HOLY COW! Piper is almost TWO!! Where did the last two years go?!?
Piper reminds me of Dillen, still. She has so many of the same physical features and personality traits. That being said, Piper is definitely her own person and is showing us more and more of her personality on a weekly basis. She has so many words now it is impossible to count and she is beginning to understand the importance of putting 2 and 3 words together. She loves to say, "Mommy, I love you" (sounding more like "Mommy, I lah you") and slowly puts her own sentences together like, "Roxy, no mine!" Heh. She is just as determined now as the day she was conceived and her smile is just as huge and contagious.
She tantrums like Dillen used to, as well. The other day we were in Starbucks and she wanted cookies. I told her no. She wiggled out of my arms, gave me a dirty little look, walked two feet away, lied down on the ground on her tummy and quietly put her face in her arms. I gave her little attention for this and just stepped over her to get to the waiting line. Those who came into Starbucks had no idea what this little girl was doing but those who were fortunate enough to watch it from the beginning were in awe over how quiet her tantrum was. Once in a while, she would peek up to see if I was looking at her. My tea was ready in about 5 minutes and I quietly walked over to her and said, "Piper, I am leaving now. Do you want to come with me or do you want to continue laying here on the ground?" She slowly got up and said "All done," then took my hand as we walked out the door.
:)
She loves to run, play at the park, hang like a monkey, make all animal sounds, dance a funky low-squat dance and play with her sisters. She is in no way interested in using the big girl potty no matter how much I encourage her. But she knows what she wants and how to get it. She has us all wrapped around her little finger.
Roxy has changed an incredible amount in just a short time. Though she is just as energetic and spirited as always (and still tests her limits on a daily basis), she has begun to mature and is a VERY funny little girl. She loves to use humor to make us all laugh whether it is something she intentionally says or does (slapstick humor at its best). She has also become a wonderfully loving big sister to Piper. She guides her and encourages her to play and stay safe. That being said, she also should not be left alone in a room with her... Roxy hugs and loves passionately and sometimes it is just too much for her little sister to bare. ;)
She has begun swimming for the first time and, though she cried the first session, has become a little fish - proving once again that she can tackle anything physical given to her. Roxy's natural physical talents are noticed by all who have the privilege of watching her whether it is gymnastics, dance and, now, swim.
One thing we are struggling with is Roxy's allergies to dust mites/dust. She has had quite a few attacks - one that took us on another ambulance ride to the hospital in the middle of the night (while we were on vacation in Catalina). She is now on nightly nebulizer treatments and we have another medication to use at the house for emergencies. But we are on our toes with her and will need to make sure we are in close proximity to emergency care wherever we go. Our hope is that she will outgrow this soon. We had to give our sweet Elfie dog to my mom because the shedding was just too much. The hair that was coming off of that dog was enough to fill 1,000 stuffed animals a day. No matter how much I cleaned or vacuumed, I could not keep up with the fur balls/dust balls.
One of the most exciting things for Roxy right now is her readiness for Kindergarden. It is AMAZING to me that she is going to be in Kindergarden in less then 2 weeks. She is thrilled and can't wait. I have no doubt she will do well even though she will still be 4 when she starts. She loves to make friends and still has a knack for "style." It will be interesting and awesome to watch her blossom this coming year.
Dillen has settled back in Solana Beach with ease. She loved her four weeks of summer school and loves being back in swim. But best of all, she is back in karate - our second home/family. In fact, just tonight she earned her blue belt! This is a huge accomplishment and she is on Cloud 9. In addition to earning her belt today, she surfed FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER this morning in her Junior Lifeguards summer camp. When I picked her up this morning, she was running a mile a minute telling me how she got up and surfed on a surfboard all by herself. She was just as excited to tell me about her wipe outs and nose dives. Heh. That's my girl. :)
Dillen, as always, is still incredibly considerate, loving, compassionate, intelligent and oftentimes comes across as an adult in a little person's body. It blows my mind, though, that she is going into 2nd grade in just 2 weeks. Where has the time gone?!?
Yep. That's me. :)
I'M FORTY!!!!!
And I love it...
My birthday (the 9th of August) was spent at Legoland with the girls, enjoying a 90 minute facial and then a delicious sushi dinner with my lovely family. It was perfect.
A lot has happened in the past few months. We sold our Dana Point home (yes, after just one year) and we are now living in Solana Beach again. The circumstances for moving away from Solana Beach and then away from Dana Point were difficult to say the least. But Sean and I did some real soul searching and, after some very long discussions, we decided that moving back to Solana Beach would be the best choice for the girls' future. Leaving Solana Beach in the first place was incredibly difficult - it was our home - and there are still some very bitter and deep seeded regrets I have in how the purchase and sale of our home came about. But we moved on and tried to make the best of it in Dana Point. Home schooling was amazing and I wouldn't trade that experience for the world. But coming up on the fall and knowing that Dillen would be entering 2nd grade and Roxy Kindergarten, I needed to find a more traditional solution. Unfortunately, the school we were zoned for in Dana Point was not acceptable (76% English Language Learners and 100% Hispanic in the classroom Dillen would be placed in). And the school we would have put them in using Open Enrollment was impacted - so there was no space for the girls. With private school costing upwards of $12K-22K per year, per child that was out of the question.
Sean and I had a heart to heart. I was depressed... I'm NEVER depressed! But this hit me hard - all I want is for my girls to be happy and I felt as though their worlds were turned upside down and their stability was being broken one step/choice at a time. The responsibility for providing them with a wonderful childhood is huge and it is my #1 priority. So, I turned to Sean and told him I was at a loss for answers and needed him to tell me what we needed to do next. Have I written how amazing Sean is? I truly have the best husband in the world. He is there for me. For us. Our rock. He quickly had an answer and action was put into place to return to Solana Beach.
Within a few months we were back.
And it has been amazing.
So amazing, in fact, that I haven't written anything since May!
In a nutshell: We moved back the last week in May and have taken full advantage again of this wonderful little bubble of a town. Dillen jumped right back into karate; both Dillen and Roxy were enrolled in swim and four weeks of summer school (Dillen in a 3, 2, 1 Action! class and Roxy in a Ready, Set, Go! Kindergarten program); every Thursday we enjoy the Fletcher Cove concerts in the park. We also made a trip to Chicago and Catalina Island. We've hit Legoland, the Zoo, Wild Animal Park and Julian. We are also in the beginning stages of discovering camping. So far, we have camped in our living room (full 6 person tent) and in Mimi and Papa's backyard (full tent, plus sleeping bags).
Anyway, I realize I have missed out on a LOT of awesome blogging moments this summer. I mean, Piper ALONE could have filled approximately 100 posts. She is an INCREDIBLY sweet and intelligent little girl who has an extremely awesome personality. And she is growing up so fast.
I will do my best to get some pictures/video up from our summer fun and start to blog again more often.