Our 5-year-old Teenager

School seems to be going great for Lainey. We get basically no information out of her in the evenings, but she's happy at pick-up and doesn't complain about going, so I assume all is going well.

One thing she has learned rather quickly over the past two weeks is a smart mouth. Now, I'm not saying she didn't already have a head start in the sarcasm department (I am her mother, after all), but she has really ramped it up. A few conversations had in the past week:

Nick: Lainey, will you get me a piece of paper?

L: Get it yourself. I'm not your maid.

Mark: Lainey, if you don't stop you have to get off the swings.

L: Like I care.

Me: Well, why didn't you sit with her at lunch?

L: She didn't interest me today.

Me: Do you want to do soccer?

L: No

Me: Why not?

L: It involves running. 

(Again, she really is my daughter. I'd also like to clarify that she does really love to run and is not a five-year-old couch potato.)

When I put in Monsters University, I got this reaction from her: (screaming) "I know why you put this on. It's because you HATE ME!!!" Then she ran to her room and slammed the door. When I had no reaction, because a) I was elbow deep in dish water and b) WTF?, she ran back downstairs and repeated herself, adding a double "you HATE me" for emphasis. I never really got to the bottom of that one, but we did establish that even though I had the audacity to turn on a Pixar movie that she used to love, I do, in fact, still love her very much. 

Finally, she has officially starting saying, "OMG," along with her favorite new phrase, "for real, Mom."

Looks like it's going to be a loooong 13 years ahead of us!

Class of 2029

She's ready!

Today was the big day--Lainey headed off for her first day of kindergarten! Mark and I were able to take off work to walk our girl to school.  All went smoothly with no tears by anyone! Lainey is lucky to have three friends in her class, so she was excited to see them and could have cared less as Mark and I walked out the door. I was happy, because even though our initial introduction to the school has been rather disorganized, things seemed to flow together just fine with minimal confusion. 

Looking up to big sister

Ready to take on the school!

Although Lainey will be attending after-school care at the YMCA, the original plan for today was to pick her up at school and skip the Y. But, because she has to be transported by bus to the program, I thought it better to give it a whirl today when I was just five minutes away in case anything went wrong in the chaos of the first day. But, my fears were unfounded, as everything went smoothly. When I went to pick-up Lainey at 4:30pm, she actually started crying, because "she didn't even get to play much and they were just getting ready for snack!" Oops. Guess, I really didn't have anything to worry about. To make it up to her, I took her and Nick for pre-dinner ice cream (and then the girl had the nerve to ask for a treat after dinner and when I said "no" she threw a fit, because I had "promised her" a treat for the first day. I was not amused.)

Meanwhile, over at Care-A-Lot, Nick did just fine without his big sis. So, again, I worried for nothing. I'm excited to see how he evolves this next year with a little more independence and a structure learning program.

Well, we're off an running...let's see what this next chapter brings!

First day ice cream

Tennis and Beyond

We were very lucky to be included in an incredible weekend in Wisconsin to celebrate our friend Jamie's 40th birthday. Our large crew descended on "Tennis and Beyond," a huge farmhouse situated on a beautiful, secluded two acres of land, for three days of fun and laughs.

I was little nervous going into the weekend, because we were a force of 15 adults and nine kids, ages one to seven. That's  A LOT of people! But, the house really did have an immense amount of room and the grounds allowed us to pretty much let the kids roam free. Everyone pitched in to set-up and clean-up meals, and the kids got along very well, so it ended up being one of the most relaxing weekends I've had in quite awhile. 

I think pictures tell the best story of the fun from the weekend, so scroll on and on below to see all the magic. It really was memorable and I'm so thankful we were able to be a part of it. Thank you so much to Jamie and Nicole, who made it all happen!

The house

The grounds

The crew

The kids

Nick's happiest moment...holding his frog

Milestone Birthdays

Happy 40th to this handsome guy!

We’ve celebrated some major milestone birthdays over the past two weekends.  Last weekend, we tore it up with our friends at the Emporium Logan Square to celebrate Mark’s crossing into his next decade of life. (And by “tore it up,” I mean drank beer, ate pizza, and screamed over music that “was too damn loud!”) It was a low-key affair for a low-key guy—no singing, no speeches, just all our friends in one spot. Mark was very happy and that is all that matters to me! But, I failed miserably at taking any pictures!!! I used to be the one who got all the snapshots to commemorate an event, but in recent years—when it’s easier than ever to have a camera at the ready—I’ve really fallen off my game. Luckily the birthday boy thought to at least get a shot of the two of us. 

The old guy and his much younger wife

Thursday was the official day and we celebrated Mark’s 40^th at home with tacos and rhubarb pie, which I let the kids help prepare—which took a lot of will on my part. I had to shove my hands in my pockets, while I let them have a go at crimping the edges and was beyond tempted to reshape it after they left the kitchen. But, I didn’t. And, yes, I want recognition and congratulations for this accomplishment.

But, it was made with love...

Saturday we loaded in the car and headed to “the heart of it all” (aka Ohio) to celebrate Sharon’s 70^th with a surprise party. We had a hiccup in our travels when, as we entered the Sky Bridge, the car jerked and the engine indicator light popped on. Not knowing what the issue was, we turned around and headed back home to switch cars, putting us almost 2 hours behind schedule. But, we made it to Greenville and, with Chris’s help, managed to get into our hotel room, change clothes, and get over to the party in time for the big surprise. And it was a BIG surprise—she had no clue! 

SURPRISE!

Sunday morning, we had breakfast with some of my cousins, whom we hadn’t seen for ages before jumping back in the car and headed home. Lots of driving, but well worth it for a very special lady!!!

We’ll just about be getting settled in from this weekend, when it will be time to pack again and head to Lake Geneva for our final trip of the summer!

Do you want to draw a snowman?

Yesterday morning, I was greeted at the bottom of the stairs by a bright and perky Lainey, who asked, "Mommy, would you enjoy drawing a snowman with us?" I was a little confused at first, a) by the formal wording of her invitation b) because it's August c) it was 6:30am. But, sure enough, Lainey had set-up four chairs around her art table and placed blank pieces of paper in front of each. And so, the four of us sat together and started our weekend by drawing snowmen. No bouncy houses, no water slides, no sugary treats--just us, our markers, and smiles--a breather and moment to connect amidst the melee of our busy world. For once the time didn't go "whoosh" past us.  It was such a simple activity, but I want to remember it always. Thanks, Lainey! I would enjoy drawing a snowman with you anytime!

The Next Chapter is Upon Us

After our trip the Dells, it was hurry back to Chicago to attend an informal gathering at the school's playground for incoming Kindergartners. We weren't sure how it was going to go, because Lainey was overly tired and was feeling super shy. Mark held her outside the gate, while she looked in on the bustle of children running and jumping. And then magic happened...little Lucas from her daycare ran over, threw his arms wide, and yelled, "Lainey! Come give me a hug!" Lainey beamed and scrambled from her dad's arms into Lucas's. With the confidence of a friend by her side, Lainey joined the fray and eventually allowed me to walk her over and introduce her to her teacher, Ms. Stankus (who Lucas also has--YAY!).

The school was unlocked to allow bathroom access, so as the play winded down outside, we decided to take Lainey in for a mini tour. Watching her walk down that wide, shiny hall, lined with lockers, I got a huge lump in the throat--which surprised me. I didn't expect to get overly emotional about the start of school. After all, Lainey has gone to all-day daycare since she was 12 weeks old. We're used to the separation. No big deal, right? But, daycare is small; the school is big. There's less than 40 kids total at daycare; Lainey will have 25 kids just in her classroom this year and the school has grades K-8. Watching her skip down the hall, the girl, who is usually "so big for her age," seemed so very tiny to me. Certainly not old enough to navigate the busy and choppy waters of this school! But, the time has come--and it is both exciting and terrifying to think of what this next year will bring. A new teacher, new environment, new rules, new things to learn, and new friends, which will bring all new social drama (and trauma) and joy and heartbreak and pride and embarrassment and success and failure. That's a lot for a parent 5-year-old to navigate!

Thank goodness we have such a brave girl, because I'm going to need her to hold my hand and tell me everything will be alright...

Let's do this, kid!

Elaine Rae Brandi - Age 5
photo credit: Ford Photography

Splash!!!

Well, hey there, Thursday--why'd you go and steal Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday?  I know I sound like a broken record talking about how fast the days are flying by, but time feels like it's simply disappearing right now. I could swear we just got home from the Wisconsin Dells a few hours ago...

Speaking of...we had a blast with our great pals the O'Gradys this past weekend during a quick getaway to the Dells.  Nick took a bit to warm up to things at the water park, but managed to amuse himself for quite sometime by just rolling himself up in one of the mats meant for a water slide. The kids ended up finding their groove in the wave pool and that's where we spent the majority of the afternoon, before hitting some of the amusement park rides. Lainey refused to ride the roller coaster, which was a bummer because she loved them so much at Disney before she got over-confident and rode Expedition Everest. But, while coasters may no longer be her thing, she totally rocked the go-carts! I gotta' say, I was pretty impressed watching her zoom around the track. We had some yummy pizza and video games that evening before plopping the kids in front of a movie, so the grown-ups could drink a few beers and catch-up. After a yummy breakfast Sunday morning it was back to Chicago! Super fast...super fun!

Thanks for making some great memories with us, O'Gradys!

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