So far so good

We live in a town where the taxes are high, but the benefit from those taxes are thankfully evident. WA's school is a perfect example. The school is beautiful, almost like a college campus with brick buildings, courtyards and many trees. Each class has a smart board, they are involved in a pilot program where they will be learning Mandarin Chinese and the facilities are beyond expectation The teachers, mostly women, all seem to be young (and hot, what's up with that?!?). Today we had his first grade orientation.

Will in his class

We met his teacher and some of the kids in his class. We walked around the school and found the library, cafeteria and music room.

The library (I want to live there, it's so cool!)

 Performance space in the loft of the library

 View of the library from the loft

I signed up for the PTO (yes, I believe I am certifiably crazy). WA's favorite part was the handprints of recent students that line the hallways. He has already decided he wants his handprint in yellow.

Handprints

Monday is his first official day, and his first official ride on the bus. He seems slightly anxious, but mostly excited. Me? Tears haven't flowed yet, but I'm not promising anything when I see his little face through the bus window as they drive down the street Monday a.m.!

Hallucinations

Last night I was up half the night convincing WA that there were not finger sized Rolly Polly bugs crawling on his bed. At first I thought it was a lingering nightmare/dream and after about 15 minutes of him whimpering and refusing to lay down I realized that he actually believed he was seeing them. He was terrified. He thought that he felt them crawling on his legs and toes. I have never seen him more frightened at night. I ended up laying down with him and got him calm enough that exhaustion finally took over. This morning I googled more about his most recent medication and nighttime hallucinations have been reported in some cases. Needless to say I'm stopping this med immediately. I can't say we are having an easy time finding the right mix for my poor boy. I hope we hit a good combination soon, because this kind of sucks.

Cape Cod '12

In mid-August we snuck away for a week and headed to Cape Cod. I love to travel and would travel much more often if I could. But as tends to happen at this stage of life, it's often put on the way, way backburner. So it was nice to pack up for a getaway.  Here's the kicker....NONE of my family travels well. The kids don't sleep, they nag at each other and get me up too early (which, needless to say, sucks). My hubby gets grouchy and very anxious any time we fly. It can all be sort of hellish at times. We had a bit of bad traveler syndrome this time around, but mostly it was fun.

My aunt and rad cousin both have campers on the Cape and we ended up renting a modest cabin right next to my cousin's camper in Falmouth. It was a kid free-for-all and they all had a great time running back and forth between the two places. The kids ranged from newborn to 8 years old, but they all played well together. The cabin was located about 300 yards from a lake and the campground had a pool and playground for the kids. All nice and normal for a vacation on the Cape. Here's what was abnormal...I actually had moments where I felt completely relaxed. I don't think that's happened in the 6 years since I started traveling with my kids. I don't know if it was their ages or the fact that there was lots of family around, but it was such a nice feeling.

Here are a few of my favorite pics....

 IA and her cousin Brie

 The kids and I making S'mores

My beautiful niece Kate

 GAP, IA, Kate and Brie

WA, IA and I at Niagara Falls (we stopped on the way back)

Cowboy Rockstar

When parenting a 3 year old, it's all about the little wins. The unexpected moments that make you smile and cause the love to swell from the inside. This morning IA got herself dressed. She looked soooo darn cute that I had to share.

This is what she coined her "cowboy rockstar" look. Honestly the pictures don't do it justice, but the cute memory will stay with me for a long time.

Ponytail, headband and hair clippy (which neeeever happens), faux leather pants, a Disney bracelet, topped off with pink (of coarse) cowboy boots.

Rock on IA.