A Loooooong Day

Things Jemma did today:

-ate two whole pieces of bread, plus numerous other things, including Cheerios, banana, cheese, pear, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato fries, yogurt and . . . a woodchip. Yum. (Just chewed, not swallowed, that last one!)

-woke up at 6:00 a.m., forcing me to zip her into a winter snowsuit (it was freezing this morning!) and plop her in her stroller for a walk to Starbucks. I know, I know . . . I own a fancy espresso machine, but I have not yet been able to duplicate the Pumpkin Spice Latte. Weekend project?

-pulled Annie's hair so hard that Annie cried. Then Jemma cried because Annie was crying. And that's basically how the whole afternoon went . . .

-started trying to walk around behind Annie's little plastic red car. This is fun to watch, but it makes me very, very nervous.


Things Annie did today:

-missed her first Twinkle Toes dance class because she still has a pesky fever. =(

-had meltdowns about the following things: the toilet seat being too cold, her headband being too tight, her headband falling out, her scooter lights not being on, the grass being wet, her macaroni and cheese taking too long to cook, wanting me to carry her halfway through our walk around the block, not wanting to wash her hands before dinner, not wanting to walk to the grocery store, wanting a glass of milk . . . and I could probably think of more if I sat here for another 5 mihutes. It was a rough day, and the only reason I had plenty of compassion for her is because I know she's feeling so yucky because of her fever. At least twenty times, I said, "I'd like you to tell me what I can do to make you feel better" or something similar, but still, nothing. Arggghhhh.

-received a pair of strap-on rollerskates (and matching Disney princess elbow- and knee-pads) from Miss Kelly and the Ketts for her birthday. She is beside herself with pride and wants to learn to skate immediately. Jason took her out with them just before dinner, and she loved it, although it's definitely going to be a while until she can do it by herself. Like, maybe 2 years.

And even though it was a sort of tough day with the girls, the weather was absolutely perfect and, somehow, I didn't let the absurdity get me down. We spent as much time outside as possible, I made a yummy dinner which involved roasted butternut squash, I just had a glass of wine outside after the girls went to bed, and I'm looking forward to this weekend. Our plans are minimal and I think we'll enjoy just being together before next week's routine kicks in again with preschool, dance, and Sunday School starting, too.

As promised, the little poem from preschool this past week. Corny, I know, but try to read it on your child's very first day and see if you cry, too. You totally would.

You bring to us your child so dear,
Not without a touch of fear.
You both might want to shed a tear.
We promise we will love her here.

We'll teach her she's a special one.
We'll teach her school is lots of fun.
We'll teach her how to share and play.
We'll teach her something new each day!

Relax, go home, feeling free
To have yourself this cup of tea.
Within days, you will see,
School is where she wants to be.