5

September 4, 2012

Dearest Allison -

This is a big week. You start Kindergarten and you turn 5.

You are thrilled about both. And contrary to the tears that keep falling, I am thrilled as well.

You have always loved learning and having a schedule, so school is very comfortable for you. You were up this morning two hours before drop off, ready to go.  Like everything else in your life, you face things head on with bravery and enthusiasm.

School is wonderful, and I am excited for you to explore a new world, surrounded by your peers and friends. Asking good questions, learning, reading, exploring.

As you enter school, my mother gut goes into full effect overdrive. I pray that I have prepared you enough for the journey ahead and that I have the strength, good health and wisdom to continue to guide and prepare you.

Trust your gut. It never leads you astray.
Help others when they need it.
Be kind.
Enjoy yourself.
Do your best.
Try (almost) everything once.

As a mother, I would love to keep you forever in a safe, cozy cocoon, blocking out all pain, sadness and suffering. But I realize that all of that is part of living. You will have your feelings hurt. You will get upset and angry. You will fail. But I am confident that you will overcome all obstacles.

If all else fails, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, take a deep breath and just carry on. As I always tell you, as my first grade teacher told me, Life is Not Fair. But it is messy, gloriously fun, wonderful, and worth the ride.

You have wanted to be 5 for a long time. Probably because I kept telling you that you couldn't do something "until you turned five" or you could only begin doing something "when you turned five". I, for some reason, thought that was a long time from now. Except that now it is happening in four days. Four short days.

I keep telling you that my tears are not of sadness, they are tears of joy and awe and amazement. You are, quite literally, growing up right before my eyes. And the adventure of life is just beginning for you.

Please remember that no one else determines your self worth. YOU are a unique, glorious, amazing being.

You are a magical kid. And I keep pinching myself that I was chosen to be your mother.

I am not perfect. Far from it. But I promise you that I will always try my best when it comes to you and that my intentions are always good.

And never forget how very much I love you. I am always your biggest cheerleader and never far behind.

xoxo
Mommy

Summer 2012

This is what summer looked like around these parts.....

Oh my.

# "Effeven"

Growing pains

I am the one with growing pains, of course, not these sweet girls.

The freckles that now sprinkle across the bridge of her nose. The way she tells us "I do it" every day.

The way this sweet, caring older sister asks more questions, searches more truths and spreads her wings, all while keeping her loving, pure heart close to home.

As I teeter on the balancing beam of motherhood wishing to freeze time while I welcome the new adventures of the next day.

Home

We have been home in the US for two months now, and I finally feel like we are settled - into our temporary digs, our new routines.

I thought that once we landed back in the US, I would feel right at home, but instead I do feel like we are visiting, or better yet, just passing through. Perhaps living abroad gives you that perspective.

I only now, after our very first post, realize how many times people ask you "Where do you live?". Um....I don't know....here, well not really, but only for a while, we just got back, blah blah blah - there is no easy or short way to explain our deal.

DC has welcomed me home, as she always does. I beyond adore being a 20 minute car ride from my parents - seeing extended family and friends on a regular basis is a wonderful gift, and being in the same time zone for phone calls is refreshing. We are living in a neighborhood that allows us to walk everywhere, which is a wonderful change.

Flip the coin, as it were, and life here is taking some adjustment on my part.

After being in SE Asia for two years and not once questioning my personal safety, I had to overnight remember to be aware of my surroundings and keep my eyes wide open.

Some things feel very foreign - hash tags on twitter, shellac manicures, say what?

Also, stores in the US are FREEZING. And I have become el cheapo - Topping the list of things I refuse to buy - WATER. I always try to have water bottles for me and the girls when we are out and about, but PV (pre-Vietnam) if we were out and thirsty, I would gladly stop and pick up a bottle of water or two. Now? No way can I bring myself to pay $2 for a teeny bottle of water.

It is interesting to watch the girls interact with their new world. Water fountains, crosswalks, Poptarts and greeting card aisles provide endless entertainment and opportunity for instruction!

My tropical babies have definitely had to adjust to wearing shoes everywhere we go, and then not removing them as soon as they enter a building, a la Vietnamese style. Also, seatbelts took a good week of reinforcement. And one classic, mothering moment of "Don't make me pull this car over!"

Being in the US does take some adjusting. And wrestling. A two year old into a coat. FUN.

FDR & MLK

Spring in DC is a wonderful gift - the girls and I enjoyed a recent morning at the tidal basin enjoying the FDR memorial, which is always a wonderful sight to behold and the moving, lovely new (to me) MLK memorial.