Social Drama

I already have a social butterfly on my hands. It's only the 6th day of school and the 2nd day of getting behavior reports, and Ella already has a sad face for talking too much. Ohmygoodness she is just like me. She talked so much that her teacher had to move her seating assignment. According to Ella, "It is SOO boring. Now I have to sit with all boys. I'm the ONLY GIRL!" She lost her friend priviledges at home today too because she wasn't listening when the teacher was speaking.

There's social drama too. One of the little girls in Ella's class said that Ella was being mean to her. Ella's side of the story is that this little girl is jealous because Ella is making other friends. The other little girl is telling Ella that she's not allowed to be friends with anyone else. I spoke to the teacher at length this afternoon after getting all the details (there were quite a few). Tomorrow they are going to have a lesson for the whole class on being a family and being nice to everyone. Who knew that there could be so much drama in the life of a kindergartener?

Sleeping In

Morning after morning the girls have complained about how tired they were. They have complained about how dark it was outside. They have complained about having to get out of their warm beds at 6:30 in the morning.

YAY! It's Saturday. We can all sleep in late. We can all stay in our warm beds. We can sleep until the sun has risen. So how late did the girls sleep you ask? Until the beautiful hour of 5:30 in the morning. It's such a shame they have to get up so early for school (please note that the sarcastic tone).

We Have a P-R-O-B-L-E-M

The learning has begun! I asked Scott, "What we were going to do about B-E-D?" Ella promptly said, "Bed. What do you mean what are we going to do about bed?"

My way of life is already changing drastically.

We Should Try These Rules at Home

Ella and I had to review her classroom rules in class today. She thought they were absolutely brilliant. I swear it was like she had never heard them before in her life!

1. We obey instructions the first time.

E: Mom, we should really try this at home!
J: Yeah Ella, that would be a great idea.

(Thinking to myself, "How have you missed this lesson for the past FIVE AND A HALF YEARS? I've been trying to get you to obey the first time for years now.")

I guess the silver lining is that maybe the brilliance of these rules will actually work at home too.

2. We use the appropriate voice at the appropriate times.

E: Yeah, this is a good one too. You can be loud on the playground at recess, but you need to be really quiet inside the school.
J: Right, because people all around you are trying to learn and they need quiet.
E: Exactly. So we should be quiet at home too.
J: Yes, because Daddy is trying to work and he would love it if we could be a little quieter while he is working.
E: I have NEVER thought of that.

(Again. Really? Never thought of that? He's worked at home since before you were born! We tell you over and over and over, ad nauseam, that you need to be quieter.)

3. We control our bodies.

J: So no hitting or kicking or pushing.
E: Yes, that's another good one. Then I wouldn't be pushing Brenna any more. I'd just ask her nicely to move.

4. We are kind to others.

E: I really want to try this at home. Then I could be nice to you and Daddy and Brenna. Wouldn't that be nice, Mommy?

(Yes, that would be nice. I really wish I had thought of that myself. sigh)

A Successful First Day

Ella had a wonderful first day at school. She got into the car and squealed, "It was GREAT! I LOVED IT! I made a new friend named Presley, and she is soooooooo nice."

I e-mailed her teacher to remind her that I was wanting to help out in the classroom, and to thank her for helping to ease Ella's anxiety this morning. Mrs. Webster had this to say about Ella:

Oh I am so happy to hear that...the first day is so hard...for everyone, but I do believe ours was very successful this year. Ella did wonderful! She is so sweet and really came alive after about an hour of being here.

I am so thrilled that she had such a good day. I'm going to start helping out in her classroom next week. YAY!

I Trust You'll Treat Her Well

I think this expresses it pretty well.



World, I bequeath to you today one little girl in a crispy dress.. with two blue eyes...and a happy laugh that ripples all day long, and a batch of light brown hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs. I Trust You'll Treat Her Well.

She's slipping out of the backyard of my heart this morning and skipping off down the street to her first day at school.

And never again will she be completely mine...

Prim and proud, she'll wave a young and independent hand this morning, and say goodbye and walk with little-lady steps to the nearby schoolhouse...

Gone will be the chattering little hoyden who lived only for play, and gone will be the delightful little gamin who roamed the yard like a proud princess with nary a care in her little world.

Now, she will learn to stand in lines...and wait by the alphabet for her name to be called...

She will learn to tune her little-girl ears for the sound of school bells, and for deadlines...

She will learn to giggle and gossip... and to look at the ceiling in a disinterested way when the little boy across the aisle sticks out his tongue.

Now she will learn to be jealous...and now she will learn how it is to feel hurt inside...and now she will learn how not to cry. No longer will she have time to sit on the front porch steps on a summer day and watch while an ant scurries across a crack in the sidewalk...

Nor will she have time to pop out of bed with the dawn to kiss lilac blossoms in the morning dew. Now she will worry about important things...like grades...and what dresses to wear...and whose best friend is whose. Now she will worry about the little boy who pulls her hair at recess time... and staying after school...and which little girls like which little boys...And the magic of books and knowledge will soon take the place of the magic of her blocks and dolls.

And she'll find her new heroes. For five full years I've been her sage and Santa Claus...her pal and playmate...her parent and friend. Now, alas, she'll learn to share her worship and adoration with her teachers (which is only right).

No longer will her parents be the smartest, and greatest in the world. Today, when the first school bell rings, she'll learn how it is to be a member of the group...with all its privileges, and, of course, its disadvantages, too.

She'll learn in time that proper young ladies don't laugh out loud...or keep frogs in pickle jars in bedrooms...or watch ants scurry across the cracks in a summer sidewalk...

Today, she'll begin to learn for the first time that all who smile at her are not her friends. That "the group" can be a demanding mistress... and I'll stand on the porch and watch her start out on the long, long journey to becoming a woman.

So WORLD, I BEQUEATH TO YOU TODAY ONE LITTLE GIRL in a crispy dress, with two blue eyes, a happy laugh that ripples all day long, and a batch of light brown hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs.

I TRUST YOU'LL TREAT HER WELL.

The First Day of School

It's here! The first day of Kindergarten is here! Ella has been so anxious about starting school that I was really worried about how this morning was going to go. Everything went so much more smoothly than I anticipated.

Ella and Brenna both hopped right out of bed when the alarm went off and came into our room. Ella was a bit upset because Scott had told her the sun would be up and it was still dark outside. Brenna said, "There's no sun in the 'ky! It still dark ou'side."

I gave Ella one of my necklaces before breakfast this morning. I told her it was mine and I was giving it to her so she could wear it all day and know that I was rooting for her and that I would see her this afternoon. Ella ate breakfast, got dressed, and brushed her hair all with no drama. She was even really happy to pose for pictures at home.



And excited enough to dance a little:



We even had 10 minutes to spare for her to play on the computer. Then we left to walk to school. Here's a picture of her walking away into her big-girl world:





She was happy all the way to school. We met one of her friends on the walk up there and they chattered the whole way. Once we got into her classroom she was a little upset. We tried to get a picture in the classroom, but she wasn't enthused at all.



However, we weren't in tears yet, so I was feeling pretty good. When I left she did start crying. It broke my heart to walk out of the room. She was screaming and crying, "MOMMY!!!!!!!!! MOMMY!!!!!!!" I cried a little bit once I was in the hall. Her teacher went to her immediately when she started crying though. Before we were around the corner she calmed down enough that I couldn't hear her any more.

All in all, the stress level was much lower than I anticipated. By the time I had walked home again I even felt lighter from having survived the drop off. It's only 10:00, but I can't wait to pick her up and hear how her first day went. LOL

Here's a bonus picture of Brenna on her first day of school:

Fashion Show

Our friends from Boston are in town for a visit. Jo's oldest son James is graduating from Basic Training in Ft. Sill so they came for visit with us while they are here to see his graduation ceremony. In trying to get Ella excited for the first day of school, Jo suggested that we have a fashion show for her to show off her first day of school outfit. So without further ado, the fashion show!

Ella's first day of school outfit:


Katie's fashion attire:


Ella and Katie posing together:


Brenna gets in on the action:




Kenzie also got in on the action, but I never managed to get a picture of her. The fashion show did its job becuase Ella was very excited to lay out her clothes for the first day of school.

Meet the Teacher

Ella is going to a brand new school next year. She is going to be a Longhorn--a green and gold Longhorn NOT a burnt orange Longhorn. LOL! Since this is the inaugural year for the school the principal rode into meet the teacher night on a longhorn. It was really neat! Brenna LOVED it.



Ella had her meet the teacher night last Friday. It was an unqualified disaster. Ella has been very anxious about starting school, so meet the teacher was not a fun, exciting event for our family. She was pretty good in her teacher's classroom. Her teacher this year is Mrs. Webster. I keep hearing from everyone that she is a wonderful teacher, so I am so excited that we have her. Her first impression was certainly positive! When we met her she hugged Ella and said, "I've been writing your name on so many things, and every time I write your name I wonder, 'What kind of person is Ella going to be?'"

I tried to get Ella's picture in her desk, but she would not sit down in her chair. She kept insisting, "I do NOT want my picture taken." She didn't really interact with anyone. I tried to introduce her to the girl that was going to share her desk space, but Ella played shy. There desks are arranged in fours with two boys and two girls in each configuration.



Mrs. Webster gave us a bunch of papers to take home. One was to write a letter to the kids on their first day.

Each classroom has a sister classroom. There is a big open space that they classrooms share, but that can also be closed off by big glass doors so that the noise of the other classroom doesn't disturb the kids.



Brenna was more than happy to pose for pictures.



Ella was just standing around at one point so I snapped her picture.



She screamed at me, "I DID NOT WANT MY PICTURE TAKEN!" The evening went down hill from there! She and I had a nice discussion about being rude, but it apparently didn't sink into her head. We went to the art room, the music room, the library and the gym. Ella had several loud versions of "This is boring," or, "I'm NOT going to school," or "I want to go HOME," that she continuously repeated to the various teachers she met throughout the night. It was humilating. We ended up leaving, and Ella spent the entire evening in her room coming out only to eat her dinner and then promptly being sent to bed at 7:00 PM.

Meet the teacher made our entire house very anxious about the first day of school. Scott and I really want her to feel excited about starting school. Her resistance makes for a high level of stress to say the least.

Brenna! Such Language!

"Bastard, no-no!"
"Bastard, don't chew dat!"
"Don't wick me, Bastard!"
"Nigh-nigh, Bastard. I say, 'Nigh-nigh, Bastard.'"

Grandma and Granddad have a new dog named Baxter. "Bastard" and Brenna created lots of laughs all week as they played together. Oh the innocence of childhood.

Competitive Nature? Me? NO!!!

Ella played t-ball this year for the first time. I have to say that she has not been that thrilled with the game. She has fun once she's playing, but it has been a struggle at times to get her to want to play.

We have had wonderful coaches. They are just the right balance between pushing them to do their best and still remembering that these are 5 and 6 year olds. It's now the end of the season and I am OVER IT! We finished our last game, and had play-offs left. I will (shamefully) admit that I was thrilled yesterday when our game was canceled due to rain. No argument from the Griffin camp. WOO HOO! A night of freedom. The game was rescheduled for tonight.

Grumble, grumble, complain under my breath. I told Ella she had to play her very best because this was the play-offs. So I put on my best cheerful face, but admitted to more than one person that I really hoped we would lose so the season would be over.

Cue the crack of the bat. Cue the competitive nature lying in wait inside of me. Next thing I know, I am the crazy mom cheering and whooping and hollering at every good play our team made. The beast inside me is screaming RIP EM! TEAR EM! BEAT EM BAD! :)

We had an amazing game tonight. You never would have guessed those were the small fries out there playing! Our third baseman, Annabelle, completely figured out her job tonight. She tagged out FIVE runners during the game. One inning she had all 3 outs to her individual credit.

As the final runner came up to bat the foe's coach said, "OK. Here is the situation. We already have two outs against us, and we HAVE to get a run to stay in this." The batter lined up the bat. He took a practice swing and then hit the ball for all he was worth. Our team caught the ball at third, threw it all the way across the field to first, where our first baseman caught the ball in a catch worthy of the pros, tagged the base and got the runner out! THREE OUTS! WE WIN!!!!!! The entire bleachers rose as one screaming with joy. The coach jumped at least three feet into the air, ran onto the field and picked up the kid who made the throw in celebration. The third baseman was awarded the game ball, and Ella was ecstatic...until she realized it meant the season wasn't over.

I am very proud of Ella. She has played every single game this season. She kept her committment to her team. She played with a good attitude almost all the time, and she improved tremendously this season. She's even a bit excited about the next game.

At the end of the week when I am once again completely over t-ball, please remind me that the competitive beast simply lies dormant for the time being but will break free as soon as she hears the crack of the bat.

Feeding the Ducks

We went to feed the ducks this weekend. The girls loved it! Brenna kept screaming "HI DUCK!" and Ella kept trying to feed the mama ducks. Ella didn't like it that the drakes would steal all the bread from the hens.

Brenna's New Pasttime

So much for doing a better job of posting on my blog. Well, here we go again...yet another commitment. Seriously, I will try.

Brenna has a favorite new activity.



She's very proud of herself. :)


I find myself wondering what on earth could be so fascinating about tearing the paper from a crayon? I have a friend who's toddler can remove the paper all in one piece. Now that is a fascinating habit. Brenna, on the other hand, simply rips the paper off in minute pieces that I have to rely on the incredible power of the Dyson to extract from the carpet. However, it keeps her quiet and busy for long stretches of time so I'm not complaining...much.

Older and Wiser?

Not so much...

At the age of five, I thought there was no way she would do it. I thought for sure we had escaped this particular "rite of passage" at least with Ella. I thought she wanted long hair enough to NOT cut it herself. Oh how wrong a parent can be about things.

It doesn't look too bad from the front:


It is much more obvious from the sides:




Ella was down the street playing with our neighbors, and they all got into the scissors. I've been sick all week, and I was laying down for a nap while Ella was down there. She came home to wake me up and ask, "Does my hair look different?" I was quite irritated that she woke me up to ask about her hair that looked exactly the same. I was quite a bit more irritated when I realized that it did indeed look quite different! Scott has taken her to the hair salon to get it fixed. I'll post her new haircut as soon as I have the pictures.

The silver lining is that I've been wanting to get her hair cut for months. She wanted it long. I wanted it short. I was letting her grow it out since it is her hair. Natural consequences being what they are, I'm getting my way now.

Here's the new do:


And a side view of the side that was the worst:

Holy Snowflakes, Batman!

Who would have thought that on March 6, we would have a blizzard in Texas, especially when yesterday we were outside playing in beautiful sunshine without jackets? We certainly were surprised to see the amount of snow we got today. We got around 6 inches of snow! Driving was rather treacherous even though we got home before it was too bad.

Here's some pictures of it all...

Here's the backyard about halfway through the snow.


Ella and Bailey after it had stopped snowing.


Brenna was thoroughly unimpressed with the snow...


...unless she was being held.


Ella making snow angels.

Baseball Ready

Ella had her first t-ball practice this evening. She is the only girl on a team with 11 boys. That threw her for a loop in the beginning. She was pretty timid starting off. She has never played ball AT ALL before, but luckily several of the boys have never played either. The coaches asked if everyone knew where first base was, and all the boys scream YES! She just sat there like a deer in the headlights. I finally spoke up and said, "She isn't going to say it, but no she doesn't know." It turns out that about half the boys didn't know either they just screamed yes because the other boys screamed yes. They had a really good first practice. The dads tossed balls for them to try to catch and throw back. Only one little boy can do it--it's his third year. He is really good. Then they practiced stopping grounders. This was when Ella started showing a lot of insecurity. At one point she looked over at me and Scott and looked really upset. I started going out to her to see what was wrong, but the coach saw too. He also started out to her, so I stopped. I figure it's better to let the coach have a chance to work with her than for Mommy to come to her rescue. I have no idea what he said to her, but it worked. She perked right up and started really hustling. Then they all ran the bases. Ella volunteered to try first. By the end of practice, she had learned that she had to touch the bases with her foot before going to the next one. Several of the boys didn't catch on, so I was quite proud of her. I will admit that I am a bit worried how it is going to be for her to be the only girl on the team. Tonight I felt like the coaches did a really good job of treating her the same, so things are off to a good start. She also learned how to stand "baseball ready."

Tonight when we got home she gets into position. The conversation went like this:
Ella: What is this called?
Mom: Baseball ready.
Ella: Yeah, baseball ready, but sometimes it's just called bending over.

ohmygosh! I laughed so hard I cried...literally had to wipe the tears off my cheeks...cried. I love that kid!

Brenna Cute-isms

Brenna has incorporated a few things into her vocabulary that are adorable! She has figured out that "beep" means you are in the way. If something is in her way, she immediately says, "Beep. Beep. Beep." If the thing that is in her way happens to be me she starts screaming fairly quickly. "BEEP! BEEP!" She particularly loves to play this game when I'm cooking, and she will pry herself between my legs and the cabinet and push against me with all her might screaming "beep" at the top of her lungs. This particular thing is either cute as can be or highly annoying depending on the circumstances--she mostly does it in a cute way, thank goodness.

The second thing she does is honk. Scott has a John Wayne figurine that Brenna can reach. She walks up to John, squeezes his nose and says, "honk." It is soooo funny because she thinks it is hilarious! I wish I could catch a picture of it.

Flower Girl Dress

Ella is going to be the flower girl in Lane and Casey's wedding (my brother and his fiancee) in three weeks. We got her flower girl dress altered. She looks so cute. I'll have more pictures to post after the wedding of course, but here's what the dress looks like.

The Japanese Gardens

We went to the Japanese Gardens with my good friend AnnaLisa and her daughter Megan. AnnaLisa and I have been friends since the first day of high school. Our daughters are now fast friends. Megan is 4 months older than Brenna, but all three girls get along incredibly well together. Just the other day Brenna was running around our house screaming, "Megan? Wha are ou Megan? MEGAN!" And Megan has been known to repeat "Ella-Brenna, Ella-Brenna" for minutes at a time. It is great fun watching our girls play together, but I digress. We took the girls to the Japanese Gardens, and I got some nice pictures of the girls.

Brenna watching a squirrel.


Ella trying to avoid having her picture taken by not looking at me. Funny that it turned out so well.


Megan had been playing with the bushes.



Not the most attractive picture of Brenna, but check out the size of those coi! They were very fun to feed. The kids loved it!

Our Little Consumer

Wheezer gave the girls gift cards to Toys R Us for Valentines day this year. We went tonight so the girls could each pick out their gift. Brenna has the role of consumer down pat. She would run around the store, point and yell, "I wan dat!!! I wan dat! OHHHHHH! Wook at dat! Mommy, wook at dat." She carried a "purse" around for quite a while. It was actually a carrying case with bath tub blocks in it, but to her it was a purse, and she wore a pair of rabbit ears on her head almost the entire time. She would cry when we took them off her head. Eventually, Brenna decided on a doll that has a zip, snap, button, buckle and tie. She is really learning these skills lately, so it was the perfect find.

Ella found a stuffed unicorn as soon as we walked into the door. We showed her every other aisle in the joint trying to persuade her that a toy other than a stuffed animal would be a better choice. We have about 1,263,987 stuffed animals. The only other thing she wanted at all was a Hannah Montana wig. A stuffed animal was bad enough, but the wig? No. I do NOT think so. Those things get matted and gross within thirty minutes of coming out of the package.

Note to the grandparents: This is not a good gift idea. The wig will find its way to the trash rather quickly. I promise.