Second Grade: The First Two Weeks

The first two weeks of second grade went very smoothly. For our family, this was the most seamless transition to a new school year we’ve experienced so far. I can definitely tell a difference in Paige’s confidence going to school, and that certainly has made it easier.

She likes her teacher and she already knew some of her classmates, and after two previous years there, she knows the school: she knows where to go and what to do and who to ask if she has questions. She was excited to see the same librarian and art teacher from last year, and that they remembered her.

First day of second grade!

Eli is riding with us in the mornings again, but this week he had to be at school early to work at the school store. Two years ago, dropping Paige off by herself would’ve been a major ordeal. Even a year ago, she would’ve been nervous. But this time, the sixth-graders who man the drop-off area opened her door, she unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped out, grabbing her backpack on the way. Easy-peasy. And it struck me — again — just how BIG she is these days.

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Paige’s teacher, Ms. S, is pretty new; this is her fourth year of teaching. Paige likes her a lot so far. Ms. S told us at orientation that they will be learn multiplication later this year, and I can tell she’s already immersed them quickly in math skills, both reviewing skills they know and adding new ones (like adding by 100).

Outside her classroom

Paige also was very excited to learn that they will work on their “own” computers in the classroom — “no one else will use that computer except me!” she told me proudly. We had to get headphones as part of the supply list for the computer use, and Paige chose pink ones.

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At the end of this third week, we have a mini vacation planned. Paige is very much looking forward to it, as am I, and I’m grateful she’ll have the extra day in a three-day weekend.

The routine of the school year has once again shown us how very important Sleep is to our child. She is asleep by 8:15 every night, and every morning, I wake her from a deep slumber at 6:50. I can tell she works hard, plays hard and is engaged during her school day, and it exhausts her.

Ensuring she is well-rested has always been important to us — at first, for our own sanity and restedness when I returned to work after she was born, but since then because we can see the behavior change that happens when she isn’t well-rested. And we want to give her all the tools we can to help her succeed at school.

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The school year is off to a good start, and for that, I am thankful!

Letter to a Second-Grader

Dear Paige,

Tomorrow you will begin second grade. Just a short while ago, you went to sleep. Before I left your room, you told me you are "a little nervous, but not a lot."

You have new sneakers, new pencils, notebooks, crayons, glue sticks, and even a new set of headphones (pink, of course). Your lunch is packed (pizza rolls, strawberries, grape tomatoes & a granola bar). Tonight, you took a shower and chose the clothes you want to wear in the morning (a flowered skort & a bright pink shirt). We painted your fingernails (blue, with purple sparkles).

You are ready, my Babylove.

You spent last week telling me you aren't ready for summer to end, that you aren't quite ready for second grade. But I know that you are. You are more adaptable than you know, which of course is the case for every person. Humans survive by adapting to their circumstances, good and bad. You will learn that more and more as you grow.

To a parent, it seems like growth sometimes happens overnight. Of course it doesn't, but the tiny moments of growth and learning all seem to come to a head when a new school year is beginning. It dawns on us parents that another summer has gone by in a flash, bringing us one season closer to the one we may dread, the one I imagine is the most bittersweet and emotional of all: the season we drop you at college and say goodbye permanently to your childhood.

Second grade isn't close to that season yet, but it is one more brick in the wall, one more hop on the sidewalk, one more chapter that will lead you to adulthood.

You are ready, my love. You are ready for second grade.

Love,
Mommy

Summer Activities

This summer, Paige has again spent most days with her Nana while Scott and I work.

She took part in a weeklong tennis camp, she and her friend Kaitlin went to Camp Invention for a week, and she had a week of swim lessons.

Tennis camp

Two days each week, Becky takes workout classes at a local gym, and Paige gets to go to "Kids Zone" at the gym, where she gets to play with other kids and play Wii.

She and Becky have gone to activities at our library, which has a lot of events planned each summer, and she's had many playdates with Kaitlin and a new friend named Emma who lives near Becky.

Baking with Erin at "Camp Nana"

Paige and Becky have taken to calling her summer days there, "Camp Nana," which cracks me up.

I often feel mom-guilt when I drop Paige off; I wish my schedule was more flexible for these summer days. But Scott and I know how lucky we are that Paige is with her Nana each day, and she enjoys it greatly.

Lemonade Stand

Paige has talked about having a neighborhood lemonade stand off and on for a while, but she recently got the idea from some older kids at our church to host a lemonade stand and donate the profits to the local Humane Society.

She easily got our animal-loving neighbors Ella and Livia to participate too, and on a recent Saturday morning, we hosted a little neighborhood lemonade stand for donations.

Paige was insistent that we make "Ree's lemonade," which we had seen on an episode of "Pioneer Woman" long ago. We made it last summer, in a small batch just for us. But this time we squeezed an entire bag of lemons (Paige squeezed most of them) to make a mega batch.

She squeezed the lemons Friday night and I made the simple syrup, then the girls mixed it all together Saturday morning. (I also had some powdered mix on hand in case we needed to make a quick refill!)

I picked up some brownie bites from the supermarket, and Scott and I and Ella's and Livia's parents all announced the lemonade stand on our Facebook pages. We didn't charge a specific amount but instead accepted donations.

The girls were pretty good salespeople; we had a couple of drive- or walk-by customers, but the majority were family and friends.

They raised $160.66! The next weekend, we delivered it to the Humane Society, where they got a little tour and got to play with some cats.

Fourth of July 2016

Fourth of July this year was great because we got to enjoy time in my hometown AND we got to enjoy the holiday fun in our neighborhood.

We went to my parents' after work on Friday, and came home Monday morning. Paige got to spend a lot of time in the pool at my mom's and my grandparents', and she had a good amount of time with Luke and Nash.

We also got to enjoy the fireworks show in my hometown.

As usual, she wasn't ready to leave. She always tells us that she wants to move there, and I try to tell her that it wouldn't be a party all the time — responsibilities follow you wherever you live, ha.

Once we got home Monday, we grilled out with the neighborhood and enjoyed fireworks.

The weather was ideal all weekend, and we took full advantage of the three-day weekend.

Happy Independence Day!

Date Night

Scott and I had an overnight date night recently, thanks again to the Dave Matthews Band.

We determined this was our 10th show together, and my 11th overall. Scott has seen them probably a dozen more times than me, way back when they were still fairly unknown.

That day, Becky picked Paige up from school, and Scott and I both left work a little bit early to drive a couple of hours to check into our hotel and see the band. We are even members of the Dave Matthews Band fan club, The Warehouse, and this time that gave us the best seats we have ever had for one of their shows. Just just seven rows from the floor, and we were on the side where the band walked in to get on stage.

We had car trouble on the way there, but luckily Scott's dad rescued us. So we were still able to get to the show on time, but we did not have as much time to hang out before hand. (Short version: Car overheated after history of nothing wrong with it; after having it checked out the next week and having recent hail damage anyway, we opted with a new SUV.)

After the show, we walked back to our hotel, stopping at a Irish pub that was in between the venue and the hotel for a midnight snack. We got to the room a little after 12.

The next morning, we met our friend Peppas for breakfast and then we drove home. Scott went into work for a couple of hours, and I got a pedicure before picking up Paige at school.

We don't make time for very many date nights these days, but overnight ones that involve a Dave Matthews show are definitely my favorite. And with my favorite guy.

First Concert

Since Paige was probably 3 years old, we have been listeners of Kids Place Live, a station on SiriusXM.

The idea of kids radio sounds awful (Kidz Bop anyone?), but Kids Place Live plays a good mix of songs from children's movies, retro music, folksy kids songs and "real" songs from bands like the Beatles. One band that Scott and I have grown to enjoy as well as Paige is the Okee Dokee Brothers. They play catchy, acoustic stuff, and Scott had declared awhile ago that they are his favorite band on Kids Place Live.

That made it a no-brainer that we decided to get tickets to see them perform when they announced a nearby tour date. And so the Okee Dokee Brothers show became Paige's first concert — and she got to meet them afterward!

The show was a hand-clapping, toe-tapping good time, and we all enjoyed it. Paige got to see a variety of instruments played live, and the band performed a song in Spanish as well. Our seats were only five or six rows from the stage, so we also had a good vantage point.

We also took Paige to a local build-a-burrito place for dinner. It was a great family evening. Baby's first concert!