Friend of my heart

Building and creating friendships...

It is a joy and sometimes a sorrow to watch Rhys and now Claudia navigate the friendship world. To see them make friends, see those friendships change, and then re-change. And he is only five years old!

It's a lesson we all have to learn -- sometimes we have a friend for a few months when we are in a particular situation or a few years or for our entire life (Dom, you are one lucky guy to be best friends still with your friends from 44 years ago!).
 
Watching it unfold with your children is precious and yet thorny...figuring out what to say, how to encourage, and when to back off and let your child navigate it on his and her own.

Claudia still likes to do whatever Rhys and his friends are doing. I am thankful for that!

Noodle Me

Swim lessons continue! We stayed away from T-Ball this year and Soccer lessons but have kept up the lessons. It is only a few blocks away and a good activity for Rhys - and now for Claudia as she moved to independent swim lessons this last term from Mom and Me freezing in the locker room.  Rhys continues to work on his strokes but might make it to  level 3 soon! Claudia's dislike of the swimming rules and putting on the life jacket might keep her in Beg. Preschool.

I might be becoming a swim mom, Sheila!

Another speed demon in the family...

Claudia's a natural -- and I am gaining more gray hairs by the day watching her life flit before my eyes!

Growing like weeds

Rhys and I have already done his Kindergarten readiness exam -- he was VERY excited to go but got a little nervous as we approached the school. He did great on his test and is all signed up for mid-August!

Kindergarten seems like a big step - but so did going to his daycare when he was 20 months old. Soon it will be overnight camp...and then a semester abroad.

And here is the Big Girl Bed!

She will show anyone and everyone her new bed, multiple times.

Goodbye Last Vestiges of Babyhood

I was a bit sad this morning as we said good-bye to Claudia's crib - the one we ordered and had delivered to our rented condo in Clayton and the one my mom helped put together (that said, she also had helped us put Rhys' together!)...but Claudia, she was VERY excited. Let's hope tonight goes well in her big girl bed!

Home Again!

During my last visit to Chicago for a surprise party for my friend Katy - we went down to Southport, where I used to live during my single, child-free days, to visit the new Athleta store.

While the street has changed a bit and looked less than at its best in the cold, dreary Chicago March -- I was pleased to see my favorite after work with Sheila and Laura wine place -- Coobah -- was still open, along with many other shops and restaurants.

It was great to be back! I love you Chicago!

Candy

The talk around town is that kids now receive more candy for Easter than Halloween. That might be the case for our two...we went on THREE Easter Egg Hunts...all these little plastic eggs filled with candy or cheap toys.

Fun...once, maybe twice, but three times might be a bit much.

Maybe I am being a bit of a Grinch... Or just having a sugar crash from all the cheap chocolates I too have consumed. I need a fresh Spring Start!

Egg Hunt Number 3 on Easter -- who can deny that smile?!

The sort - the most important part.