Highlights Reel.

We've been in the Kindergarten Trenches for a full month now. We are still adjusting, grown ups included. Our days start at 6am, which is about 45 minutes earlier than they used to begin. 45 minutes of lost sleep is a big deal at that hour when you're wrangling a little person who is still struggling with anxiety about an eight hour day of school. (Did I mention anxiety??)

She's making baby-step progress. Sometimes it is two steps forward and five back.

She loves her teacher.
We love her teacher.
I am able to help out in the classroom and computer lab twice a week.
Her head is exploding with new knowledge and lots of German words that she interjects into her conversations.

For five consecutive days, she was able to walk into school without wailing for all to hear. She had an incentive:

The much-coveted and cried about Panda Back Pack from Costco was her light at the end of the tunnel. Since getting this last week, her really awful crying at drop off has dwindled.

 Aunt Kay and Uncle Pete sent her a great package of new books and a panda bookmark to help start out her school year in proper form. We've been squeezing in Roz time whenever we can. It still feels so weird (sad) to not be seeing them twice a week. Like I said, the parents are adjusting to this new ball game, too.

 

 

 

There have been some impromptu meet ups with friends in the neighborhood as well, like meeting Piper, Oliver and Brooke at the neighborhood park last week.

Speaking of neighborhood, ours has been hopping lately. We had our annual block party bash and my moms' group rolled out vintage Old Orchard t-shirts...and sold out!!! Piper's daddy did the graphic design perfectly.

Larry's band added some music to the event.

 

Ella got to run wild in the streets with her girl, Piper. The rain and tornado sirens held off until 7:30 when we all had to make the mad dash home!

We helped out with United Way's Day of Caring, too. Yet another honorable mention to Piper's Daddy as he designed this wall. It. Is. Awesome.

Mama Heather and Mama Brooke on clean up duty (photo cred: Ella)

So awesome!!!

 

We are most proud of our own, however. Larry was asked to participate as a speaker in this year's TedX Conference. He spent hours and hours on this 15 minute talk about Americana music and Woody Guthrie. 

 

 I was able to take a vacation day from work and mom took over picking up Ella from school. It is such a cool event. We got to hang with friends as well and there were about a dozen hip moms from my neighborhood there as what turned out to be Larry's cheering section. It was so sweet.

Without me knowing it, this shot was captured of  me watching Larry on stage. For all of his work and rehearsing this talk, I never once heard it. That day was a surprise for me, just like everyone else. I was a nervous, giddy, proud girlfriend right here!

The cherry on top was the location of this year's event: my old high school auditorium. Since my time there, part of the school has been torn down and rebuilt in conjunction with the YMCA. Man, did it feel weird to be in and out of that main hallway for eight hours. What a perfect day.

It is possible that Ella has one of the coolest Dads in the region. I sure think so.

~H