The big day

I am more than a week behind on this important post.  Mostly because I am just behind on most things, but partly because I didn't know what to say.  It is a day that mothers think about almost from the moment their child is born.  The first day of Kindergarten: that symbol of letting go. 

Here is the first Kindergartener in our house.  Isn't she something? 

She was so excited and brave.  And I must say, so was I.  Her teacher is amazing and Lily was so ready for her first day.  My tears never even made it over the rims of my eyes.  What a glorious ride this parenting thing is.

Road Trip

 Our westward vacation this summer was more than I could have hoped for.  I admit, I was skeptical about a car trip with two young children who can't seem to go 30 minutes without a snack.  I didn't believe 50 plus hours in the car would go off without a hitch.  But do you know what?  It did.

From Storybookland

 

to Mount Rushmore,

 

 

to Yellowstone



 

and the awe-inspiring Lower Falls. 

Big tourist sites

and quiet beaches.

 

 

 

 Old friends

 

 and old lands.

And all the way back home. 

You know you are blessed when, as parents, you are inventing reasons to extend your 8 day road trip to just keep the fun going. 
Money has nothing on memories.

Competetive Nature

Watching Lily at soccer tonight was eye-opening.  For the last ten minutes, twenty kids, ages 4 and 5, played a "game" of soccer.  Some kids picked grass, some half-heartedly jogged back and forth with the mob, and some swarmed the ball.  Lily was in the swarm.  In fact, I think she considered herself the queen bee.  Not only did she steal the ball from the blue team, she knocked it away from her own yellow teammates.  Now don't get me wrong, I don't consider this behavior desirable, but at the same time, my parental pride welled up at the sight of her running her little tushy off! 
After practice I talked with her a little about the game.  When we got to the part about her taking the ball from her own teammates, she expressed frustration that some kids weren't playing "right."  I commented that she was probably feeling competetive, like she wanted to score so much that she might do things that aren't good. 
"Yeah, sometimes I wanted to push kids down so I could just go and score.  But I knew when the game was over I wouldn't feel good about that."
I could not help but chuckle.  That pretty much sums up the tug-of-war between ambition and civility.