Daydreaming

My friend came to check on this blog recently, and of course I haven't written anything in ages.  I stopped trying because I was just running out of time.  It just hasn't been a priority.  I haven't forgotten it, though.  Here's a brief summary of our lives right now.

Karina is in Kindergarten and loves it.  Her teacher and assistant are amazing and wonderful and we just love her school.  The principal is great.  The school is all carpool--no buses--and the teachers and staff are always smiling and waving and happy, whether it's sunny and hot, raining, or 26 degrees out.  Her school has a focus on technology, engineering, design, and science & math, so they do design projects a few times a year.  The first was a simple rocket from a cardboard tube.  The most recent was a paper clock with a stand.  They had to see if their stand would work and not affect the clock hands when they were turned. 

Elena is in preschool three days a week at the school where Karina used to go.  She really likes her teachers but had a bit of a rough start.  She's very emotional and gets upset when other kids cry.  She made a good friend but unfortunately, the friend's dad is military and being moved, so her friend is leaving.  There are three other girls in the class, and five boys.  One of the boys is the son of a mom I became friends with when Karina was in the 2s.  Her daughter and Karina were in the same class all three years, until Karina went on to Kindergarten. 

Karina just turned 6 this past Christmas. Elena will be three in less than a week.  They are playing together a lot more, and they are so different.  Their differences are striking and fun.  I notice the way the play is even different.  Elena is very imaginative with dolls and animals and making them talk and play.  Karina is imaginative, too, but in a different way.  She likes to design and build and organize (just not her room, ha ha!) things.  Even when she was little, she would play with her cars, for example, by lining them up.  Both girls love puzzles and art. They love the movie "Frozen" and Elena loves all animals.  Karina still loves jellyfish and sea creatures.

Karina has learned to read a lot in Kindergarten.  All of a sudden over Christmas break, she was just reading stuff.  Now Elena will ask Karina to read things to her.  I love watching and listening to them play together. 

Elena gave up napping over Christmas break, to our dismay.  She may be ready but we aren't!  Friday last week, she was so tired that she almost fell asleep on the way to preschool at 9am!  She is still adjusting to no naps and an earlier morning than we had over the break.

I found a book a few months ago that I bought to share with them.  I believe it's called "Sisters".  It's just a board book, but the idea is so perfect.  It's about two sisters who are very different in many ways, but also alike in many ways.  At the end, the book says the most important way they were alike was that they loved each other very much.  That is definitely my girls. 

Here are some pictures of the silly things we did over our Christmas break.  We went to the zoo here and some photos are from that trip.

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