Status Quo

Our blog posts have sure been few and far between lately. That got me thinking this morning about why exactly I haven't been writing much. I finally came to the conclusion that there isn't necessarily much to blog about. And I think that's a good thing for right now.

We have quickly settled back into the school year routine. This year has proven much different so far. McKenna now happily sets her Hello Kitty alarm each night and on most mornings gets out of bed without any prompting. She has mastered getting herself dressed, brushing her hair and teeth and getting her shoes on by herself. Sometimes this occurs before I am even out of bed. And instead of dwelling on the fact that she no longer needs me for these things, I have decided to embrace this new phase !

First grade has been a welcome change for McKenna. She is excited every day to get to school. We don't hear moaning about how boring it is or how she has to do "stupid pre-school papers." However, we have already heard that she is "nervous about her math test." The next 11 years may be more painful that initially anticipated.
McKenna's current favorite part of first grade is the new class hamster, Goldie. The kids had to earn her and they did so quickly. They have used library and computer lab time to research types of hamsters, their diet, their habitat, etc. We are all (especially Cooper) counting the days until we get to meet Goldie in person at 1st grade open house.

Speaking of meeting people...we are also excited to meet McKenna's teacher, Mrs. Matukaitis. We have heard nothing but wonderful things about her from other people in the community. And, get this, she keeps a blog of sorts about what the kids are doing in school. How could you not love her?? Imagine my elation when she sent home the web address. Mrs. Matukaitis even called our house last night. Initially we were a bit panicked when her name showed up on our caller ID. But she didn't miss a beat before telling us that "nothing is wrong." Apparently she wanted to call and tell us that she enjoys having McKenna in class and to tell us a few funny stories from McKenna's first few weeks of first grade. For example, McKenna told the teacher that we were allowing her to get a hamster for at home. When the teacher asked when she was getting the little rodent (oop's did I say that) - McKenna replied, "When I'm 18." That's my girl! Good thing she didn't say something like, "When hell freezes over."
Mrs. Matukaitis also wanted to apologize about the fact that the class goldfish (who recently met with an untimely death) was named Cooper. I guess McKenna didn't speak up and let anyone know that was also her brother's name until the fish was on his way down the great toilet bowl.

And while we're on the subject of Cooper we should mention that he is doing well. His transition to the Ladybug room has been nothing but positive. He definitely was ready for the change and the challenge. We are noticing him growing by leaps and bounds just in the past few weeks. Cooper and I are also enjoying our time at home together by spending time reading and cooking and playing trains. Each day when we drop McKenna off he asks what we are doing for the day and then says, "And do you need a little buddy?" He's too sweet. And way, way too funny. Who could turn down a little buddy like that?

And so, life is good. We continue to feel blessed with our children, our jobs and our family and friends. We are lucky to be finding a bit of balance lately; a little time to remember to stay present in each moment. My hunch is that it will be short lived as we have a full calendar for the month of October which launches us right into a trip to Disney and then the holidays. Whew! I'm tired already. Just one more reason we are enjoying these recent low key days and savoring every single mundane minute.