Odds and Ends

• Who in the public school system decided that a soft pretzel and cheese dip is a good idea to serve as an ENTREE to our children?  Seriously.  (FYI:  Elle will be bringing her lunch that day.)
• My friend Aimee is blogging.  And she’s such a gifted writer, you must check her out.
• Elle came home super excited on Thursday because her class got “THREE RECESSES!”  I asked why they received the extra recess, assuming they had earned it for good behavior.  Nope.  H threw up in the classroom.  H,you know, the kid that sits directly across from her at their table.  Lovely.  And so it begins.
• My husband is a saint, people.  I am going out of town on 2 separate girls only trips on back to back weekends in October.  You would think that if I could convince him to solo parent 7 days then I would be able to sweet talk him into a new blog header.  Wrong.
• Elle & Paisley are participating in a charity fashion show later this week.  People, this is going to be epic.  One of Elle’s favorite things to pretend is she is a model on Project Runway.  She has the model walk perfected.  I promise to have the camera ready and the video camera fully charged.

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Good Different

I’m officially a week late for sharing Paisley’s birthday BUT that’s early compared to her first birthday that never got mentioned.  Mother of the year.

I have decided that Paisley is a mystery to me.  She and I are so different.  In fact, I feel like she is so different from everyone in our house.  I love it, but at the same time she is going to take a lot of work.  Most of that work is just going to be mental as I’m trying to figure her out.

Joe, Elle & I are very independent people. We’re completely happy to be solitary, Paisley however needs to be with someone at all times.  But more than that, she needs to be touching someone at all times.  If I’m sitting she needs to be ON TOP OF ME.  I could be sitting here typing away on my laptop and she walks up to me and requests my lap.  Clearly my lap is occupied, this does not stop her.  And 95% of the time my coveted lap becomes her space.  In fact, she likes human contact so much that is will walk up to complete strangers at church and raise her arms asking to be held.  Now, once she in their arms she won’t even acknowledge their existence, she won’t even give them a smile.  It’s kinda funny.

She is sensitive and I…well, I’m not.  For years Joe has claimed that I “have no soul”.  It kinda stings, but he’s right.  I am just not overly emotional and in-turn I don’t have a lot of patience for overly sensitive people.  I have a feeling like God made Pais this way on purpose.  I may need her to soften me a bit.  We have noticed that she is going to take a whole different type of disciplining than Elle.  Pais fights to hold back tears if you simply give her a stern look.

Everyday with her I realize that God gave her to us to help better us.  She is helping to make us better people and I couldn’t image our family without her.

Pai Rae

This little girl has had her little world rocked this week…and she doesn’t quite know what to do with herself.  She cried the whole way this morning to her babysitter’s house because she wanted Elle to be with us.  Then when we got to her beloved Ms Laurie’s house, there were other kids there.  This had not been the case all summer.  So not only was her side-kick gone, but she had to share the attention of the baby sitter she adores.

Laurie said she was a mess all day.  The whole drive home from Laurie’s she laid her head of the side of her car seat.  I’m fairly certain you could hear my heart tear in two.

There is something powerful about being sisters.  Watch my siblings, I think the same is true about 2 brothers.  I was the only girl in my house so I didn’t ever have the sister bond…and from my vantage point right now, I missed out.

I pray she adjusts to this new routine quickly.  Not sure my heart can take it for very long.  Elle told me tonight that she’ll be happy soon because her birthday is coming and presents make everyone happy.  Let’s hope that Paisley shares Elle love language of gifts!

Kindergarten

Hi, my name is Kelli.  Nice you meet you blog world.  Sheesh.  It’s obvious that blogging has not been my biggest priority the past…year.  Maybe 2.  There was a point in time when my day revolved around the blog post I was writing in my head.  About the time Miss Paisley arrived I also started taking on more responsibilities and hours at work. (By the way, who does that!?  Only  me I think.)  The blog quickly went to the bottom of my priority list.  I mean, I hardly had time or energy to feed my children.  It wasn’t pretty.

But now milestones are starting to happen & I miss documenting it.  Honestly, I have gotten really crummy at taking pictures on something besides my cell phone.  It’s time to get my act together…for both myself & my girls.

Speaking of milestones.  Today was a doozy.  A milestone that every mom dreads.  Today Elle started Kindergarten.  She literally got on a school bus with 40(ish) children that she had never met.  Was she nervous?  Elle doesn’t even know what nervous feels like.  She marched right up those enormous steps, found an empty seat next to a boy, and immediately started talking.  The child didn’t even look out the window as they pulled away for her momma!  (Do I sound bitter?)

Paisley wasn’t a fan of Elle going to school this morning.  She whimpered a bit & pointed to the bus.  It was sweet!  And honestly, it was good because I was too distracted by her to let myself get emotional.  Besides I got a little emotional last night while talking to Joe so I didn’t need to do it again.  The whole emotion of her growing so quickly, paired with the thought that she is going to have a whole little world at school that I’m not part of…whew…it got to me.

I am so thankful that God made her to be the brave, independent, bold little lady that she is.  I don’t have to worry one bit about her blending into the background and being overlooked.  She’ll never be lonely.  She’ll shine and be in the center of the action (in both good and bad ways, I’m sure).

Let’s quickly take a walk down memory lane:

Preschool year 1

Preschool year 2

Kindergarten

Ok…so help me out by doing 2 things.

1 – Leave me a comment.  Blogging is much for fun when you have comments.  Your feel like you’re not just writing to no one.  More comments means higher chance I’ll blog often.

2 – Bomb Joe’s facebook page with requests for a new blog header.  Poor Paisley turns TWO this week!