Big Girl Blues

Why does anything good have to end? There's less than two weeks left until she goes to a new school, and she has no idea how much she's going to miss her first school, her first best friend, and the amazing teachers she grew so close to.

My baby--no, my "big girl"--is graduated from preschool. Yes, there was a graduation commemorating her completion of k-4. She even wore a cap and gown...no joke. :-)

It's wonderful and dreadful at the same time. She's thriving and moving on to more advanced work, but with that comes more stress and less fun. There is so much expected of kids in kindergarten. Kindergarten is the new first grade, and that means more responsibility. It's funny how kids want to grow up so badly. They admire teenagers, pretend to be adults, and yet they have no idea, NO IDEA how much work it is being "mature".

Aurora's first school, Stage Door Preschool of the Arts, is the creme de la creme of preschools as far as I'm concerned. I feel silly even saying such a thing :-P But they are impressive!

They provide such a rich environment for students to express themselves in many ways: dancing, drawing, painting, coloring, music, and they even have a special Spanish class. And to top it off, they're rated 198 out of 200 in preparing children for Kindergarten. Go Stage Door!

From the first day, Aurora had a best friend. Lilia. What a cutie. And they're so much alike. After one conversation, Lilia's mom and I discovered they even sass in the same way. They love each other so much. It's hard for me to think of them not going to the same school this fall. Look at these adorable partners in crime....



It's hard to let go of my little girl and let her grow up, but I'm proud of the changes she makes ever day. I'm so blessed to watch this amazing little human being evolve into a strong and self-sufficient young lady. This year is sure to be full of major changes! Most of all, I am looking forward to the advancement in her reading skills. Because once one can read anything, the possibilities are limitless!

xo

jbnewcomb<3

My Leo Lover

She spent weeks crafting him present after present. The moment she awoke on the big day, she went to work on wrapping up her works of art. Finished, she helped me make him breakfast, complete with his favorite flaky rolls.

"Happy Birthday, Daddy! Time to get up! Breakfast is ready!" Aurora announced as she jumped on top of her sleeping Daddy. He wrapped his arms around her, and I fell into their love pile to take part in the birthday wake-up call. Jason was simply happy. The love was palpable. And there's nothing that means more to me than seeing my loved ones happy. Especially on their birthday! :-)

Birthday celebrations are one of my favorite events. Of course nothing can take the place of weddings in my heart, but birthdays are a close second. Love! Cake! Presents! Birthdays and weddings have it all. But one thing birthdays have over weddings is that we get one every year! {I'd love to be able to afford a full-on wedding every year!} Jason's birthday this year was made oh so special.

The morning went swimmingly! Jason was so impressed with Aurora's homemade presents. Among them was an incredibly detailed Chinese Dragon. I've seen our daughter produce amazing works of art, but this was in a whole other league! She'd perfectly cut out an orange dragon, bejeweled it with glass stones, and drew a beautiful, realistic face. It was superb! Besides being an exquisite piece, Jason looooves Asian art!

Jason also loves attention. Of course he would. He's a Leo! AND his birthday is the 1st of the month. I love attention, too, but I also love to make my loved ones feel like the center of my world. And my world is blessed with a man with many wonderful qualities. He's strong-willed, ambitious, and outgoing. All of those intense qualities are balanced out by his extraordinary, intuitive sensitivity and his humble {sometimes too humble ;-)} nature. All that is topped off by a controversial sense of humor. His fresh perspective is always entertaining! Politics. Religion. Society. Pop culture. All taboo subjects, he lightens, hence lifting my spirits with his open-minded humor. He's my favorite comedian. My favorite lover. My favorite friend. And he can cook, too!

Happy Birthday, baby! May we get to spend dozens more together. :-x

xo
jbnewcomb<3