May 22

Carl and I had an amazing time in Scotland. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. We had incredibly good weather. It was often cold and windy, but also sunny. For our hike on Skye it was so warm and sunny we got sunburned! In Edinburgh we walked the Royal Mile so many times we lost count. Everything on the home front went smoothly and we are so grateful to everyone who made our trip possible, most especially Sonia and Grandma and Grandpa.

While we were away the girls attended a princess-themed birthday party. There were several dresses and costumes available, to Amy’s delight. Sarah wasn’t really interested in any of them. Then she saw a baseball hat and happily donned that as her costume.  At another point in the party she was wanting food and not wanting to wait or do other things. She sat at a counter and said, “I am not a happy pig.” Yay for Mo Willems for providing the line. Yay for Sarah for choosing it!

One night this week when it was time to get ready for bed, Sarah opened the toothpaste by herself by unscrewing the lid. It is a flip-top lid that can even be challenging for grown-ups so we always open it for the kids. I love that Sarah figured out a new solution all by herself.

Carl visited the Catholic school that I mentioned in my last update. He liked it as much as I did so now we are all set for Sarah’s school for next year. I told the public school to stop everything that was in process for Sarah and I will fill out the paperwork for the Catholic school. I am so excited and relieved to have found a place that feels so right. Did I mention that she will be a first grader? One of my concerns if she was to attend public school was that they would put her in a grade that matched her age rather than her developmental age. First grade is perfect. It is exactly what I wanted. Finding this school cements my love for Sarah’s current school even more since it was the current preschool assistant who gave us the information, even though that assistant hasn’t had Sarah as a student and she and I haven’t even met. I feel very well cared for by life.

Reentry into daily life has felt a bit rough this week with jet lag and attempting to catch up on everything. Reentry is always this way and I am surprised by my struggles each time. I feel slow and ponderous, whiney, grumpy, and stern. I have also had many snuggly easy times, but they haven’t been the salient feature of my week. Time to focus on them more and on the grumpy times less.

Yesterday Carl taught the girls to hammer nails. It was super adorable. Earlier in the week Amy was singing about her clothing color choices and Carl joined in by singing about his clothing color choices. There are so many parenting moments that he does so beautifully that they seem like works of art. I feel so blessed to have him. I am also so blessed by Sarah’s spunky, cheeky light and by Amy’s overflowing love.