy it was to share with her that her heart could be good with Jesus’s help.

Our local aquarium has a preschooler program once a month. We try to go once a year to one with our friends. We just got back from one of these programs. This year the class we attended had only our kids in it. The girls didn’t seem to mind the specialized attention. The class was about coral and the animals found in it. They got to color a seahorse craft, hear a story about a clown fish, have a snack, and touch a live starfish. It was fun. After the class we spent time exploring the aquarium. We caught two dive shows and while it was fun to watch the feeding it was really hard to understand the commentary that went with it. I asked the three of the four girls what their favorite thing to do in the aquarium was. Elena said touching the starfish and Emily and Julia both loved the penguin tunnel.

Some other fun things from the day –

• I had told Julia the night before what we were going to do, but told her it was a secret and not to tell Emily. In the morning I asked her if she had told Emily, she put her finger to her lips and said “shhhhh”. She had kept the secret.
• The girls loved loving on McKenzie and Kenzie seemed to like the attention.
• The glass floor in the penguin area and tunnel took some getting used to for Julia. She didn’t want to walk on it at first. Then she had to master crawling on it. She loved standing above a swimming area and watching them swim by.
• Watching the little girls watch the Nemo fish tank. They tried to grab the very recognizable Nemo and Dory fish.
• Going shopping after the aquarium with a bunch of little girls.

Emily touching the starfish. A lot of times she chickens out of things like this when she actually has to do it, but this time she even asked to do it a second (brief) time.

Julia touching the starfish. She was so excited to get to do this like the other girls.

Ms. Jessica teaching the Sea Squirt class.

Little girls discovering the “Nemo” fish tank. I love Maeve’s face of delight.

Big girl friends hanging out in the fish tank.

Julia watching the penguins swimming with McKenzie and Ms. Heather.

We attended the Thursday School Graduation celebration Thursday night. While our girls didn’t graduate, they did get to preform in the celebration, got a year-in-review scrapbook, and walk across the stage by themselves. Both girls did very well with their evening activities and we were so proud. We shared the evening with Grammy and Granddaddy.

Julia was in the two-year-old class this year. Her teacher was out of town and the kids were unwilling to learn any songs to preform for the concert. I am not surprised given how non-verbal/shy the class is in general. Julia definitely wasn’t going to sing a song. So, to simplify the evening for this class they presented them at the beginning and they spent the rest of the performance with their families. Julia bravely walked across the stage and gave a big smile to her family. She didn’t stand long for her photo op, but was pleased with herself.

Emily was in the older three-year-old class this year. They participated in a song with all the other classes. It was a silly Hippo song where everyone sang the song progressively faster and faster. They all seemed to enjoy themselves. Then her class preformed three songs with only their class. For part of the performance Emily alternated spinning and jumping with one of the Zoe’s in her class. It was pretty funny. My favorite action associated with a song was a knee slap. Something about this action just made me realize that we were raising a “country” girl.

Julia being presented her roll of paper from Ms. Kelly. She seemed to like being on the stage.

Emily being presented her roll of paper. She is sporting her new-to-her shoes. When I had given them to her this week, I had explained that they were only to be warn to church for a while because they still looked nice. When we were getting dressed for the performance she explained to me that the school was a “church” school so she should be allowed to wear them. I just chuckled at her argument and agreed.

Emily at her onstage photo-op. I think I can see a much older Emily in this photo. Time will tell, but we are starting to see the school girl Emily coming out.

Emily’s whole class preforming on stage. From the left the kids are: Zoe, Olive, Emily, Elena, Zoe, Danielle, Maggie, and Patrick. The photo taking Mama in the photo is Maggie’s mama. Interestingly, this mom and her kids also went to BSF with us. She had kids paired with mine every Wednesday and Thursday. She and I also share the same small group. This is one small world.

Emily and Elena singing “Be Careful, Little Eyes”

The girls had their last day of Thursday School for the year. Both will be returning next year. The day went well for them. Julia had a substitute in her class and she adjusted amazingly well. One funny thing that she did at pickup time, she accompanied the Mamas to get the big girls from class. They place the lunch boxes and any take home papers on the floor outside of the door. Julia fetched both Emily’s lunchbox and artwork, but also took Elena’s lunch bag to Ashley. I guess, I underestimated her memory and recognition again. Emily was her usual happy-and-hyper self in class.

After school we took our girls out for celebration ice cream. Emily proudly picked Smurf ice cream (it turns your mouth blue as you eat it) and Julia picked strawberry. Everyone finished their ice cream before Emily. Emily was too busy playing and not eating. She offered to let the other little girls share her ice cream to finish it. As they did, I never heard any fussing over it. I thought that amazing for four little girls to sample blue ice cream and not get in each other’s way.

Emily and Julia ready to go into school on their last day before summer break. It was a hot day!

Just a perspective photo from their first day of school last September. It is hard to see how much taller they are, but they both look bigger.

Emily with Ms. Kathy, her teacher.

Emily with Ms. Louise, the class helper (and fun toy provider)

A little after-school celebration ice cream

To my girls delight, we took our first trip to Dollywood for the year. There were so many delightful things to enjoy.

1. Going with your best friends. This year Ashley, Elena, and Maeve got tickets too and we made the day trip together. The first thing the girls asked when I told them we were going to Dollywood was if their friends were going too. I didn’t deny or confirm, but surprised them when we met their friends to drive over.

2. Emily got her own ticket. I’m not so excited about this as she was. She is proud of her pass and photo, proud to put the ticket in the machine, proud to walk through the turnstile by herself, and proud to show off her pass to her Daddy. I wish my photo was as good as hers was. She should be proud.

3. Emily has grown since last year. This year Emily is tall enough to drive a car all by herself. She thinks that it is awesome!

4. Peer pressure is not always bad. Emily was willing to try a bunch of things this year that she was afraid of last year. She was still hesitant, but not willing to let Elena do something without her. Thank you, Elena.

5. When we run out of steam, we run out of steam. While we waited to drive the cars one last time, Julia asked for me to hold her. Then she started to give me hugs. Next she laid her head on my shoulder. Lastly, Emily drove her car while Julia slept in my arms.

6. Having season tickets means we can go back.

Sharing a ride around the carousel.

The big girl driving all by herself!

The little one doing her share of driving. She loved driving until she realized there was a horn on Mommy’s side. Then there was conflict over what to do next.

I love the smile on Emily. The carousel is her favorite ride in the park.

Julia still seems little on the big horse. She waved at all the people as we went around like she was a princess in a parade. She even blew kisses out to people who waved back.

Emily was delighted to ride with Maeve on the duck ride. See our pink cheeks – the day was pretty warm for early May.

Happy Julia and her famous wave.

Julia flying around with her friend Maeve. Maeve was missing her Mama who was with the big kids on a roller coaster.

One really tired girl! She slept through a snack and the walk to the car and then played all the way home. Emily fell asleep shortly after we left the and slept all the way home.