I have so many adventures to share from the boy’s first nine weeks of kindergarden. We managed to walk every day to and from school which added up to a total of 45 miles! I think that is pretty cool. We survived everything from shoe malfunctions, you know when the shoe is not tight enough and too tight at the same time, to emergency potty breaks in the woods. Hilarious…now, at the time, not so much. The sweetness of two little buddies walking hand in hand into school was awesome to see. Their teachers said they hold hands when they walk down the hall together.
I had the privilege and joy of volunteering for both classrooms. How cool is it to watch lightbulbs come on with the excitement of learning. I was even able to create a FABULOUS new recipe, applesauce bread from the leftovers from Johnny Appleseed Day.
Along with all of these joys also came a lot of challenges. I will call them challenges and not ridiculously difficult situations. At first, I thought we escaped the anticipated kindergarden emotional surges. The boys came home and were simply delightful for the first couple days. And then…the roller coaster began. Big emotions plus being super tired resulted in lots of big time surges in feelings. I learned a lot from these little episodes. I learned that I could handle a lot more than I thought I could, I also learned that you absolutely cannot rationalize with a tired and emotional kindergardener and finally I learned that I am very glad that I did not have triplets.
The girls and I shared many adventures of our own at home! I remember saying to myself…now that the boys will be in school all day, I will have lots of time. Well, that was so far from the truth. The girls have amazingly strong personalities with lots of curiosity. I always have a little buddy following me around or climbing on something. I cannot do anything while they are awake. So, that means cramming in all of the household chores into a very small napping window.
Being the Mom of two sets of twins is a huge gift and I am grateful for them every day. Watching them grow and interact is amazing. The girls are learning so much from their brothers. Sometimes this is good and, well times this is not so good. Our house is very loud at times and the girls are learning that the best way to be heard is to get loud. How do you discipline a 2-year-old… how many times during the day do I say, “no-no.” Does anyone else get tired of hearing your own voice at the end of the day?
One of the most important things I have learned is to foster the connection that the boys have with the girls. I encourage them to “take care” of their sisters.
They typically do a great job. But, there are moments when emotions take over and life becomes a competition for attention or a toy or whatever is irritating them at that moment.
Life is a gift and my kids have helped me learn a lot of things about myself. I am honored to be their Mom and help them grow.
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