Your First Day at Preschool

Katherine, today was a milestone day! Your first day of preschool.

This day has been coming for a long time and we talked about you staying without daddy and me at preschool (for less than 3 hours). We have prepared, bought your backpack and snack pack and all the little items you needed to get ready. Today was the big day – a new chapter in your life is starting.

We were packing your back pack and snack pack together earlier today and I realized in that moment you were ready for your new adventure. And I also realized my little girl is growing up. Your world of independence grows and you are making good decisions for yourself.

Dropping you off at preschool was exciting… until it came to the moment where we actually dropped you off and left. There were tears (yes, I admit, not only from you!), but you quickly forgot all about it once we left and when it was time you pick you up, you greeted us with a big smile!

Your backpack is the shape of a butterfly and just before we were leaving the house you said “look, it’s flying its wings”.  How fitting, as you are spreading your wings today.

Here is my wish for you:

May you always be curious about the world,
And never stop asking questions.
May you always enjoy your journey,
And never stop dancing in the rain.
May you always be kind to those that you meet,
And never stop being true to yourself.
May you always have a caring heart,
And never stop believing that anything is possible.
May you always know you are loved more than words can ever express.

I love you always and forever.

Our Trip to the Fair

Katherine, today we went to the IPE fair. We had such a fun afternoon together! As soon as we got to the fairgrounds, there was this twinkle in your eyes and you pulled us in all different directions - there was so much to see and do.

We visited the goats, the cows, the bunnies, the pigeons and the geese. When we visited the chickens you even got to see a little chick hatch!

In the amusement park section we discovered a beautiful Merry-Go-Round (we call it Karussell in Germany) with colourful horses. After watching the ride for a little while, I asked you if you want to ride it. With big eyes you shook your head and continued to watch it go round and round. I asked you again if you want to ride it… if I came with you. This time you agreed! After we got our tickets, we waited in line to get on the ride. You were so excited, jumping up and down. When it was our time to get on, you chose a beautiful horse to sit on and held on tight. The ride began to go round and round, the lights were blinking, the music was playing, and your horse was moving up and down… and you were mesmerized by it all!

We continued our fun afternoon by visiting the petting zoo, panning for gold, a pony ride and playing some amusement games (where you won a little cute orange bear you named Care Bear Puppyrella!).

At the end of the evening when it was time to go home, you asked us to take you back to the Merry-Go-Round to go on it for one more ride – with daddy!

You are teaching me to see the world through your eyes. When I looked into your eyes during this Merry-Go-Round ride today, I saw pure joy and wonder and when I looked around us I saw the reason for it. It was one of those truly perfect moments in time… I hope you never lose your sense of wonder that shows you the beauty of life. I love you always and forever.

“I Do It!”

Katherine, you are becoming more and more independent – and you are speaking more, which allows you to express yourself and your desire to be independent. A common phrase we hear is “No, no, no - I do it”. When your daddy and I do not comply, a repeat of the same phrase is in order. Sometimes you emphasize your point by raising your voice or by giving us a stern look.

The best investment we have recently made is a pink step stool which you carry everywhere in the house to reach up a little higher. It’s become a great tool in your journey to independence. I love that you don’t mind that it takes way longer to go get the step stool, set it up to reach up to the counter and get what you want and then climb back off the step stool than it would take for me to simply hand you what you wanted.

You are also getting quite proficient at putting your shoes on (the left on the left and the right on the right) and taking them off. I am watching you as you sometimes struggle to get your little hands to do what you need them to do, but you try and try again until you succeed. And what puts me in awe is that when it’s time to go out, you go to the wardrobe, pick the shoes you want to wear and then proceed to take out daddy’s and my shoes as well and line them up for us to get dressed too (mine on the stairs beside yours and daddy’s beside the chair at the entrance door, because that’s where you know we always sit down)!

You are teaching me to be patient, because sometimes being independent isn’t about being fast, it’s about the sparkle in your eyes when you did what you set out to accomplish. You are teaching me to be patient when I see you struggle, to trust that you know how to ask for help when you need it, and to know it’s not my decision to make when that time is. I love you always and forever.