Milestones

Lots of milestones this week....

• Maddie finished kindergarten
• Chelsea finished preschool
• Maddie can ride a two wheeler now
• Chelsea finally passed her swim lesson
• I'm officially on vacation
• In a week, Mike and I will have been married 10 years

Wow. Life is just passing by so quickly. Today Chelsea got a haircut. She wanted it shorter so we took a couple inches off. I suprised myself by tearing up as those golden locks fell to the floor. The hair that's been there since babyhood.....I collected a lock and held it. "Do you want to keep it?" my hairdresser asked. "Yes" I replied. She got me a bag and I stuffed it in my purse, embarassed by emotion. She looks so much older now....so grown up as she swings her new haircut back and forth.

Maddie is reacting to the end of kindergarten and the uncertainty of next year. She reacts by testing the boundaries...making sure they're still in place. Today was not a good day for that. She is such a good arguer that sometimes she stumps me and I fumble over words, surprised by the comebacks. She is hard to discipline. If I'm a hard liner she reacts with anger. I find it so difficult some days. Other times, she is wonderful and a pure joy to be with. She's so sensitive. My cousin and her son have been here for a few weeks from Georgia. After they left, Maddie sobbed and sobbed. Both Chelsea and I were surprised at the reaction! I'm so proud of her progress at school. Her report card says she is exceeding expectations in academic areas and is doing wonderfully socially too. She is a natural at language. She can read almost anything now. When our relationship gets like this, I know she needs more one on one time. She really craves affirmation. I think I'll make some time for just her this weekend.

One of my favourite things about being a parent is when my kids truly make me laugh. Sure, I laugh at their jokes and antics, but usually it's a bit forced. Today on the walk home from the park, they were showing me this weird disjointed thing they can do with their fingers. They were both holding their hands out showing me. Then Chelsea made her fishy face and Madeleine followed. You had to be there, but it was so funny to see their weird finger thing along with their fishy face. I laughed hard and renamed them "my mutant children".